Eugene Onegin

Opera review: Eugene Onegin (2013)

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1879)
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
In Russian with English subtitles 

A good opera critic would not let personal feelings get in the way of her review.  Good thing I'm not a good critic.

I was surprised to hear one of between-acts interviewees (if I recall right, the conductor Valery Gergiev), describe Tchaikovsky's music as not sentimental.  There is a meaning of the word, however, that has to do with excess and extravagance, and there I absolutely agree with him.  Eugene Onegin is a quiet opera, nothing like the extremes of Verdi, and the best productions of EO understand that.  This is a best production.

One person dies in the storyline, but the opera goes on.  It is hard to say if there is a hero character, but there is most certainly a heroine.  The harsh, even violent, contrast between realism and fantasy is a fine line in Eugene Onegin, and amazingly, this new production by Deborah Warner is right on target.  I say "amazingly"; well, being mostly dialogue, EO is infamously difficult to stage.  I have tried before to watch the previous Met performance, starring Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Renee Fleming.  That left me extremely bored (not a good thing when you are watching the opera of your favorite book, sung by your favorite baritone).

This production is quite different.  It was surprisingly Wagnerian, the way it kept moving.  The entire beginning of the opera was particularly well-done, with the overture, quartet, and chorus pieces all blended together into one, actually good intro.  There was no carousel of set transformations, but it wasn't woefully minimalist, either.  Instead, the costumes were tasteful, the props were lovely, and every moment was intensely choreographed.  It was like a movie (better than the movie).  It was one of the least "stagey" operas or opera clips I've seen, and it managed to be cinematic without giving up the integrity and artistry of the music.

• Anna Netrebko.  I first heard of her some years back, when she collaborated with violinist Joshua Bell.  I don't listen to sopranos generally, but here it became suddenly clear that casting Tatyana is the most important thing - it is her story, anyways.  Netrebko's singing sounded very heartfelt; she was invested in the role, which you don't see all the time.  She also looked the part, easily portraying Tatyana at both stages of her life.  Five stars just for her. 
• Some were disappointed Hvorostovsky was not cast as Onegin (which part, opposite Netrebko, he sang in Vienna this spring).  To be honest, I think Mariusz Kwiecień is better in this particular role.  Like Tatyana, Onegin has an emotional, vulnerable side - he's only supposed to be twenty-six.  Kwiecień looks much older, but in my book, he aced the character and matched Netrebko's portrayal very effectively in terms of stage presence.  His voice is gold, and in this performance he was totally charming, callous, and tragic...in a word, Onegin.
• Lensky (Piotr Beczala) and Olga (Oksana Volkova) were both excellent.  For some, Lensky's aria was the highlight of the show.  I thought he sang it beautifully, but something about the set/costumes was a little off (maybe anti-climactic?).  
• The whole cast was very good; I was especially impressed by the performances from Elena Zaremba (Mrs. Larina) and Larissa Diadkova (Tatyana's nurse). 

A few more thoughts on the production... I'd had doubts about the Anna Karenina-esque setting, but it did not detract from the story.  Admittedly, it fit into Tchaikovsky's music very well.  Tatyana herself was also wonderfully scripted, as her noble-hearted, unoperatic self.  The seconds of silence at the end were perfection - no flailing or crying, but absolute deliberation, just perfect.  (Proof: the audience was remarkably quiet, too.) 

In short, I left the theater, as another blogger put it, "emotionally drained."  Literally.  It deeply moved me and stuck with me for days.  It was that feeling you get when you read the book for the first time.  It was that good. 

Between acts they played an ad for next year's Werther.  Maybe I will go (because Jonas Kaufmann).  Yet the irony is Eugene Onegin is great because it's not Werther.  EO is so diametrically opposite that it has no character substantially like him, not Onegin and not even Lensky.  Onegin is vastly more endearing than Werther, despite his faults.  I guess that is why Werther must remain in the Romantic Era, and Eugene Onegin, though equally poetic and Byronic, has stayed relevant.  

