A
quick look at the calendar confirmed my fear, only three weeks left in the
2014-2015 MET season. My notes from the Tuesday February 28th
performance of “Don Giovanni” are still on my desk. Anticipating at least two
“Un Ballo’s” and maybe “Cav and Pag,” and not wanting to disappoint my faithful
translator… So, I thought I would tackle this on a beautiful New York City spring
weekend…
On
Tuesday February 28th the conductor Alan Gilbert was on loan from
the Philharmonic next door at Lincoln Center. Mr. Gilbert, it was recently announced,
will leave his post as music director of the New York Philharmonic in the
summer of 2017. He kept a lively tempo throughout, without sacrificing the lyricism
and romanticism of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” The
orchestra played superbly.
Sweden’s baritone Peter Mattei was Don Giovanni, Venezuelan (via Italy)
bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni was Leporello, our own bass-baritone James Morris was
The Commendatore, tenor Don Ottavio was Russia’s Dmitry Korchak (Met debut), South
Africa’s soprano Elza van den Heever was Donna Anna, England’s soprano Emma
Bell Donna Elvira, Virginia’s mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsay was Zerlina and Czech
Republic’s bass-baritone Adam Plachetka was Masetto.
I know the story,
but that evening it hit me hard. I was about to spend hours witnessing the
crimes of a serial rapist! Maybe it was Mr. Mattei’s superb portrayal of the…,oops,
I almost said rascal… a sociopathic rapist, that added to my “discomfort”!
The
Met’s production, first directed in 2011 by Michael Grandage, is set in the
opera’s own era, but it manages to reflect our time. Perhaps another reason for
my epiphany--this opera is all about lust, love, hate, jealousy, murder,
revenge, envy, and more…
And
so it begins: we encounter Don Giovanni in the bedroom (Leporello is keeping
watch outside) of a noblewoman, Donna Anna who is engaged to Don Ottavio. She manages
to fight his advances off.
Her
cries for help are heard by her father, the Commendatore. He challenges her
disguised assailant. A sword fight ensues. Don Giovanni kills him and manages to
escape unrecognized. Donna Anna asks Don Ottavio to avenge her father’s death.
Next
we “meet’’ Donna Elvira, one of Don Giovanni’s former conquests. Leporello sets
her straight, showing her the “catalogue” of all of Don Giovanni’s victims.
Masetto
and Zerlina’s wedding takes place and Don Giovanni sets his eyes on his next
victim … Zerlina. Anna seeks Don Giovanni’s’ help in finding her father’s
murderer. Elvira warns all about Don Giovanni. He “declares” her mad and
invites all to celebrate the wedding in his house. As he leaves, Anna
recognizes his voice as that of the man who attacked her. Again she begs Don
Ottavio to avenge her father’s death.
Having
accepted Don Giovanni’s invitation Masetto and Zerlina (now contrite for not
being able to resist the temptation of flirting with Don Giovanni) enter Don Giovanni’s home. Anna,
Elvira and Ottavio (all masked) also appear. Don Giovanni tries to distract
Zerlina and drag her into another room. She cries out. Anna, Elvira and Ottavio
reveal their identity but Don Giovanni manages to slip away.
Don
Giovanni and Leporallo exchange clothing. Elvira continues to be in love with Don
Giovanni despite what she knows. Disguised as his master Leporallo encounters
Masetto, (who is looking for Don Giovanni) and a fight ensues. Leporello beats
up Masetto and leaves. Zerlina comforts Masetto.
Later
on, Anna, Elvira, Ottavio, Zelina and Masetto surprise Leporello. Fearing for
his life, he reveals his true identity and manages to escape yet again.
Don
Giovanni and Leporello , escaping to a cemetary/garden, find the tomb of the
Commendatore. The statue at the grave speaks to them and asks for repentance.
Don Giovanni makes Leporello invite “the ghost” of
the Commendatore to join them for dinner. He comes and asks them again to
repent. Don Giovanni laughs …and the earth opens and sends him to the flames of
Hell.
