Goodness Triumphant - La Cenerentola Met HD Broadcast 10th May 2014

May 10th was a busy day for me operatically speaking; first I had a matinee performance of Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera, swiftly followed by the final Met HD broadcast of the season with the enticing Joyce di Donato and superlative Juan Diego Florez.  That I've decided to concentrate this blog on La Cenerentola is no reflection on the standard of performance of Le Nozze di Figaro.  With a cast containing Gerald Finlay, Rebecca Evans and Camila Tilling it was certainly one of the finest performances I've attended recently. However, this was my very first Cenerentola...and apparently Joyce di Donato's last and it just felt right to dedicate this post to Cinderella herself.

I must admit to not being entirely comfortable with Rossini - especially comic Rossini - the endless coloratura and interminable crescendi don't really do it for me.  I suppose when it boils down to it I like my opera laced with a bit of tragedy and if there isn't at least one dead body by the end of the evening I feel slightly disappointed.  However, I do love Joyce's voice and this was her last outing in one of her signature roles so I was prepared to put doubts to one side and dive in.

This was only my second experience of a Met HD broadcast and once again I was not disappointed.  The cinema was packed - not a single seat was empty and the audience seemed keen and enthusiastic.  There was a lot of laughter and applause during the evening.  And not without cause.  The opera fairly fizzed along with barely a moment to pause for breath.

The plot is slight but very familiar so it was all about the singing and characterisation for me.  I'm not really a bel canto expert but I was really overawed by the vocal skills on display - by all of the cast.  There was not a single weak link amongst the performers.  This production has been gaining rave reviews in New York, mainly concentrating on the virtuoso tenor skills on display; firstly a 'star is born moment' for Javier Camerena in the role of the Prince and then Juan Diego Florez returning to the role in a case of 'anything you can do I can do better.'  Mr Florez was simply stunning, with not a single note out of place and giving a touching performance as the Prince who falls head over heels.  In previous performances there have been encores of 'Si, lo ritrovarla.'  Tonight, Juan Diego restricted himself to a solo bow to acknowledge the wild applause, perhaps as an acknowledgement that this was Joyce's night after all.

Ms DiDonatao was not outshone in any way and her long partnership with Juan Diego made this special night was all the more special.  I'm not sure exactly why she is retiring the role, but surely not for want of technical ability on her part.  She was immediately believable and sympathetic as the downtrodden Angelina and the audience were behind her all the way.

The rest of the cast were no slouch in the vocal or dramatic stakes either.  Rachelle Dirkin and Patricia Risley as Clorinda and Tisbe were an absolute hoot, even if some of the stage 'business' sometimes descended into farce.  Surely it must be far more difficult to perform comic opera as opposed to dramatic?    Of the male trio of bassi appearing, Pietro Spagnoli as Dandini was the most impressive for me, with expert comic timing and exhibiting a believable relationship with the Prince he was impersonating.  Alessandro Corbelli made light of some taxing patter songs and was believably 'wicked' as Angelina's step-father.  I enjoyed Luca Pisaroni as Alidoro but didn't really know what to make of the role.  What he did was good but alas all too brief I thought.

The production by Cesare Lievi came across well on the big screen, although I found it a bit sparse and in parts without any recognisable logic to it - although perhaps as a fairly tale it doesn't really need it?

And then at then end of the evening, when the girl has married her prince and all hurts have been forgiven, the real emotion set in.  I will admit to a tear in the eye when Joyce acknowledged the applause - all the more so as she looked slightly overcome herself. It must be a difficult decision to give up a much loved role - especially when going on on such a high note.  But then perhaps that is the best way...always leave them wanting more!

Addio del passato......La Traviata, Royal Opera House, 30 April 2014

I wasn't originally going to attend this set of performances of Verdi's classic opera; performances are split between two casts and I was saving my pennies for the second cast - more of which later.  But thanks to the offices of a Twitter friend (thanks Ruth), a standing ticket became mine for this matinee performance.  Even better, due to the slow tickets sales in the more expensive parts of the house, I found myself sitting in the stalls - a very rare occurrence.