***

Going out on a limb now - there is a particular issue with these Live in HD screenings I just wanted to mention.  For those of you who have attended these Live in HD shows, what are your thoughts on the following?  Am I just reading into it too much?

In both this and last December's Un Ballo, at least one of the between-acts interviews with the major leads unfolded rather awkwardly.  What happens is that as soon as an act is over - literally minutes after stepping off-stage - the singer is expected to answer questions to the international audience of Live in HD viewers.  This strikes me as somewhat unreasonable.  It is no wonder that after an emotional closing scene, the singer comes into the interview a bit dazed, the Live in HD hostess is put in an awkward situation, and the interview is not very flattering to either of them.  (Again, this is not the case with every singer interviewed, but this has certainly occurred once at both live screenings.)

It might be better if the interviews were prerecorded, instead of conducted live.  In that way, the singer has time to consider the question, and neither s/he nor the hostess is put on the spot.  Live interaction with the audience could then be omitted, or limited to a simple greeting that is much more manageable for all concerned...  Just an idea.  :)

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Il Trovatore

Opera review: Il Trovatore (2009)

Giuseppe Verdi (1853)
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD (Summer Encore)
In Italian with English subtitles 

Someone in this production - I don't recall if it was one of the cast members or the host Renée Fleming - described this opera as "crazy," and I wholeheartedly second that description.  Unlike Un Ballo in Maschera, the plot and overall tone of Il Trovatore embrace operatic drama completely, without regard for subtlety or psychology.  There's Count di Luna (Dmitri Hvorostovsky), who is supposed to be searching for Azucena (Dolora Zajick), the woman who purportedly killed Di Luna's brother when he was a boy.  Di Luna, however, spends more time brooding over his obsession with Leonora (Sondra Radvanovsky), a young woman who has already fallen hard for the Troubadour (poet-musician), Manrico (Marcelo Álvarez).  If that were not enough, Di Luna and Manrico are also political enemies, literally at war with each other in any case.  Things can only go downhill from there, and they do . . .

Having immensely enjoyed Un Ballo (2012), which featured the same lead trio, I guess my expectations were pretty high - overall, Il Trovatore was not a disappointment, but it was not quite as good.  This was probably due to a combination of production fails (see below) and just the opera itself, which seems overrated.  It gets four stars, because there is still plenty for opera enthusiasts to like about it.

The one thing that blew me away was Álvarez as Manrico.  Now, he was good in Un Ballo, but here he was nothing short of EPIC.  His performance, as what I might call a cookie-cutter character, brought credulity and personality to the role in an energetic, heavily emotional way - it was just gorgeous (and he looked pretty great, too).  My favorite part of the entire show was his off-stage troubadour singing, absolutely lovely and compelling.  Interesting fact about Álvarez: he did not begin singing opera until about 30 years old.  Maybe that has something to do with the passionate yet down-to-earth vibe of his singing style.

Though the tenor stole the show, Hvorostovsky was great as always, too.  His Di Luna was convincingly creepy and actually loathsome to watch, even for a fan.  You don't really get to see all the dimensions of his acting, as you can in Un Ballo; that said, his role seemed relatively too small (like watching How the West Was Won - so much stage presence in such little screentime just feels wrong).  It was a big shame since his singing was awesome. 

I also liked Radvanovsky better in Un Ballo, because I think the character fit her better than Leonora.  Maybe it was the director's idea, but her acting as Leonora, with a lot of random smiling at serious moments, was very distracting.  As for her singing -  personally, I don't care for her vibrato, though she sings with a lot of emotion and makes the pianissimos very effective.

