Monthly Archives: December 2010

100 Years of “La Fanciulla del West”

Despite a blizzard which practically shut down New York City, the Met went ahead as scheduled with the December 27th performance of Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” (The Girl of the Golden West).The opera, which is celebrating its centenary with this run, was performed in a revival of Giancarlo Del Monaco’s highly theatrical 1991 production. The performance was significant in that it was the debut of American tenor Carl Tanner in the role of Dick Johnson. Deborah Voigt portrayed Minnie, the title “Girl”, and Lucio Gallo rounded out the love triangle as the sheriff Jack Rance. Conductor Nicola Luisotti guided the cast through a lively and moving performance.

Snowed in at the Met

Met audiences are accustomed to Ms. Voigt portraying dramatic heroines of Strauss, Verdi, and Wagner, but she described the role of Minnie as “fun to sing, but not easy to sing.” This description was certainly true as Ms. Voigt’s voice seemed shaky during her first moments onstage. Her top notes sounded a bit shrill and she struggled to be heard over the orchestra. However, by the middle of Act 1 she had found her groove, and was singing with ease and confidence. She delivered accurate and powerful high notes and lyricism in softer passages. Ms. Voigt is also a superb actress and proved masterful at interpreting the many facets of Minnie’s personality. Overall, she delivered a powerful performance which proved especially touching at times.

From left to right: Tony Stevenson, Carl Tanner, Deborah Voigt, Lucio Gallo, and Oren Gradus (Photo courtesy of Marisa Palmisano)

Carl Tanner had natural stage presence and the pressure of a Met debut did not seem to inhibit his performance. Mr. Tanner has a large, powerful tenor voice with an underlying baritonal quality. He was tender in the role’s lyric passages and delivered soaring high notes. Tanner and Voigt worked well together onstage, and exhibited natural chemistry. Their love duet at the end of the Act One brought me chills.

Lucio Gallo seemed perfect for the role of Jack Rance. His characterization was intense and he convincingly portrayed the sinister aspects of the cold-blooded sheriff. Vocally, Mr. Gallo displayed a full-bodied baritone sound with forceful top notes. His interplay with the other characters was dramatic, yet he never tended toward overacting.

The Cast of "La Fanciulla del West" (Photo courtesy of Mai Nguyen)

Although every secondary performer contributed to the rowdy atmosphere of a typical Western mining town, some stood out above the rest. Michael Forest and Dwayne Croft as the miners Joe and Sonora displayed proficiency as singers and solid ability as actors. Tony Stevenson as the bartender Nick sang with an agile voice and lightened the mood with comic touches. After almost 1800 performances with the Met, James Courtney still exhibited a strong voice as the Wells Fargo agent Ashby. Both Ginger Costa-Jackson and Philip Cokorinos as the Indians Wowkle and Billy Jackrabbit added levity to the opening moments of Act 2.

Backstage with Deborah Voigt (Photo courtesy of Mai Nguyen)

Nicola Luisotti led an upbeat and vibrant reading of Puccini’s complex score. Maestro Luisotti brought out each nuance of the score’s detailed orchestration and the Met orchestra played with vigor and intensity – truly a star of the evening!

Although campy at times, the production captured the heartrending emotional journey of Minnie and Johnson amidst the knock-down-and-drag-out world of the California gold rush. The sets and direction convey a grand, cinematic scope, and evoke the feeling of a classic Western. Combined with Puccini’s music, the result was one of the highlights of my season.

The run of Fanciulla continues through January 8th with a “Live in HD” transmission and “Toll Brothers Radio Broadcast” on the 8th. (In the remaining performances, Marcello Giordani will resume the role of Dick Johnson.)

For information, photos, and videos of this production visit:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/template.aspx?id=14006

…or view a full a full photo gallery at:

http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/Fanciulla1011.htm

Feel free to leave a comment , or e-mail me at cbrowner@taftschool.org.

