Past Production Reviews
6Ensemblemitglied Josh Lovell wird von Einsatz zu Einsatz besser, sein heller, jugendlich frischer Tenor gewinnt an Durchschlagskraft und Farbigkeit. Als Arturo begegnet er den Hauptakteuren auf Augenhöhe und ist ein nicht unsympathischer, von Enrico auserwählter Bräutigam Lucias.
The death of the studio opera recording has been lamented ever since I started going to the opera, but Erato and Warner Classics have kept the tradition alive with recording after recording starring Joyce DiDonato, their most bankable star. Hot on the heels of a critically-acclaimed Agrippina, DiDonato expands her Handelian credentials with the dramatic oratorio Theodora, once again with Maxim Emelyanychev and Il Pomo d’Oro. They’ve assembled an outrageously luxurious cast for the recording, and as such have organised an accompanying European tour and livestream. At the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, three performances into the tour, there was some truly astounding singing but despite an abundance of vocal riches, it hasn’t quite come together dramatically yet. Perhaps this isn’t a fair criticism, though, because although Theodora contains some of Handel’s most sublime music, it can seem quite inert with three hours of slow, sad music, This poses a challenge – especially in a concert setting – and the cast wasn’t helped by the stage direction, with singers walking on and off just to sing their lines. There were many moments where characters would directly address a character who had long departed the stage and were left to just stand and sing out. It's difficult to achieve a profound meditation of religion, death and authority under these circumstances. Within this dramatic vacuum, it was left to the singers to put their stamp on the music, and DiDonato certainly had no shortage of ideas in her portrayal of Irene. It’s clearly a role that she has thought a lot about and which means a lot to her, and she captured a wonderful ambiguity in the character. Typically portrayed as a paragon of noble decency, DiDonato offered something more extroverted, more zealous – her decrees to Theodora and her congregation of Christians were filled with a religious fervour that was at once rousing and disturbing. Vocally, she was on glorious form, spinning out the long lines of “As with rosy steps” and “Defend her, Heaven” with rapt intensity. There were some eccentric moments too, particularly an oddly showy “Bane of virtue” and an extended cadenza in “Lord, to thee” which brought to mind a Kol Nidre. It’s an interesting take on the role, done with her customary intelligence and impeccable technique, and I look forward to seeing how she translates these ideas when she does the role for the first time in a staged production in a few months. In the title role, Lisette Oropesa offered a straightforward sincerity and innocence. Oropesa’s voice is a perfect fit for the character, pure and unforced but with enough fullness to bloom in Handel’s long legato lines. As always, her vocal technique was a marvel, with perfectly integrated registers and fluent command of Handelian ornamentation. Her Act 2 prison scene was the highlight of the evening, marrying endless lines of pearly sound with disarming sincerity. As her lover Didymus, the young French countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian sang with a beautiful, rich tone and excellent coloratura, particularly in his opening aria. His plummy sound, though, wasn’t ideally matched with Oropesa’s silvery purity in the final duet, and his English suffered in comparison to his Anglophone cast-mates. As Valens, the Roman general who sets the tragic events of the evening in motion, John Chest had less to sing than the rest of the cast, but made his mark with agile coloratura and a spectacular high A. The role sits lower than where Chest’s voice sits, though, and lacked dramatic gravitas, although his stage presence was never less than thrilling. Finally, the true wild-card casting was tenor Michael Spyres as Septimius. Surely no other tenor has sung the role in between performances of Florestan and Tristan, but Spyres has high notes and coloratura to burn, particularly in an impressively quick “Dread the fruits of Christian folly” that brought the house down. He was at his best in the simplicity of his final aria with its long, aching lines, displaying a dramatic involvement that eluded him in earlier acts. The evening was overseen by Emelyanychev, bounding onto the stage with an enthusiasm that didn’t let up for the entirety of the performance. He coaxed phenomenal playing from his orchestra, articulate in parts, delicately smooth in others. The small chorus of sixteen sang with vigour and accuracy, particularly in the complex counterpoint of the extended choral scenes, though they weren’t helped by being placed so far back onstage. All of these will surely be ironed out in time for the recording and in the editing studio. But beyond the singing, Theodora can be one of the most devastatingly moving experiences in the theatre, and this performance left me impressed rather than transformed.
If it's not broke, don't fix it!" Most clichés gain their status through being true, but that one is honoured in the breach as often as in its application, the desire to sell something new (even if it isn't really) as addictive to the vendor as it is to the buyer. Not always though. "25 years of Richard Eyre's La Traviata" is emblazoned (in gold, no less) on the cast list and the programme compiles a Who's Who of opera stars who have sung the roles in that quarter century - it was staged here as recently as January after all! So you've every right to expect something good, something slick, something that can fill hundreds of seats on wet Tuesday night a week before Christmas. And that's what you get.
