Tonight, live from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, starring Marcelo Alvarez as Riccardo, Karita Mattila as Amelia, Thomas Hampson as Renato, Camilla tilling as Oscar and Elisabetta Fiorillo as Ulrica.
This is definitely Verdi's best opera (though we shall revisit that opinion in June and July...;-) Musically, fabulous, a very clear demonstration that Wagner did not invent the leitmotif, a really superb example of how the story is told so well by the orchestra. There are some great arias, fine ensemble pieces, and choruses whose effect is visceral. The Orchestra of Royal Opera House under Antonio Pappano were at their very best - I have never loved strings so much as I did tonight, at time dramatic, at times romantic, always precise, and yet, with enough rubato. The horns, especially in Act 3, were searing, and the clarinettist deserves special praise.
The singers were all praiseworthy, to a greater or lesser degree. I particularly noted the basses of the chorus as they sinisterly intoned the conspirators music. Elisabetta Fiorillo was pretty much as one would expect of an Ulrica, with dramatic colours in the lower third of the range, although less heft higher up. Camilla Tilling was disappointing. A small voice, although without doubt a beautiful voice. At times she was barely audible over the orchestra, at one point - in Ulrica's cave - I thoght she must have been singing from offstage, until I spotted her - she had her back to the audience. Her colaratura was executed excellently, but I felt the voice lacked much variety, or any colour, and I wasn't sure whether she had anything else in her amoury.
In acts I and II I felt that Thomas Hampson was generic, at best. I certainly couldn't see the Tommy Handsome soubriquet, although I was without my binoculars. He has had his hair cut since I last saw him, and looks better for it. But in Act III he rode the stage like a colussus. I think fans of Mr Hampson are in for a treat. In his voice I could find anger, anguish, love, regret, and his physical acting was convincing. I was very impressed by his showpiece aria in Act III Scene 1.
I found Marcelo Alvarez disappointing, perhaps because my expectations were so high. I have to say that he has great looks for opera. He's nothing special close to - in photos and on DVD - but from the Amphitheatre he is very striking and projects facial expressions clearly. I felt that he took time to warm up - in Act I Scene 1 I could have sworn he was flat. Not by very much, but enough to disturb my non-expert ear. At times, especially in Act II, I was impressed by his seemingly effortless ability to vary the volume and colour of his voice, often sweet, often, well, not dramatic, to be honest, he lacked the dramatic. But, after the first scene, musically very good.
I can't say I was taken by his portrayal of Riccardo. Whether it was his acting, or whether it was the director's fault, I don't know, but he seemed two dimensional and uninteresting. I couldn't really feel any great sympathy for him, and felt rather indifferent to his fate. He was neither romantic hero nor (benign) autocratic ruler, just a rather ordinary geezer aged about forty. And, to be honest, he did not seem to be that agile as he moved around stage.
The star of the show was undoubtedly Karita Mattila. I have heard great things about her, so set my Sceptic Radar to high. She wowed me. Nothing special in Act I Scene II when she comes to Ulrica's cave, satisfactory, but no more, although elegant. But in Acts II and III she was amazing. I speak of Alvarez's and Hampson's ability to shade their voices, but she out-classed both of them put together. Her voice is great throughout the range, sweet and true at the top, rich and significant at the bottom. During her Act III aria I actually got an insight into how it must have felt to see Callas. Don't ask me to explain or justify, it was just the way I felt. And she got the most rousing applause. I really can't find a word of criticism. At the end of the Act II Love Duet, she and Alvarez received prolonged applause. In order to maintain the dramatic momentum they snogged (I daresay it was acting, but it was convincing). I don't think I was the only person with the wicked thought 'the longer we go on clapping, the longer they have to do that...'.
