Whew, that was a rough one!
The Metropolitan Opera in New York did its second Live in HD transmission of the season. This time, it's another Guiseppe Verdi classic, Otello. The second of Verdi's forays into Shakespeare, the opera tells the story of the tragic Moor Othello and his wife Desdemona, two unfortunate souls brought down by the evil Iago.
In the story, Otello has recently promoted Michael Cassio to the rank of captain. Iago, who has fought alongside the general in many battles, feels that he deserves the rank and plots his revenge. He tricks Cassio into getting drunk and starting a fight, which causes Cassio to forfeit his rank. Iago then manipulates events from there, tricking Otello into believing that Desdemona is committing adultery with Cassio. Of course it's completely fabricated out of whole cloth, but Otello swallows it, and poor Desdemona by no fault of her own ends up on the receiving end of her husband's insane jealousy. Otello murders his wife in her bed, but then the faithful maidservant Emilia reveals Iago's treachery. Filled with remorse, Otello stabs himself and dies attempting a final kiss.
I am still reeling somewhat after seeing this performance, even though it's been a few days. This production utilizes trickery of perspective and how it affects a person's life. The backdrop is a very dark iron grey while these semi-transparent acrylic walls are moved around to show various locations. There were also a lot of light effects. For example, at the end of Act 3, Otello is resolved to kill his wife and the jealousy and anger provoked by Iago torment him. As he convulses in agony, the interchangeable walls box him in and the lights turn Hell-fire red. The screen that the Met uses in some productions at the beginning of each act portrayed a turbulent sea, as though there is an infernal storm brewing.
Speaking of storms, if you listen to the Act 1 opening scene, there is a storm raging after a battle at sea. The music makes it sound like the very foundations of the universe are being rent asunder. At the climax of the storm, the sound of the woodwinds and trumpets begin to sound like horses neighing, as though the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse themselves were on the scene. The populace prays for mercy on their vessel. The music eases as the ship enters the harbor safely.
I saw Aleksandrs Antonenko last season as the unfortunate Don Jose in Bizet's Carmen (see the November 2014 post for more info). I'd make a joke about specializing in guys who are brought down by jealousy, but I don't think it's accurate. He did an amazing job with the role. In fact, I'd say he rivals Placido Domingo when it comes to this role. I will admit, however, that I shut my eyes quite a bit when I saw this; I just couldn't bear to watch Otello get manipulated by Iago like that.
Sonya Yoncheva debuted at the Met in the role of Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme. She claims that Desdemona is not necessarily a victim, but a strong woman who ends up in a very awful situation. I think she was best when she was defending herself against the false accusations of adultery. I'm not too sure about her vocal abilities, but her acting abilities could outdo the great Maria Callas.
And then there's Željko Lučić as Iago. I've seen portrayals of Iago before, but this one was particularly demonic. Oh my word, I have seen Lučić as the embittered Rigoletto, I have heard him as the conscience-tormented Macbeth, and quite a few others that I can't name off the top of my head right now. But I have never seen him as the semi-satanic Iago. His portrayal was such that I still get the creeps just thinking about it a few days later. Lučić may have a perpetually gruff look on his face, but Iago looks so normal and can go from seeming kind and helpful one moment to being terrifying the next. Also, it has been implied both in the play and in the opera that Iago was abusive to Emilia, his wife; in this performance, he was outright abusive, hitting Emilia when she wouldn't give him the handkerchief (which he uses plants in Cassio's house).
An amazing performance was done by all. I would like to close with James 3: 7-8.
"All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."
With only a few small insinuations, Iago ruins Othello and Desdemona, hurts Cassio, and upsets the whole balance of power in the area which affects the lives of hundreds of people. The tongue is truly a fire.
Most people in my family are sick unto death of this particular rant of mine. Yes, it's true that I tend to be partial to particular cases in history and will complain vigorously if too many liberties are taken when writing adaptations of such events. Sometimes I will let such liberties be for one reason or another.
I hate Franz Schiller with a passion. It was he who wrote a play about Mary Steward that slanderous toward Good Queen Bess, which Donizetti made into Maria Stuarda, Part-Two a three-part melodrama that wrecked English history something awful. And I happen to be a huge fan of Queen Elizabeth I.
Then again, Schiller also wrote Don Carlos, the play off of which Verdi's opera Don Carlo is based, and Don Carlo is one that I like. You're beginning to see my bias here. However, the reason I enjoy Don Carlo and spit bullets at Maria Stuarda has to do with knowing what sources were. I have absolutely no idea where Schiller got the idea for Maria Stuarda, but I do know where he got his source for Don Carlo: Philip II of Spain did not allow people write biographies about during his lifetime. After his death, the people wrote his biographies were mostly those who had gotten the short end of the stick during his reign. And some of them were as twisty as corkscrews themselves. The biography used for Schiller's play (and later Verdi's opera), was actually written one of these corrupt politicians who was trying to cover his own tail. So I can watch Don Carlo knowing full well that there is an unreliable narrator, but it's much harder to watch Maria Stuarda because I don't know the source. Still, I can't watch or listen to Don Carlo without laughing.
There is one history-based opera that I can listen to without trouble and that is another Verdi opera called Un Ballo in Maschera (which I have seen thrice). This opera is a unique example because it was in Development Hell for quite some time. The opera in based off of the real-life assassination of King Gustavus III of Sweden. Many productions today use the original Swedish characters. But when Verdi was first working on it, Italy was in a time of upheaval. The censors panned the opera because of the story centering around the murder of a crowned king, and Italy was still ruled by a monarchy. So the censors didn't want anyone getting any bright ideas about killing the king. So Verdi wound up resetting the opera in Colonial Boston and demoting the king to a governor in order to please the censors.
