Someone we know has no trouble committing to the right role (based on her Cleopatra in Glyndebourne's Giulio Cesare) is Danielle de Niese but she didn't seem quite comfortable with the innocent put-upon Ginevra. She was full of dramatic intensity but not always even vocally.
Vivica Genaux lacked menace as the villain Polinesso, with some unattractive wobbling in the lower register, and you had to look to the secondary roles for the best performances of the evening.
Finnish tenor Topi Lehtipuu, sounding like a young Ian Bostridge and similarly gangly, was mighty impressive as Lurcanio. Clearly a fine actor and with a good deal more animation than the English singer, he's a star in the making.
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