'Verismo Passions' at the Met
At the Met, it's the 52nd week of livestreaming. Pretty impressive. They are offering 'Verismo Passions'. Here's what you can view (our dates).
Tuesday, March 9 Puccini’s Manon Lescaut It was Pucchini's first triumph, and this production of his Manon Lescaut is a vintage Met triumph. Starring Renata Scotto and Plácido Domingo, it's conducted by James Levine. Production by Gian Carlo Menotti. From March 29, 1980.
NYTimes asserts, 'One cannot imagine a much better ''Manon Lescaut'' than this one, taped at the Metropolitan Opera House on March 29, 1980. Renata Scotto.. is in her best late voice; her singing has empathy and style, and her acting is convincing. Placido Domingo (also in photo) is a wonderfully ardent and lyrical Des Grieux'.
It's the historic 'period' Manon, contrasting dramatically with recent productions. Check out our blog post on the opera, its origins and its music. And meet Manon, and her story, in our earlier post.
The Met's fascinating account of the history of its productions of this opera proudly quotes a review of the 1980 production screening tonight, “The new Manon Lescaut had an old-style lushness and eye-filling realism that had the public in ecstasies”
Wednesday, March 10 Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci Starring Eva-Maria Westbroek, Marcelo Álvarez, and George Gagnidze; Patricia Racette, Marcelo Álvarez, George Gagnidze, and Lucas Meachem, conducted by Fabio Luisi. Production by Sir David McVicar. From April 25, 2015.
Well it's not Zeffirelli. This is the Met's longawaited McVicar production of the classic verismo opera double-bill and it's deliberately departing from the Zeffirelli mode.
Everyone agrees the stars do well - especially Patricia Racette (left) in Pagliacci. The production is the complaint. A qualified success says Bachtrack. Classical Voice is not impressed. But the music remains - Vulture concludes, 'The most powerful reason to see this production is to hear the conductor Fabio Luisi bring old-fashioned briskness to an often overboiled score.'
Thursday, March 11 Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur Starring Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczała and Ambrogio Maestri, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Production by Sir David McVicar. From January 12, 2019.
Never heard of the opera or the composer? Cilea was not helped by writing in the time of Puccini, and is on the list of composers with just one successful opera - (a list which of course includes Mascagni and Leoncavallo.) But this opera is revived not so much for the versimo drama (it's a pretty simple plot) but for the lead roles, especially for soprano and mezzo. David McVicar’s staging—which recreates an 18th–century French theater in exacting detail—is the work’s first new Met production in more than 50 years.
The Met produced this vehicle for three of its box office stars, Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili and Piotr Beczała (here's his interview in the intermission). It was their opening Gala performance - not bad for a little-known work, and a clear sign of the importance of star names. Netrebko and Rachvelishvili come to it from playing the rivals in Aida, a similar plot if you boil it down!
Here are these formidable women in discussion of loving the same man. And Netrebko triumphs in the solo arias. Listen to her final aria "Poor flowers". Tommasini for NYTimes applauded - and gives some background to the opera.
Friday, March 12 Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini Starring Eva-Maria Westbroek, Marcello Giordani, Robert Brubaker, and Mark Delavan, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Piero Faggioni. From March 16, 2013.
Saturday, March 13 Giordano’s Fedora Starring Mirella Freni, Ainhoa Arteta, Plácido Domingo, Dwayne Croft, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, conducted by Roberto Abbado. Production by Beppe De Tomasi. From April 26, 1997.
Sunday, March 14 Giordano’s Andrea Chénier Starring Maria Guleghina, Wendy White, Stephanie Blythe, Luciano Pavarotti, and Juan Pons, conducted by James Levine. Production by Nicolas Joël. From October 15, 1996.
Monday, March 15 Puccini’s Tosca Starring Sonya Yoncheva, Vittorio Grigolo, Željko Lučić, and Patrick Carfizzi, conducted by Emmanuel Villaume. Production by Sir David McVicar. From January 27, 2018.
McVicar again, and a rapid shift back for the Met to a Tosca set in detailed reality, as it had been by Zeffirelli. Bachtrack here. strongly approved! Yoncheva and Grigolo are both performing role debuts - and won strong reviews. Here's wqxr.
Read all about the opera and its settings in our blog post here. Željko Lučić, is an extraordinary example of the power of a baritone actor. Interview here. Our blog here on the role of Scarpia. but there was criticism for his Scarpia in this production.