Tag: Metropolitan Opera

Dialogues des Carmélites @ The Met

Above: Christine Goerke as Mme. Lidoine with Eve Gigliotti as Mother Jeanne, and their sister-nuns; photo by Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera

Saturday January 28th, 2023 matinee – An incredibly powerful performance of Francis Poulenc’s masterpiece, Dialogues des Carmélites, at The Met this afternoon. The John Dexter production, one of the treasures of the Company’s repertoire, never fails to move me with its utter simplicity and the clarity of its story-telling. It was lovely to see several small groups of nuns among the audience this afternoon.

The performance was somewhat compromised by the conducting of Bertrand de Billy; though his tempi and feel for the music were spot-on, he too often allowed the orchestra to cover the voices. This seems to be a trend at the Met these days, for the recent RIGOLETTO(s) and TRAVIATA I saw, conducted by Speranza Scapucci and Marco Armiliato respectively, suffered from the same problem. As there are no huge voices around nowadays – no Nilsson, nor even a Grob-Prandl, and no Cossotto, del Monaco, or Norman Treigle either – such waves of sound rising from the pit cause singers to either force or simply be drowned out. The Met’s huge space is hard enough fill in and of itself; having to compete with mega-decibels of orchestral sound must be daunting indeed. Perhaps some people feel that a high-volume orchestra makes opera more “exciting”…? Well, it doesn’t.

The cast today was peopled by expressive singing-actors, down to the smallest roles. Benjamin Taylor (Thierry), Paul Corona (Dr. Javelinot), Siphokazi Molteno (Sister Mathlde), and Jeongcheol Cha (Jailer) did well, though the last-named’s task – reading the names of the nuns condemned to death – was lessened in impact by the orchestra’s loudness; it’s an affecting moment, deserving to be better-handled.

Above: Piotr Buszewski as Chevalier de la Force, Ailyn Perez as his sister Blanche, and Jamie Barton as Mother Marie; photo by Marty Sohl/MET Opera

The Polish tenor Piotr Buszewski, in his Met debut role, displayed a handsome timbre and fine sense of nuance as the Chevalier de la Force. Laurent Nouri made his mark as the Marquis de la Force. Tony Stevenson was excellent as the Chaplain, and Eve Gigliotti made much of the moving role of Mother Jeanne. It is Mother Jeanne who brings forth the figurine of the Christ Child, the breakage of which seems to signify the breakup of the convent. In the end, Mother Jeanne, using her cane, walks with great dignity to the guillotine. Ms. Gigliotti made the character seem essential, and her warm, plush mezzo timbre is always appealing. Tenor Scott Scully and basso Richard Bernstein are the Commissioners who come to shut down the convent; Mr. Bernstein, ever the effective stage creature, eyed each nun with suspicion; his voice is strong and steady.

As Blanche de la Force, the opera’s central character, Ailyn Pérez (above, in a Marty Sohl photo) brought gleaming lyricism with a sense of fragility to her music. She forms a bond with the naive, optimistic young Sister Constance (Sabine Devieilhe); in their prayer following the death of the Old Prioress, their timbres meshed to magical effect. And in the scene where her brother visits her and asks her to return home, Ms. Pérez and Mr. Buszewski did some of the loveliest singing of the afternoon. Having fled the convert, Blanche seeks refuge, working as a maid in her old family home; but Mother Marie tracks her down and urges her to return to the fold. Here Ms. Pérez’s desperation becomes palpable. But at the end, stepping from the crowd to bid farewell to Sister Constance and to face her own death calmly, Blanche finds release.

Above: Alice Coote as Madame de Croissy and Jamie Barton as Mère Marie; photo by Marty Sohl

During the pandemic, I often turned to YouTube to keep music vividly in my life whilst live performances ceased, and I came upon a film of Alice Coote singing Mahler’s “Ich bin der welt abhanden gekommen” which moved so deeply. Watch and listen here.

Today, as Madame de Croissy, Ms. Coote held the House under a spell as the character’s horrific death scene was played out. For a woman whose faith was always deep and seemingly unshakable, the Old Prioress finds herself terrified as she faces her end, wracked with pain. Ms. Coote, a wonderfully word-conscious singer, made the scene the centerpiece of the performance. Both vocally and dramatically, she was living the role: a riveting singer and personality. Rapturous applause greeted her at her solo bow at the opera’s end.

Jamie Barton has a perfect role in Mother Marie, and she made a splendid vocal impression. Her wide-ranging voice, from dusky chest tones to searing top notes, was in peak form. She held the stage with authority, and finely captured the character’s desperation and guilt on having been separated from her sisters during their final hours on Earth.

