United States Mozart, Don Giovanni: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Metropolitan Opera, New York / Nathalie Stutzmann (conductor). Broadcast Live in HD to Dundonald Omniplex Cinema, Belfast, 20.5.2023. (RB)
Production:
Production – Ivo Van Hove
Set and Lighting – Jan Versweyveld
Costume – An D’Huys
Projection – Christopher Ash
Choreographer – Sara Erde
Cast:
Donna Anna – Federica Lombardi
Donna Elvira – Ana Maria Martinez
Zerlina – Ying Fang
Don Ottavio – Ben Bliss
Don Giovanni – Peter Mattei
Leporello – Adam Plachetka
Masetto – Alfred Walker
Commendatore – Alexander Tsymbalyuk
The Met: Live in HD Director – Gary Halvorson
The Met: Live in HD Host – Erin Morley
Producer Ivo van Hove and conductor, Nathalie Stutzmann have been each making their Met debuts on this manufacturing of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Van Hove is the Tony Award-winning director of A View from the Bridge and West Side Story. In this manufacturing he supplied a brand new tackle the opera utilizing an summary architectural panorama and with a concentrate on the darkness of the story. Stutzmann was a contralto and chamber musician earlier than changing into a conductor. She lately acquired right into a spat with the Met orchestra following feedback she made in The New York Times, however they appeared to work collectively effectively on this manufacturing.
Van Hove up to date the manufacturing from seventeeth-century Seville to the current day. Jan Versweyveld’s set consisted of a number of brutalist buildings with winding stairways resulting in darkish hallways and alcoves. The Dutch mathematical graphic artist, M C Escher, offered the inspiration for the designs. The stage was in darkness and half lights for a lot of the manufacturing and at numerous factors smoke rose from the ground underlining the infernal nature of the story. The males wore sharp fits whereas the ladies wore stylish however plain trendy clothes. There was an oppressive monochrome really feel to the manufacturing which was solely dissipated by the daylight within the closing scene.
In the interviews throughout the interval van Hove identified that the unique title of the opera was, ‘The Libertine Punished’. He mentioned that he wished the viewers to see the darkish soul of the work together with the predatory sexual behaviour and the unpredictable outbursts of violence. There was a big quantity of violence and bloodletting on this manufacturing. Don Giovanni shoots the Commendatore at first of the opera and carries a holstered gun round with him, as do among the different characters (a reference maybe to the shortage of gun management within the US). The Commendatore subsequently wanders across the stage as a ghost-like wraith with the wound in his chest clearly seen. When Don Giovanni assaults Masetto the latter’s face is roofed in blood. The general conception of the work was sensible and added fascinating insights into the opera.
However, there have been additionally some missteps which detracted from the manufacturing. In the ballroom scene on the finish of Act I, many of the forged have been wearing fits and trendy clothes whereas Anna, Elvira and Ottavio arrived carrying eighteenth-century costumes. Mannequins in eighteenth-century costumes have been positioned within the alcoves of the buildings. The mismatch within the costumes and the usage of mannequins was odd and it was not convincing or efficient dramatically. There have been additionally a couple of scenes the place characters have been alleged to be in disguise, however their faces have been clearly seen. The scene the place Elvira supposedly errors Leporello for Don Giovanni grew to become more and more weird as she might see Leporello’s face the entire time.
The forged have been fairly merely excellent and have been firing on all cylinders all through. Peter Mattei appeared to bodily inhabit the position of Don Giovanni. He achieved an ideal stability between the seductive and the extra harmful parts of the character as he moved seamlessly from a ravishing seduction of Zerlina to a violent assault on Masetto. Mattei introduced a cultivated magnificence and a whiff of superiority to the efficiency though the underlying malevolence was by no means removed from the floor. Mattei’s singing was exquisitely lovely all through. He introduced silky legato phrases and a stunning tonal lustre to ‘La ci darem la mano’ and to the serenade in Act II. The ‘champagne aria’ in Act I used to be delivered with vibrancy and gusto.
Don Ottavio is usually portrayed as a quite conflicted and reluctant avenger on this opera. Ben Bliss portrayed him in a way more assertive and edgy means. In doing so he made the connection with Donna Anna appear way more credible. He sang ‘Dalla sua pace’ with beautiful lyricism and sustained the prolonged strains fantastically. Bliss added plenty of very tasteful elaborations to ‘Il mio tesoro’ and gave a supremely elegant efficiency. Adam Plachetka’s Leporello was extra of a reluctant confederate than a associate in crime to Mattei’s Giovanni. He introduced a lot wanted levity and humour to this very black manufacturing. He sang very effectively though he might often have been tighter rhythmically. He labored effectively together with his orchestral companions and introduced a profitable exuberance to {the catalogue} aria. Alexander Tsymbalyuk was highly effective and authoritative because the Commendatore whereas Alfred Walker gave an achieved efficiency though he did appear just a little outdated to be taking part in Masetto.
The three feminine leads have been spectacular of their respective roles. Federica Lombardi’s Donna Anna was a fiery, sensual determine. Lombardi’s singing was filled with dramatic depth and blazing high notes. She produced a ravishing sound and extremely polished coloratura in ‘Non mir dir’. Ana Maria Martinez captured the complicated contradictions in Elvira’s character and did a wonderful job navigating the demanding leaps and coloratura within the vocal line. Her efficiency of ‘Mi Tradi’ was good though I’d have preferred her to convey just a little extra lyricism to the vocal line. Ying Fang’s Zerlina was feisty and assertive, and he or she introduced out the playful parts of the character extraordinarily effectively. She sang with a vocal purity and fantastically modulated colors.
Nathalie Stutzmann is a singer herself and he or she was very attentive to the wants of the forged. The pacing of the fabric was spot on, and I preferred the marginally slower tempo she adopted for ‘La ci darem’ because it allowed extra space for this most sensuous of seductions to happen. The orchestra fired on all cylinders all through the efficiency and there was a wonderful stability and rapport with the singers.
Erin Morley proved an attractive host for this Live in HD manufacturing. In her interviews with the singers, she introduced out fascinating insights in regards to the characters and the strategy that they had taken to this manufacturing. There was additionally an attention-grabbing interview with van Hove and Versweyveld the place they defined the strategy that they had taken to this manufacturing.
Overall, this was a extremely progressive and interesting new manufacturing of Don Giovanni that includes superlative singing from a first-rate forged.
Robert Beattie