A Disappointing “Don Carlo”

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.

Act 3, Scene 2 of Verdi's "Don Carlo"

For more information, video, and photo galleries visit:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/broadcast/template.aspx?id=13690

and

http://archives.metoperafamily.org/Imgs/DonCarlo1011.htm

All photos for this post are by Ken Howard, courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

If you have comments or question, don’t hesitate to e-mail me at cbrowner@taftschool.org

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