Above: Sabine Devieilhe, photo by Caroline Doutre

How wonderful to see the French soprano Sabine Devieilhe on the Met stage! Having attended her Weill Hall recital in 2019, I have been hoping to see and hear her again…and now she is here with us. As Sister Constance, the petite and lovely Ms. Devieilhe was ideally cast. Her silvery, shimmering tones gleamed in the House, a contrast to the opera’s deepening darkness and sense of impending doom. In the end, her hope of seeing Blanche again gives her the courage to walk to the guillotine, her lone voice the expression of innocence and human fragility. Then the voice of Blanche is heard: she has stepped from the crowd to join her sisters in death. The two girls have a last moment together before fate overtakes them. Incredibly touching.

Above: Christine Goerke as Madame Lidoine and Jamie Barton as Mother Marie

Towering, literally, over the sisterhood, Christine Goerke made a splendid impression as Madame Lidoine. If some of the highest notes did not bloom as one might wish, Ms. Goerke’s presence – and her vocal authority – gave the afternoon its center. Her portrayal, so dignified, so lovingly maternal, so…human…was touching to experience. It is Madame Lidoine who leads the procession to the guillotine, by which time I was already weeping.

The audience, the quietest and most attentive to have been part of in recent seasons, hailed the singers with great affection and admiration at the end. I felt a desire to go to the stage door, where a large crowd had gathered; I particularly wanted to greet Ms. Coote, Mlle. Devieilhe. and Ms. Gigliotti.

The French soprano was in a rush, probably to catch a flight, but was very gracious and charming; she told me she is already booked for a return to The Met. Ms. Gigiotti signed my program in a distinctive way, matching her distinctive personality; I thanked her for some unique videos she has made (watch here) and for her past performances in works of Nico Muhly and Sergei Taneyev. Ms. Coote walked briskly thru the crowd; undoubtedly she had someplace she needed be.

The story of the martyrdom of the Carmelite nuns becomes even more poignant when one realizes that their execution took place just ten days before the end of the Reign of Terror. The women were beatified in 1906; this plaque commemorates their deaths:

It is always difficult to return to the real world after a performance like this; there was so much to ponder after experiencing this opera about man’s inhumanity to man. What harm had these nuns done that merited a death sentence? Why is cruelty so rampant in the history of mankind? Why do people feel a need to control the beliefs and lifestyles of others?

~ Oberon

January 28, 2023
Benjamin Bernheim in RIGOLETTO @ The Met

Above: Rosa Feola and Benjamin Bernheim in RIGOLETTO at The Met

Author: Oberon

Saturday November 26th, 2022 matinee – After reading several glowing reviews of the French tenor Benjamin Bernheim over the past few years, and hearing of his recent success in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR opposite Lisette Oropesa at Vienna and Zurich, I decided to add today’s Met matinee of RIGOLETTO to my schedule. And I’m glad I did! This afternoon’s performance was strongly cast, from the title-role down to the Page and Guard.

This was my first time to see the Bartlett Sher production. The staging is inoffensive, with some interesting ideas; but the scene of Gilda’s sacrifice at the inn was clumsily managed. The set sometimes revolves like a carousel on high speed. Having been brought to the palace by the courtiers, Gilda seems eager when the duke comes to her, but then she seems humiliated when she emerges from the bedroom soon after. Having a bloodstain on her white nightgown might have been a telling touch.

In my estimation, Mr. Bernheim carried off top vocal honors. The voice is wonderfully clear and well-projected, with top notes that bloom. He is capable of ravishing soft singing, and he keeps the music fresh with subtle dynamic shifts. His performance was stylish and assured; I certainly hope we will hear more of him at The Met.

Quinn Kelsey’s Rigoletto (photo above) was sung with great power and commitment. His incredibly sustained “Ah no, è follia!” at the end of the “Pari siamo!” monolog was one of the afternoon’s great thrills, and throughout the opera, his vocal generosity seemed boundless. Whether it was the baritone’s decision or the conductor’s, “Cortigiani, vil razza dannato!” was taken at an absurdly fast pace, giving it a surface urgency rather than a deeper sense of feeling; but when “Miei signori…” was reached, the great beauty and tenderness of the Kelsey voice was at its most impressive. There were a few rather husky notes as the opera progressed, but overall Kelsey’s Rigoletto was a stunning performance. (I should mention here the beautiful playing of the cellist in the “Miei signori…” section).

Rosa Feola had many lovely passages as Gilda, though the sound of the voice is not truly distinctive. To me, she seems more of a lyric rather than a coloratura soprano, and some of the topmost notes tested her a bit. It would be nice to hear her as Liu or Mimi.

