Oberon's Grove

Luis Lima's Moving Don Carlo

I've been watching this 1985 Royal Opera House performance of one of my favorite operas, Verdi's DON CARLO. I bought it on VHS - used - for a pittance from Amazon. The Luchino Visconti production dates from 1958 when, if I recall correctly, it was all black-and-white: sets  & costumes without color. That's changed over the years and it looks like the female leads may have brought their own costumes for this revival. The sets look dusty and creaky and the stage direction is routine.

Bernard Haitink on the podium does wonders with the wondrous score. The cast ranges from splendid to middling, though everyone seems committed. Robert Lloyd is a magnificent Philip II, his monologue sung with a haunting sense of foreboding, and he sits very still throughout - almost as if in a dream. Veteran Joseph Rouleau's voice retains its power and he is scary as the blind Inquisitor, his eyes eerily focussed on the hereafter. Giorgio Zancanaro has a couple of flattish moments but he has the line and the nobility of expression for Posa's music. Bruna Baglioni is a mature and rather provincial-sounding  Eboli but she wisely husbands her resources so that 'O don fatale' is the apex of her performance. I saw Baglioni as an exciting Azucena in Hartford and also as Laura in GIOCONDA at the Met, both prior to this DON CARLO. Ileana Cotrubas is not a natural for Elisabetta and there are times when the big, arching lines don't work out for her. The Romanian soprano's sometimes sour timbre is not to all tastes (I feel Dmitry about to chime in here!) and her lack of a long breath-line exposes her to problems along the way. But she's always been a very touching singer in my book especially as Violetta, Mimi and her incredibly 'right'  Tatyana in ONEGIN which Jan and I enjoyed so much at the Met in 1984.

I was not prepared for the very moving portrayal of Don Carlo from Luis Lima. In 1978 I saw the NYC Opera debut of this handsome Argentine tenor in a BUTTERFLY with Patricia Craig; he sang generously and quite well. Over the following years, I chanced to hear him a few times: always acceptable, never memorable. In 1998 he was singing Don Carlo at the Met and was unable to finish the performance; in 2001 he replaced Ramon Vargas in a run of TRAVIATA here and his voice was pretty much spent, though he remained a passionate interpreter and still looked good. It is his passion and his youthful appearance that make his Don Carlo in this London version so fine; using his enormous dark eyes and even his luxuriant hair, Luis Lima becomes Don Carlo.   

Lima was never blessed with anything more than a serviceable instrument. Here he sings well enough if without the colour or finesse of a great Verdi stylist. But from a dramatic standpoint, he truly makes an impression. The real Don Carlo was a hunchback and reportedly mentally deranged to the point of drooling; he supposedly had a penchant for torturing small animals. In the opera he is highly romanticized, but Lima brings an 'authentic' look not only of youth but of the hunched shoulders and the wide-eyed gaze of someone bordering on madness. Carlo's brief happiness at meeting his prospective bride, Elisabetta di Valois, is quickly shattered when - for political reasons - she is wed to his father Philip II instead. His ardor and the flickering expressions of incipient madness when his bride is stolen from him are beautifully delineated by Lima. Playing off his small physical stature, Lima's unhappy prince is buffeted by every possible misfortune: he painfully pours out his heart to his 'mother' only to be cruelly rejected; Eboli offers her heart to him and when he graciously tells her he cannot love her, she becomes furious. By this time poor Luis is even talking to himself.

In prison, Carlo is visited by his only friend Rodrigo and just as the prince begins to feel some hope, the Inquisition's guards murder Rodrigo. With his friend dying in his arms, Lima reminds us that death is always hardest on those who remain behind. His expressions of utmost despair and helplessness are heart-wrenching. At the monastery of St. Juste, Carlo bids a final farewell to Elisabetta. If you've ever tried singing while you are weeping, you'll know it is well nigh impossible. But that's exactly what Luis manages to do. At the end, as the Inquisitor's guards close in on him, Carlo is rescued by the ghost of his grandfather - the Emperor Charles V - and drawn into the safety of the cloister. Lima's total incomprehension of all that has befallen him is summarized as he staggers blindly towards oblivion.   

