Aida ROH

(Photo pinched via Mrs MC :-) as i will readily admit! If the author recognises it please let me know and i will happily acknowledge the copyright! I tried in vain to find one in the papers but everybody focused on the blood and gore and i wanted to start this with what I liked MOST and this is it :-)


I found it interesting how well the contrast was perceptible between the first and second part. In the first two acts you get overwhelmed by the “paganism” of the society, the sheer brutality and violence of war and the power ingrained within its hierarchy. Even in the scene between Amneris and Aida this is evident and rightly so, because it is a display of power.

I liked it at a second viewing even more and I guess I will settle in with it the more I see of it. It gains when seen from above and at a distance. From close up the turning back wall is ugly, there is no confusion about it. Real, piece of scrap-ugly. From above things change in an interesting way. The floor becomes an interesting and much better visible combination of sandstone like edges and steel blue stone in the centre area. I also realised from above why/how the temples gets created by lifting the back edge of the sandstone floor and the tomb in the end by lifting the front edge. Yes, visually it’s not that striking and works from close up front stage only appreciatively. From above the support structure of the floor pieces is less visible and the whole geometry works better. Somebody should really box up the skeleton beneath the floor pieces and it would become more like a building block and less like pieces of wood ripped out of the construction. I understand from interviews and comments that budget as tighter than initially planned and some cuts had to be made, but it should have been obvious that in parts the sets are just too rudimentary and don’t really meld all that well with the costumes sometimes. However, while I have issues with the grey wall and the lifting floor, which while cleverly engineered, could have been better executed visually there are bits that I do like, for example the shades in Amneris’ chamber and the interesting table with a large basin with inlays in the same, the backdrop to the Nile scene suggesting some kind of dark water, the stone floor, which I wouldn’t have minded seeing continued in the walls, the light pitches in the prayer scene, etc.

The lighting is fabulous, gloomy dark in the fist part and intimate in the second. And the costumes are beautiful. Although it is true that you can’t really distinguish visually between Aida’s people and Radames’, the former are there for such a short period of time that the lack of contrast doesn’t bother me all that much. One thing I always appreciated about McVicar and his costume designer colleagues is that they obviously care about the singers, in that they want them looking the best they can and feeling as comfortable as possible. Cast members have said publicly how comfortable they feel in the costumes and there is no doubt that the look beautiful. Ok, so Amneris might not be a good example for comfortable ;-))) But buy does she look fantastic and regal! The make up and hairpiece are amazing and I’d love to be her for one day and wear all of that! And one night I’m going to break in and steal that Aida costume! I’m in love with it! Yes, I know they are OTT, but this is theatre! And since at least in Radames society it is implied women have real power, it fits that they should be overly adorned, while the men are dressed in natural and neutral colours of grey and shades of brown. I like Radames’ costumes very much and I think they work very well for Mr Alvarez who looks like the warrior he is supposed to be. And in the love duets with Aida, their contrasting looks work well visually, suggesting a nice touch of romantic fantasy.

I also found the red cloth Radames carries to be a clever idea. It is a token of wars fought, drenched in dried blood and passed on to the next army leader as a sign of good luck in battle. In the triumphal scene Radames returns with it displaying it, drenched anew in enemy blood. Brutal yes, but interesting :-)

Copyright Bill Cooper/ROH from the Express

On the brutal cue, the ballet&sacrifice scenes, that some found so shocking, I’d say they are only mildly so and again on repeat viewing what lasts is the brutality rather than the more than usual amount of flesh on display. And so it should as the clear intention is to display a society preparing for war in a almost frenzied way. I too had the impression the dance scenes were somehow “unfinished”, raw. It seems unlikely that they should have been rushed and really work in progress. My impression is that the impact is intentional, bringing it into reality and away from a staged effect. For example in the triumphal scene the movement is very well coordinated with the music but the dancers look more like men coming back from battle and displaying their skills than dancers performing a choreography. Yes, there is a lot of flesh on display but the feeling of so much muscle covered in blood is indeed rather scary.

Where I think this whole concept of keeping it rather real and not “prettying it up” has not worked so well is in the scene in Amneris chambers. It’s pretty in your face sensual all right … but it made me giggle because it looked rather more like clumsy amateurs giving Kamasutra a try and not really succeeding much. I think a tiny bit more of artsy ballet skillz would have gone a long way in making this more convincing and um…. flexible ;-)

But all in all, this is a long way of being boo-worthy! It might not be the grandest and greatest Aida and it is worth tweaking a bit more on the future maybe, but it is a valid concept. And if you look away from some of the imperfect details the big picture that emerges works around some clear ideas. I never felt the brutality and cruelty that riddles the score so poignantly before, it becomes much more evident under McVicars dark light.

On to the actual show and more importantly, the music.. (I’ve send the second and third performance)

On both nights the whole show took a while to get going and it continued building up to the 3rd act. Probably also because the pouring rain outside triggered more coughing than usual. I could have strangled them that is how persistent some were in the piani passages…
Once it had ignited it was really good. I want to say straight away how sorry I am to not have had the chorus bow on either of the nights, They deserve applause and praise! Wonderful diction and the piano beginning to the prayer scene is amazing!!! I do have a bit of the quibble in the judgement scene though… It is one of my favourites and I like the priests to sound a bit more powerful, the sound here was slightly obscured by the grey ugly wall. It also is the single scene in the whole show where I also would have liked the music to be a bit more incisive. I missed a bit more of the ring of doom in the music and a heavier, slightly longer silence in between questions to weigh the atmosphere down even more. It is the only moment when I wished for a slightly slower pace, but again this is just personal taste. All in all I enjoyed, nay, savoured Luisotti’s conducting!!! I really love Verdi, but because it is so tuneful, few get the music right and take it seriously. It spite of somebody telling me Verdi must have enjoyed his cheese writing this I definitely think it should not sound cheesy :-)

(Besides, just because you remember Verdi after hearing it once does not take away any of it’s genius, quite the contrary; too many look down all too often on this particular talent he had of creating “operatic hits”. If it’s so light and easy, why didn’t others do it as well as he did time and time again? Maybe because nobody else could do it quite as spectacularly and naturally :-) Which is not to say the stuff you can’t sing in the show is not as nice, of course it is, there are many shades of beauty, many ways to take out breath away with music. But make you feel like this music belongs to you from the first time you hear it is also a thing of extraordinary beauty! Verdi’s gift to us :-)

So Aida should be grand and crushing and exciting and uplifting and touching and tender and intimate, and so good that you stop to listen, not sing along in your mind :-) For me Luisotti got it absolutely right! It was wonderful glorious Verdi. And he drove those ensemble moments with decision and passion reminding me once more that nobody really could create ensembles like Verdi.

Photo from the Daily mail

Marianne Corentti is a fierce Amneris and she has vast experience with the role which of course is evident on stage and the public connects to her immediately. It’s also quite amazing that she pulls of the amazingly complicate costume as if she wore this every day :-) She looks and sounds impressive and the power in her voice is a good match for Amneris’ constant power display. On the 2nd night the energy was really flying between her and Alvarez’ Radames in the confrontation scene in the last act. And her torment in the judgment scene, when she realises where her own inability to deal with feelings in any other way than flinging her power about has lead to, is very real and touching.

And I really really liked Marcelo Alvarez’Radames. Ive heard him before, but never live :-) I did think the role could be taking him to the limits and sometimes it probably does, but he stays always on the safe side and the singing is never other than elegant. His voice is beautiful and he gives it his all on stage. I was really impressed how believable a character he made Radames and although maybe some of the dramatic passages in the role take more effort, the lyrical passages are made for him! I don’t care what people may have said, he suits the role very well and it suits him! There were also for him some wonderful details like when he kneels in front of Aida when she rejects him or his hurt when he realises she has tricked him. He sings with utmost passion and commitment and his voice carries the nobility and dignified rage as well as the romantic tones well, he convinces both as the soldier and the lover. The Nile scene was riveting and the scene between Radames and Amneris which follows was the best of the whole show in the first night I went! It left everyone literally breathless and even the coughers were stunned! At the end of it I felt like jumping up and shouting Bravi Bravi! That is how much I loved it! I still get goosebumps thinking about it.
His diction was always impeccable and it was thanks to him that the lyricism and the beauty of the final scene came across in the first performance.