Aside from Mr. Bernheim, John Relyea’s Sparafucile was a big draw for me. The basso cuts a fine figure as the assassin, and his dark timbre is perfect for this music. At the end of his Act I encounter with Rigoletto, Mr. Relyea’s incredibly sustained low-F drew a round of applause.

In her Met debut role of Maddalena, Aigul Akhmetshina displayed an attractive presence and a plushy voice; she merits more Met opportunities. I consider Monterone to be a very important character in the opera; though his scenes are relatively brief, if they are powerfully delivered they can make a great impact. Today Bradley Garvin sang the role with vivid authority. As the courtiers, Scott Scully (Borsa), Jeongcheol Cha (Marullo), and Paul Corona and Brittany Renee (the Cepranos) were all excellent, and Edyta Kulczak’s Giovanna – clearly on the Duke’s payroll – had a memorable moment: as Rigoletto stands aghast at having been an accomplice in the kidnapping of this own daughter, the nurse flees the house with her suitcase. Brilliant!

How many times over the decades that I have been going to the opera have the singers of the Page and the Guard in RIGOLETTO captured my attention? Today was the first! Met choristers Andrea Coleman and Yohan Yi each stepped up to bat, and each hit a home run. Ms. Coleman has a bit more to sing, and she sang it prettily indeed; and Mr. Yi’s “Schiudete: ire al carcere Monteron dee!” was strikingly voiced. I borrowed this photo of Mr. Yi and Ms. Coleman from the Met Chorus’s Facebook page:

I met Speranza Scapucci when she was at Juilliiard; several of my young singer-friends who were studying there at the time spoke highly of her. Lately, she has come into her own, with prestigious productions on her resumé, including a debut at La Scala conducting Bellini’s CAPULETI ED I MONTECCHI featuring Ms. Oropesa as Giulietta. This run of RIGOLETTO marked her Met debut performances.

From the pit, Ms. Scapucci certainly gave us a lively RIGOLETTO; the opera swept by with a feeling of inevitability, yet she also had a handle on the more reflective passages. The only drawback, really, was her tendency to let the brass players cover the voices; things got out of hand in the ‘storm’ trio in the final act, where Mlles. Feola and Akhmetshina and Mr. Relyea were giving their all, to no avail.

Metropolitan Opera House Saturday November 26th, 2022 matinee
RIGOLETTO Giuseppe Verdi Rigoletto...............Quinn Kelsey Gilda...................Rosa Feola Duke of Mantua..........Benjamin Bernheim Maddalena...............Aigul Akhmetshina Sparafucile.............John Relyea Monterone...............Bradley Garvin Borsa...................Scott Scully Marullo.................Jeongcheol Cha Count Ceprano...........Paul Corona Countess Ceprano........Brittany Renee Giovanna................Edyta Kulczak Page....................Andrea Coleman Guard...................Yohan Yi
Conductor...............Speranza Scappucci

~ Oberon

November 25, 2022
@ The Met’s Opening Night ~ MEDEA

Tuesday September 27th, 2022 – The Metropolitan Opera opened their 2022-2023 season this evening with the Met premiere of Cherubini’s MEDEA. Originally performed in French – the opera’s world premiere took place on March 13th, 1797, at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris – MEDEA in its Italian version became one of Maria Callas’s greatest triumphs.

This was my fourth time experiencing MEDEA in the theatre. In 1974, the New York City Opera staged the work for their premiere singing-actress, Maralin Niska, who was magnificent in the role. Incredibly, in 1982, the Company offered another new production of the work – somewhat more timeless in feeling – with Grace Bumbry very effective in the title-role. In 1987, the opera was given in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in a traditional setting; Gilda Cruz-Romo sang Medea. Gilda, a longtime favorite of mine, was not ideally suited to the role but she still had plenty of voice a her disposal; it was the last time I ever saw her onstage.

Met Opening Night tickets being prohibitively expensive, I took a score desk for this performance; I plan to go a second time to have a view of the sets and costumes. This evening was a huge personal triumph for Sondra Radvanovsky; singing to a sold out house – a real rarity at The Met in this day and age – she won a thunderous ovation of the kind singers like Tebaldi, Nilsson, Rysanek, and Dame Gwyneth Jones used to garner. Sondra deserved every decibel, for she threw herself into the difficult and demanding role with total commitment.

The evening opened with the national anthem. I have always love singing it, but when we came to the words “…o’er the land of the free…” and was suddenly overcome with grief. We seem to be rushing headlong to our doom as a great democracy; I am hoping I won’t live long enough to experience the bitter end.