Anna,
Elvira, Ottavio, Zelina, Masetto and Leporallo are left…
On
to the music…
In
the famous seduction duet between Giovanni and Zerlina, “La ci darem la mano.” Mr. Matei with his vibrant baritone was very
convincing as the seducer of Zerlina, the flirtatious girl with beguiling yet
naive innocence. His is a
commanding Giovanni: he towered (literally) over everyone and his performance
was charged with the requisite sensuality, sexuality, and devious cruelty. We
witnessed the fluidity of his notes when Giovanni attempts to seduce
Zerlina. The legato in “La Ci darem La Mano” had an alluring softness. He was the
charming seducer in “Deh vieni all finestra,” his serenade to Donna Elvira’s
maid. On the other hand the “Fin ch’han dal vino,” (also known as the Champagne
Aria), where he reveals
his plans to get all the peasant girls drunk and add ten names to his list
before dawn, was full of frenzy, revealing Don
Giovanni’s zest for life, “at any cost”! His menacing,
cruel humor reached its peak at the end of Act II, when he feasts while
Leporello looks on…and we mustn’t forget his betrayal of Leporallo after his
own attempt to seduce Zerlina.
What a wonderful actor M. Mattei is!
He and Mr.
Pisaroni (perhaps the opera’s other leading man?) complemented each other very
well. Leporello’s “Madamina, il catalogo è questo” (“Catalog Aria,”) in which
he reveals that Don Giovanni has slept with thousands of women, no matter their
pedigree…was masterful. Mr. Pisaroni maintained the wide range and fast tempi
but also showed off his excellent comic timing. At the
end of the aria he
was hilarious, balancing his master’s boasting and his own flirting, mocking
Dona Elvira. Balancing the comic timing was the terror in the ‘repent or else’
scene, when the statue of the Commendatore comes to dinner. Bravo!
Staying with the
men….Making his
Met debut, the Russian tenor Dmitry Korchak
was Ottavio. His is a warm and polished voice. His singing has an elegance,
beauty and softness. However, he was not without assertiveness in his rendition
of “Il mio tessoro,” the beautiful love aria. He proves more a man than the
plot implies!
Adam
Plachetka (another Met debut) as Masetto , always in Zelina’s shadow, manages
to convince us that he puts up with Zerlina’s flirtatious nature and
flightiness and, because he truly loves her, outwaits the uncertainty. Both Mr.
Korchak and Mr. Plachetka grew stronger as the evening progressed. They stood
up to the challenge of their formidable colleagues.
The veteran
James Morris was the Commendatore. Mr. Morris,
whose career spans decades, continues to give us solid performances. It helps
that he is a good actor and also that he knows his limitations.
Zerlina’s (Kate Lindsay)
two arias sung to Masetto, “Batti, batti” and “Vedrai, carino,” were
enchanting. This is where the orchestra was superb, guiding Ms. Lindsay’s bright
soprano voice with a light and sweet timbre, in the lyricism of the music. She
sang reassuringly about making up and spending their days and nights together,
but seductive in “Vedrai, carino,” prescribing the cure, all will be well “if
you only rest your hand on my breast” – “Toccami qua!” she sings over and over:
“touch me here.”
Donna Elvira (Emma
Bell) has been rejected by Don Giovanni but continues to have feelings for
him. The aria “Mi
tradì quell’alma ingrata” occurs late in Act Two, as she sings: “That
ungrateful wretch betrayed me, and made me so miserable, oh Lord! He deceived
me and abandoned me, yet I can’t help but forgive him.”
This is a
demanding role. I thought the high notes in: “Ah chi mi dice mai” and the “Ah
fuggi il traditor” had a hard edge. I found her
a bit harsh and wiry at times and thought she sang an uneven Dona Elvira. In
the ensembles she seemed disconnected at times from the others. Perhaps the
harshness and/or hard edge was a deliberate attempt to underline the
character’s bitterness? In all fairness, she sounded softer and more vulnerable
in the “Mi tradì quell'alma ingrate,” where she
struggles with her feelings of betrayal and her concern for the one who
betrayed her.
Elza van den
Heever’s Donna Anna spends much of the opera in a state of mourning. The
recitative “accompagnato” with Don Ottavio and the aria that follows, “Or sai
chi l’onore,” summarize the character. The music here is thrilling. Her
rendition of “Non mi dir,” when she asks Don Ottavio to stop talking about
marriage, was a testament to her flawless technique.
This
was an evening of masterful conducting, a wonderful orchestra, a solid
production and a splendid cast of singers.
On to Manon…
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