By the next one he owned the role even more, as did everyone, which kind of proves that if you can it is always better to go to the show further in the run as things will have smoothed out:-) The Nile duet between Aida and Radames was really beautiful and on the Il ciel dei nostri amori come scordar potrem… I felt really breathless! Micaela Carosi as Aida also brought a warmer tone to her singing that in the first night and the O patria mia, non ti vedrò mai più! was really heartfelt and full of emotion. Compared to the first night the Nile scene was definitely the winner on the night, both duets Aida Amonasro and Aida Radames being really well done. Equally beautiful and more touching the final duel in the tomb; I this production I definitely prefer the intimate scenes in the second part, I think musically as well as visually.

Photograph: Neil Libbert for the Observer

I personally liked Marco Vratogna’s Amonasro. His ultradramatic voice works very well for the authoritarian figure and literally pierced through the orchestra in some of his incisive lines. He may feel a tad young to be Aida’s father, but he dominates with such authority that nobody would doubt is position as the warrior king. He is probably the best actor in the entire cast and he has real stage presence, the pressure he exercises over Aida is palpable.

Robert Lloyd still has the warmth and depth of voice for a King :-) It still and always is a pleasure to hear and see him again. Having heard his Philip in the Don Carlo from Paris I was slightly underwowed by Giacomo Prestia. He gives a solid performance, but I guess I expected him to have somewhat more authority and punch in his voice.

I enjoyed it the second time more than the first and am happily looking forward to seeing and above all hearing it again one more time before the run end. If you can get a ticket go and listen and watch and make up you own mind about it :-)

Aida
May 01, 04 2010 ROH
Giuseppe Verdi
Director David McVicar
Set designs Jean-Marc Puissant
Costume designs Moritz Junge
Lighting design Jennifer Tipton
Choreography Fin Walker
Martial Arts David Greeves

Performers
Conductor Nicola Luisotti
Aida Micaela Carosi
Radames Marcelo Álvarez
Amneris Marianne Cornetti
Amonasro Marco Vratogna
Ramfis Giacomo Prestia
King of Egypt Robert Lloyd
Priestess Elisabeth Meister§
Messenger Ji-Min Park

PPS To my “cheesy friend” ;-) Thanks for giving me the opportunity to get this particular beef off my chest, I have been wanting to declare my undying love for Verdi for quite some time now ;-))))) If Verdi liked his gorgonzola and mozzarella, yumm! So do I :-))))) Laaaa donna e moooobile, qual piiiumaaaa al ventooooo.... Actually, no! Cause that is still partially on my top 3 black list... Beeeella figliaa dell'aaaaaamore, schiiiiiavo son dei vezzi tuuuuooooooi......

Don Carlo ROH ...from the heart

photo Catherine Ashmore at musicweb-international.com

Ohh Carlo…..

How do you put so much music into words without exaggerating, without leaving important things out and without boring everyone to death… I suspect I’ll become one of those old grannies who will forever pester her grandchildren and everyone else she meets with the story of the Don Carlo she once saw… and nothing will be quite like that Carlo she saw in her days :-)

Of course every performance is unique in its own way and maybe many are worth seeing and some even remembering for a long long time… But we probably all have some recordings at home which leave us wondering what it must have felt like to be there, what did the public think when they listened to it live? Did they think 20, 30 years later or more people would think it special, reference it and constantly compare others to it? I’d love to be able to go back and sit through one of these and compare the feeling to the one I’ve had during this Don Carlo run. And apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking that this was not just your good performance of the week, or the season. I’ve heard many people around me say that it is the best they have seen, or rave about how extraordinary x or y was. The overall smiling faces at the exit also confirmed the kind of festive feeling the evening had surrounding it. It’s not that usual to see smiling faces after almost 4h and a half hours of opera, especially when the most loved characters end in brutal death :-) And still this tale of love, betrayal, freedom and politics left many elated. It also seems the word spread during the run that this is a must see thing, as many famous faces were sighted in the hall ;-) Even singer colleagues travelled to enjoy it.

Having said all this …. I am reluctant to be so definitive about things that I see, because it always is a personal view and my criteria may well be different than other people’s; besides this is not about giving out titles and prizes. So I will rather stick to this:

They have been of the performances I have most enjoyed over all the years I have been seeing opera and will definitely be of the ones I will never, ever be able to forget. Musically this cast and this orchestra and this conductor have revealed so many new facets of this piece, I am grateful for being able to see all performances! It has been a very very happy time, more so than I even expected and the feeling of joy was increased by the feeling that every evening I shared the “buzz” with people surrounding me in the audience. What more can I ask from going to the opera than being given these short, but unforgettable moments of happiness :-)

In a piece where I heave learned to love every single note it is hard to single out those which are “extra special”… I’ll try to mention a few, but wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up retelling the whole opera ;-)

So, I loved…


Jonas doing the softest little trills on “Benedici un casto amor” in the first act and the audience on the last performance remembering that is was his only aria and giving into the impulse of applauding him…

Popy and Jonas really bringing out the fresh chemistry in the first duet; it felt like the perfect carefree young couple freshly in love….

Jonas posing as if in the portrait he has just given Elisabetta and making the audience giggle very single time and then bursting into the “Caaaaarlo son ioooo... e t'aaaaaamo!”…. ohhhhhh….

Pumeza Matshikiza well sung and lively Tebaldo, she definitely was a sparkling stage presence :-)

Robert Lloyd for being part of this production and lending the ghost of Carlos V that world-weary and at the same time peaceful quality

Simon and Jonas for delivering my favourite “Dio, che nell'alma infondere” ever !!!! especially the retake in piano is the most touching and musically stylish I could have imagined. I am grateful to both for putting all their singing and acting skills into creating the friendship bond between Rodrigo and Carlo on stage. It was natural and warm and very touching. Of course there was general choreography, but in all the times I have seen it there was never a gesture that seemed purposely placed or born out of anything else than live interaction. It actually was different every single time and made it exciting to go and see what they come up with or end up doing on the night. Which doesn’t mean I didn’t find the fist on chest thumping just a tiny bit funny… I know it fits the plot and it ties the friendship and Flanders and it is an encouraging gesture, but grown men doing this kind of exaggerated gesture today do look a bit odd :-)

Simon “handling” the court ladies and their curiosity in a most elegant and clever fashion. After the first performance I was waiting for the “D'un gran torneo si parla già, E del torneo il Re sarà.” like for a piece of candy... Verdi must have really loved Posa’s character, because there is not a note he sings that isn’t delightful! And Simon’s slightly annoyed smiles while responding to Eboli were priceless :-)

Popy delivering with dignity and total regal air “Un favore chiedete alla Regina.”

The whole duet between Carlo and Elisabetta in the garden.. from the “Io vengo a domandar grazia alla mia Regina” to the “Ah! maledetto io soooooooon!” Here like in the duet Rodrigo/Carlo each performance brought something new and the interaction became increasingly natural. I love every note, every word of it… Jonas burnished and finite tone in “Mi volsi a un gelido marmo d'avel” and the desperate dip into the fountain , Popy’s equally emotional “Perchè, perchè accusar il cor d'indifferenza?”, Jonas singing the most unbelievable “Perduto ben, mio sol tesor, Ah, tu, splendor di mia vita” (especially that last viiiiiiiiit-aa somehow touched you straight in the heart), Popy singing ever so softly over Carlo’s head in her lap “Ahimè! Il dolor l'uccide... /Tra queste braccia io lo vedrò Morir d'affanno, morir d'amore... /Colui che il ciel mi destinò! ” and Carlo coming back to his senses in a lost piano and then in an emotional outburst on “Elisabetta! tu... bell'adorata” while trapping her within this arms and Popy bravely resisting :-) and pulling herself proudly up in the “Compi l'opra, a svenar corri il padre/Ed allor del suo sangue macchiato /All'altar puoi menare la madre.”. You have to admire a woman and singer who can deliver those lines with such willpower and despair at the same time.