MEDEA itself is maddeningly uneven: thrilling passages – mainly for the title-character – alternate with routine music; conductor Carlo Rizzi led a performance that was more dutiful than inspired. It was in the individual singers that the evening made its musical impact; chorus and orchestra played a vital role in keeping the opera afloat when the main characters were otherwise occupied.

Matthew Polenzani’s Giasone is quite different from that of such earlier stalwarts in this music as Jon Vickers and James McCracken: more lyrical and thus more vulnerable. Polenzani sang beautifully, and his voice carried perfectly in the big hall. His expressive range veered from poetic (with his bride) to defiant (dealing with his ex-), to ultimate despair as he watched his entire world go up in flames.

Janai Brugger’s Glauce made much of what is a rather ungrateful role; Glauce has a very demanding aria early in the opera and thereafter is eclipsed both musically and dramatically by her rival, Medea. Ms. Brugger’s voice sails easily into the hall, and she combined full-toned lyricism with technical assurance.

Michele Pertusi has had a long and distinguished career, and tonight, as Creon, he was most impressive. The voice is steady and sure, and it fills the house. It’s always wonderful to hear a native Italian making the most of the words. Pertusi’s Creon was outstanding, establishing real authority.

I had previously experienced Ekaterina Gubanova as a powerful Cassandra in a concert performance of LES TROYENS, and as Brangaene in a concert version of Act II of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE where she sounded a bit taxed in her upper range. Tonight, as Medea’s faithful companion, Neris, Ms. Gubanova was superb. Her poignant aria, with its haunting bassoon accompaniment, was the musical centerpiece of the evening. The singer seemed to hold the house under a spell as she sang of her devotion to her mistress, winning warm applause at the aria’s end, and an enthusiastic round of bravas at her bows.

Mille bravi! to Met principal bassoonist Evan Epifanio for his gorgeously mellow playing in Neris’s aria; he and Ms. Gubanova ideally complimented one another.

Witnessing the Radvanovsky triumph was vastly pleasing to me, as I have been a great admirer of the diva since her days as a Met Young Artist. In her many performances that I’ve experienced, she has always seemed to have a unique gift for making opera seem important. Sondra’s dynamic range is her greatest gift: the incredible focus and power of her highest notes can be followed moments later by a shimmeringly “alive” pianissimo. And she has an enthralling stage presence: a fearless actress, she seems to become the woman she is portraying. All this made her Medea a holy terror.

Medea makes a sneaky entrance, and soon she is alone with her former lover/husband, to whom she pours out her emotions in the great aria “Dei tuoi figli la madre…“; here, the Radvanovsky voice ranges from extraordinary tenderness to blind fury. I might have wished for a more chesty expression at “Nemici senza cor!” (Sondra really opened the chest range in Act II!) but the soprano knew what she was about. Polenzani gave a powerful response, eliciting a blistering, sustained top note from the furious sorceress. They quarreled on, to brilliant effect.

Act II commences without a break (thank god they didn’t bring up the houselights to quarter!) and Sondra, who had had a couple of throaty notes in Act I, was now blazing away on all cylinders, the voice fresh as can be, and the increasing use of chest voice adding to the thrills. Medea’s pleadings to Creon to be given one more day in Corinth cover a wide range of cajoling and deceit…Sondra and Mr. Pertusi were electrifying here. And when she won, Sondra celebrated her success: Medea now has time to work her destructive spells.

Following Neris’s gorgeous aria, sounds of the wedding ceremony are heard, with the chorus invoking the gods to bless Glauce and Giasone. Medea counters this with diabolical mutterings of her own, cursing the crowd with a starkly chested “Rabia infernal!“. Then, suddenly, she sails up to a vibrant final phrase. I admit I was kind of hoping Sondra would “take the fifth” here, as Callas sometimes did, but that notion was lost in the barrage of applause.

Act III is only about 30 minutes long, and is preceded by an over-long prelude. Sondra again stuns us with her powerful “Numi, venite a me!” and then gives us her finest, most magical singing of the evening with “Del fiero duol!” capped by en enormous high note. Polenzani, maddened by grief, assails her: “Our sons! What was their crime that they deserved to die?”…to which she answers, “They were your children!”

I stood up from my desk to watch the finale: flames are licking at the walls of the temple; the corpses of the two boys are lying on the floor upstage. Medea delivers her final line to Giasone: “Al sacro fiume io vo! Colà t’aspetta l’ombra mia!” (“I go to the sacred river…there, my shade will await you!”) and moves slowly to her dead sons. She settles herself between them, taking their bodies in her arms as the entire temple is engulfed in flames.

