Thursday, November 29, 2007
Last night I went to see “Le Nozze di Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro), an opera by Mozart. More than the Puccini and Verdi operas that demand a diva, the music and theater are center stage. The work is a comedy.
Unlike other composers’ comedies such as Rossini that come across more like a Mel Brooks movie, Mozart’s comedies are more like, shall we say, Woody Allen movies. The characters and story are complex, and despite the humor you can find yourself teary. There is no single part that shines, yet it can be an emotional roller coaster.
Mozart’s comedies are not diva roles. But the Met has found such an extraordinary cast that even this ensample opera was turned into a singers' showcase, and, most importantly, what Mozart intended: an insight into humanity that laughs and cries at itself. The singing of these roles had people standing in their seats.
One of the stand-outs was Figaro, performed by Terfel: though conceiving the ridiculous plot, he was, at times, bitten in the ass by it. Those moments tore your heart out. The countess (performed by the fantastic Harteros) who’s husband was after another woman, sang a “Dove Sono” (What happened?) that aroused sniffles of pity up where I sat. This was, no doubt, what Mozart wrote this music to do and why, 250 years after his death, it sold out all the performances.
Brilliant.
Unlike other composers’ comedies such as Rossini that come across more like a Mel Brooks movie, Mozart’s comedies are more like, shall we say, Woody Allen movies. The characters and story are complex, and despite the humor you can find yourself teary. There is no single part that shines, yet it can be an emotional roller coaster.
Mozart’s comedies are not diva roles. But the Met has found such an extraordinary cast that even this ensample opera was turned into a singers' showcase, and, most importantly, what Mozart intended: an insight into humanity that laughs and cries at itself. The singing of these roles had people standing in their seats.
One of the stand-outs was Figaro, performed by Terfel: though conceiving the ridiculous plot, he was, at times, bitten in the ass by it. Those moments tore your heart out. The countess (performed by the fantastic Harteros) who’s husband was after another woman, sang a “Dove Sono” (What happened?) that aroused sniffles of pity up where I sat. This was, no doubt, what Mozart wrote this music to do and why, 250 years after his death, it sold out all the performances.
Brilliant.
# posted by otas : 8:12 PM