Sparks flying in the confrontation between Rodrigo an Philip … it was never any other way than heart-stopping and riveting. I almost stopped breathing every single time and the gradually darkening lights to intense red perfectly accompanied the tension… which was for me absolutely explosive when Simon delivered the “Orrenda, orrenda pace!(deathly silcen) /La pace dei sepolcri (buuuummmm!!!!!)O Re, non abbia mai di voi l'istoria a dir:Ei fu Neron! (in chilling voice)” aaahhhhhh, amazingggg!!! Simon’s exaltation in the delivery of the aria ending in “Date la libertà!” and Furlanetto’s amazingly shaded, varied depiction of the king with his deeply ingrained convictions of reigning through fear and death, his admiration of the idealist, his well meant warnings, his doubts regarding the Queen, every gesture perfect, nothing too much, nothing too little… “La morte in questa man ha un avvenir fecondo.” The whole weight of the world is lying in his voice and words when the king says “O strano sognator! Tu muterai pensier,Se il cor dell'uom conoscerai,Qual Filippo il conosce!” Up to that last gesture which is looved and waited for where he extends his hand to be kissed and then almost seems to want to caress Rodrigo’s hair and in the end decides to do neither... The whole play of voices and words, of piani and forte or covered darkness and open sounds… so much to see, hear and feel in something over 10 minutes.

Back to the “lovely” things in life … Jonas saying “A mezzanotte al giardin dellaRegina sotto gli allor della fonte vicina… È mezzanotte” with so much lightness and youth fullness that you can’t help being touched but Carlo’s forever hopeful soul :-) Simon almost dashing out of Carlo’s arms after Eboli with drawn dagger …scary that one. I liked the fact that it was physically challenging, there wasn’t any mock fury, the struggle, pulling and pushing was all real.

Verdi’s genius in creating the terzetto started by Eboli with “Trema per te, falso figliuolo” it takes a really good orchestra, an excellent conductor and 3 great singers to pull that one off with such punch!

Then the next bit of Carlo&Rodrigo interaction with the “A te! All'intimo del Re...!...Sospetti tu di me? ...No; del mio cor sei la speranza. /Questo cor che sì t'amo /A te chiudere non so. /In te riposi ogni fidanza; /Si, questi fogli importanti ti do. Io m'abbandono a te ......Tu puoi fidar in me.” Incredible! The contempt in Jonas “Intimo del re” and Simons shades of anger, disappointment, disbelief and hurt in “sospetti tu di me?... di me? ” On one night he actually shoved Jonas hard ;-) and that heart felt hug at the end… ahhhh and yes, the fist on chest thing again :-)

The bells going round the house before the autodafe , the Flemish deputies choir and the looks exchanged between Elisabetta, Philip and Carlo in this scene

Furlanetto’s “Ella giammai m'amò...!” , the very very very best today, no doubt about it. The setting for the scene is perfect, every single word and turn of voice fits every word. It never felt like singing of certain known phrases, but like what it really should be ... an intimate confession. You are held captive by every word and although long and intricate it always felt over in a second. Grazie maestro for the understated, elegant and exquisite demonstration of what a wealth of experience, talent and a wonderful voice can do in this role. Regal in every aspect :-)

Rarely in an opera are political conflicts so ironically and effectively presented like in Don Carlo, and the “chat”between the Inquisitor and the king is an excellent example thereof. I’m going to stop myself from citing the entire libretto from it, although I honestly think I would enjoy it even if the muppets sang it! Luckily, not the case here :-) I do have my favourite words, shreds of music even here : the Inquisitor saying “Le idee del novator in te son penetrate!” and of course famous almost last words ;-))) “Perché evocar allor l'ombra di Samuel? /Dato ho finor due Regi / al regno tuo possente...! /L'opra di tanti di tu vuoi strugger, demente! /Perchè mi trovo io qui? /Che vuol il Re da me?/” “Santa Claus” Tomlinson was really scary here and I felt an incredible chill when he said in his deep, hot-as-the-flames-of-hell voice the last two lines, finite and like a unmoveable death sentence. You can hear in these deceptive words all the crucial decisions he has made and that this will have consequences, and not of the happy kind. Bravi!
I love the next scene between the king and Elisabetta just as much, and a little bit more for Popy than for Furlanetto ( not that he wasn’t great, it needs two for this martial drama to unfold). But Popy was here every single time better and better and a true French princess and Spanish queen. There is incredible strength of character and power of expression in this young, slender, elegantly pale singer and you can’t help but feel proud of her in this scene. Her “Io l'oso! Sì! /Ben lo sapete. Un di promessa /al figlio vostro fu la mia man; /Or v'appartengo, a Dio sommessa, /Ma immacolata qual giglio io son. /Ed ora si sospetta /L'onor di Elisabetta...! Si dubita di me... /Chi m'oltraggia è il Re!” I like it so much that she isn’t just the unjustly accused, but the whole weight of her acknowledgment of her destiny, duty but also status comes through. Overall I really liked Popy’s gutsy Elisabetta, no meek, oppressed women, but a real queen, even though a deeply unhappy one. And Furlanetto’s king is frighteningly out of control in his “Ardita troppo, voi favellate! /Me debole credete e sfidarmi sembrate: /La debolezza in me può diventar furor. /Tremate allor, per voi, per me.” Another one of those many moments which make your pulse race…


Posa’s death scene…really hard to describe, because this too was born again every single time… I’m dangerously close to thinking that I’ll never see another Posa dying more beautifully and realistically in the arms of another Carlo… I had a big knot in my throat already when Posa sings “Felice ancor io son se abbracciar ti poss'io!”… And I like that this particular Carlo doesn’t take that long to understand what Rodrigo is talking about, you feel his stupor and dread already at “Convien qui dirci addio!”. I’ve rarely heard a voice as sweet at that of this Rodrigo telling Carlo not to cry: “Ci congiunga Iddio nel ciel, /Ei che premia i suoi fedel'. /Sul tuo ciglio il pianto io miro; /
Lagrimar così, perché? /No, fa cor, l'estremo spiro /Lieto è a chi morrà per te.” And that last word held on a seemingly endless tone while touching their foreheads... It almost felt like the connection between the two singers gave their joint force to the phrases. After the gun shot the last performance gave the perfect ending to Rodrigo’s life as well. The choreography of this scene has always been brilliant, but given the circumstances must be really hard to execute because both singers are facing the audience and supporting a dying Rodrigo or holding his hand while not really facing each other is not easily achievable without it looking awkward. Thursday they both fell with perfect coordination and without even exchanging a look on their knees, where Rodrigo tells Carlos Elisabetta is expecting him in the monastery and gradually falls in his arms while dying. Carlo supports him partially so that singing doesn’t become an act of torture while resting his head crying on Rodrigo’s shoulder. At the right time according to the text he extends his arm to grab the one extended by Rodrigo and when he finally dies “Ah! ... di me... non... ti... scordar...! “ Carlo gently slides Rodrigo to the floor, while holding his head so that he doesn’t end up bumping his head on the stage floor, making sure he doesn’t role into a position that he would either not look lifeless or which would be impossible to hold until the soldiers lift his body up. It really takes these two to pull something like this off, unspoken coordination and attention and consideration for the colleague and all this while singing and listening to the text as if having a conversation in a lunch break. I really can’t thank Simon and Jonas enough for the faultless singing in this scene as well as for all the efforts made to create it anew every time and make it absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking to watch.

Almost the end, you’ll be happy to know :-)

Popy huuuge aria in act 5 is something for which she deserves many many Bravos. I am not a big fan of long soprano arias, not even with Verdi, but she worked and worked and worked on this one until she too managed to fill the hall with only absolute silence and her voice. Although a certain tenor would certainly love for the old forgotten Verdi aria here to be reborn.. I wouldn’t want to miss this one… ideally I would have them both ;-)))

The final duet Elisabetta/ Carlo is almost as beautiful as the one in the garden scene, and even sadder if possible… and if you are not yet under the spell of those magically spun piani, this will get you there for sure! I really felt my heart soar on the “Si, con la voce tua quella gente m'appella./E se morrò per lei, la mia morte fia bella!” and just dissolve at “Non vedi, Elisabetta! /io ti stringo al mio seno, /Nè mia virtù vacilla, /nè ad essa io mancherò! (desperate!)/Or che tutto finì /e la man lo ritiro dalla tua man, /Tu piangi? (of course she does, who wouldn’t????)”.
Of course there is the killing and the excellently choreographed swords fight, however for me it could end ethereally and oh so sadly on their intertwined voices singing: “Ma lassù ci vedremo in un mondo migliore, /Dell'avvenire eterno /suonan per noi già l'ore; /E là noi troverem nel grembo del Signor /Il sospirato ben che fugge in terra ognor!/In tal di, che per noi non avrà più domani, /Tutti i nomi scordiam /degli affetti profani.”... Brava Popy for holing her own in the piani and those who haven’t heard Jonas sing them, you have to try and catch him do it!!... you have no idea what you are missing :-)


Fine.

