Past Production Reviews
9“In his Australian debut, Rame Lahaj cut a dashing figure as Alfredo Germont. Not only is his voice strong enough to carry far into the back of the auditorium, it is also smooth and flexible enough to deliver the nuances of his wildly fluctuating moods. Reaching his high notes with ease and holding firmly on to them, he deftly handled a variety of inflections and finely honed phrasing. Expressive without being melodramatic, neither did he overplay his hand.”
“Hailing from Kosovo, Lahaj is the most exciting Alfredo seen locally since Gianluca Terranova in the inaugural Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. A terrific actor, Lahaj charts the full emotional journey of Alfredo, from ardent admirer to impassioned lover, through to his brutish anger and subsequent shame and sorrow. Despite his striking looks, Lahaj clearly conveys Alfredo’s shy awkwardness at first meeting Violetta. His countenance changes as a dark storm cloud overtakes Alfredo’s logic, which then melts away with as deep regret takes over […] Possessing a rich, luxurious voice, Lahaj moves easily from middle to upper register with equal strength. If there are fleeting moments when his pitching is not quite accurate, it may well have be due to opening night nerves, which will soon dissipate as the season progresses. Combined with his charismatic presence, and his clear enjoyment of being on stage, the tone and lustre of Lahaj’s voice portent a very exciting future […] The perfect choice for newcomers, long-term operagoers will also enjoy and appreciate this season of La Traviata for the thrilling debuts of Gore and Lahaj.”
Ceiling fans spin as Nadine Benjamin’s Clara sings Summertime to her baby – it’s the first singing we hear, and Benjamin delivers it gorgeously. You can almost hear the heat – and indeed, it is George Gershwin’s score, buoyantly played here under the specialist guidance of conductor John Wilson, that more than anything establishes the atmosphere of summer in the American south. Gershwin researched it enthusiastically: the prospect of working with Dorothy and DuBose Heyward and turning their play into an opera brought him to their hometown of Charleston, visiting churches and absorbing the music of the Gullah Geechee community first-hand. It’s no coincidence that there’s a slight stylistic shift whenever we hear from Sportin’ Life, the slippery, perma-smiling drug pusher who always has an eye on New York – his big numbers, including It Ain’t Necessarily So, have his voice shadowed by a quietly sleazy muted trumpet.
Nadine Benjamin, una soprano de carrera tardía y por ello mismo reconocida hoy en el Reino Unido como una artista capaz de llegar sin prejuicios de edad, cantó un excelente Summertime al comienzo y durante toda la velada protagonizó una Clara de fulminante autenticidad y carácter hasta el momento de su sacrificio final, cuando abandona a su hijo para buscar a su marido y ahogarse con él en medio de una tormenta. También merece una mención especial un My man is gone que Latonia Moore (Serena), cantó no como una queja individual sino como lo que debe ser, un lamento de trascendencia colectiva, en la línea del Requiem de Brahms.
Nadine Sierra as Gilda was outstanding. She is a light soprano, perhaps too much so for the second part of the opera, but was convincing at all times. Her ‘Caro nome’ was the best moment of the night: she gave an authentic demonstration of breath control in a final, endless note. I would also highlight her performance in the duets with Rigoletto and with the supposed Gualtier Maldé.
While the highly anticipated revival of The Music Man idles awaiting the recovery from COVID of its stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster and other Broadway shows have closed either temporarily or permanently, the Metropolitan Opera defied Omicron to present its annual New Year’s Eve gala Friday night. If the crowd was sparser and less nattily dressed than in previous years, enthusiastically grateful applause greeted the superb cast and conductor after the premiere of the company’s new version of Verdi’s beloved classic Rigoletto. Before a celebratory shower of glittering confetti fell from the ceiling, the response was decidedly more tepid for the production team as yet once again director Bartlett Sher demonstrated little affinity for opera.
The sets for the Pittsburgh Opera production are quite magnificent. In Act II there’s a Paris street scene replete with tall buildings and even some snow falling, as Parpignol (tenor Terrence Chin-Loy) pushes his cart of toys through the street, captivating a group of children. In the Cafe Momus scene of Act II we are also introduced to a whirling dervish of a character, Musetta (soprano Sari Gruber) and her sugar daddy, Alcindoro (also played by Glavin). During the scene, a past love affair rekindles between Musetta and Marcello to humorous effect. The Cafe Momus set is quite striking, too, with decorative lighting, wooden booths, and tables. The entire cast of La bohème does a fantastic job of acting and singing their arias. There are many light touches of comedy throughout. One especially funny scene comes when Colline (Zimmerman) sings about having to sell his nice coat. The talented orchestra in the pit, led by Conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud, beautifully played Puccini’s score. Scenic design by Michael Yeargan and costume design by Zack Brown help to set the 1800s Paris mood. Lighting is by Andrew David Ostrowski and James Geier is wig and makeup designer. The production is stage managed by Cindy Knight and Mark Trawka is the chorus master.
The Pittsburgh Opera staging by Stephanie Havey, which opened Saturday evening at the Benedum Center, captures the spirit of that novel remarkably well. The lithe and supple cast, though not in fact particularly young, looks and acts like young people – students and aspiring artists – just barely keeping the wolf from their door. The ensemble scenes came off best: the antics of the four Bohemians at the start of the first and fourth acts, the Christmas Eve revelry at Café Momus (with excellent choral work prepared by Mark Trawka), the Act 3 quartet in which one couple separates while the other reunites. Among the solos, Mimi’s arias, deliciously vocalized by Ms. Cabell, took first honors. She is a beautiful singer who acts with her voice as well as her body. Her timbre was slender but nonetheless luscious, her shaping of every phrase that of a seasoned artist. Her Act 3 farewell to Rodolfo was the evening’s vocal highlight. Mr. Panikkar, too, is an admirable artist, who phrases exquisitely and makes every word count. But his lean voice is more suited to Mozart and the French repertory than to Italian “slancio,” which taxes him to his limits. He took the famous “Che gelida manina” down a half step, and even so had all he could do to get through the climactic phrase (here touching high B rather than a C). His best work was in the lyrical late-on duet with Marcello (baritone Craig Verm, dry-voiced but athletic and exuberant). The always delightful Sari Gruber pleased the audience with Musetta’s familiar Waltz aria. Her shriek when the character pretends to have a painful misfitting shoe is the best that I have ever heard on any stage. Another Pittsburgh favorite, Kevin Glavin, delivered his predictable comic wiles in the dual roles of the landlord Benoit and the ludicrous old sugar-daddy Alcindoro.