There’s a video of tonight’s finale – and the curtain calls – that is a wonderful souvenir of the evening. However, having been recorded on a cellphone, it gives no idea of the sheer volume and depth of the sound of a full-house standing ovation at The Met. To Sondra, it must have felt like being hit by an avalanche of affection. Watch here.

~ Oberon

September 27, 2022
Rysanek’s 25th Anniversary @ The Met

So many wonderful things have popped up on YouTube during the pandemic. An audio-only recording of the Leonie Rysanek 25th Anniversary Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1984 provides a document of a truly exciting performance…which I attended.

Listen here.

Before the performance began, I heard people seated near us asking: “Do you think she will scream?” The general consensus was that, being a concert performance, she would refrain from including her trademark screams as both Kundry and Sieglinde.

She screamed.

July 25, 2022
Rysanek’s 25th Anniversary @ The Met

So many wonderful things have popped up on YouTube during the pandemic. An audio-only recording of the Leonie Rysanek 25th Anniversary Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1984 provides a document of a truly exciting performance…which I attended.

Listen here.

Before the performance began, I heard people seated near us asking: “Do you think she will scream?” The general consensus was that, being a concert performance, she would refrain from including her trademark screams as both Kundry and Sieglinde.

She screamed.

July 24, 2022
50 Years Ago ~ End of The Bing Era @ The Met

Above: Montserrat Caballé

On April 22nd, 1972, fifty years ago today, a matinee of Verdi’s DON CARLO was the final opera performance of Sir Rudolf Bing’s reign at The Metropolitan Opera. That evening, a gala concert featuring many great artists of the day paid tribute to the departing general manager.

I attended the matinee, and I tried to get a ticket for the evening’s farewell concert, but none were to be had. Here’s what I wrote in my diary about the afternoon’s DON CARLO:

“In spite of a few shortcomings, this was for the most part a superb and highly enjoyable performance; the opera itself is magnificent. Francesco Molinari-Pradelli’s conducting was dutiful, and not very inspired. I found myself wishing for a different maestro.

All the singers were perfectly suited to their roles. Two fine tenors – Leo Goeke as Count Lerma and Rod MacWherter as the Herald – sounded wonderful in their brief musical moments. Lucine Amara and Frederica von Stade graciously took on small roles in honor of Mr. Bing: Ms. Amara repeated her 1950 Met debut role as the Celestial Voice to lovely effect, whilst Ms. von Stade stepped back from such roles as Nicklausse, Hansel, and Cherubino to make a sensational Theobald, the queen’s page. What a voice this mezzo has, and how boyish and alert her acting was! Paul Plishka was amply resonant as the mysterious Friar (aka Charles V).

John Macurdy sang very well as the Grand Inquisitor, joining the great Cesare Siepi’s Philip II to make the confrontation of church and state a chilling scene. The Siepi voice remains impressive, giving us a wonderfully personal “Ella giammai m’amo“; his acting and bearing left nothing to be desired. Bravo!

Grace Bumbry as Eboli gave one of the finest performances I have heard from her. A couple of snags in the Canzone del Velo were quickly forgotten as she swept thru the fiery Garden Scene trio and on to a striking “O don fatale” which elicited great applause. Bumbry looks sensational onstage, though her acting is sometimes mannered.

Franco Corelli did not seem as vocally secure in the title-role as is the 1970 performances with Raina Kabaivanska, but still quite exciting. His singing was sustained and well-modulated, and of course he looks great onstage, though as an actor he sometimes went overboard. Still, Corelli always ignites the crowd. Sherrill Milnes sounded better today than he did earlier in the season; his Posa is a masculine, commanding figure, and he makes you care about the character’s fate.

Standing head and shoulders vocally above her colleagues, Montserrat Caballé was a sublime Elisabetta. Her regal bearing and innate sense of nobility made her physical stature irrelevant: she in unquestionably a queen in every sense of the word. She looked magnificent in the costumes, especially the rich red gown of the Auto da Fé scene. Ms. Caballé’s singing was thrilling from first note to last, and it is a pleasure to watch her sing: she expends no evident effort, whether producing an ensemble-topping forte or a shimmering pianissimo. Her farewell to the Countess of Aremberg (both verses) was a poised moment of poetic beauty. All afternoon, the diva seemed to inspire her colleagues, especially in the Closet Scene quartet which was a highlight of the performance. And in the great aria “Tu che le vanita“, Ms. Caballé rose to spectacular heights, pouring out the queen’s despair rich-toned phrases, and weaving in uncanny pianissimi of spine-tingling delicacy. The aria won a huge ovation. And then La Caballé ended the evening by holding the opera’s final note FOREVER! Her Elisabetta ranks with the greatest operatic interpretations I have experienced to date. Bravississima!!!“

Montserrat Caballé’s sensationally sustained final note at this performance is preserved on this recording of the opera’s ending from the broadcast: Cesare Siepi is Philip II, John Macurdy is the Grand Inquisitor, Placido Domingo is Don Carlo, and Paul Plishka’s is the Voice of Charles V. Listen here.