More Don Carlo ROH...

All photos Catherine Ashmore from playbillarts.com



A few brief words about the production itself….

This is not a revolutionary, controversial take on the opera, but a classic and composed one. The sets are minimalistic and for those put off by the black walls with tiny windows all I can recommend is for them to buy the program where they will discover this a very realistic replica of the Escorial. I remember from the insight evening last year that both Bob Crowley and Nicholas Hytner visited the place and the designs reflect that, apparently even the black angels on Carlo V tomb exist and Philip’s chamber is also realistic. I think if you decide to place to story where and when it really happened, this production does it’s job. Especially costumes are elaborated to a surprising degree of detail! Unfortunately if you are not seated in the first rows or use binoculars you might miss all the intricacies and refinement of said costumes. They are most likely quite uncomfortable to wear for the singers, but they definitely help place you in time at the Spanish court. I am honestly torn on the subject… I personally love the costumes and the amazing craft of the tailors and embroiders and I am lucky to have seen them up close in the said insight evening. Jaw-dropping!! I’d love to be able to wear one of those dresses once! However, did anyone notice the Infante is actually wearing two different costumes? That in act 3 he changes into one made of black satin and until then is wearing a leather one? How many actually appreciate the embroideries, the fitting boots, the delicate stockings, the lush taffetas and incredible variety of silk and embroideries black on black on the ladies’ dresses? I can’t bring myself to call it a waste... but I sadly wonder if it is appreciated at it’s true value….

I really like the black walls and the rays of light penetrating through the tiny windows… they probably make you feel like they must have felt in that monastery, doomed, incarcerated, alone. I am not sure the moving tomb adds something, the fact that it retreats in the background does no actually manage to convey the feeling we have moved inside the space of the monastery. The box design in itself does provide almost seamless changing of scenes, which I much appreciate as it keep you captive in the music without interruption. It also improves acoustics, which is a bonus. I never get a feeling of the set being too dark, of there being too much black because it must feel like that, to show off the contrast to the scorching sunlight even more. The light in the garden scene I am told by a Spanish friend is strangely realistic and the singers probably feel in those costumes the full power of the heat under the stagelights… I thought the red brick wall was slightly strange at first de to the cone shapes on it, but on repeat viewings it just is a red brick wall and in terms of colour coding works well with the rest I believe.

I don’t think the concept in itself is original, but with the focus to make it realistic it couldn’t be. To me personally it is largely similar to Luc Bondy’s previous one, with the exception of the colour coding, where we have red here, there we had marine blue and the yellow was much more intense. However, I like the costumes by Bob Crowley more, as they go all the way and look truly authentic, not only a stylised version and therefore fit better.

The one scene which I feel is weaker than the rest is the auto-dafe. There is just too much going on. Understandably there should be a contrast between the monastery and this public scene of celebration, but it is total overkill and end up being much less scary than it should be. The church is golden, the heretics have flames painted/stitched on their costumes which look like modern paintbrush additions, the masses are screaming, the priest is preaching, the gas installation makes strange noises and finally the big image of Christ’s head comes alight with the bodies of burning heretics behind it ( bodies which from anywhere closer than 6-7 row look decidedly fake). By the way, in the first part of the hall the image is never really obscured, the cloth being from close up rather transparent showing the metal poles and make-believe bodies clearly. I agree that the angry , hissing masses are probably a more realistic depiction of truth than a composed chorus, however all the rest I could do without. We know they will be burned, the music and text emphasise it and the golden church at the back is just kitschy. I don’t think all elements should be dropped, but some rationalisation should help take the glitter factor out and put the scary factor back in. I found the slowly dropping ashes in Bondy’s version much more chilling than the flames against the Christ image with the golden walls at the back, but maybe it is just my taste.

All in all I see no problem in sitting through this performance for years to come as long as the singers are as engaged as the current cast; the production is bare enough to increase the impact of exceptional singing and acting but will also cruelly expose any weaknesses.

Talking about exceptional singing, the performances this week brought some really memorable moments.

Monday Jonas was the totally destroyed and melancholic Carlo, his own slight tiredness (due to the incredible heat suffered on stage at the hand of both lighting and leather costume with puffy pants… don’t know what is up in the House with aircon, on Friday the 18th I froze my toes off and on Monday the 21st I could have sat through it in a bathing suit, those costumes must have been true torture instruments on the day… )feeding back into the character in an amazing way, which made as far as i was concerned for the most emotional rendition of Carlo from the run. The scene in the garden with Marina Poplavskaya (called hereby - I assure you - respectfully but warmly and with my readers’ permission Popy) made your hair stand up! It is amazing how, when he has to be extra careful while singing, the piani become more fascinating and the whole singing takes on even more colours than usual. For instance in terms of the duo with Posa, the one on Monday was the very very best of the run... beyond words!!! Simon Keenlyside himself in amazing form contributed to the absolute perfection of the duet. I can’t imagine what the two could do to outdo their performance on Monday. Popy was good, but she had some trouble softening down to the level Jonas was at on Monday, however to be fair, that level of emotional connection or communication with the public is not easy to achieve.

However, on Wednesday she was a different singer!!!! You wouldn't believe how much better she was in terms of interpretation! I could really really hear how she has sung Violetta, the emotions really came through in her singing, like never before. All the duos were better and it was interesting all the way through, not only in the big aria at the end. I have no idea what determined her to put herself more out there, but it definitely worked. There were still some uphill battles on some high notes, where there is a bit of a scoop, but altogether there was so much more in her singing, her piani really were better and it sounded so much warmer and believable. More people have seen both performances and we all noticed the change, she just expressed so much more emotion all the way through. Even if at times it might sound less controlled than before it is more interesting and enjoyable. Her Elisabetta really became a human being showing love, anger, hurt, passion.. so much more than just the composed queen.

Jonas on Wednesday was a different story entirely! I've rarely seen him so bursting with energy! In his first entrance he almost knocked over a big white tree and had to actually hold on to it as it was dangerously wobbling! Both voice and presence were simply explosive. He so clearly dominated the 1 part it was palpable. I have to say it is sometimes really nice to see him become so naturally the star of the show, he is THE TENOR! And Verdi has given him some amazing music :-) The voice was just unstoppable, flowing with amazing power and confidence. Listening to his first aria literally makes my mouth water! Biiiiiig applause, probably so surprising for him as well that he started his next entrance a whole phrase earlier ;-) You should have heard his Carlo son iooooo..... Mein Gott!! And he just kept on along the same line... "Feuer und Flamme!" Any high note was so beautiful, in a crushing kind of way :-) Everyone in the audience was blow away. It was one of those nights for him that just lifts the hall. All those desiring of all things “Italianate” got all their wished fulfilled on the night ;-) He had so much excess energy he stumbled not only into the fountain, but also on the black backstage wall, almost doubling over on his exit before the veil song, he splashed the water in the fountain in the garden all over himself in the garden scene with Popy, he promptly sat on the bouquet of artificial poppies while declaring his undying love for Isabella (and made me smile in the middle of teary sniffles…poppies proved to be sturdy enough to withstand the puffy pants attack ;-))) ) … unstoppable in every way :-) The pressure was palpable also in the duet with Simon Keenlyside’s Posa, who had a slightly weaker day. His "i will sing my heart out" style on the night was totally charming while at the same time giving a very different version of Carlo. The weak and hesitating Carlo didn't really show up that day and we got much more of the revolutionary infante :-) It is just hard to feel much pity for such a feisty Carlo, when he is so obviously doing great!! :-) On the other hand he was a wonderful colleague to SK, supporting him all the way through the long and hard death scene, where the balance on the night was very different to the previous show, but nevertheless worked in terms of the Posa+Carlo bond.

Bychkov must have shared some of that energy on the night because i think the garden scene with Eboli, Posa and Carlo was faster than ever.

