Not since Alessandra Ferri danced the role has a mature woman so convincing enacted the role. Likewise Piotr Beczala lent his lustrous tenor and youthful acting to the role of Romeo. The pair had fine chemistry and the romance was totally believable. Their respective arias and duets were most moving. Ms. Hong shone especially in “Je veux vivre”.
Not as exciting as Prokofiev’s score for the ballet, Gounod’s lyricism is well suited to the libretto of Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, which focuses more on the romance in Verona and less on the violence between the Montague and Capulet families. Minor characters have been dispensed with and a character has been introduced--that of Roméo’s page Stéphano, here beautifully sung by Julie Boulianne, the Canadian mezzo last admired in Gluck’s Iphegenie en Tauride. The venerable James Morris was a most welcome presence as Frère Laurent. Placido Domingo conducted with his customary excellence and the orchestra responded in kind. The chorus sang magnificently, as usual. Lindemann graduates Dwayne Croft and Jordan Bisch (seen recently as the matchmaker in The Bartered Bride) were just fine as Lord Capulet and The Duke of Verona.
Notable was the French diction, so far superior to that in the Gluck. Every word of every character was understandable, something one cannot take for granted these days. The costumes and wigs created in house were absolutely gorgeous. The set design was largely symbolic with painted Veronese street scenes surrounding a large circular astrological chart bearing an internal tilt-a-whirl that did exactly that, making one just a bit anxious for the dueling performers in the fight scene. A bit more anxiety occurs during the otherwise heavenly star-studded wedding night scene with the leads making love on a bed suspended from the roof.
Effective and sexy but scary! It was a relief when the lark was heard and the bed slowly came down to earth. An altogether heavenly evening at the Met.
© meche kroop for The Opera Insier
No comments:
Post a Comment