Předchozí recenze výroby
2Soprano Claudia Rosenthal, portraying Isacio’s daughter, Pulcheria, achieved the greatest balance between musical and dramatic interest. Her character, insulted by her fiancé Oronte’s pursuit of Costanza, became more complex over the course of the opera. Ms. Rosenthal achieved this maturation through her delivery — both comic and sympathetic — and her willingness to have fun with ornamentation. Those efforts sometimes compromised her technical output, but she took risks with the role and gave it a memorable portrayal. As Costanza, soprano Shannon Jennings had a bell-like, liquid tone but maintained a rather one-dimensional, anguished affect throughout the performance. Bass Andy Berry, playing Isacio, owned his character’s creepiness with a gravelly, buzzy tone. Two women portrayed Riccardo and Oronte, roles originally written for castratos. In the title role, mezzo-soprano Leah de Gruyl exhibited agility and separation through complicated vocal lines and delivered a fine, trill-filled love duet with Ms. Jennings, but her depiction could have benefited from more king-like charisma. Mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven’s rich, deep timbre suited the role of Oronte, but she, too, could have given a more nuanced portrayal. Brian Vu impressed in the small role of Berardo. The singers’ stamina and technical grounding was on display in the final chorus.
It’s a smartly written tale about how the humble servant Figaro and his friends try to outsmart the handsome and powerful Count Almaviva in such a way that all can live happily ever after. You might be put off a bit because it’s in Italian. But somehow with the text above the stage, the mode of the music, and the artistic lighting, I’m sure you’ll understand every word and feeling. It’s been over 200 years since this work had its premier, and yet it almost feels like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is standing in the wings. Almost as amazing as the opera is the talent brought together to make this production a reality. As I watched, I felt like everyone on stage had been singing and performing together for years. However, after reading their biographies, you realize that these extremely talented individuals have traveled many different paths to find themselves in Pittsburgh for our enjoyment. The audience was made up of opera lovers of all ages from teens to retirees. There is no dress code for going to an opera. A small percentage of those in attendance wore jeans and another small group were in formal attire. The Benedum is a gorgeous and an extremely comfortable venue for enjoying any kind of performance. Every time an opera singer takes a part in a production as famous and popular as The Marriage of Figaro, they are compared to the many talented performers who have sang that same part in days gone by. Let the experts compare. All I want to do is to say thanks to all the talented folks that gave me an evening I won’t soon forget. A special thanks to Tyler Simpson, who played Figaro, Joelle Harvey, who sang the part of Susanna, and Christian Bowers who brought to life Count Almaviva. All three were making their Pittsburgh Opera Debut. And a special thanks goes to Pittsburgher Danielle Pastin, who sang the roll of Countess Almaviva. I have always enjoyed opera music, but I sort of kept it to myself. I started to believe being an opera fan must be a cool thing when I learned that the great race car driver, Mario Andretti was an opera fan. Now, I don’t need someone else to validate my appreciation of the art form; I simply enjoy it. And I’m sure you would too.