I am impressed as ever with Furlanetto’s Philip, a bit underwowed by Tomlinson’s Inquisitor, pleased by Marianne Corentti’s energetic approach to the O don fatale, admiring Keenlysides elegant and stylish rendition of Posa - a role which now truly fits him like a glove-,conquered by Popy’s work, dedication and growth (she has really won me over!) and simply grateful for being there and being able to listen to Jonas’ Carlo, whichever the mood of the “infante” on the day :-)

So, one exiting evening after another... wonder how the next one will be? I have no idea how the BBC will chose the bits to air on the broadcast night... the microphones for recording have been there on every night.

Last, but not least, here a review from Rupert Christiansen in the Telegraph (“that dream of a tenor…” ;-))) ):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/6227663/Don-Carlo-at-the-Royal-Opera-House-review.html



By the way, has anyone ever noticed how in Elisabetta’s aria in act 5 the last bit is introduced by a strings passage that resembles a similar one in Lohengrin in a really striking way? Really quirky coincidence this one :-)

Don Carlo ROH

Photo from the Times online Catherine Ashmore


Update - a rare treat - Simon Keenlyside interviewed by MusicwebInternational!


I keep getting one alert after the other reminding me that I am in the middle of my experiment :-) Now if the ROH software which sends out the reminders would only know!! They’d save themselves a lot of bytes by saying: Here is your summary reminder for this month, we hope you will enjoy your run and thanks for your business ;-)

Since there will probably be more posts on the Don Carlo I’ve decided to talk about the production at a later stage and focus more on the musical bits in this first one.

It is hard to define what this Don Carlo is like and I didn’t want to comment just after the general rehearsal, since things might change and first impressions are not always the last as well :-) I don’t know where I will end up at the last performance of the run, but at the moment the journey there is fascinating. I’ve rarely, if ever, felt so engaged with a piece. The GR felt extremely long and complex, not in terms of actual physical time but in terms of density of story, characters and music. After the second take the work is more and more like a dark, mysterious black sea… that calls out to you, draws you in and traps you in its waters.

It is so intense it takes some time to disentangle oneself from the four and half hours of Verdi score and so far, getting to know the work better has only meant its spell has grown stronger rather than weaker. It is not like I wasn’t familiar with it from recordings, but live it has become a much more challenging experience. Perhaps because of all of Verdi’s works it is here where the characters are defined to the greatest detail. The music supports and shades the characters as well as the story line. The music colours itself to suit the character on stage but also to point the way of their destiny. It is both varied and tightly knotted around central lines. Characters are clearly build into the story and although driven inescapably towards their individual destinies, there is enough space around them for their personality to be revealed gradually. Each character trait discovered, each side of their personalities revealed ties them only closer into the net that is insidiously spun around them. In spite of the considerable pace of the rush towards the abyss there is a sense of balance in the work that I think comes mainly from the almost equal weight given to each player in the piece. Each scene progresses the story, but also completes the picture and gives enough variety to keep one permanently engaged and breathless.

For me this run is a particular happy case in that we benefit from gorgeous voices, which are never used to display vocal technique alone , but become the expression of the person they are inhabiting and are doubled in most cases by considerable acting capabilities and commitment to become the character, not just play it.

I have been tempted to read a number of reviews that have been written about this and production controversy aside, Semyon Bychkov’s conducting seems to split the reviewers. Technical knowledge aside that I sadly don’t possess, this is how the music felt to me these nights: The orchestra is in excellent shape and however this particular sound is obtained, to me it feels incredibly natural. Not in the sense that this is the most logical take on the score (… who knows what that is?) but in the sense that the music is truly alive! It is like a spring born at the first notes that grows, flows and blossoms naturally in every following note. I don’t know if this is a too academic or cerebral interpretation as some have said, the effect is certainly emotional, more than anything else. There is no particular sense of surprise, but definitely one of inevitability, of development and evolution in the music. Like a living thing that transforms continuously around you, with new colours continuously unfolding after each phrase. It’s not a comforting feeling, more like being trapped in a huge jungle plant, which closes its stems around you. It let’s you breath but will not let you go until it dies naturally, just as it was born.

I don’t know if this will be the version of Don Carlo that I will like most over the years, but I am certain it is the most touching and engaging I have ever experienced. It has brought me closer to both the music and its incredible variety as well as to the characters and their story. Giving the libretto a renewed read I have discovered how beautiful it actually is, in this case to no little extent due to the fact that most singers (particularly Jonas Kaufmann, Simon Keenlyside and Ferruccio Furlanetto )have excellent diction and each word is full of meaning.

Another reason why I am so taken with this Carlo is that it is different! There is little if any of the classic belt it out style of most interpretations. I’ve never heard so much of this opera sung in piano and with so much care. There is so much human suffering and doubts in this piece, why should the heroics prevail, when they clearly lead nowhere? Which brings me back to some critics raised about the apparent restraint in this retake….These come more than obviously from comparison to the previous version of this production and also from prejudices about the current singers. It always puzzles me how people think that there is only one right version of interpretation. Why can’t different singers have different takes on the personalities they are supposed to give life to? Each see them in a different light and filter their interpretation through their own personality. I have seen both and both have touched me, why not? That is what makes a revisit interesting for me, how does a different singer interpret his part, how will his singing reflect his interpretation, etc. Otherwise what would be the point of seeing a live show? I’m obviously talking about Rolando Villazon’s and Jonas Kaufmann’s Carlo, different in voice and gesture as they two are different as artists. Which you prefer is obviously a matter of taste, I still don’t see a valid reason why one can’t actually like both…

Besides repeating complaints about the production already aired one year ago ( I guess we will be revisiting those with every new revival… how... boring!) there were the obvious preconceptions about the singers: Simon Keenlyside is not a Verdian baritone… how many times have I read that now? Jonas Kaufmann is a German tenor with an unsually dark voice. Yep, that one we’ve heard before as well. The mix of the two was obviously deemed unsuccessful before they even uttered a note.. at least by some. I have to say this “pairing ” is probably the thing that delights me most about this production! Verdi baritone.. what is that? A booming voice? Now where is it noted in the score by Verdi that we need to be left half deaf by a deep dark voice ? Same goes for Carlo, who says what kind of voice the tenor must have? All Verdi said was what notes he was supposed to sing and how. As long as both tenor and baritone can do it, well then it is a valid pair of Posa and Carlo! I knew the "too dark tenor + too light baritone" was just around the corner… but has anyone actually opened their ears and listened to the two sing together? As if they have never heard the duo before? This duo as pictured in the story is that of a deep friendship of two young people who have known each other since childhood and who are deeply fond of each other. They share common ideals, albeit one is more romantically “disoriented” while the other more “practically focused” ;-) So their leitmotiv, their duos should be about shared harmonies and feelings. Remember only one of the them is a soldier, the other just a dreamy idealist. The common ground they find is in their ideals and their fondness of each other. So there is no reason why each encounter should be punctuated by displays of heroic fortes… So why should JK and SK not make wonderful music together? Why when they so obviously share common musical tastes and style, when they are each refined and accomplished artists. Yes they have similar singing styles and their voices are maybe from the timbre closer than other two artists. But in this particular case this is a major advantage, by no means a reason for critique. That their display of Posa and Carlo is more subtle, refined does not mean that it is any less powerful, quite the contrary, there is immense intensity in subtlety. I liked their take on the 2nd act duo at the premiere, but I absolutely loved the one at the general rehearsal!!! If I had my wish I would want to hear that duo, sung partially in the most tender piano, again and again and again… I do hope they will go for that more sensitive version again! It was divine!!! Now those are two singers who have mastered the piani to perfection! And I have never heard a tenor and baritone fall so naturally in sync in this duo, with as little as a side-glance, it was a glory of harmony rather than a display of competitive force :-) More appropriate for two friends, wouldn’t you say?

And when music and singing achieves such beauty it is impossible for the soul not to be touched. Who says you have to force your way into the audience’s heart????
On that note, many reviewers don’t even bother to mention the audience reaction on the premiere night for example… Roars like that night come seldom along at the ROH, at least from what I have seen. Neither Carlo nor Rodrigo were ever interrupted in their duos ( wonder if it wasn’t because the audience was too touched by the singing and music to barge in, hm???) but the applause came crashing down on both at the end, very deservedly so! Ok, you might dislike production and even conducting might be controversial, but I feel it only fair to say the audience at the ROH liked it very much.

