The Met’s opera season has commenced and while we have seen several performances already, we have not yet posted our thoughts due to cat chemotherapy appointments and our own personal illnesses. Finally, however, we are back with our reflections on the opening week at the Met.
Elizabeth – Turandot was our opening night at the Met this year and I was so excited to hear Christine Goerke as Turnadot. It had been only 2 years since I last saw the opera and I had forgotten about Zefferelli’s gorgeous, yet gaudy set. I love this set. Yes, it’s a bit cheesey. And the opera is obviously Orientalist—seriously, you named characters Ping, Pang, Pong? But the wow factor of the set, the over the top costumes combined with Puccini’s lush musical melodies makes this fairy tale opera one of my favorites.
Marcelo Álvarez as Calaf was very strong, with a commanding presence. I wished his character was a little more varied, but he came across as very determined and his voice was terrific. Christine Goerke as Turandot was a delight overall. She looked great and acted the part of the ice princess. Goerke is one of my favorite singers after hearing her in Die Frau ohne Schatten in the Met’s 2013-2014 season. Her voice here seemed a bit too heavy for the role. It seemed like she was trying to make it lighter and it didn’t quite work. I later found out she was suffering through a cold the entire run, which may explain why her Turandot missed the mark for me.Hibla Gerzmava as the slave girl Liù had a very strong voice and it added an interesting dimension to her lowly character. Ping, Pang and Pong (Dwayne Croft, Tony Stevenson and Eduardo Valdes) were fine, though I found myself more aware and uncomfortable with the attempt at humor in their characters. The evening really belonged to the orchestra, chorus and conductor Paolo Carignani who were all terrific. Everyone in the chorus was animated and the orchestra played with energetic intensity. It was a terrific opening night and it was great to be back at the Met.
Just two days later we were back at the Met for the premiere of Verdi’s Il Trovatore. I could not believe that Dmitri Hvorostovsky was planning on performing three of his six scheduled evenings as Count Di Luna. After hearing he was diagnosed and being treated for a brain tumor this summer, it seemed unbelievable that he would have the energy to travel and perform. But there he was. There was no missing his silver hair as he appeared on the sparse set. The audience erupted into applause that was so loud and prolonged that Hvorostovsky broke character and acknowledged the audience. Even conductor Marco Armiliato was applauding. And Hvorostovsky sang beautifully; you would not know there was anything amiss. He was strong and commanding as Count Di Luna, the troop commander obsessed with Leonora, who does not return his love. In her role debut as Leonora, Anna Netrebko was gorgeous, especially during some rather complicated passages. She was both technically great and I thought emotionally open. During the curtain call Netrebko’s excitement for her friend and colleague was so sweet to watch: she was hopping up and down like a teenaged cheerleader as people threw flowers to Hvorostovsky.
Yonghoon Lee as Manrico, Leonora’s love and Di Luna’s rival, was terrific and gave a powerful performance. I loved him when he stepped in for the ailing Jonas Kaufmann in Carmen last year and continue to watch his star rise. Dolora Zajick as Azucena was formidable as the gypsy haunted by seeing her mother burned alive and her own actions afterward.
The only weak link in the evening for me was Sir David McVicar’s set. It’s visually uninteresting, and while it puts the actors front and center, it’s hard to place where the action is actually occurring because the set is so minimalist. Or perhaps I was just used to the grandeur of Zefferelli from two nights ago.
What bothered me, however, was the odd glowing translucent plastic the walls were made of. It was like a disco ice castle, or Superman’s Fortress of Solitude were he a member of the Village People. More specifically they reminded me, distractingly so, of Bespin, the Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back. I kept expecting Billy Dee Williams to walk out and offer me a tall, cool, refreshing Colt 45. Which, while a lovely thought, distracted me terribly from the opera.
Everyone onstage seemed energized by Hvorostovsky’s presence and determination. Netrebko particularly seemed inspired by and in sync with her long time collaborator. The audience remained wild and alive the entire performance, hanging on every beat. It was a great evening of opera.
Shawn – Since I saw the Otello dress this will be a triple post. Or really a double and a third post. As it was the dress it’s not fair to talk about the singing (although what I heard was pretty darn good for the most part) BUT I will talk about the new production and set since one assumes that didn’t change between the final dress rehearsal and the opening.
The sets moving and shifting walls were choreographed quite well in general. As one’s attention is drawn down stage left, suddenly they shifted and a room or hallway or whatever would appear stage right. That worked well and allowed for a variety of spaces in which to stage the action and the logistics of it all are no small feat.
What bothered me, however, was the odd glowing translucent plastic the walls were made of. It was like a disco ice castle, or Superman’s Fortress of Solitude were he a member of the Village People. More specifically they reminded me, distractingly so, of Bespin, the Cloud City from Empire Strikes Back. I kept expecting Billy Dee Williams to walk out and offer me a tall, cool, refreshing Colt 45. Which, while a lovely thought, distracted me terribly from the opera.On to the season proper, for whatever reason I find myself more fully engaged, engrossed and completely present with the two operas I have seen thus far than I was this time last year. This could just speak to my state of mind versus last year. But I think it has to do with the level of audience enthusiasm and emotional investment.
I have seen the Zeffirelli Turandot before but it came to life in a way I had not seen before last week. It is always a beautiful extravaganza, but this time seeing it I felt far more engaged. The angles and blocking execution felt tighter, the drama flowed more organically from the production and therefore its opulence felt less inflicted on the audience. Even the final sparkle shower felt aligned with the audience’s enthusiasm as opposed to the rhinestoned cudgel it sometimes feels like, pummeling the audience into appreciation for its spectacle.
Christine Goerke in the title role zinged me to my core during the riddle scene. I actually got goosebumps. Which happens depressingly infrequently. I was transported completely during several extended sections of the opera, completely absorbed in the drama onstage. Which is the point no?
In the same vein, almost no show at the Met could have been more rowdy and enthusiastic than the season opener of Trovatore. Dmitri Hvorostovsky, on break from treatment for a brain tumor (he is as of now still listed for the run in February), was met with thunderous applause and cheers the moment he entered and before he even opened his mouth. The ovation went on so long he briefly broke character and smiled. It was a touching and powerful moment to be a part of. Even Marco Armiliato stopped and applauded.
Everyone onstage seemed energized by Hvorostovsky’s presence and determination. Netrebko particularly seemed inspired by and in sync with her long time collaborator. The audience remained wild and alive the entire performance, hanging on every beat. It was a great evening of opera. During final curtain calls Marco Armiliato pushed Hvorostovsky forward to take another solo bow and roses were thrown up to him from the pit while the house went wild. It was as rowdy, enthusiastic and appreciative an audience as I have been a part of in my adult life and it was thrilling to be there.
Fingers crossed the rest of the season retains some of this level of excitement.
– Elizabeth Frayer & Shawn E Milnes
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I heard Domingo and Milnes in Otello; they were "pretty darn good" too, LOL.