Spotted Hawk

Normally when I go out hiking, I slip my camera into my pocket. This morning I didn't plan to be out long so I thought, "Nah...skip it!" and wouldn't you know, the most beautiful bird was sitting on a log near the inlet. He was so calm and noble looking, and he eyed me attentively. His chest was beautifully spotted, brown-on-beige, and the distinctive beak told me he was some member of the hawk family. I came home and searched thru Google Images where I found this photo - it's him, exactly. I hope he'll still be there tomorrow so I can photograph him. In addition to ducks, gulls and geese we have had a very large swan, several egrets and a tern up here on the inlet in Inwood Hill Park. In the woods I've seen some really beautiful, colorful small birds as well as the softly cooing mourning doves. I don't consider myself a bird-watcher but I do enjoy seeing them in their many varieties, and their clear songs are always an enhancement to my mornings.

Love Notes for Lisette

Of Lisette's performance in the Met's gorgeous new production of Gluck's IPHIGENIE EN TAURIDE, the following from VARIETY: "... in the small part of the First Priestess, Lisette Oropesa reveals a crystalline soprano and a sympathetic stage presence. The Met would do well to put her on the fast track toward more important roles."  And the NEW YORK SUN said: "And making an impression in a very small role, the First Priestess, was Lisette Oropesa, a young American soprano. She has many gifts, including a striking instrument and a sense of music. She showed this as Susanna, in the Met's "Marriage of Figaro," earlier this season, and she showed it again in even her few lines on Tuesday night."

Lincoln's Birthday

As we continue to celebrate Lincoln Kirstein's 100th birthday, I've been reading David Leddick's triple biography of Kirstein, Paul Cadmus and George Platt Lynes, INTIMATE COMPANIONS. I guess we always think of Lincoln as a grand old man, an eminence grise towering over Suzanne Farrell at her farewell or watching Balanchine/Stravinsky rehearsals with a stony expression. In his younger days, Lincoln was really quite handsome - as this 1932 Max Ewing photograph shows. I love his direct gaze and the somewhat devilish line of his eyebrows. He looks sexy and intense. Lincoln married Fidelma Cadmus, sister of Paul; some say he married Fidelma because he could not marry Paul.

And here is an even earlier photo of the very pensive young man, dating from 1925. Since New York City Ballet still seems so 'contemporary' it's fascinating to think that its roots go back so far. Kirstein was in Venice in 1929 and chanced to see the cortege of funeral gondolas bearing Diaghilev's remains along the Grand Canal. That he was, in a way, to inherit Diaghilev's mantle seems one of those odd workings of fate. Lucky for us that Lincoln became obsessed with Balanchine's work and with the idea of bringing both the school and the Company to fruition. Lincoln said, "My father gave me the idea that anything was possible." And Balanchine said of Lincoln: "He gives you money and runs away before you can thank him."  We are still thanking him today. 

 

Kyle, Lisette & Ezgi

From Kyle Froman's book signing at the Lincoln Center Chistmas tree-lighting festivities, here's Kyle with Lisette Oropesa and me. Kyle & Lisette are great smilers, no? And while we're speaking of smiles, how about mezzo-soprano Ezgi Kutlu with Lisette after the recent Licia Albanese/Puccini Foundation Gala?

Up here in Inwood, the  Autumn colours are fading fast. It seemed to me that the reds and  golds were less vivid this year, maybe because we had a pretty dry summer. I'm wondering how Sandi's move to Inwood went and whether she's checked out our great park yet.

Tree-Lighting at Lincoln Center

Monday November 26, 2007 - Minnie Mouse was among the many celebrities on-hand for the lighting of the big Christmas tree at Lincoln Center. The rainy weather may have kept some folks away, but by the time the entertainment began there was a pretty good crowd on the Plaza.

I met up with Lisette Oropesa and her husband Eric and Lisette's Met Young Artist colleague baritone John Michael Moore. There was a run thru of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' and between them Lisette and John figured out the proper sequence of words. Then I went off on a circling of the Plaza to find where Kyle Froman was signing his book, IN THE WINGS. I wanted Lisette to come with me, since I love it when my opera and ballet worlds merge.

Kyle was so kind, and it was great meeting his husband Andrew who was photographing the proceedings. Kyle wrote a very nice inscription in my book and then posed for photos with Lisette. I told her that Kyle was currently performing Drosselmeyer in NUTCRACKER and it turned out that Lisette has never seen the Balanchine classic so hopefully we can rectify that situation this Winter.

Meanwhile the festivities were about to begin. On the terrace of the Met, Jennifer Aylmer, Kate Lindsey and Sasha Cooke performed a scene from the upcoming Met production of HANSEL & GRETEL. Sasha, in a phenomenal costume as the old Sandman, sounded wonderful. Jennifer and Kate sang the famous Prayer duet. Lisette will be portraying the Dew Fairy in this production; she had her first staging rehearsal earlier today. All the designs and photos I've seen to date indicate this will be a 'dark' rather than a 'cute' HANSEL.