But it is an extraordinary night out not only due to these two, Furlanetto IS Filip, in such a powerful way that he almost sings the Inquisitor ( J Tomlinson) off the stage, Marina Poplavskaya has obviously had a wonderful positive development since last time and has grown into an altogether more natural Isabella, Marianne Cornetti is an effective dramatic Eboli and they all boost each other to create what is an unmissable evening of Verdi!

By the way, since it has been pointed out repeatedly that this is subtle, restrained, etc performance DO take you opera binoculars with you!! You wouldn’t want to miss out on those details others have obviously not observed , would you? So what if you sit front row?.... I assure you those white lacy collars are fascinating!!! And there are some stitchings on the costumes ..amazing!!! Who cares what others will think of it? These are some beautiful costumes that don’t come around that often and those swords are definitely worth admiring from up close… after all, it is about enjoying oneself and not missing out on anything worth taking in… so go ogle!! And come back and share your impressions if you will ;-)

PS The other night i went full of expectation to see the ROH shop window display and what a dissapointment! No recordings of any DC in the window, none with CDs of the singers and at least two have recent CDs.. I understand contractual obligations with sponsors... but really there always was at least a corner dedicated to the current piece performed, and after all this is the opening of the season!!! ....

Reviews! ... knock yourself out if you will , i've done my homework so to speak and this was as pleasant as homework can be...

New- Times (H Canning)
DailyExpress
MusicwebInterntional
Independent
Times
Guardian
Thisislondon
FT
Musicalcriticism
Musicomh
TheStage
Whatsonstage
Classicalsource
OperaBritannia
Intermezzo
TTTCritic

Trovatore at ROH with Roberto, Dmitri and Sondra

Photo Catherine Ashmore


Update:
I sometimes like to add things or change things based on discussion with friends :-) Not that my opinions have changes significantly, although sometimes they may, but i realise sometimes i haven't said all I mean or exactly as i intended. And i realised that although Sondra got my enthusiastic Bravos the other night, this might have not really come through in my account of the evening. She most definitely is the most exciting soprano voice i have heard for quite some time! Her voice does make the music swipe you away and i am very much looking forward to her upcoming Verdi CD! I just think she can be even better if she adds more feeling to the fascinating tone of her voice :-)
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Too much to do, too little time, but this should really not go unmentioned. The run is sold out so something attracts people to Trovatore. I'm guessing it is good old Verdi, well known tunes, intense conflicts, crazy plots, but who can resist it? I know there are those out there who say Verdi, bah! I'm not one of them :-) I knew opera through Verdi, in fact i grew up with it. It may make me smile, but the buzz his music gives me is unbelievable and has never faded from day one!

So for Verdi i went to see this. Of course it is almost unavoidable to have those big recordings in your head, but i am pretty good at putting those away when sitting there live.... If only this production wouldn't have tried to kill the tension.... I'm not the unconditional supporter of modern productions, i probably tend to err more on the traditional side, i just love period costumes! But pleaseee.... where was the director? Where was the choreograph? At times it felt like the singers were left to create their own movements, think about what to do while on stage. Trovatore is not one where you want to burden the singers with those decisions on top of everything else, the score keeps them busy enough!

Never mind the huge sets, it felt way to much like standing about aimlessly. Don't get me wrong, this is not an opera to do yoga while singing, but maybe singing to each other rather than away from each other might have helped at times. You can pull something like this off when the singing is so out of this world that you don't care what is on stage. But we didn't have Corelli, Bastianini, Tebaldi or whoever on stage, nor do i want to resurrect the dead in any way. I don't think today Verdi, or any other operas/composers can live on singing alone. On the other hand, today we have singers more willing to engage with the stories, with greater flexibility in terms of what they are requested to do on stage. So give them something to do!

Anyways, rant over... but it is the reason why the first act didn't really deliver for me. It started off well, but was dragged of energy in the convent scene.... useless backdrop and aimless standing around singing if ever i have lived through one... Thankfully somehow the 2nd part came alive, due mostly to more engagement from the singers. And to an excellent chorus scene spiced with some amazing fighting, while at the same time beautifully carrying the musical line. Bravo to them!! Easily one of the most entertaining scenes of the night, well prepared, well rehearsed, natural. ( This is another reason while i live period stagings in ROH, where else can one still enjoy beautiful armory and elegant fighting? keep it coming!)

But in the end it is all about the singing, isn't it? The one i was least sure of proved to be a pleasant surprise and definitely rounded up the evening musically for me. Alagna and Manrico? I had more than some doubts... he proved me wrong. Ok, he isn't perfect but i haven't heard an ideal Marico as such these days. He does an excellent job of applying his sunny, lyrical voice to this. Surprisingly, it did not sound overstretched and the evening definitely gained in musical quality from his flowing lines and warm tone.


I never knew he could heft such volume! Ok, maybe some more piano would be nice, but next to Sondra Rodvanovsky someones piani may become inaudible ;-)



Photo Catherine Ashmore

I think overall Roberto and his voice are in better shape than a few years ago, probably his health as well. I am glad he feels and looks better, he comes across more energetic and his singing is very good indeed. Especially considering how much he has sung and what he has been singing. He was also the only one who came buzzing on stage from the first note, who moved around, elastically and purposefully, even if it seemed more like his take on Marico than anyones direction. Also good he kept the energy going till the end, bravo to him for singing the whole Pira. Not that i care much for the Pira, or the fact that it was a B :-) Well done to him and to my ears, i'd rather take a sound lower note than a cracker higher one, thank you very much!

I always liked Alagna, but i haven't heard him for many years! I liked what i heard the other night and also what i saw. Add to this the lively, enjoyable conversation the other night and i am content to have rediscovered "my"Roberto, the same crazy, enthusiastic, passionate and engaged singer i heard so many years ago. He's not perfect, but i do believe he is a generous artist, and that for me counts more. I look forward to hearing more of him in next seasons and i hope he stays in as good a form as he is these days.


copyright Tavel Antonov

As the ladies next to me where saying, who can decide between these two? Indeed :-) It's not half as much fun if Luna is not as good or equally as exciting a character as Manrico. Give it to Hvorostovsky to restore the balance :-) Ok, he might not be Marlon Brando on stage ( acting-wise i mean ;-))) but his natural elegance and charismatic stage presence fit Luna like a glove and make it work. Some gorgeous display of jaw-dropping breath control and warmth of tone puts the cherry on the cake. His "Balen" was beautiful and very well received by the public.

And his long duet in the last act with Leonora had enough character to make me happy, as it is definitely my favourite part of Trovatore. Due probably to the fact that they have been singing this for a while together Sondra and Dmitri really made the sparks fly :-)


Photo Catherine Ashmore

And ok, they made you wonder why oh why does she swallow the poison, stupid gal! I tell you, the two sitting next to me were contemplating a totally different decision if faced with the circumstances ;-))

But as it is about the singing, i have to say they managed the scene beautifully and Hvorostovsky not only was able to match Sondra's power, but impose a considerable and credible amount of threat in his singing.

The ladies of the night... Sondra is a class of her own, what a beautiful and satisfying Verdi voice :-) I also appreciated that she can not only belt it out, but creates some great crescendi and descrescendi, a few tender piani here and there, promising to do wonderful things with her voice in the future. Beautiful sound is not all and both her and Hvorostovsky could do with a bit more text interpretation, but as far as their sounds come, there aren't any better ones these days for these roles :-) However, while he made Luna credible, i wasn't entirely sure of her connection to Alagna's Manrico... (Direction, direction... )

Azucena is for me one of the most amazing mezzo roles/scores! I love her and Amneris, i envy what Verdi wrote for them :-) (they are the only ones who ever make me wish i could sing a note, even under the shower... but alas... ;-))))Can't say that Malrgozata did it for me.. she can deliver solid singing all right, but her top register makes my ears hurt, that is how harsh it sounds. Just when you want the music to soar it makes you flinch... Probably not everyone's impression, but i personally don't like harsh female voices. Thus, the "il rogo" which plays such an important part in this score, had a totally different effect on me than expected. Nothing wrong though with the rest of her voice and she had brilliant full and round low notes (here is me hoping she can iron out some things for the future... )

Monika-Evelin Liiv's Ines was a nice surprise, pity we couldn't hear more of her! Mikhail Petrenko was probably the one on stage who did the most acting, with good effect, pity his voice wasn't as good as the acting...

