Nicole Car
joined by world class colleagues in splendid outing of this Verdi classic.
Dear Colleagues,
Rarely since the Sutherland
days have we heard such dynamic vocalism as from these three magnificent
principal artists and the massed talents of the national opera company and
orchestra. I was so impressed on opening
night that I ventured back mid-season and was not disappointed. Both nights were full houses apart from the
balcony boxes which were almost empty.
Mr Ji-Min Park as the younger
Germont took all the hard options and they came off splendidly. A famous American tenor once called this a
tenor-killer role which few take on a second time such is its vocal and
dramatic challenges.
Ukranian baritone Vitaliy
Bilyy sang and acted a dignified Papa Germont.
His voice is deeply resonant with extended breath control, almost like
the late lamented Dmitry Hvorostovsky.
His big aria was splendid with some personal flourishes: Di Provenza il mar il suol with full
cabaletta ending the act. He sings very long phrases on single breaths and acts
the drama with sincerity.
But top card goes to soprano
Nicole Car who has ‘arrived’ with this portrayal of Violetta, one of the most
difficult roles in the operatic canon.
She is required to sing coloratura in Act 1 then solid dramatic soprano
for the remainder of the 4 acts. It would
be easy to cast the role using two singers but only rarely does a woman come
along who can encompass this double challenge adequately. But Ms Car does more than that as she becomes
the character and sings the heart out of the lines written by the masterful
Verdi at the peak of his powers.
Kobbé describes as the
opera’s “emotional touchstone” Violetta’s plea “Amami, Alfredo, amami quant'io t'amo” which Ms Car sang to its full
richness and pathos.
These three singers would
have sounded very fine in a large opera house so in the confines of our small
auditorium in Sydney the effect was absolutely extraordinary. There were standing ovations on both
occasions I attended this season and well deserved. On the other hand, several magnificent
moments receive polite clapping from an audience which perhaps did not know the
quality and rarity of what they were hearing away from the better known
numbers. In the first five minutes of
the opera comes the duet and chorus Libiamo
sometimes called the drinking song.
There is often a whisper of familiarity from members of the audience at
that point.
For those into high notes Sempre libera had Ms Car taking the E
flat option on both nights, initially nailing a high, sustained and excitingly
unhurried ending but clipping the note only briefly on the Tuesday
performance. Even if it was transposed
down slightly it was still creditable. The
tenor also sang his (also unwritten) high C or D flat early in Act 2 as a
sustained, accurate and thrilling end to his cabaletta O mio remorso, O infamia. Mr
Bilyy also did some extraordinary things vocally, all tasteful and in keeping
with the paternal part.
The Moshinsky/Yeargan
production was resurrected for the umpteenth time simply because it is so
good. Despite the small stage, or
perhaps because of it, there is a busy crowd feeling to both first act party
and the gambling scene.
Maestro Licata conducted the
orchestra with sympathetic tempi, fundamental to the joy of these unique
operatic performances.
Notes by Andrew Byrne ..
(with some assistance).
