Faust by Gounod at the Sydney Opera House
Tuesday 17th Feb 2015
This was the most totally enjoyable and enthralling opera performance I
have seen in Australia for years. Few of
the New York Met’s
recent performances I have seen exceeded the quality and quantity of this
rendition of Gounod’s
Faust by veteran David McVicar and Charles Edwards (sets).
It was like old times when we often saw a clever production with high
quality orchestra under Guillaume Tourniaire.
But this time we also had top class singers from here and overseas with
some very special high points both dramatically and vocally. Most every production detail came from the
libretto.
This opera production has EVERYTHING … ‘when in doubt, add more!’ Love scene, soldiers’ chorus,
mad scene, serious ballet, religious saviour scene, devil-takes-all,
wine-from-water, blood from stone, group sex, sword fight, death scenes, etc … plus lots and lots of beautiful
singing. And much of it is ‘can belto’ - from the absurd reductio school of (1) bel
canto, (2) can belto, (3) can’t belto, (4) can’t canto. But devil do’th.
The production was dominated by a massive mobile set of stairs leading
to a pipe organ high on stage right.
Sets moved through a small chapel, village square, adjoining town
houses, massive church centrepiece, interiors and more. Costumes were colourful, traditional and
often ravishing. Lighting was
atmospheric and meaningful. A discussion in the interval with a psychiatrist informed me that Goethe's story is really just about all of us as we get older ... we would like to relive previous pleasures, we would like to be young again, we are constantly tempted by devils of all types. Yet it is a fantasy.
Teddy Tahu-Rhodes may be the most over-exposed baritone in Australia,
much amplified in musical comedies. Yet
he returns to opera and sings and acts at the highest standard, and rarely with
as many costume changes as this Mefisto.
Most dramatic and unexpected perhaps was the drag devil dressed suddenly
in a large black gown with low cleavage and bustle, hosting a raunchy hot spot
cabaret in Paris, complete with Tour Eiffel proscenium.
New American Tenor Michael Fabiano is indeed impressive - starting with
an almost unbelievable transformation from frail, suicidal geriatric to
Hollywood handsome tenor. And he can
sing. High, low, fast, slow, loud, soft … he has it all. And with breath control to manage any legato
line and more. Salut, demeure chaste
et pure was beautifully interpreted.
Not a hint of falsetto in this aria yet he used a customised soprano
range to advantage elsewhere in Act 3.
On his web page http://michaelfabianotenor.com/biography/
Fabiano sings the almost unsingable aria (resurrected by Richard Bonynge) from
Act III of Lucrezia Borgia. And unlike
each previous rendition I have heard, it is supremely beautiful to the
fiendishly difficult last notes.
Australia’s
Nicole Car sings Marguerite with élan and ease, soaring to the highest notes
after expressive legato singing. Her
trill is not like Sutherland’s …
but nobody’s
is! And unlike the latter, Car can look
young, virtuous and virginal. Her ‘Jewel song’ was deservingly well received as were her
tonsillar hystrionics towards the end of the opera. The opera’s final trio was absolutely and heavenly elating,
including organ and ethereal choir (unseen in the auditorium from darkened ‘loges’ C and Z).
Giorgio Caoduro sings the ill-fated soldier brother Valentin with a most
professional delivery. His early party-stopper
‘Avant de quitter ces
lieux’
was splendid as was his dramatic death scene in act IV. He showed fine portamento and never appeared
beyond his substantial limits.
Character roles Siebel, Wagner and Marthe were all well acquitted by
company regulars Anna Dowsley, Richard Anderson and Dominica Matthews.
I often find ballets in operas become boring and repetitive … not so in this performance which had
extensive and explicit dances in Act V.
I am still concerned about vocal damage from second daily opera singing
by the four principal singers - there are 3 performances in the first five
days! Does the company seriously think
that centuries of experience and Maria Callas’ example were just wrong as they frequently
break the two lay-day rule? Animals have
the RSPCA but singers don't even have a strong union! Agents have a short term conflict of
interest. I spoke to a board member and
retired singer during the single interval.
He agreed that he never sang more than two operas in a week, a testament
to his career of 30+ years at the highest level with some of the greatest
singers of the 20th century.
Yes, I may sound like a cracked record, cracked record, cracked record
...
My advice if you are in Sydney in the next three weeks: just get a ticket
for this Faust …
despite a full house on opening night, “loges” B and X were virtually empty (sold only on the day
of the performance and less than $50 per seat I believe). https://opera.org.au/sydney/events