For us opera newbs, you just can't go wrong with Verdi.  There's the famous parts you may have heard before, like the Anvil Chorus and Di quella pira.  But Il Trovatore is chock-full of beautiful lesser-known arias such as Di Luna's Il balen del suo sorris and the aforementioned "troubadour singing," Deserto sulla terra (see the clip above).  The story is not devoid of excitement, and the music is accessible from start to finish.  It lacks a certain depth I like to see in an opera, but if you want to see a traditional, "typical" opera with plenty of great music, Il Trovatore is not a bad choice.  This production in particular maintains a historical setting, which, while not the original (15th century), still makes for a nice costume opera.

Production fails - there were four that stood out to me.  There was Leonora's first costume, which looked on the verge of a "wardrobe malfunction" at any moment; this was particularly unfortunate, since the rest of the costumes in the show were really good.  The second problem was some rather silly camera angles, which were probably meant to be cinematic but came across unintentionally funny.  Third, one of the recurrent parts of the sets was a gigantic crucifix in the background, which, though not necessarily irreverent, appeared to have no connection to the story (in itself not particularly religious).  Finally, somebody thought it was a good idea to add prostitute extras to the scene of Or co' dadi ma fra poco (soldiers' chorus), with really distasteful choreography (albeit everyone was clothed).  It didn't add anything to the song; it was just irrelevant to the lyrics and awkwardly gratuitous.

As for the movie theater experience - well, what can I say?   The audience was a little bigger this time, but like before, I was the only person there under the age of 35-40, and most were elderly couples.  THERE WAS SO MUCH CHATTING FROM THE AUDIENCE.  Maybe next time I will sit in the back.  They did clap at the end, though, which was a nice touch.  I like to see people enjoying classical music!

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Un Ballo in Maschera

Opera review: Un Ballo in Maschera (2012)

Giuseppe Verdi (ca. 1859)
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
In Italian with English subtitles 

Not gonna lie . . . I went to see this at the movie theater just for this baritone, and this aria ("Eri tu" / "It was you who stained this soul"):

(I figured I'd never get to see my favorite opera singer in "real life," so this was my birthday present to self . . . well worth it!)

Un Ballo in Maschera ("A Masked Ball") is your typical melodramatic opera - tortured, lovesick hero, swoony heroine, and heroine's jealous husband, all bawling their eyes out until a very dramatic and tragic ending finishes them off.  Still a better love story than Twilight.  ;)  No, really . . . I had cynical expectations for the plot, but it is much better than it first appears.  King Gustavo (played by Marcelo Álvarez) is in love with Amelia (Sondra Radvanovsky), who is already married to Gustavo's best friend, Anckarström (Dmitri Hvorostovsky).  At the same time, there is a group of citizens planning the king's assassination.  Anckarström is devoted to the king and literally prepared to take a bullet for him, when he is betrayed by (guess who!) the man he is trying to save.  Amelia, being a weak-willed woman, attempts to distance herself from the king, only to be pursued and won over by him.  When Anckarström finds them alone together, he suspects the worse and promises vengeance.

There are no heroes here, only gray characters that make you think (if not altogether sympathize).  In the end, it seemed to me that, overall, Anckarström was the more "sympathizable" of the two.  Yes, Gustavo is a sensitive, loving guy, but he's still a selfish jerk.  He takes advantage of his friend's loyalty and his friend's wife - and when he finally decides to make amends, it is only with the idea of packing Anckarström and Amelia off to a different country (seriously).  On top of that, if we are to believe the conspirators, Gustavo is responsible for deaths and other ills that have befallen his subjects.

Anckarström is also horrible, in a different way.  He's a calculating perfectionist - a cautious, uptight guy who's met all the responsibilities and duties required of him, and then some.  When he finds out he's been rewarded with infidelity, he goes crazy.  I'm incredibly biased, but Hvorostovsky stole the show . . . he played his part to perfection, without falling into the trap of overacting.  His singing had (and always has) this understated intensity nobody else really matched, and "Eri tu" was even better than the YouTube clip. 