Posted in The Metropolitan Opera

3 Comments

A Disappointing “Don Carlo”

Dec 2

Posted by bentnailopera

After more than thirty years, the Metropolitan Opera introduced a new production of Verdi’s Don Carlo on November 22 with a gala celebration. The production, by director Nicholas Hytner, is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. Despite the hype and star-studded cast, I came away from the opening night with mixed feelings.

Marina Poplavskaya and Roberto Alagna

French tenor Roberto Alagna sang the title character, but his voice is not suited for the role’s high tessitura. Many times, his top notes sounded somewhat nasal and on multiple occasions, and he had to fight to be heard over the brilliant orchestra. Also, Mr. Alagna’s smug attitude made it difficult to feel any sympathy for his character.

In contrast to Alagna’s performance, Marina Poplavskaya as Elizabeth of Valois displayed natural ability as both a singer and an actress. Her large voice soared above the orchestra and filled the entire theater; however, she had the ability to be lyric and tender in quieter moments of the score. Simon Keenlyside, as Carlo’s best friend Rodrigo, also displayed beautiful tone and excellent musicianship. He sang with a full-bodied baritone and delivered rich top notes. His acting was sophisticated, and his death scene was especially moving.

Marina Poplavskaya as Elizabeth of Valois

Veteran bass Ferruccio Furlanetto has performed the role of King Phillip II in many of the world’s great opera houses, and the audience had high expectations for his performance. Although his diction was quite muddled during his first scene with Simon Keenlyside, his voice was strong and dignified. Mr. Furlanetto improved throughout the evening and his soliloquy “Ella giammai m’amo” and the ensuing scene with the grand inquisitor gave me chills.

Mezzo-soprano Anna Smirnova as Princess Eboli was the most disappointing performer of the evening. Her first act aria, “Nel gardin de bello”, was the low-point of the performance, and she struggled to execute the difficult sections of piece. She was not in control of her coloratura, and her top notes were shrill and wobbly. Fortunately, Ms. Smirnova was able to recover – her Act 4 monologue “O don fatale” was very thrilling. Ms. Smirnova is a capable singer, yet she clearly lacks the upper voice required for this challenging role and her selection reflects a poor casting choice on the part of the Met.

Ferruccio Furlanetto as King Philp II of Spain

Erik Halverson as the Grand Inquisitor had a deep, menacing voice, and he successfully conveyed the intimidating qualities of the character. Alexei Tanovitsky, as the mysterious friar, made much out of the small role with his full bass sound. Layla Claire, in her Met debut as the page Tebaldo, was light and agile both in voice and demeanor. Jennifer Check as the Celestial Voice and Edwardo Valdes as the Count of Lerma contributed to the performance with their minor, yet well-sung, parts. The Met Opera Chorus, as always, was a powerful presence and sang with clear sound and characteristic strength.

For me, the stand out performance of the night came not from the stage, but from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Maestro Nézet-Séguin led a vibrant and nuanced reading of the score. The orchestra was able to evoke the grandiosity of the work but could also convey the more subtle thoughts and feelings of individual characters. Maestro Nézet-Séguin and his orchestra demonstrated a masterful understanding of Verdi’s dynamic piece.

Anna Smirnova and Simon Keenlyside

The new production was quite good, but there were tacky elements throughout which detracted from the overall performance. The sets, designed by Bob Crowley in his Met debut, were simple yet striking and still captured the grand scale of the work. However, Mr. Hytner’s stage directions clashed with the understated settings. Many times the acting was exaggerated to the point where the dramatic elements of the story were lost.

The most disappointing aspect of the production was the lighting by Mark Henderson, also making his Met debut. In many scenes, the lighting was sloppy and static. For instance, during the duet between Phillip and Rodrigo, the stage was saturated with deep red light that was gaudy, but did little to enhance the onstage drama. In other moments, to create the appearance of windows, patches of light were scattered about the stage. Instead of adding realism to the scene, the lighting only distracted from the story unfolding.

I think this production had the potential to be great but was cluttered with too many unnecessary touches. As always, I encourage you to form your own opinion – this production runs through December 18 with a “Live in HD” broadcast on December 11.