Apart from Oropesa’s Violetta, the superb tenor Liparit Avetisyan gives a convincing performance as the passionate Alfredo, a role that is rarely achieved in operatic productions. The German baritone Christian Gerhaher in the role of Giorgio Germont, the man responsible for the break-up, also offers an impressive performance. The entire leading cast as well as the rest of the cast secured the narrative’s realism that is so brilliantly embedded in its musical fabric, which translates on stage in a manner that even those not musically trained, gain a satisfying musical and dramatic experience. The stamp of the director of this revival, Pedro Ruibeiro, is much in evidence. The dramatic performance, highlighting the conflict between father-son, the shift in Germont’s attitude towards Violetta, the ‘saintly courtesan’, is made clear in their first encounter in Act II. His hard tone and demeanour towards this fallen reveal early signs of softening and gestures of respect. The social norms layered with hypocrisy are superbly probed musically and dramatically in that first encounter between the two. The dramatic tension is given momentary relief by the colourful and beautifully performed gypsy’s singing dancing and the matadors. They lighten up the atmosphere before the mood darkens.The evening, in its entirety, can be summed up as memorable
Pasquale’s home is as devoid of color as his films, with makeup, costuming and lighting emphasizing the monochromatic nature of the opening sets. Color bleeds into his world — first slowly, and then in bursts as his bride-to-be appears. It’s an engaging narrative gambit. Credit is due to Peter Nolle (scenery), Kathleen Trott (costumes), Thomas C. Hase (lighting) James D. Geier (wigs and makeup) and Doug Provost (projections). Mr. Glavin’s vocal work was deft and clean, although the orchestra overpowered his lower register at times. Tenor Javier Abreu faced a similar fate: his lyricism was superb — perhaps overwrought in some of the more melodramatic phrases — but his timbre didn’t always project clearly. Smaller standout roles included Ian Christiansen in a supernumerary role as Max the majordomo and baritone Tyler Zimmerman as a purported notary, each making hay with their physical comedy. American conductor Gary Thor Wedow maintained a sprightly pace throughout the evening, keeping a close connection between singers and the orchestra and coordinating the big ensemble numbers with precision. The orchestra sounded oddly treble-heavy, however. This unusual balance was most noticeable in big finale moments, which sounded thin compared to other productions. On the whole, however, this version of “Don Pasquale” is quality work, a genuinely funny bit of opera and fine way to close the Pittsburgh Opera season.
This year�s summer Festival in Verona honors star director Franco Zeffirelli by staging five of his productions: season opener Turandot, Aida, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, and Il Trovatore. This last production, which premiered in 2001 and was then revived in 2002 and 2004, featured a star studded cast, with Arena favorite Marcelo Alvarez in the role of Manrico and baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in his Arena debut and Italian role debut as his rival Count Luna. The two singers did not disappoint: Alvarez, arguably the best Manrico of his generation, was perhaps not at his best and had to force somewhat in the first duet with Azucena; the perilous high note of the cabaletta was perhaps not perfect, but the dynamics of piani and forti were excellent and his performance was compelling throughout. Hvorostovsky�s performance was flawless. His nicely colored baritone voice is not especially large, but it is perfectly projected by means of a reliable technique. His accurate diction and theatrical skills were appreciable even on the large stage of the Arena. The women were also excellent: Maranne Cornetti as Azucena is perfectly cast both for the role, which she masters completely, and for the Arena, given the size of her voice and despite some imperfect diction. Sondra Radvanovsky�s performance as Leonora was somewhat uneven. The soprano started with some problems, which made the sound of her voice unpleasant at the end of her first aria with a missed note on which she also lost intonation. However she recovered afterwards and was especially compelling in the death scene after which she deservedly received the biggest applause of the evening. As usual, Zeffirelli not only directed the stage action but also designed the opulent medieval sets. The large space allows the director to follow his taste and use a large number of extras with knights riding horses during the soldiers� chorus. The ballet music composed by Verdi for Paris was inserted in order to allow the dance company El Camborio to perform (in costumes that could as well be those they also use for Carmen, which is playing on alternate nights). Conductor Marco Armiliato was making his debut at the Arena, which was perhaps the reason he produced a smaller volume of sound than usual from the orchestra. This had the welcome consequence that the singers could be heard unusually well. The evening ended in a triumph for everyone.
