Above: Giuseppe Verdi
Saturday April 9th, 2016 matinee - Score desks at the Metropolitan Opera provide a great way to check out performances without investing too much money. Since I was curious as to the current vocal estate of the principal singers in this season's cast for SIMON BOCCANEGRA, but was fairly sure I would not want to stay to the end, I grabbed a score at the library and settled in for today's matinee. Would Placido Domingo sound better than he had sounded in ERNANI last season? Would I like Liana Haroutounian as Amelia Grimaldi more than I liked her as Elisabetta di Valois? How is Joseph Calleja sounding these days - I hadn't heard him for a while - and can Ferruccio Furlanetto still deliver the goods as Fiesco, one of his best roles?
And then there's Maestro Levine...
In the event, I'm very glad I went; the performance was for the most part excellent. To answer my own questions first: Domingo sounded far better today than in the ERNANI I attended (his Carlo V was so shaky that I was ready to write him off entirely). Ms. Haroutounian was indeed better-suited to Amelia than she had been to Elisabetta, though pitch issues were her undoing today, at least for me. Mr. Calleja sounded fine as long as I stayed, and he produced some of the most appealing vocalism of the day. Mr. Furlanetto was a force of Nature; his singing was superb in its sonority and depth of emotion. And James Levine gave a very impressive reading of the score, both in terms of overall musical sweep and attention to detail; the musicians played lovingly, with some beautiful solo passages making the music glow.
The house was substantially fuller than it had been for two matinees I attended earlier in the season: though both RIGOLETTO and TOSCA would be thought of as more popular operas than BOCCANEGRA, the rarer opera drew a much larger crowd today. Was it the presence today of Domingo and Levine, or a case of people wanting to see grand opera in a traditional staging? As with all four well-sold TURANDOTs I attended this season, the bigger audience creates its own atmosphere.
(There has been quite a discussion on The List recently of the "empty seats" phenomenon at The Met. Some people argue that those who are wringing their hands over the decline in attendance are merely nay-sayers, rejoicing in Gelb's continuing failure to fill the house. Au contraire, I believe people are simply and rightly concerned that The Met's future is in jeopardy if ticket sales remain sluggish: if people don't buy your product, how can you stay in business? Reasons for not going - or going less frequently - boil down to: dislike of Gelb's 'trendier' productions, un-exciting casting, off-putting ticket prices, and the availability of the HD showings which for many people are easier to get to and more affordable than a trek to the opera house. Whatever the reason, empty seats in such numbers as we are seeing at The Met of late are disconcerting.)
But, back to BOCCANEGRA: Levine was warmly welcomed with sustained applause when he appeared in the pit; he established mood immediately with the 'calm/restless' prelude. Excellent opening scene with Brian Mulligan (Paolo) and Richard Bernstein (Pietro) reveling in the verbal and dynamic fine-points of their dialogue: both singers should be far better-utilized at The Met. Today they were outstanding.
Domingo's first entrance was greeted by applause; though a trifle rusty at the very start, it was evident that the voice was far steadier and more 'present' than in the ERNANI I saw. He was soon singing as well as I could possibly have hoped. People say that the Domingo voice, at 75, is not 'right' for the Verdi baritone roles: that he still sounds like a tenor without high notes. Only one person could pronounce definitively on whether his timbre is viable in these roles, and that's Verdi. For me, Domingo's diction, instinctive rightness of phrasing, and a voice that still has its distinctive quality (and plenty of heft when needed) make for successful traversals of these roles - at least when he's in good voice, as he was today for sure.
Levine and his players coloured the introduction to "Il lacerato siprito" with brooding, lamenting darkness, and then the Furlanetto voice sounds with profoundly deep richness: "A te, l'estremo addio..." Chills passed thru me as Furlanetto's huge, commanding vocal presence wrapped me in its gloomy sonic splendour. What legato, what a deeply felt vocal portrayal of Fiesco's pride and anguish! The choral interjections heightened the atmosphere even further, and then the basso descended into the depths as the aria ends on a sustained, tapering low note; Maestro Levine then extended the shattering sense of loss and despair with the beautifully-wrought postlude. It's exactly for moments like this, which Furlanetto and Levine delivered so movingly today, that I keep going to hear opera in the House.
Domingo and Furlanetto then treated us to a vividly dramatic confrontation scene; passionate singing from both as these two masters of the operatic stage exchanged lines. Furlanetto's uncannily sustained piano "Addio..." was yet another magical moment, echoed soon after as Domingo stumbled from the Fieschi palace moments later, having discovered Maria's corpse: "Paolo...una tomba!". Levine then whipped up a vital Prologue finale.
The Maestro shaped the prelude to Amelia's uniquely lovely aria, "Come in quest'ora bruna..." to perfection, the orchestra's playing most pleasurable to the ear. Lianna Haroutounian unfortunately was beset by pitch problems and a feeling of edginess in the higher passages of this set piece; her bio indicates that she sings Tosca and the BALLO Amelia - what was she thinking, taking on those roles? - and such forays may have compromised her lyric instrument. The middle range was flattish, the upper notes a bit glaring, and she momentarily parted company with the orchestra. Levine set things to rights soon enough.
Joseph Calleja was a trace sharp in his offstage lines, but settled in quickly for his duet with the soprano. Mr. Calleja employed lovely dynamic effects, with a sweetness in his softer singing that was most appealing. Both singers sang the duet's prolonged ending well, and were exciting in the little stretta that follows.
Another of the opera's most impressive passages follows as Mssrs. Calleja and Furlanetto joined in an unusual tenor/basso duet. