Violetta expires after Act I, not III. But the show goes on!

La Traviata at the Met - Two Violettas for the price of one.  8.30pm Sat 21^st April 2012.  Re-visited on Wednesday 25^th April. 

Dear Colleagues,

                                          

This Salzburg production by Willy Decker promised much and delivered more at the Met.  Already known as the “clock Traviata”, Dr Grenvil lurks throughout the evening as if a portent of death.  The clock-face itself is used in many ways during the evening.  Normally just marking the minutes to midnight, its hands spin at one stage and are stopped by a distressed soprano as if to delay the inevitable while she has a good time.  The hands are removed in another instance and used by a picador in the bull fight scene.  The clock face becomes a roulette table and finally the death bed. 

On the first night under maestro Steven White Natalie Dessay sounded ill at ease, especially in the lower register which at times was almost inaudible.  She only lasted to the end of ‘Sempre libera’ (leaving out the unwritten E flat) and was replaced by Hei-Kyung Hong for the remainder of the opera.  The latter was excellent and she received a generous and well deserved ovation.  By the Wednesday performance Ms Dessay was back in good voice although it is hard to think that this is her ideal role. 

The real star of the night was Dmitri Hvorostovsky whose performance was a lesson in deportment and elegance … and who sang superbly.  A bit like Sherrill Milnes at his peak, he is now a veritable vocal institution.  On both the nights I attended there was applause even before he started singing.  In the Saturday performance under maestro White he took some alternative vocal options in the recitatives, using grace notes, alternative high notes, appoggiaturas and other ornaments … these were all omitted on the Wednesday, perhaps because of the return of chief conductor Fabio Luisi to the podium.  At all times Mr Hvorostovsky was completely in control and all the options were tasteful and relatively minor.  He not only has the vocal line fully in the voice but he also takes the drama seriously and is as credible in the role as one could imagine.  Every movement, from his feet to his hands, was carefully calculated as if it were individually choreographed for total realism. 

His main aria, ‘Di Provenza il mar il suol’ was unhurried and immensely beautiful.  Mr Hvorostovsky also sang the cabaletta following and proved to me for the first time that it DOES “fit” in the score.  Many serious opera buffs say this was one of Verdi's few mistakes.  Personally, I love it.  But the difference here was that the Met star sang it legato and not as a syncopated ‘canter’ that others often do.  He makes this rather unusual piece perfectly in character right before the end of the scene which otherwise ends abruptly with Alfredo finding the invitation and declaring his intention to seek revenge at the Paris party. 

Tenor Matthew Polenzani is more than adequate as Alfredo, a role which veteran singer Vinson Cole calls a 'killer'.  Polenzani has a large voice which could easily lose control … yet he schools the lines, colouring virtually every note individually using an elegant innate musicality.  After a lovely cabaletta 'O mio rimorso' he also pulled off the singular feat of an exposed, extended terminal high C.  For stage presence he could take some lessons from the baritone, but so could all opera singers.  I cannot imagine anyone looking more comfortable, confident and natural on stage than Mr Hvorostovsky. 

Mr Decker’s production is now well known from DVD's, cinema and possibly television.  Some like it, some don’t.  But if you cannot have the old Met Traviata production which was so lavish and grand then this is a very different and valid interpretation.  It breaks rules, pushes boundaries and can claim to have various levels of meaning with the giant clock, ever-present doctor Grenvil character, red dress, red shoes and unisex chorus.  For the second act there was the very clever use of bolts of highly coloured, black background, floral fabrics and projections above the curved set.  The lovers were both in patterned floral dressing gowns to match the other fabrics.  Scene two continues immediately without a pause as does the final act, a death scene starting in the casino.  It was rather disconcerting that a stage full of people slowly emptied by ‘slow-shuffling’ backwards as the music for the next act progressed in the pit.  One felt concerned that someone would fall over … and it served little dramatic purpose to my mind. 

Decker includes Violetta in the beginning of Act II using a hide-and-seek segment with Alfredo, causing some incongruity with the libretto … but this is the theater!  Some of the translations were changed to suit the production: ‘Did you need me?’ sings Annina, played by Maria Zifchak, rather than ‘Did you call me?’ (there was no bell as is traditional).  As the happy rustic affair sours with the arrival of Alfredo’s father the coloured fabrics are pulled off the white sofas.  Likewise, the floral projection above turns gradually to monochrome. 

The enormous hyperbolic curved set restricts the possible movements to a single entrance on the left and a gallery above the ‘dip’ of the hyperbola.  There is also a huge curved bench reminiscent of the whispering gallery in St Paul’s cathedral in London.  And true to form, at sensitive spots in this ‘amphitheatre’, there is accentuation of the voices through focused reflection of the sound into the auditorium.  On the whole it was all rather beautiful and the performances were highly enjoyable for this patron. 

Comments by Andrew Byrne .. (currently in the middle of Ring Cycle 2 at the Met along with over 100 other Aussies!)

Opera blog: http://andrewsopera.blogspot.com/

La Traviata on Sydney Harbour.

La Traviata at Mrs Macquarie’s Point on Sydney Harbour.
Wednesday 4th April 2012, 7.30pm

Dear Colleagues,

This was an unforgettable experience. After rubbishing the idea previously I weakened on hearing numerous positive reviews and decided to experience the event myself. Every aspect was enjoyable except for the ludicrous price of food and drink (eg. $15 for two tiny pieces of ordinary cheese with crackers, soft nuts, grapes and raisins). Also the hot food stopped at 7.30 and did not reopen for the single long intermission … very odd when all the eating venues were well set up and in view of the entire city, harbour, stars and all. For those who arrived late and hungry, cold pasta and rice dishes looked unappealing indeed despite the high price. These reservations notwithstanding, the site staff members were all extremely polite and obliging from box office to catering and security.

The opera was a polished piece of tasteful, novel theatre. Despite the numerous gimmicks this was still Verdi’s La Traviata. The stage was a large rectangle, raked diagonally with one low corner joining the shore and walkway. Deep right angled steps from the corners made for a nearly flat area amidships. The edges were cleverly lit by projections to represent a huge art nouveau picture frame in which the drama took place. An acquaintance described it as being like an Escher picture with intriguing perspective - I can only agree. One of the rear banks of steps hinged outward to reveal or stow the various enormous stage items as needed.

We were privileged to hear a magnificent cast headed by Emma Matthews as Violetta, Jonathan Summers as Germont senior and Gianluca Terranova as Alfredo. Each pulled operatic magic out of the bag and, along with excellent minor characters (John Boulton-Wood should be singled out for praise), chorus, dancers, actors and orchestra/conductor gave us art of a very high standard. The only thing lost to the open air venue was the direct sound of the voices and instruments which of necessity was amplified. Yet the modern sound system seemed immediate and sympathetic. At one stage I thought I heard the rattle of a train on the harbour bridge. A couple of times the wake of the Manly Ferry caused a small noise on the huge quadrangular pontoon holding the stage and orchestra. Otherwise it was a blemish-free performance with the only other distractions being city and sky.

Ms Matthews has a glorious coloratura voice in the theatre and amplification seemed to accentuate her lower register making it sound somewhat different but in no way inferior. Mr Summers, on the other hand, sounded exactly the same to me on the loud speakers as he does in the opera house - always a satisfying and distinguished delivery. Mr Terranova was new to me so I cannot comment on his voice in the flesh … his is a pleasing and even lyric tenor voice with an upper extension facility. He also acted well and I would hope to hear him again in the theatre.

It was a perfect night with Venus, Sirius, Orion and a near full moon above Sydney Harbour without wind or cloud. Gemini and Mars were also clearly visible. The beautiful helio Pleiades were just washed out by the city lights, as were a lot of inhibitions on the night. The congenial crowd arrived early and milled around eating and drinking in front of perhaps the world’s best urban view with the city skyline, opera house and harbour bridge dead front in the dusk.

There was a brief fireworks display from four off-shore barges following the brindisi ‘Libiamo’, often called the drinking song. Then we had a full-throated and full throttle ‘E strano … Ah forse lui … Sempre libera’ from Ms Matthews … it was to rival any I have heard. For the first time to my knowledge Ms Zambello had the maid stay on stage for the first part of the ‘solo’ scene, to nice effect. Now alone, Ms Matthews sang her final cadenza, including extended E-flat, in a capsule suspended below an enormous, gaudy and centrally placed chandelier. Her histrionics were perfect for the role, including the smashed wine glass with all it represents. The chandelier dominated proceedings and was a publicity coup for the company as it was floated up the harbour a few weeks ago and the project was aired on all the main TV news programs, print and electronic media.

Although it takes place some months later and far away from Paris, Act II proceeded without a break. So without any breathing space, this was yet another challenge for the cast which alternates each night. On stage the long party table was replaced by a stretch-chesterfield in silver upholstery as the main prop (also gaudy). The original lacks the dramatic unities, so why stop now?

We were not disappointed with the Italian tenor Mr Terranova who did an excellent job dramatically and vocally in both ‘De mei bollenti spiriti’ and the colossal cabaletta ‘Oh mio rimorso’ with terminal high note above a C as clear and exciting as it could have been. The amplification worked without a hitch, using concealed body microphones.

Mr Summers showed what a 'pro' he is at 65 years of age, using his creamy baritone voice and warm understated dramatic qualities to perfection. I was not sure if his words were all correct in ‘Di provenza il mar il suol’ but his delivery was superb. I don’t think there could have been a prompter on the enormous stage. The following cabaletta was left out and the act ended precipitously as a result. Purists might be pleased but I was annoyed as I love this oddly syncopated piece. Verdi knew what he was doing in my view, although others disagree. Continuing the Olympian record breakers, Ms Matthews hit a phenomenal and shattering high E-flat at the end of the casino scene. This was unwritten and probably inappropriate as the character is meant to have fainted at this stage and is hardly dominating proceedings … but like the Maria Callas Mexican Aida, to hell with good taste … it was one of the most exciting things I have ever heard in opera.

The conductor was projected onto a screen in the middle of the large ‘grandstand’ we were sitting on. He and his orchestra were out of sight and presumably somewhere beneath the floating stage in what would have been steerage class in another era.

The ballet was an excellent pink and grey mock bullfight. What was NOT traditional was that the chief and successful matador turned out to be a woman, revealed only after she had killer the bull! Just another of the many clever touches from Francesca Zambello and her brilliant production team. Design was by Brian Thomson and costumes by Tess Schofield.

The death scene was touching in all but the tasteless lone firework as our heroine perished.

An extraordinary and memorable evening on the foreshores of Sydney Harbour. A crazy gamble by the opera company, but one which thus far seems to be paying off. I was told that Friday, Saturday and Sunday were jam packed but our night had an entire flank of seats empty (one sixth of the audience). I expect this will still be a major profit item for the company.

Comments by Andrew Byrne.

Tawdry Cosi fan Tutte

Cosi fan Tutte. Mozart. Sydney Opera House. Thursday 8^th March 2012, 7.30pm

This performance of Cosi fan Tutte was so unimpressive that we left at interval.  The modern production had been made even worse since its introduction less than three years ago.  The opera is supposedly being performed for a wedding couple’s entertainment.  They sit, widely and awkwardly apart on opposite sides of the stage, watching a comedy about partner swapping!  Very clever (I don’t think!). 

Not one of the voices was worth hearing again.  The translation was passable but much altered I rather think.  Why translate it at all?  Both Come scoglio and Un aura amorosa were sung so far up the stage that we could hardly see the singers, let alone hear their voices.  Why would a serious opera director put the singer at the back of a tight narrow stage and still expect to have audience members at the rear of the auditorium hear anything at all?  This theatre does not have kind acoustics at the best of time. 

To my mind Cosi fan Tutte is not an easy opera despite it being an undoubted classic masterpiece.  However, I find the whole concept of close and devoted lovers not recognising each other because of a moustache or a mask.  It does suspend credibility beyond a moment’s glance … in fact for three long hours of dramatic shenanigans.  Despite the reputed genius scoring, I personally find some of the music trite and tedious.  Is this criticism heresy?  Will I receive a Mozartian fatwah?  Never mind. 

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Turandot triumph at Sydney Opera House.

Turandot - Puccini - Sydney Opera House - 7.30pm Wed 8th Feb 2012

Dear Colleagues,

This performance was extremely enjoyable in almost every respect. It is a privilege to be able to have such high quality opera again in Sydney. The company seems to have finally realised that to have international quality opera you have to use star singers (and conductors), often from overseas. On Wednesday, patrons had the bonus of two massive cruise ships on the harbour as well as a full moon. The latter could have been part of the opera!

American Susan Foster played the title role, producing a veritable torrent of vocalism with her incisive and beautiful soprano voice. ‘In questa reggia’ and the subsequent riddle scene of Act II was her tour-de-force with exemplary and exciting singing. She sneered at her suitor, only to melt and decay when he succeeded in answering the third riddle. Australian tenor Rosario La Spina was every bit her vocal equal, producing glorious singing and creditable acting in all three acts. Perhaps the opera should be called ‘Calaf’ rather than Turandot! La Spina goes from strength to strength as shown especially in his masterly rendition of Nessun dorma in Act III. As the hapless Liu Italian soprano Daria Masiero sang and acted superbly, using poise and dignity in her downfall and death, finally convincing the icy princess to yield to her prince.

With three top principal singers, the rest of the company rose to the occasion with high standards indeed. Timur was portrayed well by Jud Arthur. Ping, Pang and Pong were also well cast as Andrew Moran, David Corcoran and Graeme Macfarlane. Warwick Fyfe played an excellent town crier. This should all reassure subscribers that the company can still deliver, despite some very thin offerings at times in the recent past.

The production by Graham Murphy is full of movement, colour and clever devices, each apposite to the libretto. The score likewise contains many tricks-of-the-trade, as Puccini was still in control of his great powers of drama and composition (at least until Liu's death in the middle of Act III, at which point the composer died). Thus there are large complex choruses, children on stage, a suicide in full view, pentatonic motifs, a (very) memorable last-act aria and much more.

The chorus singing was accurate and at times very powerful, making the soaring principal voices even more exciting in this relatively small auditorium. The sublime and novel orchestration of Turandot was led by Arvo Vomer on the podium and the Opera and Ballet Orchestra responded brilliantly.

Turandot is possibly the last example of 19th century-style opera, even though it dates from 1924. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Leonard Bernstein and just about every composer since owes something to Giacomo Puccini. So do we all.


Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

PS - don't forget the cheap seats in the side "loges" at the SOH. $65 is a bargain!

Magic Flute "cut down" but "revved up" at Sydney Opera House.

The Magic Flute. Sydney Opera House. Friday 6th January 2012


I had the privilege of seeing the original complete German language version of this spectacular Julie Taymor production in New York and it is indeed a hard act to follow. The Met cast was led from behind with Kurt Moll as Sarastro and Rene Pape as The Speaker (yes, The Speaker). While the Sydney version of this ‘syndicated’ and cut-down production had all the elements of the original, albeit squeezed into our smaller stage, the singing was not quite of an international standard. The new English translation by American poet and librettist J.D. McClatchy is highly appropriate and sympathetic to the original without some of the hackneyed prose we have become used to.

Andrew Jones as Papageno was the only singer to fill the hall with both his substantial baritone voice and persona. Emma Pearson acquitted both Queen of Night arias with aplomb, a magnificent feat in itself. Stephen Bennett as The Speaker was excellent and the three ladies were well played. Mr Breen was also well cast playing a monstrous Monostatos.

However, none of the other main singers approached greatness in this cut down version of Mozart’s final comic singspiel. It may be that the company has spent so much on the production that they had to economise on fees of top class or better matched singers. Two of Australasia’s greatest operatic talents, Conal Coad and Teddy Tahu-Rhodes were employed front of house on the red carpet in the foyer greeting VIPs. Why weren’t they singing?

Some internet searching seems to indicate that about 35 minutes of the score has been cut in this version. It seems strange that one would cut not only entire vocal numbers, such as the sublime Papageno - Pamina duet in act I, but also slice the end off the Portrait aria at the beginning of the opera. The overture was another victim of the scissors, perhaps a little too heavily wielded.

The opera management has made it clear that this English language version is aimed at getting in new audiences, especially children. I don’t know how such folk are supposed to be able to afford the $300 being charged for good seats. The only empty seats on opening night were about two dozen restricted view seats in the upper decks. These are nearly always half-empty as the company has a policy of keeping prices high, even for such ordinary seating. It was in those very seats that I developed my love of opera.

The production is indeed like being at the circus. There are elements of Dr Who, macro-origami, acrobats and puppeteering. Clever lighting and projections also kept the audience engaged visually. It is just a shame that the standard of singing was so uneven. None of it was bad yet little was really grand either - with the above exceptions. And this is meant to be ‘grand opera’.

The chorus was the star of the night in my view, performing with their usual professionalism, talent and dedication against the odds. The orchestra was also in fine form under the baton of Jonathan Darlington. Maestro had to wave his handkerchief on high in acknowledgement due to the set elevation and extension in front of the pit in this extraordinary production.

Comments by Andrew Byrne .. Now relocated to Bowral but still in Sydney three days per week for work … and just ‘surfacing’ after a tumultuous house move. Wishing Happy New Year to all my readers.

Macbeth - Great opera returns to Sydney.

Macbeth. Sydney Opera House Saturday 10th September 2011 8pm

Dear Colleagues,

This was a worthy opening of Verdi’s early opera Macbeth. The current Montreal co-production by Rene Richard Cyr (sets by Claude Goyette) is a single set of surrounding tree trunks and branches making for shadows laterally and a central focused ‘faux revolve’ with angular concretions which facilitate the main stage action. The four acts were separated by only one intermission making the feats of Elizabeth Whitehouse and Peter Coleman-Wright all the more impressive as, like the audience, they lacked the time to get over the energy and inertia of one act before starting the next.

These two veteran performers had most of the requirements needed for these demanding roles. The young Verdi was writing for singers who scarcely existed in his day and who come up but rarely even today. Ms Whitehouse sings incisively with a direct and accurate line. While she has a distinctive and pleasing timbre there were some problems with intonation at the highest register. Her acting was exemplary and it is a shame that we have heard her so seldom over the years during which she pursued a successful career overseas.

Mr Coleman-Wright started out weakly, almost as if he were ill. But he was either ‘saving’ himself or else purposely adding to the characterisation of Macbeth. While he lacks some of the heft to be ideal, he rose to considerable vocal and dramatic heights when required in this long and complex role. He well deserved the major acclaim he received from the audience.

Daniel Sumegi was a creditable Banquo, having a true basso range with a handsome almost ‘gravel’ quality worthy of the greats of his ilk. Sadly for bass fans Banquo is killed at half-time. Teresa La Rocca performed well as the handmaiden and she appeared to fill in some of the very high notes during the concerted passages.

Rosario La Spina played McDuff, the character with the great show-piece ‘Ah la paterna mano’. While he sang this flawlessly from a technical point of view, his voice seems to have developed a ‘closed’ sound rather than the thrilling ‘open’ quality of ‘ere. This might have something to do with his ever more imposing stature. With the tragic death of Salvatore Licitra this week we need to appreciate just how rare good tenors like these men are and how they all need to look after themselves.

It matters little whether the witches appear from a forest thicket, a grassy glade or a rocky outcrop. Likewise their garb could be that of a char lady or a wet suit … in this case the former. But most important is that they sing and act like witches which is exactly what they did for us on the night. I recall a production with Gwyneth Jones in San Francisco in the mid-90s in which the witches clung to ropes and moved up and down as they sang their evil predictions – and they sang no better than our excellent Sydney chorus this week.

Conductor Andrew Molino put in some quite contrasted tempi, some fast, some slow but commanding over an excellent overall orchestral performance. The gents’ chorus, while not having the demands of the witches, was equally professional as we have come to expect under the tutelage of chorus master Michael Black.

