La Sonnambula - Bellini - Saturday 29th March 2014 1pm matinée
Met Opera
Amina - Diana Damrau
Elvino - Javier Camarena (Taylor Stayton last performance 1st
April no fooling!)
Lisa - Rachelle Durkin
Count - Michele Perusi
c. Marco Armiliato
This welcome Met reprise of the Bellini rarity after 5 years was well
worth the effort …
and with even better casting this time.
Happily it was not set in an idyllic Swiss village … at least not until the final minutes. Two entire acts of a traditional ‘chocolate box’ production of this opera could risk descent
into parody and farce, an unfortunate destination for such a masterpiece,
always one of my favourite operas.
A stroke of original brilliance put a ‘sitzprobe’ rehearsal directly onto the big stage, warts and
all. Producer/director Mary Zimmerman
along with set designer Daniel Ostling keep our attention by providing a
private window onto back-stage, always a source of interest and mystery to
opera fans.
For those familiar with the theatre this production is close to the
reality of operatic preparation. It
includes civilian clothes, diva antics, chorus movements, stage manager’s demands, wig fittings, costumes, shoes,
personality clashes, etc. Even coffee
breaks are included. Zimmerman is hardly
the first to place plays within plays, yet here it is even better as she has
added the New York factor. Like
Christmas, Jewish themes (Noah!), horses, water or children-on-stage, the Big
Apple can also be a winning formula for popular productions.
This is one of the genre of ‘rescue’ operas, in this case the saving event is an entry
in Webster’s
Dictionary …
look up ‘somnambulism’ if you dare - a great excuse for two-timing
exposed. Or burglary for that
matter.
This opera starts with an off stage chorus while the characters one by
one gradually populate the vacant hall … janitor, cleaners, stage manager, clip-board in
hand, etc, etc. Like Nozze measuring
tape and chalk are used in the opening, if for different reasons. Running late, the diva appears all clamour
and glamour, cell phone in hand, only half concentrated on the job at hand. Diana Damrau is one of the great singing
actors of our time and this new role fits like a glove. Humour, pathos, coloratura, beauty and even
some calisthenics at the end (she did cartwheels on stage!). Twice we heard her sing in the auditorium in
front of the stage.
For the Act I sleepwalking scene Ms Damrau entered by way of the main
stalls aisle, walking in a morphistic state suitably spot-lit and into the
hotel room of the embarrassed Count. The
second somnambulism commenced with a comatose Ms Damrau lurching along a narrow
ledge in a snow storm outside the rehearsal room windows, presumably high above
a New York street. Not good for those
with a fear of heights.
Having been physically rescued by Lisa the final tour-de-force, ‘Ah non credea mirati’ and its recitative were sung on a stage
extension like a wide ‘diving board’ extending well over the orchestra. The acoustics are noticeably different when
the singer is in the Met auditorium itself.
Having an opera singer only two metres away as I did briefly in Act one
is a serious auditory jolt!
The joyous finale ‘Ah non giunge’ was staggering, both vocally from Ms Damrau
as well as from the chorus, dancers (now in Swiss costume) and clever
staging. Our soprano did two full
acrobatic cartwheels during the short choral section before her final note -
and then another in the curtain calls on the very last night.
The tenor was the wild-card surprise of the evening for me. Javier Camarena is the most beautiful voiced
tenor I have heard since Luciano left us.
He has a fine tremolo with a smooth vocal line up and down the
stave. And his diminuendos were
phenomenal too. Every risk Mr Camarena
took came off brilliantly, elegantly and tastefully. His voice is quite unlike like Mr Florez but
clearly just as capable (and I am a Florez fan).
I was so impressed with this tenor that I attended the final performance
with great expectations … only to find that the season cover, Mr Taylor Stayton was taking the
role as is the creditable practice at the Met.
Taller and perhaps more physically suited with this cast, American tenor
Taylor Stayton, displayed a fine and supple voice for this difficult
tessitura. He commenced with a few
slight ‘bleats’ but any imperfections resolved and he
received an enormous ovation. However
odious be Marlowe’s
comparisons, my money is on Mexican Mr Camarena who will be hard to beat in
this sort of repertoire. He is rumoured
to be replacing Mr Florez at the opening of Cenerentola in two weeks time. We shall see.
Michele Pertusi sang ‘Vi raviso’ ravishingly
as he also played the over-sexed old man in the most gentlemanly manner
possible.
Australian Rachelle Durkin played an excellent Lisa, jealous, bitter,
conniving and finally getting her comeuppance.
Her steely voice, earnest stage presence and Bellini’s brilliant score distinguish her from the
soprano of the title. Some of her
rivalry stage actions were hilarious.
Other supporting roles were all very well acquitted including Amina’s ubiquitous mother played by Elizabeth
Bishop; Alessio, Lisa’s constant admirer, Jordan Bisch and the Notary played by Cantor Bernard
Fitch, now a veteran of over 20 years at the Met.
Marco Armiliato conducted the magnificent Met orchestra with confident
style and tempi reminiscent of Richard Bonynge in his two classic recordings of
this opera.
A pleasure and a privilege to be in New York for such a marvellous treat
(more travel notes below).
Notes by Andrew Byrne ..
http://andrewsopera.blogspot.com/2010/08/somnambulism-down-ages.html London expert Dr
Colin Brewer’s take on somnambulism in
history.
