Warning - this is not a good review -
alas. Well I saw this last night and I was quite disappointed, though not
surprised as I had been warned. Some of the singers were quite good (Leporello,
Masetto, Zerlina, Donna Anna, Donna Elvira were all very strong), but, sorry to
say, the conductor was very poor. The tempi were fast, fast, fast. There was nothing subtle in the musical
performance at all – nothing exquisite – nothing profound - no real beauty at all in this
performance. And the orchestra just sloshed
through the whole thing. It didn’t help that, I suppose for financial reasons
they could not find the cash to fill out the wind section. Mozart needs 2 oboes and 2 bassoons and it
sounds weird all night without them – especially the wind octets in the last
scene! Il Mio Tesoro was so fast the
singer by the end was just singing whatever he could wherever he could to get
it in. It was a mess, and it wasn’t the singer’s fault, who I think was quite
good and capable of a beautiful performance given better support from the pit. The electronic harpsichord was tiresome, why
not just use a piano?
And really, someone needs to take the razor
blades away from those people over at Union Ave Opera. The cuts were
outrageous. I lost count around 15 major and minor cuts in the score. Not
including all the cuts in the recits these included part of the opening
Vendetta duet, Dalle sue pace, a horribly awkward cut in in the act I finale, a
section of the act 2 sextet, Leporello's aria, a very odd and awkward cut in
the recit before the Commendatore's entrance in the in the graveyard scene and
then – (the coup de grace) - the entire final ensemble. Some of these (Dalle
sue pace, Leporello's aria) can be excused because of the argument regarding
various versions - Prague vs. Vienna - but I do not buy the argument that the
cut of the final ensemble was a "draft" of an early version. I have done some research on this after my
experience with the Royal Opera Covet Garden production (ROH) and this is what
I learned. It is not an early draft from
Mozart. It may have been a part of a
draft from Da Ponte, but Mozart personally insisted on it and actually created
2 versions of it - one for Prague and one for Vienna. In the 19th century it
was cut for time - but in the 20th century it has mostly been restored. Here
lately I have had to endure 2 productions without the final ensemble - this one
and the ROH. Now, the ROH production I believe cut the final ensemble because
it did not fit in with the director's concept of the work. No such excuse here.
(I'm not sure I could ever identify a director's concept.) It was cut for time
and it ruined the performance for me. It put a cap on a rather frustrating
evening musically. The opera needs this final ensemble. We need to close our
relationship with the characters and it is quite typical of Mozart to conclude
his operas with n Enlightenment moral. Besides, I challenge anyone to name for
me an opera by Mozart where the final curtain is dropped to music in a minor
key!
So the conductor was terrible and should be
kept away from Mozart - the Leporello was terrific and overall I thought the
cast was strong. I have seen Gina Gallanti, the Donna Elvira in other operas and she was particularly excellent in this role. Had all of them had good leadership in the pit this cast could have
given us a very beautiful performance. I will say that I did not much like the Don
Giovanni but even he might have been better if he had had better support and
coaching from the music staff. A word
about the production – I never quite got the point of the living statues who
were a part of every scene in the opera.
Now they were terrific. How hard
it must be to stand without moving much for 2 and a half hours. But, here’s the question – why? What was the point? I could see them in a couple scenes and the
in the graveyard and the final scene, but at the party? Did they represent the inevitability of death
and retribution? And why was did the
guests at the wedding of Z and M change their costumes to fancier outfits for
the act 1 final? Did the director not
notice that DG orders Leporello to take the folks to his home for a party,
right then and there? They didn’t have
time to change! And the uniforms? Nothing in the libretto suggests any military
connection for any of the cast. I really
wonder if this director and conductor bothered to study this opera much. They seemed to miss so much! I really feel sorry for the fine cast to have
had to endure such poor direction across the board.
So onwards - I expect Rigoletto to be a lot
better - and Gotterdammerung will be frustrating because of all the cuts - but
I know that going in (but the cast list in the program lists a Waltraute and an
Alberich and so I assume at least some of their scenes will be included - alas,
no Norns, but that is understandable).
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