~ Oberon

April 21, 2022
@ My Met Score Desk for ELEKTRA

Above: Maestro Donald Runnicles

Saturday April 16th, 2022 matinee – Feeling no need to again see Patrice Chéreau’s intimate staging of Strauss’s ELEKTRA in the vast space of The Met, I took a score desk this afternoon to hear my ‘second favorite’ opera (my #1 opera remains the same composer’s ARIADNE AUF NAXOS). While the Chéreau production is a misfit at The Met, it is fascinating to watch on DVD: look for it here.

Today, The Met Orchestra under the baton of Donald Runnicles was the main attraction. They played Strauss’s astounding score for everything it’s worth: from the massive onslaughts of sound to those spine-tingling subtleties that the composer introduces at just the right moments. For the most part, Maestro Runnicles maintained a perfect balance between the orchestra and the voices, though – inevitably in this gruesome score – there were times when the voices were covered; and that might be what Strauss wanted all along. Mr. Runnicles also did everything he could to support soprano Nina Stemme, who was announced to be experiencing the effects of “seasonal allergies”.

If a singer needs to have an announcement made before the opera starts to the effect that she/he is suffering from some physical malady and asks our indulgence, this comes off as a cop-out. If said singer then goes on to give an abysmal performance, she/he has covered her/his ass, and the audience will be forgiving.

Today’s pre-curtain announcement of Nina Stemme’s allergy problem was not unexpected: she had been replaced (with success) by the debuting Rebecca Nash at the previous performance. But really, such announcements are unfair to the audience, who have paid good money to attend and who deserve to hear singers in their best of health. Ms. Stemme’s struggle today was palpable, and disturbing to hear. To me, it seemed like a simple case of taking on a role that is beyond her present capabilities. Signs of her vocal decline were evident in her 2016 performances here as Turandot and Isolde, and now – nearing the age of 60 – she has even less to work with. The result this afternoon was singing that was painful to the ear.

Lise Davidsen was a thrilling Ariadne earlier this season, and her soaring top notes were amazing in the music of Chrysothemis today: high B-flat is definitely her “money note”. But the rest of the voice is not all that alluring, as her Four Last Songs at the Met’s Gala for Ukraine in March hinted at: the sound can get lumpy and inexpressive. I am wondering if she is really the new goddess of sopranos, or just another flash in the pan. Time will tell.

Overall, top honors today went to Michaela Schuster (above, in a Met Opera photo) for her vivid and subtle singing of Klytemnestra’s music. The mezzo-soprano illuminated the terror and insinuation of the character’s music with her great verbal clarity, making her long narrative the most engrossing scene in the opera.

Greer Grimsley’s dark, growling sound was ominously powerful in the music of Orest; his “Laß den Orest…” was very impressive, and indeed it was he, rather than Ms. Stemme, who made the Recognition Scene – the heart of the opera – so riveting this afternoon.

Stefan Vinke did what he could with the brief, demanding, and thankless role of Aegisth. Harold Wilson made his mark as the Guardian, and the lively singing of Thomas Capobianco, set against the world-weariness of the inimitable Richard Bernstein, made the scene of the Young and Old Servants a perfect vignette.

Speaking of inimitable, Tichina Vaughn wonderfully chesty “Wo bleibt Elektra?” got the opera off to a perfect start. Her sister-Serving Women – Eve Gigliotti, Krysty Swann (interesting timbre indeed), and Alexandra Shiner – did much with their quick exchanges of lines. And the beloved Korean soprano Hei-Kyung Hong, as the valiant Fifth Maid who suffers a whipping for her brave defense of Elektra, sang poignantly, with a crystalline top note to climax the opera’s opening scene.