This is a rare opportunity to see Verdi’s early Shakespearian gem, an opera he reworked substantially twenty years later. Like Nabucco and I Lombardi, it has a patriotic call-to-arms, and also like his other early works there are some almost impossible vocal lines and a degree of relatively trite melodic invention amongst the lyric best of the maestro. It is said that perhaps more than any other composer Verdi learned new things with every new work during each of the seven decades in which he wrote operas. I also heard a quote from a colleague that Verdi wanted Lady Macbeth to sing, ‘not like an angel, but like a devil!’


Notes by Andrew Byrne ..

Lakmé. Sydney Opera House.

Lakmé. Delibes. Sydney Opera House. Wednesday, 24 August 2011

This was a thrilling performance of a true French masterpiece - even if it may not be to everyone’s taste. And the reason was the world-class performance of Emma Matthews in what might be her ideal part to date, vocally as well as dramatically. It made me wonder how Joan Sutherland was credible in the same role … but she was, of course, with a commanding Nilakantha in Clifford Grant. I thought Stephen Bennett was very fine as the proud Brahmin father - and his diction was like a native according to two Parisians seated near me. Emma Matthews’ Bell Song in Act II was coloratura pin-point perfection and was rapturously received. Not only did the soprano sing in each register with flawless accuracy, her glorious capacity to sustain notes at the very top of the range with ease made this experience an unforgettable pleasure for those lucky enough to be in the audience.

The famous duet (Viens, Mallika) is just one of several hit tunes heard in Act I which is wall-to-wall melody. Mezzo-soprano Domenica Matthews (no relation, I gather) gives a strong performance as Mallika. Roxane Hislop, Angela Brun and Jane Parkin made an excellent trio of white ladies in India.

An added pleasure of the night was the superb performance by tenor Aldo di Toro as Gerald. His voice is highly placed and natural sounding with a resonant squillo and pleasing timbre. While he looks like many-a-tenor on stage, he acts creditably and certainly cuts a figure of his military character.

The settings by Mark Thompson are a colourful Hindu fantasy-land in the tropical jungle … and it all ‘works’, including the congested and cacophonous market scene where the chorus shows its worth to glowing effect. The death scene in the hut in the woods is moving and mercifully brief for a final act. Suicide by Datura flower in India or Oleander in Sri Lanka is a sad end indeed (take note Dr Nitschkie).

The orchestra and off-stage bands were excellent under baton of Emmanuel Joel-Hornak.

I would recommend these performances to anyone as providing a wonderful, old fashioned night at the opera … there are even two intermissions! The company should be congratulated on this artistic triumph.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Bell song by Emma Matthews from this production CLICK TO VIEW

The Merry Widow. Sydney Opera House

The Merry Widow. Sydney Opera House. Thursday 4th August 2011
New season announcement for 2012.

The national company has just opened a new co-production with Leeds’ Opera North. This Merry Widow is not a happy event in my view.

While the original from 1905 lacked an overture, the composer wrote one for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra 35 years later. Like the rather unedifying new translation, the local company chose to ignore history and do their own thing. The now traditional overture was replaced with a few bars of some ukulele/zither emptiness which might well have presaged another heavy night at the theatre. But it was not all doom and gloom as there were moments of magic and windows of dynamic vocalism.

Despite being one of their most popular artists for many years, the company in its wisdom banished tenor David Hobson from opera almost ten years ago (he was last heard in a G&S in 2005). He is now back playing a regal Prince Danilo to the delight of his many fans. Amelia Farrugia had all of the notes and most of the stage persona required for Hanna Glawari’s demanding role. She has a hard act to follow after Joan Sutherland, June Bronhill and Yvonne Kenny (in her prime) down the decades. As Rossignon, Henry Choo sang with style and grace, yet he, like everyone else, was amplified. John Bolton-Wood played a perfect ambassador while other supporting characters were also well cast. The chorus did its usual top job, as did the orchestra.

The company has replaced the large sub-title board above the stage with a smaller panel with orange coloured letters pushed closer together. And much of the dialogue was not projected at all … which made it almost impossible for some in the theatre to know what was going on. The decision to use exaggerated cockney and French accents also made it harder to understand.

The production seemed to be based on a dozen or more purple-backed, painted-on chandeliers which came up and down on vertical flats at appointed times. It also had 8 naked lady mannequins holding ball lights. Although it all worked reasonably well it lacked originality, nor did it give us anything particularly beautiful to admire.

The text was a quite different and high-brow literary translation. It pointedly used none of the original words, phrases or rhymes from the very familiar English version. Some of this seemed to be simply petulant or maybe there were issues of copyright or royalties. Some of the Widow pieces are so popular, most notably ‘Vilja, Oh Vilja’, that it seemed very odd indeed to insert new words. Would they do so with G&S to save money, I wonder?

Subscribers who enjoy grand opera may feel slighted that each time there are another ten performances of La Boheme (30 total) or Merry Widow (20 total) that the company COULD have mounted Simon Boccanegra, Clemenza di Tito, Il Trittico, Don Pasquale, La Gioconda, Yeoman of the Guard or one of dozens of other popular works in their place (using high quality and unamplified Australian and imported ingredients).

The new season for 2012 announced this week involves only a very small number of first or second-rung international stars. Susan Foster should be a good Turandot but she is not even doing half the season. Johannes Fritzsch returns to conduct Cheryl Barker in Salome. Aida might as well be called Amneris considering the roles. Yet we are to hear a competent house singer in this role while true stars both Australian and international are passed over for unknown reasons. In the summer season three popular Mozart operas run simultaneously … and “The Magic Flute” is not the Magic Flute at all, but a one-act cut-down version! But no discounts for diluted opera: good seats are between $215 and $272 even at subscription rates! Youth subscription tickets to Madam Butterfly are still a steep $194. I think this is the third run of Butterfly in four years! After relentless increases in recent years I note that some subscriptions are about 4% cheaper this year and only hope this encourages more to renew.

Poor Teddy Tahu Rhodes sings 34 performances of South Pacific. So yet again, we have a trained opera singer performing musical comedy by an ‘opera’ company which is nothing of the kind any more. It is much simpler when one can do night after night of the same work. I have no problem in principle with South Pacific, Mary Poppins, G&S or Merry Widow - they are all great works. Just that serious opera companies usually leave such works to others. They compete on a very different market than with their core duties of opera. The OA mission statement deals with opera and opera singers and mentions nothing about light opera, operetta or musical comedy (* see below).