I think Rizzi managed to keep the ensembles together, which is a thing i think he generally does well thinking back also to his Matile. The pace was alert, but the slower bits were a tad bland, maybe trying to accommodate the breath of the singers just a tiny bit too much? ( although i am all for not overpowering them... )

It was all in all an enjoyable night with some brilliant moments, but somehow i have to agree with other people in saying that the bits were sometimes better than the whole. The whole lacked just that bit of umph to became truly excellent. Maybe also due to the continuously interrupting production and the lack of direction. This is supposed to feel like a car crash just happening and it was more like a skating and skittering along the road at times.

Still, even this is not totally hopeless, there is a wonderful effect with Manrico singing the miserere from the top of the auditorium, lushiously flowing down sound! And the final scene of Luna stabbing Manrico, and then holding him splayed in his arms when he finds out it was his brother...Picture perfect image right there! And the grabbing and pulling and dragging between Leonora and Luna in the last duet is also not for the faint hearted ;-)))

I would have liked to see it again, but it is very much sold out... but i so love the music i might give the one in Barcelona a try this autumn, they have loads and loads of it there later in the year ;-))))

Domingo still = Otello!

The Met 125 gala is just coming to its end, crazy and exciting as it was :-)

I've never been a fan, but then again i never heard or saw him live... never, ever ...

But there was one king of the castle tonight and his name is Domingo! To be singing better with each aria/duet at his age is no minor success. For me it was his night!

The scene from Boccanegra with Angela Gheorghiu was beautiful beyond words and i can only hope that his promise to come and sing it at the ROH will be kept. I don't care that he probably sounded less baritonal than in any other aria he sang tonight, it was musical and lush and Verdi all around. It sounded right and i hope that if i never got to hear him before, i will at least get to see and hear him sing this!

Then the crowning jewel, his Otello! as intense, as powerful, as fresh and emotional as ever, as if not a day had passed since he has first sung it. I really think this should have been the last piece of the night. There could not have been a more perfect ending. Pity it wasn't.

All i can say, maestro... BRAVISSIMO!!! I hope you stay healthy and special as you are today and that i may yet live to tell about the time i first say you sing live :-)

A beautiful night, all glam and very Met ;-) Wonderful music! And thanks for sharing it live and free with all of us :-) And bravo to all ( Hvorostovsky too was especially exquisite tonight) and Levine, well he's magic :-)

PS. Just wished they gave Juandi something more juicy than La donna....but then again hey... anyone up for that kind of high note at the end with no air input? Well then...guess not ;-)))) He is much more than that tho, just for the record ;-)

And i loved Dessay's Violetta, much more than i thought i would. You go girl!

And Heppner rocked as Siegfried! What a pleasure to hear that ending fresh and powerful. What a rush!

Once is not enough!

Sunday, Don Carlo at the ROH – It was in all respects an unforgettable day, new and unique in many ways. This is an opera I know very well and adore but had never seen live before. It was also a new production at ROH, so few things were known in advance and other than Pappano himself and the ROH orchestra I had never seen or heard any of the singers live before.

I was lucky enough to take part in the insight day and get a preview of the tremendous amount of work that goes into a production of this size..it all starts almost 2 years in advance and endless hours and ideas go into it from director, set and costume design, lighting, props, armoury, etc. Knowing about all this in advance does make one a much more generous audience, but I don’t see this as a fault, rather as an advantage. We should know about the work that goes into a production, that is comes to live no only thanks for orchestra and some 10, 20, 200 people o stage. But then again I am a generally grateful listener and viewer. Yes I have seen many amazing videos of this opera and listened to even more famous recordings but it is not in my nature to go to a performance looking to find something I have heard or seen before. I look forward to the music and wish to be touched and entertained.

And entertained I was, and boy was it an emotional rollercoaster ride!

Is it a modern production…maybe, depending on what you define as modern. Is it unrecognisable and a riddle? By no means! Totally identifiable and clear, you know immediately where you are and the story unfolds clearly and unambiguously and I am thankful for that. I love the story and I didn’t want it changed, I just wanted it told in an original and exciting way. But by no means is the story told in a boring, static and unimaginative fashion. You don’t see reproductions of Goya or Velasquez on stage, this is not a fashion show of the middle ages in Spain nor is it a lesson in ancient interior design, and it shouldn’t be. This is, as in opera in general, a story of people, of destinies bound, changed and limited by the times in which they live, like human life in general. And it was this story that the production focused on.

Before I go any further let me state the one thing I disliked about it, visually and musically – the Autodafe. I disliked all of it, the colours, the staging, the interference with the music, the way it clashes with the overall concept. It is loud in a bad way, it is kitsch, it is way way over the top, it is utterly tasteless! Whereas the rest of the production brings millions of shades of light and darkness into live, where it displays elegant simplicity and stark, visually and emotionally intensive images this has a huge golden cathedral, a bloody Christ image, screaming masses and preaching priests, all drowning out some of Verdi’s most beautiful music for both chorus and orchestra. The heretics condemned by the inquisitions wear KuKlux clan robes and hats wit flames on them ( really? It is not like we don’t know the inquisition will burn them) The masses scream for blood – literally, the priests scream at the heretics and then the same masses are supposed to fluidly switch to singing. Well, it ain’t happening! Oh and behind the Bloody Christ curtain 5 shapeless bodies are burned but the flames never really reach them properly .This is more cheap Hollywood thrill than opera, more Braveheart than Verdi… and even in Braveheart torture was more dignified than this! It is too noisy and there is too much going on for it to be truly scary and powerful, which is a pitty. This production was accused for focusing too much on the love story and too little on politics… It would have been this and the dialogue between king and inquisitor which highlight politics…. Sadly in the case of the autodafe politics is very badly done indeed! It wishes to be realistic but ends up being just noisy and kitsch. Verdi wrote the power and the force into the music to perfection, every note in the scene underlines it and all these gimmicks manage to do is dilute this impact.

Anyway, enough about that…. It is a very low point of the production but luckily it sits in the middle and is therefore not the impression you are left with in the end. And there is still hope that this can be cleaned up in future revivals.

I’ve heard people comments that this production is dark and black. I disagree with both..yes there is black, but this is the Spanish court…but I have rarely seen so much variety in just one colour, so many textures and shades. The costumes are simply amazing and there are no two the same. I look forward to the DVD to discover all the intricate details of stitching I have seen from a distance. The costumes sit perfectly and give the characters the right amount of individuality and personality. Love Filips entrance in the gardens with some soldiers and courtiers, hey make striking and well defined pictures, you feel you are in Spain and a big cheer to everyone for wearing their costumes so naturally which must not be easy with meters and meters of silk and velvet. Same for the beautiful handcrafted and originally heavy swords and daggers. I have seen them up close and they are amazing! Nobody tripped while wearing them, they all looked born and bread with them, bravo! Just like everything else in this production I thing the true beauty lies in the details and maybe we the audience should pay closer attention then just spending 4,30 h counting high notes and low notes ;-)

Staging is scarce with many dark and oppressing walls which come to live vividly thanks to some of the most amazing lighting work I have ever seen. I sadly don’t remember their names but they deserve a big fat bonus! Carlo’s entrance into the monastery after Fontainebleau into a huge dark space with Carlo V tomb is eerily lit by lights dissecting the darkness through small squares in the walls. Probably next to the white fairly tale like image of Fontainebleau the most beautiful image of the entire show. Beautiful also the golden hot light in the queen’s garden. And I especially liked the chorus of ladies dressed in amazing black dresses wearing blood red fans and flowers. Yes the garden wall is slightly Lego -like ( what’s up with those strange cones on the bricks? ) but the contrast between red, black yellow works very well ( the poppy fields in the back are also a nice detail and it shows that sadly real live is outside the walls, beyond the reach of those enclosed in the gardens).

But as said the scenes at St Justo work best in all their blackness, darkness and grandness. It doesn’t look plasticy and for those who thought the black marble angels are too much, well they really exist in the Escorial and I like the idea of them symbolising peace and tranquillity in death because that is the final message for Carlo’s destiny.

