It's such a splendid idea of having live performances transmitted (live or otherwise) into cinemas. I would also quite like a TV-Channel (Pay Per View if necessary) that did similar. But it's rather nice to treat an evening at the cinema as a bit of a night out, walking into the foyer and spotting so many familiar faces (it's not actually true that I knew everybody in the cinema, but I did recognise about two-thirds of faces!)
First of all, I must talk about the production. It wasn't the direst production I have seen but it was pretty lame. That having been said, I have seen at least four different production of Simon Boccanegra and have found them all a bit risible. Perhaps there is something inherent in the work - it doesn't lend itself to updating, and there isn't a lot of scope for anything but confrontations within tableaux.
Some aspects of the camera work were a bit dubious; perhaps worse was the direction that seemed to introduce transitions in the style of Powerpoint presentations circa 1996, often at the most poignant moments.
My greatest criticism was for the ludicrous decision to have a corps of ballet boys being sailors. I could see the point, but the way they were choreographed as a bad borderline-homophobic 1970s mincing joke. I also could not understand why a crowd of men in 19th century coats and hats suddenly emerged as background in the final scene, when the whole of the rest of the opera had been costumed in generic 'old' costumes (the opera is supposedly set in the 14th century).
Some of the scenery was very stupid. Not least in the garden scene, where there was a heap of rubble in the background. It was basically a pile of slabs arranged in a triangular or pyramidical pile; this was later reflected in a painting in the Council Chamber of rocks at sea in the pile. Why, who knows? But in among the almost plausible pile of slabs was something that strongly resembled a section of track from a model railway. Shrug. Three trees were suspended above the stage and I just kept looking at them thinking 'Why?' I would have been prepared to believe it was an attempt at perspective and distance except that they had a mass of roots clearly visible at the bottom. At some point they descended to ground level; instead of highly visible roots we had conspicuous wires holding them up.
I don't think there was much production except for scenery and crowd scenes. Very unimaginative. I felt that the singers were basically told to get on with it and act. Which was largely fine for these principals but I'm not sure it would work with singers less able to act.
I have to admit that I like the story and characters of Simon Boccanegra much more than I like the music. I don't dislike the music but for some reason it refuses to lodge in my sub-conscious, in the way that many Verdi operas do so easily (And I don't just mean the obviously hummable ones like Rig and Trav). But even with that caveat I don't really understand the booing of Daniel Barenboim (the live coverage stopped strategically before he took a bow). I don't actually rate Barenboim as that great a conductor, but I have heard a lot worse. I suspect this booing lark is as much about disturbed or insecure wankers needing the attention as an informed rational objective music judgement. My feelings about the music was that there were some good bits - most notably the sound of the sea - no obviously dreadful bits, and it seemed reasonably sympathetic an accompaniment of the singers.
Ah, the singers! What a splendid cast! Really first class. It comes into my category of operas with 'too many indistinguishable men in comprimario roles' but the leading players were excellent. Massimo Cavalletti as Paolo and Fabio Sartori as Gabriele Adorni were more than satisfactory.
But the real luxury lay in the three main roles. Ferruccio Furlanetto was superb as Fiesco. He must be my favourite bass, admittedly just on the basis of three fabulous Verdi roles. I love his voice and I love his stage presence.
I was really impressed by Anja Harteros as Amelia.I don't think I've ever heard her live. I made the mistake a couple of years ago of going to a Boccanegra at Covent Garden in which she wasn't Amelia. She's a bit odd-looking, and the camera close-ups of her rather odd facial expressions doesn't do her any favours. But vocally she was superb and I was happy at her portrayal.
But as you know full well, the only reason I was actually at the cinema as opposed to, say, watching The Leaders' Debate live on the TV was for Simon Boccanegra, the man himself - a sixty-nine year old tenor doing a passable impression of a fifty year old baritone!
I know the debate goes on: does he has the right voice for this role? My answer, no, probably not. But I actually can't think of any baritone singing now who'd I really wish to hear in this role, except for Dmitri Hvorostovsky, about whom it has also be said is vocally unsuitable! And the next question - should Plácido have retired as a consequence of his recent surgery? On this evidence, no absolutely not.
He was a bit shaky in the Prologue, but after that he was absolutely fine. I had been prepared for him being less active on the stage, mentally preparing myself for a lack of dramatic falling to the ground. Again, no problem there. He wasn't exactly leaping around the stage - the sword fight in the Prologue was pathetic (maybe because of the 'direction'?) and he looked quite awkward towards the end - but that might have been because he was playing the role of someone dying from slow-working poison. His final deathly collapse was suitably dramatic: not his finest example of falling-to-and-rolling-around-the-ground, but more than satisfactory.
Vocally, he was superb. I'm not sure there's a lot more to say. His voice never fails to thrill me. He is convincing and sympathetic in the role, especially in the one-to-one interactions with Amelia. I have no problem taking him for a baritone, although I concede that in another baritone role that I'm more instinctively familiar with, say Rigoletto, I may be better placed to notice the difference. He certainly didn't sound like a tenor.
And for the most part he looked good. Ruggedly handsome as ever, of course, even though there were odd moments when I thought 'he's looking old'. I guess when he's tired he tends to look older than when he's bouncing around, there again, refer back to my earlier comments on 'character affected by slow-working poison'
I doubt that I shall ever love Simon Boccanegra as an opera, even though I find the Garden recognition scene and the final death scene intensely moving. I am looking forward tremendously to seeing it in London - so far, only two performances booked:-(, and I salivate at the all round superbly good cast assembled. I enjoyed it in the cinema but other than it being the best cast I've seen in it, I don't think it will otherwise figure as a 'best ever'.
There were no sub-titles on the transmission. I don't know whether there was supposed to be, even though they were promised on the cast-list/synopsis sheet handed out beforehand. On the way out the manager handed each of us a complimentary ticket for a future performance of anything in any Odeon, which I consider a gracious gesture.