In another bizarre twist according to the season brochure Cheryl Barker is billed to ‘sing’ Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt … but she will do so separate from the orchestra in another hall and the audio will be piped into the opera theatre. This, along with amplification of other works and “opera afloat” shows the complete lack of insight on the part of the company. What opera fans want to hear is singing. Pure beautiful, unamplified singing! One hopes that Ms Barker will be suitable for this very demanding role – and that we might actually hear her sing it.

It is humiliating to hear what the company management is quoted as saying about subscribers, singers of less-than-svelte stature, Wagner and ‘alternative’ opera. It is like a teenage fantasy rather than mature management. The Australia Council should review how its public funds are expended by this company.

Sadly this opera company is in its death throes as any accounting student could plainly see. Will the government/s bail it out when the time comes? I doubt it in the current financial climate. The Merry Widow and South Pacific are just desperate attempts to right a listing ship … yet more poor programming for the national ‘opera’ company and probably another step in its slow demise under current management. Why would an opera company try to compete with Mary Poppins? It is a great sadness to see an established, vibrant and innovative opera company attaining irrelevance by years of mismanagement. The board members and other smug decision makers should be called to account, fall on their swords, concede their errors and allow an administrator to try a rescue (like Fidelio!) before all that is left is a post-mortem without an audience.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..


* Mission Statement. Opera Australia.

Web site accessed 22/2/09
http://www.opera-australia.org.au/scripts/nc.dll?OPRA:STANDARD::pc=PC_90369#

To present opera of excellence that excites audiences and develops and sustains the art form in Australia

To this end, we will:

1. Interpret with integrity the indivisible musical and dramatic qualities of operatic works from four centuries including our own time and place;

2. Satisfy and extend the experience of the committed opera audience while actively encouraging and developing new audiences;

3. Operate year-round: mounting major seasons in Sydney and Melbourne,
and reaching a wider community through multimedia, regional tours and collaboration with State companies;

4. Strengthen our ensemble values of co-operative working, cumulative
learning and mutual respect between all areas and members of the Company;

5. Develop financial strength through long-term planning, prudent cost
control and maximising revenues from box-office, sponsors, donors, governments, tourism and other commercial activities;

6. Continue to build the confidence, trust and loyalty of the public,
governments and sponsors through efficient service and honest,
effective communication;

7. Attract, develop, challenge and retain people of the highest calibre
within an organisation that is effectively led, well informed and in which
their contribution is respected and celebrated;

8. Expect artists and staff to continue their professional growth throughout
their careers and to draw, as appropriate, on the accumulated knowledge within and available to the Company;

9. Continue the mutual benefit flowing from collaboration with international artists and companies;

10. Be rigorous in self-examination and open to informed, outside evaluation of both our successes and failures;

So that:

Australia's cultural landscape is enriched by a nationally and internationally acknowledged opera company;

Artists and staff collaborate in a unique working environment, which encourages them to give of their best;

Sponsors, governments and supporters receive a highly-valued artistic dividend and benefits of association; and,

The Company secures long-term and mutually profitable relations with key venues and multimedia.

A Boheme-led recovery?

La Boheme at the Sydney Opera House. Tuesday 12th July 2011

This was an enjoyable and ‘different’ La Boheme. The publicity told us that the action is moved to Germany but I could see nothing uniquely German except for some Biedermeier-looking furniture at one stage.

The student ‘garret’ is a huge hexagon of which four sides are displayed, rather like the inside of a gasometer. There are two high rows of tiny windows to the outside with ladders, planks and a gantry from which one gathers that Marcello is painting the Red Sea as per the first line of the opera. And by Act 4 indeed we have an enormous vista of the biblical scene – which some sources intriguingly call the ‘Sea of Reeds’ rather than the ‘Red Sea’. So now I realise how the Pharaoh was to be drowned – this is the opera’s second line. Some research showed that this stage set may represent some sort of travelling ‘Globe’ theatre called a spiegeltent (Dutch for ‘mirror tent’).

The Café Momus scene has a mid-act coup when four lateral flats rotate to reveal eight theatre boxes and we are indoors again in a cabaret venue. The same set could be used for the casino scene in Manon. The Act III set is also tasteful with the requisite city gates, falling snow and adjacent inn.

Mr Ji-Min Park is an excellent Rodolfo. He is young and good looking with fine acting skills. His voice is pleasing in quality and size with effortless and even movements up the scale. His musicality is tasteful and appears natural. The diction in Italian is fine but I noted that he pronounced cinque as sinque in the first act (a small point indeed).

Ms Kizart is an equally fine Mimi, finding all the necessary nuances for this tragic role, yet avoiding the melodrama it could so easily become.

An announcement was made by Mr Lyndon Terracini that Marcello would be sung by Mr Andrew Jones, a young artist with the company, due to a winter virus which is going around. He was superlative in this very substantial role. Despite having no aria he is the fourth lovers’ link which is so crucial to the tension and balance of the story line.

Taryn Fiebig stepped up to the role of Musetta and was also highly satisfying and “out there”. Likewise David Parkin as Colline and Shane Lawrencev as Schaunard … although it was tiresome that the latter was made to play the fop, dandy and campy part over and over in the opera, (rather like ‘Harold’ in Boys in the Band - but without the depth).

The orchestra was again conducted by Shao-Chia Lu from Taiwan … with flare and pace … they received a great reception in the resumption of Act III (there was only one intermission – a mistake in my view).

We are told that the company is in deep trouble with a 15% annual contraction of their subscriber base … only saved on occasion by individual box office successes (Madam Butterfly, My Fair Lady, Carmen, G&S, etc). This time there are thirty performances of La Boheme over nearly four months with three different casts. Can this be a Boheme-led recovery? I don’t think so. This company has had two second-rate productions of Boheme in recent years so most subscribers have seen the opera numerous times of late, like Madame Butterfly. One only hopes that there are lots of newcomers out there to discover the joys of opera through these current performances.

I am intrigued and dismayed at the press statements from the company’s artistic director. Within days of joining the company he stated that doing a Ring Cycle would be a great idea - but not in Sydney(!). Now they have opera on the water with a ‘pontoon’ Traviata … will it be Aida-on-ice next? While doing overseas performances and these other side shows, the company’s subscribers’ are charged high prices for relatively ordinary quality opera. Mr Terracini’s pointed comments about looking-the-part on stage in last week’s newspaper are banal as they are naïve. So Pavarotti would not have measured up! Some of the greatest draw-cards at the New York Met today are on the large side - others are old - but they all have something special in their throats!