Definitely looking forward to seeing it again to discover further details because I am sure there are many more I have missed out J

Now to the cast and characters…



Lloyd/ the monk/CarloV – good but no longer great, I guess age is slowly taking its toll but still allows for a beautiful sound J

Eboli/Ganassi- not her ideal role I would say, she convinced in O don fatale but other than that her voice had many difficult moments which almost made me think she would be able to deliver the big aria..she managed in the end but she just lacks some “spunk”, she seems a far lesser character than she could be in the story;
Elisabeta/Poplavskaya – we were told she was still suffering from the effects of bronchitis, but I heard no such thing in her voice. It is a beautiful instrument and she sang well and I am sure as she gets more experienced it will get even better. I didn’t find her cold as some critics said, she showed the right amount of dignity for the queen; if she would not have been so restrained than Carlo’s desperation would have made less sense so in context well played J

Halfvarson- I have seen his inquisitor in video again and his evilness and sheer power of character is amazing and fun to watch. There are no shades and no excuses in this character, he is what he is and there are no excuses about it. He has the power to sink or save the king and this comes beautifully across. Sheer pleasure to watch and hear! And he has all gestures of physical frailness down to a T, which only bring out even more the contrast to the absolute power his character holds. The way he menacingly and all powerful lifts the cross on Fillips desk above his head in a gesture of absolute rule with a trembling hand is amazing, very good choreography.

Filip/Furlanetto – while were are at it the relationship between king and inquisitor is beautifully played. Furlanetto’s is a deeply religious king, he holds the Inquisitor’s hand in seek of guidance and absolution. Confrontation comes but it is obvious that the king depends on the Inquisitor. Their dialogue is exquisite, musically, vocally, in choreography. They are both very good singers, and very experienced in playing these parts. I enjoyed Furlanetto’s more human kings tremendously, he played the various shades of his character admirably. This comes across especially in his dialogue with Posa and in the dialogues with the queen. With Posa we see both king, but a wise one who does not condemn open expression of opinion, and human being..a father who is jealous and weary of his son; also a lonely man in power who seeks maybe not an equal because there is none but somebody who this power is not overwhelming. Destruction and ultimately failure for this king lies not from in his human fragility but in his absolute belief and reliance on fate and on old ways of imposing it. In the end Posa’s suggestions merely become interesting ideas but for his time in life he stays with the old ways, Flanders will not be free and in return he remains king, with the support of the Inquisitor. I don’t know why people felt there was not enough politics in the performance, it was there all right just more subtle and combined with the human side of the king, equally as powerful. Also beautifully played his jealousy towards his wife,and his obvious love for her. You feel sorry for this king, as his is a lonely existence and somehow feels the end of his time: he does not find a support in Posa as they don’t share beliefs although they share a code of honour; his wife is his truly but not in live with him, his has the inquisitors strength at his side but it comes with absolute submission, he never manages to share with his son more than blood and their respect and admiration of Rodrigo. Furlanetto is a star and his was applauded as such but I got the feeling that in previous performances he had also been THE star of the show which he wasn’t tonight, I am glad to say. Not that I didn’t cheer him and applaud him, but this opera is only truly a success if everyone is exceptionally good, and on Sunday they were, not one stood out, they all did!

Rodrigo/Keenlyside – him I was almost most curious about because I had never heard his voice even in recordings. He is obviously the ROH’s beloved child who can do nothing wrong ;-) He is no Verdi baritone, not like Cappuccilli or Bruson or others. So I started of doubting his Rodrigo, or more his ability to charm me into liking his singing. But like it I did! What his voice may lack sometimes in weight, in broadness he more than compensates in technique and acting.His singing is truly beautiful! Not a note goes wrong, nothing is out of control, the phrasing is endless and flows with no effort, you hear no breathing and the ever so small passages of coloratura where amazing. I long to hear his Don Giovanni! And I came to recognise that I can be conquered by something other than a beautiful tone of voice. I was totally charmed by some especially beautiful singing of a not so perfect voice. His Rodrigo was dignified, warm, brave and honest and a true friend. There were may scenes I especially liked in this show: The dialogue Filip-Inquisitor was true musical pleasure,but there were two others which truly touched my heart beyond my ears, one of which was the last scene between Rodrigo and Carlo. Such singing, such emotion in every tone of voice! Such gestures! I could not stop my eyes from tearing and my heart from aching! Pity I had to do some sound control for obvious reasons. But no sound control when it came to applauses I joined the entire ROH in cheering this wonderful and shy singer on! Now I know why he is loved so much and what can I say, I have just joined the crowds J ( And the fact that this overwhelming applause still makes him blush and shy away from the attention is truly endearing!)

Last, but by no means least, Rolando/Carlo: Now, having listened to him live and also having been lucky enough to briefly meet him in the signing afterwards I must say that all prejudice and rumour about this man is false, but one! Yes, he does give it all and more on stage and that makes him special. But his is not even remotely fidgety or hysterical, neither on stage nor in person! He has strong features but close up he is an incredibly handsome man and yes, very charming. He is I am sure exuberant at times but I have known him to be essentially shy and showing a good dose of distance to the unknown bunch of fans. He is intelligent and warm and very very coquet! (Good for him! ) And he is much taller than he seems! But enough about the man, let’s talk some shop about the singer! I had heard his voice before and has read the critics. I liked his recorded singing and wanted the critics to be wrong. I wanted to hear him with my own ears and know whether I liked him or not, and I know myself, had a heard anything wrong I would not have been able to overlook it. I do not judge because singers are human but I would not have been able to walk up t him and say I liked your singing had it not truly been the case. His voice is smaller in volume than you would think from recordings, significantly so, I would not expect him to fill the Met. But! It is infinitely more beautiful live than you would expect. His recordings distract you with thrilling acuti from his other qualities. Live, with less volume you get to discover other things, like for instance that his lower register is amazing! It as the best surprise of all, the warmth and the easiness with which his delivers the lower notes. By the way, people talk and give their opinion on his technique. I know not of such things but I can tell you that I never heard him take 1 breath, not even during the most straining passages and his mezza voce was always most beautifully paired with the orchestral tone of all. His must be doing something right and his must know what he is doing! He was an extremely convincing Carlo and there is as much acting talent behind it as there is work. His every gesture was elegant and princiary, there was endless emotion but there was no gesture or singing over the top. His Carlo is in love, desperately so and he is a lonely and week man, however he is not self-centred. Yes love is more important to his character than everything else, but there is nothing wrong with that. It is an interpretation of a very young man. Yes politics interest him from time to time but it is always as a result of Rodrigo’s insistence and his desire to sear purpose in life other than his unhappy love for Elisabeta, it never end up as a driving force. When Rodrigo is gone from his side al strength leaves with him and his acting in the last scene with Rodrigo is very touching. As it is in my second favourite scene, the garden scene with Elisabeth. This is probably the most emotionally charged scene in the performance and it is all due to Rolando, musically and acting wise absolutely perfect!!! I only wish I had a magic rewind button to watch and hear it all over again. He was good tonight,very good indeed and his voice is as good as ever, he pushed it to limits and beyond and it stayed strong. I just wish he didn’t think he needed to push upwards just because he could, it is not what is truly special about him ;-) His tone of voice is very warm and truly lyrical and surprisingly enough live nothing at all like Domingo, young or old. He has his unique sound and way of singing. What I heard was unexpected, but in a good way. I enjoyed it very differently than I thought I would and I look forward to hearing him again, whatever he may decide to sing and play. And I also realised that his impact on stage is the product not so much of his own personality but of his voice, his hard work and dedication to his characters and his singing. He was great and the public rewarded him with much deserved applause. I’ ve heard during the break much bitching about his projection and lack thereof, so called imbalances in registers and other rubbish…but in the end I realised most people there did not pay hundreds of pounds to pick a show, the singing and every note to shreds. Most of us where there waiting for a story to be told and told well and we were thoroughly entertained. He may not be the Carlo of 99% of recordings we have heard but I at least go to see it live to hear something different, equally as good and unforgettable. And that is what I told him afterwards at the signing, that tonight he was king! And I meant it, king of his voice, of all his abilities, king of his character which he sang, played and manipulated to perfection to tell the story of Don Carlo.

The one bit that I knew about the opera, the music, somehow was in the background, but in a good way. Pappano and the ROH were as wonderful as any recording I have every heard and because they delivered on every account what they promised I was able to focus on everything else, which was new. I wish I could hear it again to e able to indulge more in all that music and I will surely be back for the revival, especially if Pappano conducts… I just wish he would kick the director’s but in the autodafe and tell him that “music rules!”.