“Elektra” – A Daring Opening Gala Choice

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September 18, 2012
From Seen and Heard International
By: James L. Zychowicz; Photo Credit: Robert Kusel, Dan Rest

United States Richard Strauss, Elektra: Soloists, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Sir Andrew Davis (conductor), Civic Opera House, Chicago. 6.10.2012 (JLZ)

As shocking as Richard Strauss’s Elektra was at its premiere in 1908, the opera is no less stunning a century later, and it is an outstanding choice for Lyric Opera of Chicago to open its 2012–2013 season. Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s libretto is based on his 1903 play, a modern version of Sophocles’s drama. In collaborating with Hofmannsthal, Strauss shaped the music and text to create a single-act opera of incredible power, which came to life vibrantly on opening night of this new production at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
In the title role, Christine Goerke gave an exceptional performance, which was faithful to the score in terms technically and musically. Goerke captured the essence of Elektra from the start, with her brooding presence at the back of the stage prefacing her first lines in the monologue (“Allein! Weh, ganz allein”). Goerke eloquently maintained a sense of line and drama, communicating intensity both in tone and dynamic levels. As her vengeance became a driving force that consumed her and those near her, Goerke’s fine sense of pitch and her ringing tone served her well. Dramatically she was convincing in her obsessiveness, adding dignity to a role that sometimes suffers from depictions of madness for its own sake.
As Clytaemnestra, Jill Groves was equally persuasive, delivering the musical line so the text could be heard distinctly, and in her phrasing, only emphasizing Clytaemnestra’s complexity. The antipathy between mother and daughter was especially pointed in the duet (“Ich habe keine guten Nächte”) in which Elektra reveals the solution to her mother’s tormented dreams: her death.
Emily Magee was also impressive as Chrysothemis, and her duet with Elektra, “Schwester, sprichst du von der Mutter,” was particularly memorable. As their brother, Orestes, Alan Held was powerfully articulate, and made a well-considered first entrance, letting his sheer presence make an impression before he began to sing. Held’s extended exchange with Elektra gave the audience more time to appreciate his interpretation.
These four characters were matched by well-cast supporting roles, especially Roger Honeywell as Aegisthus. Yet Goerke remained the dominant force. The opening night audience demonstrated its appreciation with resounding applause at the curtain calls.
Sir Andrew Davis offered excellent leadership, shaping the score with intelligence. Distinction between scenes was audible, yet elements of continuity were clearly articulated in the orchestra. Balances were rich and colorful, with full, resonant sonorities.

John Macfarlane’s new production, directed by Sir David McVicar, makes use of the full expanse of Lyric’s stage. Unlike some productions of Elektra which scale down the space or use representational backgrounds, this one offers a larger-than-life view of the door of palace, supported steps and quintessential Greek columns, with the entire structure set askew and framed with rubble. Red is used stylishly, starting with the paint one of the maids leaves on the iron bars that close the palace, and foreshadowing the red that flows at the end of the opera.
A daring choice for the gala opening night, this production was entirely appropriate for the occasion, and Lyric Opera of Chicago rendered Strauss’s outstanding score with the finesse and directness it deserves. This Elektra has much to recommend it, and those who do not yet have tickets should make certain not to miss this impressive, moving production of Strauss’s masterpiece.

Cast
Elektra: Christine Goerke
Chrysothemis: Emily Magee
Clytemnestra: Jill Grove
Orestes: Alan Held
Aegisthus: Roger Honeywell
Overseer: Elizabeth Byrne
Orestes’s Tutor: Jason Stearns
First Maid: Victoria Livengood
Second Maid: J’nai Bridges
Third Maid: Cecelia Hall
Fourth Maid: Rebecca Nash
Fifth Made: Trancy Cantin
Overseer: Elizabeth Byrn
Confidante: Kiri Deonarinet
Train Bearer: Emily Birsan
Young Servant: Bernard Holcomb
Old Servant: Kenneth Nichols

Production
Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis
Director: Sir David McVicar
Designer: John Macfarlane
Lighting Designer: Jennifer Tipton
Chorus Master: Martin Wright
Choreographer: August Tye

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Rossini Opera Festival Returns to its Roots-Great Opera Singing

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I have noticed that over the past several years an artistic divide has developed between Rossini opera lovers and the artistic merits of the productions at the Rossini Opera Festival. It’s not the kind of divide that happens when Regietheater opera directors, particularly in Germany, come up with incoherent and bizarre stagings that result in vociferous booing from audiences.

But we must remember we are in Pesaro, Italy, in the middle of muggy August, where the tepid waters of the Adriatic take the edge off of our finicky operatic natures. The divide comes across more as an artistic detour.