This is a handsome and well-known production of Traviata, first seeing the light of day in 1994 and I remember it well from the tv broadcast with Angela Gheorghiu who made such a splash in the role. My hoard of programmes also reveal that I saw this production in the Albert Hall in 1998 during the period when the opera house was closed for refurbishment.  To be honest, I can't remember that much about the Albert Hall experience so I was keen to reacquaint myself with Richard Eyre's production.

The physical production is as traditional as they come but is relatively uncluttered and tells the story well - which is all you can ask of a a production be it traditional or modern.  I liked the contrast between the sumptuous Parisian settings of Act 1 and the second half of Act 2, and the more restrained and slightly abstract look for Violetta and Alfredo's country hideaway at the beginning of Act 2.  Act 3 of course, was all whitewashed desolation as Violetta met her tragic end.

Diana Damrau as Violetta, was one of the main reasons I wanted to catch this cast.  She has only recently taken the role into her repertoire, having previously concentrated on the purely coloratura soprano roles. Reviews have predictably been mixed after performances at La Scala and at the Met.  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but in the end I found her portrayal of this iconic character very moving.  The first act vocal hurdles caused her no problems at all, although I was less keen on her physical embodiment of the character, with a slight case of overacting and over the top gestures.  'Old fashioned' is the phrase that springs to mind. This gradually settled down as the opera progressed - or perhaps I just got used to it.  Either way, she was very physically into the role, certainly fainting and collapsing very impressively on several occasions.  The final act was the most impressive of all and I don't think I have seen another soprano embody the physical frailty of Violetta quite so well.  She even managed to carry off the final 'swan-song' in this production - where the soprano has a last burst of energy and runs around the stage before collapsing. She managed to make this look not only plausible but heartbreaking.

Vocally there were no complaints at all from me.  Not only did she fearlessly throw off the coloratura of the first act (complete with high E to finish), but also negotiated the more dramatic and emotional requirements of Acts 2 and 3.  The audience were suitably appreciative and she received the biggest applause of the day.

Dmitri Hvorotovsky is no stranger to this production, in fact he made his ROH debut as Georgio Germont at the Albert Hall performances which I attended in 1998.  He is probably a little more suited to the elder Gemont now, although he did sound a bit 'throaty' to begin with, he soon warmed up and his duet with Violetta in Act 2 was a masterclass in controlled and beautiful legato.  His physical interpretation was also interesting, suggesting an attraction to Violetta which he manfully tried to hide.  I actually quite liked this approach which makes the elder Germont seem less of a one-dimensional 'baddie' than I have seen portrayed in other productions.

In fact, I did wonder at times why Violetta didn't run off with Papa Germont rather than his son! That's not to say that there was anything wrong with Francesco Demuro's portrayal of Alfredo - just that I didn't really feel there was any special chemistry with Damrau and so I was less involved with the 'tragic romance' aspect on this occasion.  Demuro has a fine lyric voice well suited to this role his Alfredo was impetuous, naive and somewhat self-absorbed and selfish.  I haven't always noticed this about Alfredo before, as in other productions the emphasis can be towards the romance and the undercurrents are forgotten.  It worked well but as I said, I did begin to wonder why Violetta had fallen in love with him.

All in all it was a very satisfying performance of an old favourite.  I tweeted after the performance saying it was 'delightfully old-fashioned'.  This is not a criticism by any means although there was a touch of (deliberate?) nostalgia about the whole thing.  Interpolated high notes, all cabalettas included, sumptuous sets and costumes and end of act curtain calls made the whole things seem like a throwback to another time.  But there were also the old fashioned virtues of fantastic singing, an understandable narrative and total commitment from all involved.

As I mentioned, I'm going to see this production again with the second cast.  Ailyn Perez stars as Violetta with her husband Stephen Costello portraying Alfredo.  And if that wasn't enough there is also the attraction of Simon Keenlyside as Georgio Germont.  To say that I'm looking forward to this would be understatement indeed.