Thursday, November 01, 2007
rough crowd at the Met
Coming off the heels of two great performances at the opera last month, I was extremely excited to see Verdi’s epic opera, “Aida,” and his lesser-known opera (and new production) “Macbeth” this week.
I’ll start with Aida. The scale of this production is fit only for houses capable of pulling off Grand Opera – hundreds of extras (even animals), a large choral ensample, and ballet. The Met is such a house. The music is among the most difficult to sing; Verdi demands large voices to carry those famed Verdian lines of sounds steadily throughout the highest and lowest of ranges, effortlessly, to fill a large house with sound. When there are able singers, “Aida” is one of the most memorable nights of all theater. But when the singers are not fit it seems more like watching a twelve-year-old, who cannot drive stick, being given the keys to a Ferrari. I, with regret, must say this cast of “Aida” seemed more like the later.
The ill-advised Micaela Carosi made her debut in the title role. Perhaps it was the stress, perhaps that her Radames cancelled all his performances, perhaps it was that last season a performer was booed off stage at La Scala. Who knows? Whatever it was, her top notes were not supported, the acting seemed antiseptic, and her diction in the final duet with Radames had all those things, plus bad diction. The performance by our Radames, Franco Farina, was similarly plagued. So what we were left with was mediocrity dressed to the nines. The only thing that made this performance worthwhile were the performances in the supporting roles: Olga Borodina as Amneris, and, in particular, the outstanding performance of Aida’s father, Dimitri Kavrakos. Regardless, the overall experience was dreadful.
I’ve given the Met another chance, though. I got tickets to hear Angela Brown, whose substitution for the role was met with wide audience and critical acclaim last year, in the title role.
The next night of opera was Verdi’s “Macbeth,” a lesser-performed opera and only the second production at the Met. This tasteful new production updated the action to the 20th century without seeming like Eurotrash. Our Macbeth, Zeljko Lucic, was great. But our Lady Macbeth, played by Maria Guleghina, was not so great. Yes, she had all the notes, but they – as she always does – were powered with a scream that probably stopped traffic on Broadway. Granted, the role of Lady Macbeth is a difficult balance of dramatic soprano and good technique, but Guleghina clearly sided with her Puccini roots and delivered them with a Mack truck.
The issue, clearly, was, first off, that recordings of these operas by the greatest Verdian sopranos – Callas, Price, Milanov – set the standard extremely high. Secondly, Verdi wrote his music during the twilight of the Bel Canto technique but demanded his singers had had that training AND with big voices. Now, good Bel Canto technique is more difficult to come by especially among nthose with dramatic voices (who have pigeonholed themselves into Wagner, Puccini, etc.). No matter what roles you sing, Bel Canto should be mastered. I recall the great dramatic soprano, Nilsson, saying: “I know I have not been very good to Mozart, but Mozart has been very good to me.” Singing these difficult passages, runs, and rolanades, is not easy, and singers have gotten into the habit of simply powering the notes with deafening volume for effect. But knowing how to lighten the voice, make it limber, and versatile, is something every type of singer should master, if, for nothing more than that the money roles, and audiences of Verdi, demand it.
I’ll start with Aida. The scale of this production is fit only for houses capable of pulling off Grand Opera – hundreds of extras (even animals), a large choral ensample, and ballet. The Met is such a house. The music is among the most difficult to sing; Verdi demands large voices to carry those famed Verdian lines of sounds steadily throughout the highest and lowest of ranges, effortlessly, to fill a large house with sound. When there are able singers, “Aida” is one of the most memorable nights of all theater. But when the singers are not fit it seems more like watching a twelve-year-old, who cannot drive stick, being given the keys to a Ferrari. I, with regret, must say this cast of “Aida” seemed more like the later.
The ill-advised Micaela Carosi made her debut in the title role. Perhaps it was the stress, perhaps that her Radames cancelled all his performances, perhaps it was that last season a performer was booed off stage at La Scala. Who knows? Whatever it was, her top notes were not supported, the acting seemed antiseptic, and her diction in the final duet with Radames had all those things, plus bad diction. The performance by our Radames, Franco Farina, was similarly plagued. So what we were left with was mediocrity dressed to the nines. The only thing that made this performance worthwhile were the performances in the supporting roles: Olga Borodina as Amneris, and, in particular, the outstanding performance of Aida’s father, Dimitri Kavrakos. Regardless, the overall experience was dreadful.
I’ve given the Met another chance, though. I got tickets to hear Angela Brown, whose substitution for the role was met with wide audience and critical acclaim last year, in the title role.
The next night of opera was Verdi’s “Macbeth,” a lesser-performed opera and only the second production at the Met. This tasteful new production updated the action to the 20th century without seeming like Eurotrash. Our Macbeth, Zeljko Lucic, was great. But our Lady Macbeth, played by Maria Guleghina, was not so great. Yes, she had all the notes, but they – as she always does – were powered with a scream that probably stopped traffic on Broadway. Granted, the role of Lady Macbeth is a difficult balance of dramatic soprano and good technique, but Guleghina clearly sided with her Puccini roots and delivered them with a Mack truck.
The issue, clearly, was, first off, that recordings of these operas by the greatest Verdian sopranos – Callas, Price, Milanov – set the standard extremely high. Secondly, Verdi wrote his music during the twilight of the Bel Canto technique but demanded his singers had had that training AND with big voices. Now, good Bel Canto technique is more difficult to come by especially among nthose with dramatic voices (who have pigeonholed themselves into Wagner, Puccini, etc.). No matter what roles you sing, Bel Canto should be mastered. I recall the great dramatic soprano, Nilsson, saying: “I know I have not been very good to Mozart, but Mozart has been very good to me.” Singing these difficult passages, runs, and rolanades, is not easy, and singers have gotten into the habit of simply powering the notes with deafening volume for effect. But knowing how to lighten the voice, make it limber, and versatile, is something every type of singer should master, if, for nothing more than that the money roles, and audiences of Verdi, demand it.
# posted by otas : 8:22 PM