To be specific, this detour was most pronounced in 2011 when the new productions of Mosè in Egitto and Adelaide di Borgogna* hit the boards with confusing directorial ideas, deleted arias, and some under-par singing from festival favorites. The fact that I didn’t like the productions while some critics and festival attendees looked on them favorably, certainly shows up my operatic prejudices. In rereading my reviews of Adelaide di Borgogna and Mosè in Egitto,  I find I still hold to the same judgements, but with less huffiness towards their creators.

Luckily for Rossini opera fans, the 2012 program gave us a season where the quality of the singing shared the spotlight with stagecraft.

The main attraction this season was the revival of the very successful 2004 production of Matilde di Shabran,** with Juan Diego Florez repeating his role as the misogynistic Corradino.  This time, director Mario Martone had Florez emphasize the darker, unflattering side of Corradino’s character, foregoing some of the levity the tenor had portrayed previously. This was a risky move on both their parts because Florez’s characterization could have appeared too heavy a weight for Rossini’s music to carry. But his performance turned out to be a comedic jewel burnished with dramatic overtones due to the tenor’s natural bent for edgy comedy and Martone’s skillful direction. And the tenor, by garnishing  every musical phrase with such exalted vocal ease, proved without a doubt, he owns the role and no other tenors need apply.

Olga Peretyatko sang the title role. The soprano made her debut at the festival as Desdemona in Otello in 2007. At that time, her voice was lighter, lacking the full-rounded tones she brings to her coloratura today. I remember liking her secure vocal technique and youthful interpretation. Now, as Matilde, her voiced has grown to include an expressive vocal warmth that she used to thrilling effect. Peretyatko must had known about the success of the 2004 production of Shabran in which French Soprano Annick Massis’ portrayal of Matilde had been well-received by festival audiences because of Massis’ individual Gallic charm and spot-on vocals. But the Russian soprano brought her own interpretation filled with youthful vitality and an understated flirtatious demeanor. The choice of having these two sopranos sing one of Rossini’s most delightful heroines shows the festival at it artistic best.

Paolo Bordogna sang the role of the poet Isidoro which Rossini and his librettist Giacomo Ferretti wrote in Neapolitan dialect. The baritone has become a festival favorite, but his operatic star really shown brightly in this revival. His vocal expression was exemplary throughout the opera and his portrayal, both physical and vocal, proved to be a very funny antidote for Corradino’s wrath. It was evident, however, his success was due to Martone’s excellent direction for characterization. In fact, the director made full use of every singer’s dramatic and vocal talents and moved them around the stage and up and down the staircases with impeccable timing. I feel the reviews rightly emphasized the singing, but failed to give Martone’s directorial accomplishments their just due. I am very happy to make note of them here.

But amid all the vocal glory and well-designed stagecraft, there was an unexplained shift in a role assignment. I should note the change did not nearly approach the problematic exclusion of arias from last season’s critical editions as I noted in my reviews of Borgogna and Mosè, but it still was noticeable. The change involved bass baritone Nicola Alaimo, as Aliprando, Corradino’s  physician. Alaimo, I may add, is a delightful singing actor who had a great success last season as Dr. Bartolo in the concert version of The Barber of Seville and is very popular with festival audiences.

Aliprando appears in the opera’s opening scene along with Ginardo, Corradino’s servant.  A group of peasants have brought presents for their lord, but they are frightened away by Aliprando’s menacing words that describe Corradino’s cruelty towards men and his hatred of the female sex. Most likely, conductor Michele Mariotti and Martone were responsible for shifting Aliprando’s opening aria over to Simon Orfila’s Ginardo. Orfila is a fine bass baritone, but the audience was deprived of Alaimo’s full-bodied vocal characterization, and I thought it flattened the bounce in Rossini’s dynamic and colorful opening music. I did not like being deprived of any of Alaimo’s Aliprando, no matter what Mariotti and Martone may have thought about the switch.

The rest of the cast was of the same high vocal quality as Florez, Peretyatko, Bordogna and Alaimo. Mezzo Anna Goryachova, in the travesti role of Edoardo, sang with gusto and vocal accuracy as Corradino’s supposed arch enemy, and Chiara Chialli repeated her role as the Countess d’Arco. This time the mezzo had an even funnier turn as Corradino’s rejected suitor.

Mariotti’s conducting was the reason the performers brought such beautiful musicianship to their roles. What really stood out was the way the conductor navigated his singers through all the difficult rhythmic variations in the many ensembles that Rossini loved composing. The evidence of this was apparent in how audiences reacted with delirious applause to the quartet and quintet in Act One and the sextet in Act Two. The festival never fails to shine the brightest when performers and audiences join as one in acclaiming their beloved Rossini.