Metropolitan Opera House Saturday April 16th, 2022 ~ matinee

ELEKTRA Richard Strauss

Elektra………………..Nina Stemme
Chrysothemis……………Lise Davidsen
Klytämnestra……………Michaela Schuster
Orest………………….Greer Grimsley
Aegisth………………..Stefan Vinke
Overseer……………….Alexandra LoBianco
Serving Woman…………..Tichina Vaughn
Serving Woman…………..Eve Gigliotti
Serving Woman…………..Krysty Swann
Serving Woman…………..Alexandria Shiner
Serving Woman…………..Hei-Kyung Hong
Confidant………………Alexandra LoBianco
Trainbearer…………….Krysty Swann
Young Servant…………..Thomas Capobianco
Old Servant…………….Richard Bernstein
Guardian……………….Harold Wilson

Conductor………………Donald Runnicles

~ Oberon

April 16, 2022
50 Years Ago ~ Fabulous FALSTAFF!

Above: Sir Geraint Evans and Renata Tebaldi in FALSTAFF

February 23, 2022 – Fifty years ago this evening, the Metropolitan Opera presented a memorable performance of Verdi’s FALSTAFF. The evening marked the first time Renata Tebaldi sang Alice Ford in New York City; beloved Met luminaries Regina Resnik and Sir Geraint Evans sang Dame Quickly and Sir John Falstaff, and Christoph von Dohnanyi made his Met debut on the podium. Of key interest for me was the beauteous Jeannette Pilou, a great favorite of mine, in the role on Nannetta.

This was my diary entry, written right after the performance:

“A great performance in every way. Christoph von Dohnanyi’s Met debut was a success, despite some moments that seemed under-rehearsed. When the curtain rose on the opera’s second scene and the audience caught sight of La Tebaldi, a sustained round of applause caused the opera to come to a halt. For a moment, no one seemed quite sure what to do, til someone yelled “Start over!”, and that’s what Maestro von Dohnanyi did.

The cast was incredibly good. Two de luxe character tenors – Paul Franke (Dr. Caius) and Andrea Velis (Bardolfo) – scored numerous verbal points at the opera progressed. And…they can sing! Richard Best was a sturdy-voiced Pistola and Joann Grillo a comely, warm-toned Meg Page.

Kostas Paskalis sang splendidly as the jealous Master Ford, his monolog being one of the vocal highlights of the performance. His voice is huge, with a darkish tint. Luigi Ava was a sweetly lyrical Fenton, and he played the role of the love-struck youth well. Regina Resnik was a fabulous, genuinely funny Dame Quickly. The voice is not really very attractive these days, but she knows how to sing, and she uses her voice as a dramatic instrument. She is, in every respect, a great Dame.

Jeannette Pilou (above, as an enchanting Nannetta) seemed so alive, so real, no mannerisms. Her voice is so pretty and clear, and she brought some very appealing pianissimo effects to her Act III aria. Pilou is such a beautiful woman; her arrival on a white Shetland pony as Hearne’s Oak was a lovely moment. Bravissima!

Renata Tebaldi enjoyed an immense success in her first Met appearance as Alice Ford. The voice seemed fresher than in recent seasons: very sweet and warm. Her high notes came quite easily tonight. On the last top-C, she really sailed, whilst Pilou tossed her head back and joined her, bringing this romp of an opera to a joyous end. Tebaldi’s sensational good looks, her charm and humor, and her lively entrance into the spirit of the evening made for another triumph for the great diva. Bravissima!

Towering above all others was that magnificent singing-actor, Sir Geraint Evans, as Sir John Falstaff. In his revelatory portrayal, one sees every aspect – the comic and the tragic – of this incredible character. So pompous at first, so funny and full of himself at Alice’s, so frighteningly degraded as he runs to the Garter Inn at the start of Act III, so touchingly terrorized at Hearne’s Oak, and so human in the opera’s final moments. I’ve heard the role sung with more sheer voice, but never with such flair and nuance. Bravissimo, Sir Geraint: you are Falstaff!

The final ensemble was so much sheer fun: the singers lined up along the footlights and mocked the audience…and themselves. And then that great dual-high-C. The curtain calls were numerous, with everyone staying on, and a big gathering at the orchestra rail where flowers were thrown and we all yelled ourselves hoarse.”

Above: Jeannette Pilou with New York’s most famous opera fan, Lois Kirschenbaum

~ Oberon

February 22, 2022
Antonietta Stella Has Passed Away

February 23rd, 2022 – I have just read of the death of the Italian soprano Antonietta Stella; she passed away on this date at the age of 92.

In 1950, she made her operatic debut at Spoleto as Leonora in TROVATORE and soon after was singing at the opera houses of Rome, Florence, Naples, Parma, Turin, Catania, Venice, and the Arena di Verona.