The ending was my least favorite part - political correctness in the nineteenth century!  Verdi had to portray the ruler in a more or less positive light, so you have Gustavo getting all forgiving and benevolent all of a sudden, and Anckarström , too, repents of his actions.  That would have been great, if it had been more convincing and less rushed.  

As for this particular, new production - the director David Alden chose a 1920s (30s, 40s?) setting, which highlighted the political side of the story and was actually pretty cool.  Some of the choreography and costumes were a bit weird (too many wings), but overall it was more interesting than I expected.  Even the minimalist sets worked well on the big screen, much better than on YouTube.  The Fall of Icarus painting, which has been talked about a great deal, was perhaps overdone, but not as annoying as some reviewers have thought it.

Finally, with the Live in HD showing, you get cast interviews, opera previews, and behind-the-scenes clips during intermissions, which was nice.  I would totally go to another Met Opera "movie"! 

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Lohengrin

To be the first (hopefully) of a series of opera reviews on this blog.  Keep in mind, I'm a newbie to opera, so these reviews are by no means academic.  ;)

Opera review: Lohengrin (1990)

Richard Wagner (ca. 1850)
In German with English subtitles

© Garry Knight

When the Duke of Brabant dies, his daughter Elsa is proposed to by Count Friedrich of Telramund, a nobleman greedy for power.  But Elsa refuses, and in revenge Telramund brings her to trial for the supposed murder of her missing brother, Gottfried.  The King of Germany declares that justice must be found by single combat.  Elsa agrees, and waits for the arrival of the "Swan Knight," the noble protector she claims she saw in a vision.

When the hour of the duel arrives, a stranger appears on the scene.  He wears no emblem on his sword or tunic, and, while he vows to fight Telramund for Elsa's sake, he warns her that she must never ask him his name or where he has come from.  Meanwhile, Telramund's sorceress wife, Ortrud, sees this as an opportunity to get rid of Elsa and claim the throne of Brabant, once and for all.

Music: If, like me, you're more used to watching movies than stage or opera productions, then Wagner operas are for you...Lohengrin is no exception.  Beginning with a short overture that sets the mood, Lohengrin is one continuous journey of music and story, with some soaring themes, powerful solos, and upbeat chorus melodies.  The "theme songs" recur throughout the opera, giving the characters more personality.  While I also like the Mozart-style operas, that have distinct arias, I felt like the music in Lohengrin was very personable and truly the driving force behind the opera, as it should be.

Story:  Except for the ending, I loved the story: think of it as Cinderella, with elements of Ivanhoe.  It's fantasy, but fantasy that is clean, beautiful, and surprisingly deep, exploring the power of faith and how even true love can hurt.  Everything hinges on Elsa's faith, both in God and in the Knight she believes was sent by God.  Telramund is a complex villain, torn between fear, good, and evil.  The King is a devout man (in his own way), genuinely wishing that the innocent win and the deceitful are punished.  And, by the end of the opera, Ortrud's malicious schemes are duly undone.

Spoiler (in white):

I was disappointed, then, at the ending, when the Knight is revealed to be from "the holy grail", and must, as a matter of duty, leave Brabant after telling his secret, having also lost his "superpowers".  It really seemed to cheapen the story, by infusing it with so much myth.  This, too, is after he has married Elsa.  So, even after everything which happened, Wagner would have us believe that Elsa must still ultimately suffer.  A pretty stupid ending, in my opinion.

Singing & acting:  No complaints here.  I thought the singers portraying the King and Telramund were particularly good.  Plácido Domingo (the Swan Knight) was excellent, as always.  His acting was top-notch, and his pianissimos in Act 3 were utterly amazing. 

Costumes & sets:  Bland, awkward, and dreadful in general.  I think they were going for a "realistic" look, but it is incongruous with this opera and unimpressive even for realism.

Choreography:  Unimaginative and painfully slow.

Overall:  While visually Lohengrin was a weak film, the music and story made up for it, and I recommend it for those reasons.  It's an opera I would certainly consider viewing live, either at a theater or Seattle Opera.

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