The production was okay. Naturally, it opened with 13 men sitting on plush velvet toilets, as is now traditional...(joke, BTW). Actually, I had a real issue with the beginning - as the Overture played, Riccardo was seen sitting on his throne, although, obviously it wasn't a throne, it was just an ordinary chair, as befitting the Governor of Boston. I thought that was musically wrong, because when Act I proper gets under way, his entrance is accompanied by music marking one of the grandest entrances in opera, therefore to show him beforehand betrays an ignorance of the music. Rude ignorant people talk during the overture regardless; one of the highlights of Hugo de Ana's otherwise pisspoor Forza last autumn was the fact that we sat, with curtain down, listening to the prelude. The Ballo prelude is not lesser music.
I felt the sets and costumes for Act I Scene 1 were nothing special. Scene 2 worked dramatically, with the crowd of onlookers ranged behind cages, on three levels, looking into the cave. However, this was illogical, and the presence in the cave of Ulrica's bed made nonsense of this effect. Plus she did not have an actual cauldron, which was disappointing. The scene just happened, with nothing special worth mentioning. But in the closing, glorious chorus I had a moment of insight - I think - this chorus inspired the entire oeuvre of Gilbert and Sullivan.
Act II, at the gallows' field was, on the whole, well done, although I felt it might as well have been an urban junk yard. I was utterly convinced that there was 60s-style one bar heater abandoned there, complete with electric flex. But I figured the flex was actually a rope, for hanging, and the electic fire just junk. It was a decent setting for the gallow scene, but it didn't work for the interception by the conspirators. I blinked and missed the bit where her veil fell off (at the time I was suffering craving for smoked salmon sandwiches - Covent Garden does that to me). The love duet, and the build up to it, showed Marcelo Alvarez at his very best, and I just went crazy for Karita Mattila.
The first scene of Act III had an appalling set. Before curtain up, there was a rocking chair horse in front of the curtain, which seemed silly. In fact, it was one of the few props that made sense, because at the end of the scene, Renato was able to carry it off with a piquant poignancy. His desk did not look convincing, and rather than a portrait of Riccardo, to which he directs part of his aria, there was a bronze statue, lying under a dust sheet on a paint-spattered trestle table, which made no sense at all. No matter, these were cleared away for Scene 2, which was facinating. I loved it - I think...
The only set to speak of was a giant mirror, in which we could clearly see Maestro Pappano and his band, and much of the front of the orchestra stalls and the stalls circle. I was fascinated with the view, and was delighted to be ale to see Tony in action. But it was a distraction when Marcelo came on to sing his showpiece aria. It is a piece of music I adore, but I wasn't able fully to appreciate it, because I was silently oohing and aahing at the mirror effect.
This partially lifted for Scene 3 to reveal the scene of the ball. In some ways it was clever, affording us unusual views of people going downstairs, of the onstage band etc. But despite the cleverness - and it was clever, and in some ways a coup de theatre I felt it made for a lost opportunity. The ballroom seemed cramped and sparsely attended, and, incidentally, the masks were rubbish, straight out of a Christmas cracker. As the guests moved off to allow Riccardo and Amelia's secret tryst, I was distracted by the reflections of the movements of the chorus and actors. I also nealy missed the assassination, which was a bit of an anti-climax. There was no blood, which was a shame. The music is stupendously melodramatic, but the stage directions were not. Riccardo sings for ages - quite gloriously, incidentally, well done Marcelo - but the drama seemed to be just him rising out of and slumping back down into the chair.
Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't perfect, but it's definitely added to my list of possible Best Performances of the Year. I shall definitely be booking for the revival in November, and would be delighted if it were, on the whole, this cast. I took some photos at curtain calls, but they're not great. I'll have a fiddle with them and see if they're worth publishing. But probably not before the weekend.
Reading through this, I seem to be damning Marcelo Alvarez with faint praise, which was not my intention. He is said by some to be the best tenor in the world right now, at least in this sort of rep, so I am judging him against that criteria. If he fell short of my high expectation, it wasn't by far.
But, as far as I'm concerned, the night belonged to Karita Mattila and to Tony Pappano.
Update: The Times is the first of the Dead Tree Media to publish a review.
Passion arrives eventually - The Telegraph
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