Several opera adventures over the last few weeks have kept me travelling and busy...and somewhat uplifted as well. The opening performance of Kata Kabanova at Spoleto USA was a beautiful experience. I love this piece since I first discovered it a number of years through OONY with Eves introduction of the opera to New York with Benackova in the title role and the eminent Czech soprano Kniplova as Kabanicha. In Charleston I particularly appreciated the stark but telling staging by Garry Hynes and the stunning lighting in this production. All the roles were cast from strength with American soprano Betsy Horne singing and interpreting Kata creating a character of great empathy opposite an unrelenting powerfully sung Kabanicha by Jennifer Roderer. Dennis Petersens Tichon was sung and acted superbly and Ricardo Sanzs Boris was the perfect visual and vocal foil in this production. Jan Opelach added comic force as Dikoy and Anne Mansons conducting hit the mark. This was splendid music theater on all levels. I spent last weekend in Los Angeles at the Dudamel Cosi with the LA Phil and then at LA Operas Thais. The Cosi was staged by Chris Alden and while I did not like his production two seasons ago at NYC Opera this time I found things all together different and thoroughly enjoyable. First Rod Gilfrys Don Alfonso was the dramatic and vocal center of this production and his voice cut through Disney Hall amazingly. He has taken on a number of bass baritone roles and the results are quite interesting. The three ladies Miah Persson, Roxana Constantinescu and Rosemary Joshua were ideal for their vocal assignments, Persson singing a perfect Fiordiligi in both big arias and Constantinescu was charming and a bit ditzy as Dorabella while Ms Joshua a knowing expert manipulator and balanced perfectly with Gilfrys cutting ironic Alfonso. I had the pleasure of hearing Ben Brights first Fernando. The announced Alex Shrader was ill and Ben was the cover. Id judged him earlier this year in the Puccini vocal competition and was very pleased to hear him in a full role debut. He sang superbly and offered a very pleasing aura amorosa indeed. The role of Guglielmo was offered by the French Canadian bass baritone Philippe Sly and this is an artist to watch. He is a fine singer and an instinctive and charismatic actor as well.. Mo Dudamel was really a revelation. Ive enjoyed his work with the LA Phil but Ive never heard him lead an opera. In this case the ebb and flow of the piece was in near perfect balance and while he supported the singers all the way he never indulged them but let them sing freely. It was a joy throughout. On Sunday afternoon it was Massenets Thais. I really have a soft spot for this work even though is spotty. Here it was offered as a vehicle for one of the baritone roles (Athaneal) that Placido has taken on and his performance was a vocal and interpretive powerhouse. For me the big surprise was the soprano singing the title role. Nino Machiadze has disappointed me in the past at the Met as Gilda for example and in the high coloratura rep but as Thais she was golden all the way. Aside from the fact that she is a stunning lady with a face and eyes that read from a distance, she embodied Thais and made her plight effective creating empathy for her character. She sang the whole piece beautifully. Would love to hear her sing Traviata and possibly another Massenet piece Esclarmonde. In the feature role of Albine, Milena Kitic was sublime, elegant and comforting. The conducting of Patrick Fournillier was quite effective. He knows this rep and obviously believes in it. I found Nicola Raabs production confusing to the maximum as she was obviously afraid of a story line about conversion and salvation. The Cenobite monks were replaced by what appeared to be academia so the entire structure of the drama was eviscerated. These professors were also the friends of Nicias and they all played Thais fans alla Lady Gaga in Act I as Nicias lived in a theater where Thais was the feature act vamping in a golden lame floreale period winged costume made up of 100 rhinestones! Completely gratuitous I guess visually effective as she flapped her arms at the end of Act I. In the final scene Thais arrives as a bride of Christ all in white and strides the stage singing, as the heavens open to receive her, Raabs idea of Thais seeing the Beatific vision is to have her twirling in circles as Athaneal falls into darkness. Do these directors always feel it necessary to dilute faith when a composer has felt inspired to include it? The Mets recent Faust comes to mind and of course any number of productions of Suor Angelica all which seek to insult the believer and simply ignore the composers intention. My next adventure will be Roberto Devereux at Carnegie Hall on 5 June with the miraculous Mariella Devia. More later.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 16:13:37 +0000
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