From the Promenade level of the State Theatre, the charming Tom Gold and my delectable Abi Stafford danced Candy Cane and Sugar Plum solos from NUTCRACKER backed by smalls corps of students from SAB. The choreography of these numbers was altered due to space constraints, and Tom did not use a hoop - luckily, or he might have sailed right over the edge. Lisette and I were sympathizing with Abi in her bare-shouldered tutu on such a damp, raw evening. But the plucky ballerina seemed unfazed.

A brass ensemble from Lisette's home state of Louisiana delighted my young soprano friend, and vocalist Dar Williams had an all too brief contribution to the programme. Then Mickey & Minnie appeared and lit the huge tree using magic wands.

Then Lisette, Eric and I trekked  over to Pain Quotidien for delicious carrot soup, pastries and hot cocoa.

Do you believe in the power of thought?  Just yesterday, out of the blue, I thought about one of my Tower colleagues and wondered where he was now; it's been exactly a year since Tower closed and these great people I used to see every day are now scattered about the City and beyond. But when I came down to the subway platform tonight, there was Masaya - and it was a real joy to see him again.

2007 NUTCRACKER #1

Sunday November 25, 2007 at 1:00 - I thought I could get thru the first week of the New York City Ballet's current season without a NUTCRACKER but I heard Maria K, Ashley B and Chuck calling me and I couldn't resist. It's been a while since I'd seen Maria's Sugar Plum Fairy; Dewdrop is one of Bouder's masterpieces, and Charles Askegard is always such an attentive and elegant cavalier. Scanning further down the cast list, the beloved names popped up: Tom Gold, Tess Reichlen, Daniel Ulbricht...and then the inevitable clincher: Rachel & Abi leading the Waltz. As the Borg are so fond of saying: "Resistance is futile!"

The house was almost full, but rather stingy with applause. Maestro Karoui tends to take things very rapidly; the Polichinelles were hard-pressed to get all their steps in, but they did it. Mssr. Karoui does bring out some wonderful details, like the ominous quality of the music leading up to the soldier's solo (nicely danced by Aaron Severini) and the harp glissandi in the Snowflake scene. There are a lot of new faces in the Corps and it will take some time putting names to them all. Dear Dena Abergel and Jason Fowler (welcome back!) were the Stahlbaums today, and Robert LaFosse  was Drosselmeyer.  Watching Georgina Pazcoguin and Stephanie Zungre as Harlequin and Columbine, I was thinking I'd love to see them dancing Sugar Plum and Dewdrop. Rachel Piskin led off the Snowflakes, and I loved watching the delicate Erica Pereira as well as Katie Bergstrom and Ashley Laracey. Lauren King, who stepped in as Marzipan in place of Alina Dronova, sportingly appeared in the snow scene as well, and I thought Pazcoguin was especially riveting here.

Once we reached the Kingdom of the Sweets there was plenty to enjoy, notably Teresa Reichlen's luxuriously languid Arabian and Lauren King's sweet Marzipan. Tess managed to hold the somewhat unsettled crowd of youngsters in her thrall; Lauren looks extremely pretty and was backed by an attractive quartet: Maya Collins, Ashley Laracey, Stephanie Zungre and Glenn Keenan who was subbing for Amanda Hankes. Savannah Lowery and Amar Ramasar seemed to be having fun in Hot Chocolate; their fellow Spaniards were almost all new to me. Daniel Ulbricht is fantastic in Tea and Tom Gold is ever the imperial Candy Cane. It seems to me that in recent seasons, Mother Ginger has been played in a rather subdued manner - I've seen her really camped up in the past - and Adrian Danchig-Waring went thru the routine amiably. Adrian should be dancing the SPF cavalier, though.

A Saturday matinee, one of three back-to-back Dewdrops for Ashley Bouder...I wouldn't have blamed her if she'd coasted thru it. Instead she danced like it was opening night at La Scala. The Bouder magic was at full-force today, everything so daringly phrased and so brilliantly executed. The myriad turns and the naughtily held balances are all delivered with the mischievous Bouder grin and ample lyricism to boot. A great performance! Rachel Rutherford and Abi Stafford led the Flowers - it's always frustrating to watch this number because the two demis are usually at opposite sides of the stage and you have to decide which one to concentrate on. They both looked lovely, as did Marika Anderson and Katie B.

