On the 10th December, which seems an awfully long time ago. Perhaps my NYR should be to write stuff up, at least in draft form within 24-36 hours!
I did say that I would write up this performance in some detail but I am not really sure what to write. It's not really an opera requiring great contemplative insight. It very much revolves around the main role, ETA Hoffmann.
The Prologue starts in a tavern during the interval in an opera. Hoffmann's student friends beg him to entertain them. He is quite drunk. After singing an aria about a deformed dwarf called Kleinzach, and carrying out a mimic of him, he decides to tell them the story of his three loves.
And thus rolls out the next three Acts, all following a similar pattern. Hoffmann, accompanied by his lesbian best friend Nicklause (Kristine Jepson) goes to visit his women in turn. Each has a more or less benign character acting as father or lover; there is the recurrent baddy, who also features in the Prologue (and Epilogue). This is sung by the same singer throughout, in this case Gidon Saks. His role is to thwart Hoffmann at each turn. And of course, there are the women. Sometimes these are also sung by the same singer but not in this production/this performance.
I didn't really change my opinion about any of the singers. Katie van Kooten (Antonia) was simply dreadful, on several occasions my seat-mate and spontaneously turned to each other and winced as she stupendously missed the note, or squawked, or simply sounded really ugly. Acting wise she seemed to bring nothing to the part. Ekaterina Lekhina was generally fine as Olympia, very convincing as the mechanical doll, and most of her tricky colaratura was well executed; it's a role that forgives wayward notes! Christine Rice was splendid but luxury cast as Giulietta, who is described as a courtesan, but is the sort of courtesan who works in a brothel. Gidon Saks was patchy. At his best in the Antonia act where he played Dr Miracle in a suitably scary way, he was at his worse in Giulietta Act as Dappertutto, particularly when he made some fairly horrible noises in his Scintille, diamant.
The best known music in the opera is almost certainly the Barcarolle, which is both Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour, a duet for Nicklausse and Giulietta and also an intermezzo before the Antonia act. It's a favourite of compilation discs compilers and ClassicFM and is certainly a gorgeous tune.
But, really, the main purpose of the opera is the tenor who plays Hoffmann, and it's probably reasonable to say that the main reason for this revival was as a vehicle for Rolando Villazón. And he was excellent, both dramatically and vocally. He seemed really to get inside the role, displaying the various aspects of Hoffmann's character that unfold Act by Act. He is a very physical actor, throwing himself around the stage. There was much satisfaction in the area where I was sitting when he thre himself to the flor, knocking over a table in the process. Win double!
It's always nice when you enjoy a performance very much, and then go back again and enjoy it even more. And that's what happened! I had been slightly anxious when Rolando had withdrawn the previous Thursday, but he was in top form at this performance. There are sometimes when I hear something in his voice and wonder whether he is straining. It's one of those finely balanced things - sounding gorgeous is not far away from sounding strained. But definitely none of that then.
I took some photos at the curtain call. Hopefully I shall have some time this week to sort through them. It's not like there's anything interesting going on this week!
