NOZZE DI FIGARO at the Met

Saturday October 6, 2007 matinee - Seeing NOZZE DI FIGARO three times in the course of eight days is a lot of NOZZE even if it's one of your top-ten operas and features two of your favorite sopranos: Lisette Oropesa {Hobermann Studios headshot, left} as Susanna and Hei-Kyung Hong as the Contessa.

The performance was superb; the cast has begun to relax and interact more naturally. Everyone was in  fine voice today and it was particularly satisfying to hear Erwin Schrott (Figaro) steering clear of his earlier mannerisms and vocal mugging to actually SING the notes today. Added to his blazing stage presence, Schrott won himself an ovation. Anke Vondung (Cherubino) also hit the gold today with her "Voi che sapete", one of the highlights of the afternoon. Michele Pertusi (Count Almaviva) fumed as his various schemes failed to work in his favor, and he was in robust voice. Another casting highlight brought us a vivid characterization of Marcellina from the famed Irish mezzo Ann Murray; she and Lisette were a delight in their 'rivalry ' duet in Act I and Murray carried off the whole scene of the revelation of Figaro's parentage with great comic flair, ending up with her son (Mr. Schrott) on her lap. Maurizio Muraro as her accomplice and soon-to-be spouse was another gem. Kathleen Kim is a tiny woman with a perky voice; tenors Robin Leggate and the excellent Bernard Fitch, along with basso Patrick Carfizzi filled out the lively cast.

Lisette and Hei-Kyung were really magnificent today. Lisette's voice steals magically into the big house, her tone pearly and sweet. Her comic timing is now honed to perfection in the role and she has added a few touches of her own. Her singing of "Deh vieni non tardar" cast a spell over the house...again. Hei-Kyung was on radiant form, the voice silken and luxuriantly smooth. Her portrayal of the wronged wife, holding up with noble courage under her husband's indignities, is enhanced by her beautiful face and figure. "Dove sono" won the afternoon's longest applause and the audience lavished her with love at the curtain calls.

Lisette's mom and her grand-parents were up from Louisiana for the performance and what a pleasure to meet them; you can see where Lisette got her good-natured charm from. It was fun watching Lisette meeting the fans after the performance; when I first met her last December I asked her "Do you have any fans yet?" and she replied "Only you!". I knew that situation wouldn't last long. The best thing about these Susannas is that a much wider audience has now discovered the beauty and clarity of her singing as well as her enchanting personality. Costume photos by Eric Crow, Lisette's husband.

Rob Scott of CAMI is Lisette's manager {below}.

 

Comments

[Dmitry]

I concur. I only objected somewhat to the monkey waving his arms in the orchestra pit. But everyone on the stage was ON this afternoon; it was one of those performances. LE NOZZE is my favorite opera and "Deh vieni" is perhaps my favorite aria. Lisette sang it to perfection. Her performance had it all: warmth, charm, sweetness and spunkiness (is that a word?) Schrott was a marvelous Figaro, singing beautifully and physically he's something of a stage animal. You just never knew what he was going to do next (in a good way.) He and Lisette have wonderful chemistry on stage. I've been somewhat weary of Hong over the last few years, but this afternoon she did nothing wrong. (Except falling behind everyone else on one occasion in the finale ensabmle, but that happens.) Her singing was glorious and she showed us a Countess who isn't just a long-suffering mope. This Rosina can scheme with the best of them, which we sometimes forget she did back in the day before she married the Count! Pertusi huffed and puffed (not literally) very well indeed. And Vondung was a very sexy and hormonally fidgeting Cherubino. The smaller roles were all very well taken.

The staging has changed quite a bit from the time when this wonderful production was new. Jonathan Miller might have been a prick to work with, but his vision of the piece was golden. I recall that one of the biggest laughs back in the day came in Act 4 when Susanna-as-Countess tells Figaro, as the Count looks on, "Do with me what you will" as she lies down on the ground ready for...ahem, action. I rather missed that little touch of baffonery this time around.

One thing I wondered about as I listened was: why don't singers at the Met ornament in Mozart? I think I've heard that Levine objects to ornamentation, which is absurd if true. Historically singers most certainly did ornament their arias and I'd love to hear this happen more. Marc Minkowski's recording of the opera is one of my favorites. His cast isn't the greatest, but every aria is ornamented and the results are so refreshing. (Claudio Abbado's set also has some ornamenting, but Minkowski's takes the cake.)

[Philip]

I agree that Mozart should be moderately embellished; isn't it generally the conductor who decides? Hei-Kyung did a couple of subtle decorations in 'Dove sono'...back in the 1970s Johanna Meier sang a superbly embellished version of that aria at NYCO; after the performance I asked her about her ornamentations and she said she and Christopher Keene wrote them out together. However, it was the only instance of embellishment in that production and the rest of the cast sang the music 'straight'.

In the Beaumarchais plays, don't the events in NOZZE follow those of BARBIERE by about three years? Wouldn't the Contessa be between 18-21 years old and Susanna most likely around 15? I need to do some Beaumarchais research.