Because Un Ballo in Maschera has all sorts of alterations, I can enjoy more than Donizetti's Tudor Trilogy. This because the latter keeps the historical domain characters and tries to throw in a lot of melodrama that wasn't needed; whereas the former had to be reset and rewritten, essentially with different characters (hence why I refer to the baritone as Renato Ankarstrom). I can enjoy Don Carlo because I know there was a particular source for it, but even so I still laugh at it. The Tudor Trilogy will always be the worst three operas of all time in my book.
Today was the simulcast of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Il Trovatore. This story centers around two brothers who are separated as young children. They meet again decades later, and not only do they not recognize each other, but they are also in love with the same woman. Add to the mix a Gypsy whose obsession with revenge has left her a few bricks shy of a load, and you've got one heck of a crazy tale.
Finally, five years after making his debut at the Met proper, Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee makes his first appearance Live in HD in the title role of the troubadour Manrico. Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky steps into role of Manrico's rival (and long-lost brother) the Count Di Luna. Soprano Anna Netrebko, who has been kicking off Live in HD series for the past five years or so, is Leanora, the noblewoman over whom the men are fighting. And mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick is Azucena, the half-mad Gypsy woman whose one goal in life is to avenge her mother's death (and she's also Manrico's foster mother, go figure).
This production by Sir David McVicar resets the story from the 15th Century the late 18th Century, and is inspired by various paintings by the artist Fransisco Goya.
In Act One the current Count Di Luna's second-in-command Ferrando tells his men how many years ago, a Gypsy woman managed to get inside the nursery in the old count's castle and was caught bending over the cradle of the count's infant son. The baby got sick and the woman was charged with witchcraft and burnt alive at the stake. Afterwards the baby disappeared and some time later a child's charred skeleton was found among the ashes at the execution site. The current count still looks for his brother, refusing to believe he is dead.
Leanora is awaiting a tryst with the troubadour who has been serenading her every night. Di Luna enters and in the darkness Leanora mistakes him for Manrico. Manrico enters and he and Di Luna duel.
In Act Two we get the famous Anvil Chorus. The Gypsies forge weapons and sing about love while Azucena has a flashback to her mother's execution. Manrico has been wounded in battle and is presumed dead. Azucena tells him of her mother's execution and dying command to avenge her death. Azucena kidnapped the count's son and planned to throw him into the flames, but in a moment of confusion threw her own son in by mistake. This confuses Manrico, but Azucena dodges his questions. A messenger tells Manrico that Leanora has believed rumors of his death and is about to take the veil. Manrico rushes off to prevent her from doing so.
Outside the convent, Di Luna sings of his love for Leanora, and also wishes to prevent her from becoming a nun. Just as the ceremony begins to progress, Di Luna and his men attack hoping to steal Leanora away. At the same time Manrico and his men enter and Leanora runs away with him.
Act Three has Azucena being captured by Di Luna's men and Ferrando recognizes her as the woman who kidnapped Di Luna's brother decades ago. Di Luna orders her execution by burning alive.
Manrico and Leanora are preparing for their wedding when Manrico's second-in-command Ruiz informs him of Azucena's impending execution. Horrified and furious, Manrico rushes to her aid.
When Act Four opens, Manrico rescue attempt has failed and both he and Azucena await execution. A desperate Leanora offers herself to Di Luna in exchange for Manrico's freedom, but secretly swallows poison so that she will remain faithful to Manrico.
Manrico tries to comfort Azucena who is having flashbacks again. Leanora enters and tells Manrico that he is free. He figures out what price she offered and curses her, but the poison is already taking effect. Leanora tells Manrico the whole truth and dies in his arms. Furious at being deceived, Di Luna send Manrico to the scaffold, only for Azucena to triumphantly declare that Manrico was Di Luna's brother and that her mother is avenged.
Let me start with the obvious two first.
For the past couple of years I have been dying to see Yonghoon Lee live, and today I finally got that chance. What a superb singer and actor! The way he did the role was just so amazing, and I could not get enough of him. His chemistry with Anna, Dolora, and even Dima was just superb. I love how he always gets this tormented expression on his face when he sings; it makes his performance all the more passionate. And I think no where was his talent more apparent than when he sang the famous aria "Di Quella Pira" at the end of Act Three.
Dima is certainly a trooper in this performance. After having battled a brain tumor over the summer, he showed such amazing stamina in this very demanding role of the Count Di Luna. He has sung this role Live in HD before, and it was interesting to hear him do it again. I swear, this performance may as well have been a tribute performance for him after what he's gone through. The moment he made his first entrance, the orchestra was just beginning the first notes of the entrance and the audience just burst into applause. And at the end of the opera during the curtain call, not only did he get a hug from Yonghoon, but the orchestra folks threw white roses at him!
Now onto the others.
This is Anna Netrebko's second major Verdi role (last year she sang the murderous Lady Macbeth). I think this role fits her very well. It can be argued that it is a throwback to when she primarily did the bel canto repertoire (as Il Trovatore is sometimes called the last great bel canto opera). I think her best scene was in Act Four when she confronts Di Luna and offers herself to him in order to release Manrico (then again that scene always makes me smile).
Dolora Zajick has owned the role of Azucena at the Met for over two decades. She is so amazing with this role, that I can't imagine another mezzo doing this one. I loved how she portrayed this woman whose desire for revenge has twisted her mind to the point of madness. I think her best scene is her entrance aria in which she recalls her mother's death at the stake. She really should do this one again.
This opera is a must-see for anyone who is new to the art. Verdi's music is just spell-binding, and worth hearing over and over again.