Bouder's Dewdrop sets the 'barre' very high; whoever follows her in the pas de deux has to be at her very best and Maria Kowroski, with her cool grandeur and revelatory extension, was a remarkable Sugar Plum, dancing with her established partner, Charles Askegard. Charles is thoroughly attuned to everything Maria does so that the technical demands of this piece - which are many - are delivered with consummate clarity. Maria's swiftly rushing leaps to Chuck's shoulder and his flashy 'hands-off'  were especially nice today. At the climax, Maria took a neat balance before Charles swept her into the final pose. Uncannily, he actually gave her a slight toss before she plunged into the dive. I just loved watching them together.

O Christmas Tree!

On Monday November 26 at 5:00 PM , Kyle Froman will be signing copies of his book IN THE WINGS just prior to the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at Lincoln Center. Look for him near the Wedgwood ornament and book kiosk. I hope Gwyneth Muller won't mind that I've borrowed her beautiful picture of Kyle with Dana Hanson, costumed for VIENNA WALTZES. Wei & I really miss Dana; she is now on the faculty at Pacific Northwest Ballet.
 

Another great reason to go to Lincoln Center on the 26th will be to hear Jennifer Aylmer and Kate Lindsey sing a duet from HANSEL & GRETEL. Kate is presently in the midst of her performances as Cherubino in the Met's NOZZE DE FIGARO. A little bird told me that Sasha Cooke is also going to be singing. In addition to the opera gals, City Ballet's Megan Fairchild and Tom Gold are to appear in NUTCRACKER excerpts, and vocalist Dar Williams will sing Christmas carols. And at 6:00 the tree will be lit by Mickey & Minnie Mouse. See you there!

Met's IPHIGENIE Dress Rehearsal

Friday November 23, 2007 - Thanks to Lisette Oropesa's kindness, I was able to attend the dress rehearsal of the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Gluck's IPHIGENIE EN TAURIDE. Placido Domingo (Oreste), Paul Groves (Pylade) and Susan Graham in the title role are shown in Ken Howard's rehearsal photos from the Met website.

It's one of the most moving and satisfying productions of any opera I've ever seen and all I can do is urge everyone to see it if you possibly can. The music is profoundly beautiful and the singers were so attuned to the emotional content of the words. Everyone onstage was deeply committed and thoroughly involved in the drama and the poetry at every single moment. And Louis Langree's orchestra was a key factor in the musical success of the afternoon.

The three principal singers were thrilling vocally and - even more importantly - in the expressive depth of their singing. Susan Graham handled the tessitura of this role, which is just a bit too high for her absolute comfort, with skill by relying on dynamics and never straining the tone. I've always liked Susan and I especially enjoyed her Composer in ARIADNE; today's performance was really on an exalted level. And her acting was spectacular in its range from vulnerability to fury.  This is a great triumph for her. Paul Groves as Pylade sang with wonderfully plaintive colours and great tenderness in expressing his love for Oreste. The clarity and warmth of his voice suited the music and the character ideally. One of Placido Domingo's greatest assets as a singer is the utterly unmistakable sound of his voice; you only need to hear a note or two and you know it's him. As a tenor always described as 'baritonal', today he took on a baritone role and sounded 'tenorial'. His passionate and extremely moving vocalizing of the character's madness and longing for death were perfectly expressed by the Domingo instrument. All three of these wonderful artists were profoundly convincing in the desperation of their situation.

William Shimell was a hectoring Thoas, the cruel king  plagued by the demands of the gods. Michele Losier was an attractive Diana. The mimed murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra - probably an expendable device - was strongly played by actors Mark Capri and Jacqueline Antaramian; I remembered Capri from a superb production of CYMBELINE at the Hartford Stage Company. In the photo, the goddess Diana intervenes and puts an end to the ritual sacrifices. Photo from the Seattle performances of this shared production.

Current and recent singers from the Met Lindemann Young Artists Program were exceptional in supporting roles. David Won looked sternly exotic in a marvelous costume, and his voice 'speaks' beautifully in the big House. The luminous-eyed Sasha Cooke is such a distinctive singer (I think l've said that about her before!). And Lisette sounds so intrinsically lyrical in every utterance, her French diction always elegant and her simple dignity and sympathetic expression really making an impression.

The opera begins in silence with the priestesses asleep in the Temple of Diana. Suddenly two soldiers appear, select a maiden at random and she is instantly murdered on the altar. The goddess herself descends from the flies and bears the victim aloft. And then the music begins.

Fresh Casting in Met's NOZZE

Wednesday November 21, 2007 - The Met now has an almost completely different cast  for another run of NOZZE DI FIGARO, including Ekaterina Siurina (Susanna), Bryn Terfel (Figaro) and Simon Keenlyside (Count) as seen in the Ken Howard photo, left. It wasn't a perfect performance, but it's a perfect opera - that's for sure. The orchestra played pretty brilliantly (only the horns fudged momentarily) for Philippe Jordan and if some of his tempi were helter-skelter in the end the overall effect was exhilarating.

Bryn Terfel is a fantastic Figaro on the grand scale and Kate Lindsey, the Met's newest Cherubino, continues a long tradition of excellence in this role for the Company. It took Bryn a while to get the upper voice cleared; a couple notes powerful high notes in Act I  were a bit raspy. But things smoothed out and he treated us to a wonderfully bold and human portrayal, loaded with vocal subtlety and embracing the whole house with his generous artistry. Kate's clear, fine-porcelain timbre made her two arias highlights of the evening. Her boyish portrayal and expressive eyes provided much mirth for the audience. I'll look forward to hearing her many times in the future.

Anja Harteros sings Countess Almaviva. I first heard her voice when my friend Mollie sent me the tapes of her Cardiff win in 1999. At that time I thought she had a really distinctive sound with a tendency to sing slightly sharp. I noticed that  again at times last night, and also a bit of edginess which for the most part she controlled well by using a lot of piano effects. When she let the voice out, I had a feeling she might possibly be destined for more dramatic things - even the idea of Tosca crossed my mind. Harteros is a fine actress, especially gifted with a sly comedic sense. Her purely magical, hushed singing of the Contessa's words of forgiveness to her errant husband, "Piu docile io sono..." made me instantly forget any earlier doubts about her singing.

Ekaterina Siurina was a total delight as Susanna. Earlier in the season when Lisette Oropesa took over the role on short notice she set a very high standard, and when the curtain rose and it wasn't Lisette sitting there in the big chair stitching her bridal veil  for a moment something seemed 'wrong'. But Siurina, last season's very appealing Gilda, used her smooth, sweet timbre to excellent effect all evening. The voice shone in ensembles and she & Harteros had a moment of special grace in the Letter Duet. Siurina managed, despite Jordan's too-swift tempo, to deliver a lovely "Deh vieni non tardar". Her pretty face and easy stage manner were a joy all evening.

And here she is, in her delicious sorbet costume, being molested by Simon Keenlyside as Count Almaviva. What a performance Simon gave! His Count is sexy and hyper-libidinous, with a strong cruel streak. Many times the thin veneer of aristocratic  manners not only cracked but broke outright. He was nasty enough to step pointedly on Susanna's bridal veil; thinking he had Cherubino trapped in the Contessa's closet he attacked the door violently. When Susanna agreed to an assignation, the eager Simon swept everything off his writing table and threw her down, ready to roger her then and there. In the last act, Simon took a flying leap to kick Bryn's butt, but missed his target and slammed to the floor flat on his back; I've never seen anyone take that kind of fall onstage. But he jumped right back up. Jordan's long pause and Simon's very slow sinking to his knees before 'Contessa perdono'  was superb - it was the theatrical equivalent of taking a deep breath as all the anger and the comic bluster of the preceding scene drained away to leave us the utterly human act of contrition - met by Harteros with her luminous forgiveness. Simon sang splendidly all night, especially in his big aria where he  managed the triplet figures near the end impressively. Earlier, in the duet  with Siurina, his silky soft phrases had real suggestive urgency.

Maurizio Muraro and Marie McLaughlin were Figaro's eventual parents, Bartolo and Marcellina. Mr. Muraro has really been fine in this role all season with his flowing diction and sturdy voice, keeping his buffo mannerisms in check. It was great fun seeing Marie on the Met stage again; she makes Marcellina young and attractive enough to pose a real threat to Susanna. Vain and self-indulgent at first, this Marcellina takes her newly-discovered motherhood seriously and shows real affection for the man she will marry once their secret is out.  Greg Fedderly was a strongly-sung Basilio, Tony Stevenson a characterful Curzio, Anne-Carolyn Bird a lyrical Barbarina and Patrick Carfizzi a hilariously grubby Antonio. Jennifer Black and Leah Wool were very attractive in the bridesmaids duet.

I really enjoyed watching the continuo players in the pit : Milos Repicky (harpsichord) and David Heiss (cello); their elegant playing adds so much to the opera. David Chan was the concert-master deluxe.

Is NOZZE DI FIGARO the greatest opera ever written?  Tonight I definitely thought so.