* For reviews of Adelaide di Borgogna and Mosè in Egitto go to  livingattheopera.com and click on Rossini Opera Festival

** For a complete synopsis of Matilde di Shabran go to  Wikipedia Rossini Operas. Scroll down to Matilde, click and then look for synopsis.

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The Bayreuth Festival at Barcelona’s Liceu (1) Der Fliegende Holländer

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September 18, 2012
From Seen and Heard International
By: José MªIrurzun; Lohengrin Barcelona Picture © A.Bofill

Having the the Bayreuth Festival visit Barcelona’s Liceu on only the second occasion since 1955 will surely be an event to be remembered for many years to come. This time Bayreuth brought along three operas in concert versions – Der Holländer, Lohengrin and Tristan. Sadly however, attendance was not what it should have been, probably due the Liceu’s pricing policy; 224 to 280 euros for the top price seats.
The artistic result of this performance was much as expected, taking into account that the Bayreuth Festival itself has been characterised in recent years by great musical performances coupled with lower standards in purely vocal terms. First rank singers are not so usual on the Green Hill as they once were. At the Liceu, as in Bayreuth, audience reactions rated the performance as a great success and while there were many good reasons for the excitement, not everything offered was worthy of such enthusiasm, at least for this reviewer.
The Bayreuther Festspielorchester and the magnificent Festspielchor were wholly worthy however. It was a genuine pleasure to have them in Barcelona and I join in the general enthusiasm without the slightest reservation.
In Bayreuth (reviewed by my colleague Jens Laurson here) this production had Christian Thielemann conducting: and as all good opera lovers know, Mr. Thielemann is an Olympian among Wagner conductors. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be in Barcelona and in his place we had Sebastian Weigle, a well known presence at the Liceu where he was musical director until not too long ago. Although Mr. Weigle is a genuinely remarkable director, as he showed many times at the Liceu and as he is currently proving again in Frankfurt, he clearly cannot match Christian Thielemann for sheer grandeur… as if anyone actually could. So while he drew a very good performance from an exceptional orchestra and chorus – and in fact this was a very much better Fliegende Holländer than his last Liceu performance back in 2007 – here some of his conducting reminded me quite forcibly of his last appearance, especially in the second Act. In general, the emotion in the duet between Senta and the Dutchman was rather low-key before improving hugely in the opera’s last act.
Bayreuth’s great scandal this summer of course was the expulsion of the Russian baritone Yevgeny Nikitin, who was scheduled as the Holländer in the new production that opened the Festival. This fact gave the Korean baritone Samuel Youn the opportunity to sing the role, in which he received a well-deserved success. At the Liceu he produced the most complete performance among the quartet of protagonists. His voice is good and well projected, and he sings with great expressiveness, although the size of his voice is not especially large. I usually prefer a Dutchman with a darker voice, a true bass baritone, but even so I found this performance fully convincing.
The most important singer in the cast at Bayreuth was Adrienne Pieczonka, who did not appear in these Barcelona performances. In her place, Senta was interpreted by German soprano Ricarda Merbeth, who is always a guarantee of quality in this kind of repertoire. Her performance systematically improved after a rather modest Senta’s ballad: she was much better in the duet with the Dutchman and she was at her best in the last act, coping easily with the score’s difficult high notes.
Franz-Josef Selig was a remarkable Daland. This generally good singer seems to have recovered in recent times from a slump into which he had fallen, after his promising start in the profession in the 90s. Here he sang with elegance and softness, despite a little tightness at the top of his voice.
Erik is a pretty thankless role. Generally he’s a somewhat secondary character, but he has a very exposed arioso in the third act, where Wagner confronts him with obvious difficulties. Really great tenors do not sing this role, so it is rarely particularly well served and Michael König was no exception to this rule. His voice – rather small in size – is acceptable in the center, but at the top his problems are quite evident. In the third act he cracked a couple of times and would probably have been booed at a less triumphalist concert
Benjamin Bruns left a very good impression as the Steuermann and could be an excellent Mozart tenor in my opinion. Finally, Christa Mayer made a remarkable Frau Mary, singing with gusto and expressiveness, although rather short on volume.

Spain R. Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer: Soloists,Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus, Sebastian Weigle (conductor), Liceu, Barcelona, 4.9.2012 (JMI)
Concert Version

Cast:
Holländer: Samuel Youn
Senta: Ricarda Merbeth
Daland: Franz-Josef Selig
Erik: Michael König
Steuermann: Benjamin Bruns
Mary: Christa Mayer

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