Tosca - Royal Opera House, 6 March 2013
Maurizio Benini clearly knows his way round the score, but spoilt Covent Garden regulars will miss the detail, the variety and the sheer passion that Pappano brings to Tosca. What looked on paper like a routine revival of a warhorse production was instead elevated to the extraordinary by the powerful performances of its central cast.
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La Bohème - Bayerische Staatsoper, Nationaltheater, Munich, 30 December 2009
Otto Schenk's Munich Bohème, which recently celebrated its fortieth birthday, proves that a traditional production if thoughtfully crafted needn't have a sell-by date. From a glance at the photos, it doesn't look that different from Covent Garden's slightly younger yet markedly more tired effort. What sets it apart are the details. It's sensitive to the emotional temperature of the music, attentive to the text, and doesn't indulge in gratuitous additions. Nobody just stands there and barks out their lines across the stage. When Rodolfo and Mimi fall in love, they move closer together. When she's in bed dying, his arm supports her.
What is particularly successful is that even on the packed stage of the second act, the eye is unerringly directed towards the action. Not earth-shattering stuff but it takes great skill. A novice could follow the action without understanding the words or knowing the plot. The production illustrates the story, which is the one and only selling point of the traditional style. Otherwise it's just a concert performance with a twee backdrop. Mentioning no names.
Under Asher Fisch the orchestra were sleekly assured. Not the most detailed or dramatically exhilarating performance I've ever heard, but a beautifully balanced and mature reading.
This particular run is outstandingly well-cast, and there were some superb performances. All were slow to find their voices - we had to wait until the third act for Anja Harteros's wobbles to settle and her sweet and touching Mimi to blossom. I could forgive a little shoutiness from Levente Molnár's big-hearted joy of a Marcello, and Musetta's petulant charm was captured perfectly in the beautiful silvery soprano of Elena Tsallagova, a name to watch out for. But Massimo Giordano's Rodolfo stole the show, a reminder that the real tragedy in La Bohème is not Mimi's death, but Rodolfo's loss. Giordano's grief radiated across the auditorium - I wonder if anyone managed to stem a tear.
***** more photos on next page *****
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La Traviata - Bayerische Staatsoper, Nationaltheater, Munich, 22 March 2008
I'm not the world's biggest La Traviata fan - it takes an exceptional performance to draw me close to its cold heart. But I happened to be in Munich on the opening night of this revival, and with a second row side Balkon (dress circle) seat available for just 15.50€ - it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.
Of course, the 1/8 or so of the stage I couldn't see (photo left was taken from my seat) happened to be the part where 7/8 of the action was staged, but such is life. The other disadvantage of these seats is that they're barstool height, and the metal footrest gets uncomfortable quite quickly. I wouldn't chance a Wagner marathon sitting here, but it was OK for the snappy La Traviata.
Günter Krämer's crowd-pleasing Art Deco-ish production has been around for a while, but it's not showing its age too badly. Lacquered walls and sparkling crystal suggest the glamour of Violetta's party life, a leaf-strewn sparely furnished garden the deprivations of the country. Violetta's status in her adopted society is none too clearly signalled, but then this production shies from social comment anyway. Neither concept nor visuals distract from the intimacy of the drama - nor, perilously, from any inadequacies in the main performances. Everyone has to deliver in this show, and it was strongly cast.
Norah Amsellem delivered a highly professional Violetta, powerfully and accurately sung, but about as vulnerable as Heather Mills McCartney. You couldn't fault her, but her gritty spunk completely failed to touch any part of my cynical heart either. A sympathetic Violetta is make or break for Traviata, and Amsellem didn't come close. I began to see Germont's point of view for the first time.
He was most ably played tonight by the distinguished looking/sounding Franco Vassallo, surprisingly not even 40 yet. He has all the natural authority and dignity the role requires. His voice isn't quite the burnished mahogany I'd like to hear, but it's warm and effortlessly projected.
Massimo Giordano made an oddly nervy Alfredo to begin with, his powerful tenor overlaid with goaty bleat. His ardour for Violetta was restrained, but it convinced. He couldn't quite stretch to anger at her presumed betrayal. There was perhaps a little too much dignity and not quite enough passion, but at least he has a genuinely Italianate sound.
Massimo Zanetti conducted with tremendous verve, sometimes recklessly fast. He almost lost the chorus in their two fast numbers, but just about held the reins. The orchestra had tremendous polish throughout, never sinking into that default village-band sound that so often accompanies Verdi. It was symptomatic of a slick performance that could have rolled out of the local BMW factory, but never moved me.
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