So rather than addressing a serious problem with the company, the present management seems to have no insight and plays popular pieces to a nebulous public (cruise ships and newcomers) while ignoring their own support base of 50 years. About ten years ago they started deviating from a successful traditional formula which had served the company well for decades. And now it shows in the disappearance of their audiences as well as in the quality and variety of their work. One only hopes that it is not too late … but when seemingly three quarters of this year’s performances are Butterfly, Boheme, Merry Widow or Carmen we have a problem, Houston. And yet at the other end of the operatic spectrum we have Capriccio, Partenope, Of Mice and Men and The Love of the Nightingale, none of which forms the meat of an operatic sandwich. Indeed, Macbeth is the only single opera I was really looking forward to this year (I concede narrow tastes). But one single opera?? How times have changed!

Otello by Verdi at Carnegie Hall Friday 15th April 2011

Otello by Verdi at Carnegie Hall Friday 15th April 2011.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor: Riccardo Muti

The two best operas we heard during the month were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Comte Ory is a Rossini romp full of froth and bubble where Otello is as serious as it gets. We were indeed privileged to hear Riccardo Muti perform Otello at Carnegie Hall with his orchestra and chorus from Chicago and a group of highly talented principal singers. It was a marvellous and special performance, complimented by the near perfect acoustics of Carnegie Hall (c. 1891, seating 2800). These performances marked Muti’s return to the podium after 2 months following cardiac arrhythmia causing a collapse and serious facial injuries. After surgeries and a pacemaker he again looks his youthful and radiant self, bounding with extraordinary physical and musical energy.

The opera was stunning in every way. It was announced that Mr Aleksandrs Antonenko was under treatment for a stomach ailment and craved our indulgence. His performance as the moor was peerless. He has a big, beautiful tenor voice with the heft, depth and colour needed for this supreme operatic role. His Desdemona was played by Krassimira Stoyanova who sang the heart out of the role, again with style, power and tasteful intonation. Carlo Guelfi was a menacing Iago, starting out weakly and with a wide wobble but, like a locomotive he reigned in his powerful instrument to this long and challenging role. Unlike some other creditable singers we have heard in this role, Guelfi had all the high notes for the drinking song - and more besides. In the last note of his dramatic ‘credo’ he could not be heard due to the orchestra, something I found surprising with a conductor who is normally so sympathetic to singers.

Other roles were also well chosen with Cassio being played by a good looking young Argentinean tenor Juan Francisco Gatell who sang extremely well, despite being particularly short and having a terrible ‘mod-mess’ hair style. Barbara Di Castri played Amelia, Eric Owens played Lodovico and Michael Spyres, Roderigo. Each was admirable.

As ever in New York the audience was almost as interesting as the show. In the two rows in front of me were Bryn Terfel, Mrs Jonas Kauffman and Sarah Billinghurst of the Metropolitan Opera. The previous Otello I heard in this hall was the ill-fated return of Carlo Bergonzi in 2000. The ‘three tenors’ and many other famous people attended. Many left before the second half after the fabled tenor pulled out sick (and after giving one of the worst performances of his illustrious career – and following a reportedly magnificent dress rehearsal just the day before).

The Chicago orchestra provided an enormous chorus of perhaps 200 adults and 50 children who filled the hall with wonderful vocalisation. Apparently they all flew in for the occasion having done two performances in their home town. It demonstrates that a concert performance can be as exciting as the staged work (or even more so) and it would be almost impossible to imagine a stage which could fit this number of singers altogether in costume.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Comte Ory. Rossini. Met Opera (cinema then theater).

Comte Ory. Rossini. Met Opera. Sat 9th (cinema), Thurs 14th (theatre) April 2011


For the third time now I have been extremely privileged to see an opera in the theatre AFTER having first seen a telecast of the same production. Prior to Comte Ory I had seen Rheingold and Tosca on the screen followed by visits to the ‘real thing’.

My notes on the operas in New York are now almost superfluous since anyone with a computer can listen in on Sirius broadcasts for almost any Met performance (and free public radio on Saturdays during the season). Suffice it to say that both live and electronic, Florez is incomparable, Damrau and DiDonato are magnificent and the comic production is a great irreligious romp, raunchy and with a great comeuppance at the end. It might be subtitled ‘Nuns on the Run’.

As readers would know, once every few weeks there is also a video transmission to participating cinemas across the world (43 countries, Egypt is the latest, we were told). These are Saturday matinees streamed in ‘high definition’ direct in the Americas as well as to Europe, where it is Saturday evening with the time zone. Due to the ungainly time difference, they are streamed to Australia and the Far East a week or two later at a more suitable hour. This necessarily loses that immediacy and ‘danger’ factor intrinsic to direct ‘live’ transmissions.

Only those in or near New York City have the choice for Met productions. The rest of the opera world may attend a cinema telecast or listen to a radio or CD/DVD recording. Hence I felt very lucky to be able to attend numerous live performances during a stay of almost four weeks in New York (see below for the operas I attended, with comments on: http://andrewsopera.blogspot.com/ ).

The most obvious difference is the immediacy of non-amplified voices, live in the theatre. Opera is about voice, after all. And opera singers of all things need to have a voice which can be heard from the back of a large theatre … as well as the rest. See my blog notes on stunt people being used and how much more obvious it is in the theatre: see Tosca and Rheingold notes also comparing live with HD viewing. There were also ‘stunt’ people in Comte Ory in the form of three men dressed as nuns who did some crazy synchronised steps including one calamitous spill on stage. I don’t believe that the principals were replaced as they were in Rheingold and Tosca on numerous occasions.

I was invited by a donor colleague to a lavish patron session at the Met on the afternoon of the HD telecast of their new production of Comte Ory on Saturday 9th April. Rather than just a panel introduction (which happened in March before the season started) it was in fact a fully catered brunch with all the bells and whistles. Bagel, cream cheese and lox, quiche Lorraine and salad served with champagne, petit fours, tea and coffee an hour prior to the start of the opera. During the vittels we heard an insightful speech by Sarah Billinghurst who is the Met Artistic Director (and a Kiwi). She spoke about their approach to repertoire generally and in particular, she said that they aimed to mount one new work each year … meaning an established opera which had never been done at the Met. This year was Comte Ory. I wondered if Anna Bolena was the new one for next year.

We were also given a few snippets about the Met’s policy on folio versions and translations in response to a rather critical piece in the New York Times on the subject that day (‘Timing is everything!’). The company had decided against the ‘new’ translation simply because it was not available when they programmed the opera three to four years ago. Changing text or music in such circumstances has contract and artistic implications and had to be rejected. Ms Billinghurst said that this did not mean that the company would not consider using the new translation in the future ‘by all means’. The cost of using a modern copyrighted versions of works is also a consideration when, as she reminded the room filled with generous donors (myself excluded but including my generous hostess) that the Met’s box office receipts only cover half of the budget so all expenditure has to be closely vetted. The ‘classics’, of course, come free of patent or royalties.