Above: Antonietta Stella as Leonora in TROVATORE

In 1954, Ms. Stella debuted at the Teatro alla La Scala in Milan as Desdemona in OTELLO; she continued to sing at La Scala thru 1963 in the great soprano roles of Verdi and Puccini, and as Maddalena in ANDREA CHENIER. In 1955, she made debuts at the Wiener Staatsoper, the Royal Opera House in London, the Paris Opera, La Monnaie, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

She came to the Metropolitan Opera in 1956 as Aida, and went on to sing there thru 1960 as Cio-Cio-San, Violetta, Tosca, Elisabetta in DON CARLO, Leonora in TROVATORE,and Amelia in BALLO IN MASCHERA.

Above: Antonietta Stella and Eugenio Fernandi in the Aoyama BUTTERFLY at The Met

In 1958, Ms. Stella portrayed the title-character in Yoshio Aoyama’s classic production of MADAMA BUTTERFLY; the production remained in the Met repertoire thru the 1990s.

Antonietta Stella – Un bel di – BUTTERFLY – Met bcast 1958

Among Antonietta Stella’s commercial recordings, her DON CARLO (with Flaviano Labo, Fiorenza Cossotto, and Boris Christoff), her TROVATORE (with Cossotto and Carlo Bergonzi), and especially her ANDREA CHENIER (with Franco Corelliand Mario Sereni) are my special favorites. She is also heard on several “pirate” recordings.

Ms. Stella sang Minnie in the televised Japanese premiere performance of Puccini’s FANCIULLA DEL WEST (The Girl of the Golden West) given at Tokyo on November 2nd, 1963. The NHK Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Oliviero De Fabritiis.

Watch and listen here.

CAST:

Minnie: Antonietta Stella
Dick Johnson: Gastone Limarilli
Jack Rance: Anselmo Colzani
Nick: Mario Guggia
Ashby/Jake Wallace: Bruno Marangoni
Sonora: Arturo La Porta
Wowkle: Anna Di Stasio
Sid/Billy Jackrabbit/Jose Castro: Giorgio Onesti
Trin: Antonio Saba
Bello: Marco Scotti
Harry: Augusto Pedroni
Joe: Antonio Pirino
Happy: Paolo Mazzotta
Larkens: Mario Rinaudo
Postman: Takeshi Nakamura

And here is part of the Act II duet of Violetta and Germont from TRAVIATA with Ms. Stella and Tito Gobbi:

Antonietta Stella & Tito Gobbi – Dite alla giovine ~ TRAVIATA

February 22, 2022
@ My Met Score Desk ~ BOHEME Matinee

Above: Maria Agresta and Charles Castronovo in LA BOHEME; a MetOpera photo

Saturday January 22md, 2022 matinee – This performance had its ups and downs, The conducting of Carlo Rizzi was hit-or-miss; he sometimes allowed the orchestra to swamp the singers. But I did like his speedy take on the first several minutes of the Cafe Momus scene.

Charles Castronovo repeated his very persuasive Rodolfo from the November run. His singing is emotional without straying from the notes, and he has both power and subtlety in perfect measure. His Mimi this afternoon, Maria Agresta, sounded sadly out-of-sorts, her vibrato prominent, and her highest notes not entirely comfortable. Offsetting these reservations was her congenial phrasing and some lovely piano effects.

Lucas Meachem (above) was a magnificent Marcello, making every phrase count. The voice is large and warm, and he handily dominated the ensemble ‘reprise’ of the “Musetta Waltz” theme in Act II. His duet with Ms. Agresta in Act III was impressively sung. Gabriella Reyes screeched and shrilled Musetta’s lines at first, but settled in for a nice rendering of the Waltz; I feel that she might be better cast as Mimi.

Alexander Birch Elliott was a fine Schaunard, despite having to cope with lacklustre conducting from Mr. Rizzi. I liked Peter Kellner’s Colline very much, too, but the thought of enduring a second Gelb intermission caused me to head home without hearing his “Vecchia zimara“.

The House was substantially full, and there was surprise applause after the Bohemians dismissed Benoit in Act I. Lots of noisy chatter from the ceiling lighting bay during Act I was distracting, and the interminable first intermission simply killed whatever dramatic impetus the opera had going.

Metropolitan Opera House Janaury 22nd, 2022 matinee
LA BOHÈME Giacomo Puccini Mimì....................Maria Agresta Rodolfo.................Charles Castronovo Musetta.................Gabriella Reyes Marcello................Lucas Meachem Schaunard...............Alexander Birch Elliot Colline.................Peter Kellner Benoit..................Donald Maxwell Alcindoro...............Donald Maxwell Parpignol...............Gregory Warren Sergeant................Jonathan Scott Officer.................Ned Hanlon
Conductor...............Carlo Rizzi

~ Oberon

January 21, 2022