Ms Billinghurst then discussed the ‘good news’ that Mr Florez had agreed to sing at successive seasons at the Met in the foreseeable future. She emphasised that after a brief foray with the Duke from Rigoletto in South America, Mr Florez had determined to stay within his current fach by singing the lighter bel canto roles which he had started eight seasons ago with Barber of Seville (a season I heard him do Almaviva on two occasions - it was extraordinary). Mr Florez had also decided against singing in I Puritani.

Our speaker told us that the Comte Ory was one of Rossini’s last operas. The already very famous composer lived in London for a time but was lured back to Paris with a lucrative contract. He composed Voyage to Reims for the coronation of Charles X but withdrew the work in order to recycle six numbers for Comte Ory. His final opera, just after this, was William Tell, written when he was 38 years old after which he retired and wrote little else but charming songs.

Comte Ory will never be one of the ABC of popular operas, nor does it contain any classic concert items. However it is crammed full of wonderful melody and may contain Rossini’s “busiest” music. The act I finale is brilliant. It has some orchestration reminiscent of the Fledermaus overture as well as hints of Semiramide and Fille du Regiment.

We were told that Joyce DeDonato has been offered the role, despite it having no discrete aria. The role had huge vocal and dramatic challenges which suited her talents … and she had worked with the other principal artists already with great success. Ms Damrau likewise seemed ideally suited to the colossal coloratura and hilarious comedy situations. The opera has a night time bedroom scene in which there are three people in a bed but only two of them know they are not a couple. For once Mr Florez is on the butt of the joke and he also “loses the girl” and Ms Billinghurst told us that Ms DeDonato was the one who gets away with the girl - ‘two girls go off together’ she said mischievously. She then gave a rap for Maestro Benini who is very much at home in this sort of repertoire.

The production is original and well executed as a play within a play in an 18th century proscenium theatre. The telecast is introduced by Renee Fleming and I would recommend it to anyone.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Queen of Spades
Romeo and Juliette
Capriccio
Rheingold
Wozzek
Tosca
Comte Ory
Otello (Carnegie Hall, Chicago Orchestra with Muti)

New York Blog: http://andrewbyrneinnewyork.blogspot.com/

Wozzek inter alia.

Dear Friends,

The Metropolitan Opera has restaged Berg's Wozzek. Although being one of the great works and a star case it is not my cup of tea being intellectual and dissonant. A mischievous friend wrote to say that I should know that half-way through it reverses and runs backwards so that it ends at the beginning.

This was also the Met debut of Australian tenor Stuart Skelton (Drum Major) along with Gerhard Seigel (Captain), Alan Held (title), Maltraud Meier (Marie) conducted by an extremely frail looking James Levine. The orchestration is phenomenal, complex and loud, if not always exactly beautiful. The last two scenes are particularly novel. The opera received a huge ovation in the house and especially the beloved maestro.

I will have been fortunate to hear Tosca, Romeo and Juliette, Queen of Spades, Rheingold, Otello and Comte Ory (see my notes on the opera blog). Some names include Domingo (conducting), Stephanie Blythe, Violeta Urmana, Salvatore Licitra, James Morris, Hei-Kyung Hong, Piotr Beczala, Vladimir Galouzine, Peter Mattei, Juan Diego Florez, Joyce deDonato, Diana Damrau, Dolora Zajick, James Levine and Riccardo Muti. Tickets for all operas were all easy to obtain over the internet, most costing less than $100 for excellent positions in the house. It makes the quality and price of opera in Sydney seem to be very poor options.

More notes on Comte Ory and Otello next week.

Tosca. Monday 4th April 2011. Metropolitan Opera.

Tosca. Puccini. Monday 4th April 2011. Metropolitan Opera.

Dear Colleagues,

I enjoyed this production which is updated to the 1920s but still seems to ‘work’ in most every respect.

Violetta Urmana is now clearly a soprano, having done some ‘in between’ roles like Santuzza and Kundry. She did a most creditable Princess Eboli a few years back with Rolando Villazon in Amsterdam (available on DVD). On this occasion she sang Tosca, a dramatic soprano role. She was magnificent in this rather up-dated and somewhat controversial production. Her ‘Vissi d’arte’ was splendid. Rather than singing, she spoke her lines after killing Scarpia: “E avanti a lui tremava tutta Roma”.

Salvatore Licitra did a grand Cavaradossi, letting loose on all the top notes as well as putting in all the most delicate shadings to his legato singing.

James Morris is one of the few survivors of the ‘golden age’ and yet he can still pull it out of the bag for Scarpia. I was concerned as he had some ugly exposed notes early on with a wide wobbly beat, yet he reined it in and sang large and loud, as becomes the evil Rome Chief of Police.

Angelotti was played by Richard Bernstein who was also excellent. At the start, after a spotlight flashes around the darkened interior of the church annex, his appearance was from a high portcullis whence he descended by a thick rope to the stage floor only to walk through a side chapel and reappear to start the action of the opera. I had it pointed out to me that in fact it was clearly a ‘double’ who shinnied down that rope. This was revealed by a visiting Australian soprano we happened to meet at intermission (New York is teeming with Aussies at present). We were told that singers just hate doing that sort of thing. She and her partner were also mightily impressed with the Met goings on and were only disappointed to have missed Rheingold, saying ‘you had to kill someone’ to get a ticket (I know I was lucky, having booked some months ago). I should point out that Angelotti somehow managed to pull his rope free from the ground, a boy-scout trick I was never taught.

I was also concerned about the soprano’s final leap which did not come off as planned. From my seat I was able to see the soprano still standing on the stairs as a mannequin or stunt person leapt out into thin air (and a safety net) as the lights blacked out at the end of the drama. I think that maybe Luc Bondy wanted the mannequin thrown off the high turret into the oblivion but the management may have thought that their audience were not ready for that. Certainly many would have been deeply shocked and some might have thought to call the ambulance. Also, here in New York there are still too many memories of 9/11. I was also surprised that there were no stars for ‘E lucevan le stelle’, at least not from where I was sitting.

Despite these small production criticisms, another staggeringly exciting night at the Met.

Comments by Andrew Byrne .. (pinching myself to a bruise).

Das Rheingold at the Metropolitan Opera

Wed 30th March 2011. See also: Andrew’s review of HD telecast

This performance was an artistic and vocal success - yet somehow there was still something missing. The company has had teething problems with their novel 24-plank stage “machine” … and for this performance there was a 25 minute delay. An announcement was made at ten past the hour although no explanation was given. This is particularly awkward for a continuous work of just over 2½ hours. It does not augur well for the Die Walkure opening in a few short weeks based on the same concept and using the same ‘machine’. Little wonder that the dress rehearsal has been closed to the public.

I had seen the opera in the cinema in high definition back in December but this was very different, especially as I was sitting slightly to the side (and quite close). The main difference was that one noticed the intensity of the voices in the theater where there is no amplification, enhancement, balancing, etc. None of the voices needed the slightest enhancement and from where I sat in row J we were engulfed in a vast vocalism which is rare indeed. Stephanie Blythe as Fricka has a voice which may compete with the legendary Clara Butt who allegedly could be heard in France when singing at Dover. At times it was hard to believe that Ms Blythe was not amplified, yet she never sounds forced or harsh in the slightest. And Wendy Bryn Harmer as Freia was not far behind in the decibels department. Bryn Terfel did not tire in his portrayal of Wotan yet neither did he seem to impart the contrasting elements of resolve and confusion of this complex character in the theater.

There were two cast changes from the version broadcast to cinemas around the world last year. Alberich was played by Richard Paul Fink on this occasion rather than Eric Owens (they were both outstanding) and Loge by Dutch singer Arnold Bezuyen rather than Richard Croft (equally impressive performances). Mr Levine was replaced by Fabio Luisi owing to ill health. Otherwise the cast remained the same with Dwayne Croft playing Donner, Gerhard Seigel as Mime, Hans-Peter Konig as Fafner, Franz-Josef Selig as Fasolt, Adam Diegel as Froh (a new and substantial tenor talent to watch) and Patricia Bardon as Erda. None let the side down, despite some criticisms of the original performances.

The drama unfolded with one splendid visual vista after another, starting with the blue Rhine River at dawn and its suspended (literally) Rhine Maidens singing as they approached the sandy banks from which Alberich approached with his unwanted advances. The opening scene was more subtle and effective in the cinema since it was seen ‘head on’ by everyone with a gently increasing wave motion. The clunking Nibelheim scene was cleverly done but most impressive perhaps was the denouement which saw the central planks rotate to create a steep multicoloured bridge which each character (or their double) mounted as it levelled out, leaving only Loge on stage, being a mere demi-god, while the angled wall turned from fine grained black and white marble tones to stars in the last seconds of the opera as the curtain was lowered. There was much beauty in this avant-garde production, despite its mechanical limitations.

Two things made me realise for the first time that some of the action (and perhaps much more) was done by stand-in actors. I was baffled at the rapidity with which Wotan and Loge were able to exit stage left after the second scene to then reappear high above on the brilliantly synthesised lateral staircase across which they ‘langloffed’ towards Nibelheim. The use of stuntmen and women was also obvious using trapeze wires in the final scene. This was most evident for Ms Blythe whose imposing physical frame was not consistent with the similarly dressed ‘double’ joining the party of gods mounting the (initially) near vertical rainbow bridge as they marched slowly first up and then across towards Valhalla.

It may seem stupid, but after ‘seeing and believing’ in the cinema, I somehow felt cheated by this. We are led to believe that the named characters perform the stated roles and yet now it appears otherwise (same in the current Met Tosca in two instances at least). No names of stunt subs were given in the program from what I could see. Naturally, it made me wonder just how many such actions were performed by others taking non-singing roles. “Would Wagner have approved”? … and while complete speculation, this is the question I always ask myself about modern productions. After all, Wagner gave quite detailed instructions on what he wanted of his performers in the drama. And yet he also wanted his operas to be accessible to the wider public. Comparison with the Otto Schenk production would be odious and unnecessary.

In a discussion after the opera with some like minded friends we decided that if the staging does not distract either performers or audience from the drama then it is probably fine. I am still equivocal on that and may have to see the opera again to decide. Because I had no idea that there were doubles when watching in the cinema it could not have been distracting by definition - indeed I recommended it ‘to anyone’ at the time.

The 40 tonne machine with 24 rotating ‘gang planks’ was described by Mr LePage on the radio broadcast. These angled, fangled flaps can form a myriad of varied surfaces. By containing surface LED-like illumination they can become any colour, texture or shimmering effect. Bubbles going up, river stones rolling down … marble effects, stars on black … even a remarkable flashing lightning effect when struck by Donner in the last minutes of the opera … nothing is too difficult for the ‘machine’!

A narrow trench in front of the palisaded planks served for many entrances and exits including Alberich’s arrival early on as well as Erda’s appearance near the end. It may have served for quick swaps for stunt people too as they bobbed up and down.

The costumes deserve comment. Despite an ultramodern setting, the characters’ dress was from mythic history, breast-plates, leather belts, fur sleeves, scarves, capes and cuff laces. The two giants were particularly effective with mock-steroid deltoid and chest bulges, creating a singular impression. They were almost twin like in other respects as well. There were no horns, helmets or other head gear, probably because of the gravity defying necessities of the action (Tarnhelm notwithstanding).

The orchestra was exemplary, taking the piece at a measured pace and never dominating the vocal side. Robert Lepage and his team have indeed succeeded in transforming this epic work into a new and enjoyable production for their Manhattan audience and it is a bonus that we can all now join the Rhine journey in cinemas across the world. Die Walkure opens on Good Friday and the full ring in a year’s time.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

“To double or not to double, that is the stuntman question.”

“To double or not to double, that is the stuntman question.”

A most interesting comparison. Rheingold in the theater (US spelling) was quite a different experience despite most of the same cast, same production, etc. Somehow I had expected more but got less. Most telling was that it was obvious live that there were stunt actors doing numerous feats we assumed (or at least I had assumed) were being done by the singers. The whole essence of opera, making it different from leider is that the singers dress up and act through a dramatic role as well as ‘bellow’ their challenging vocal parts.

Opera singers have always been called on to do the occasional stage ‘feat’ … like ride a horse, jump off a balcony, do a limp fall, sing in a harness about the stage, etc. I have even seen one modern tenor juggle on stage and do a hand stand (Roberto Alagna in Elixir of Love). But it necessarily interrupts the drama when scenes contain diversions where, during non-singing sections, the character disappears briefly and apparently reappears … sliding down a rope (Tosca), mounting a bridge or even being thrown across the stage (Tosca again) or doing other feats, only to reappear elsewhere on the stage before they start singing again.

Of course if this is all done cleverly and totally imperceptibly (as it was for me in the cinema) it can hardly matter. But when it is bleeding obvious (as must happen when it is slightly imperfect, the more so for those up close) then it is a distraction which necessarily takes ones mind and ear off the musical drama and back to the nuts and bolts of the staging details as happens at the circus and which is the very opposite, I believe, of what composers would have wanted for their works.

I am coming to some conclusions about telecasting operas … and there must be compromises made I know and funds from telecast will exceed the individual box office eventually I imagine. But this is a tectonic shift for the company and for opera generally where artistic decisions will now be based on the broadcast at the expense of those in the theatre itself … something I never thought would happen.


Link to Met site:
Andrew’s opera blog: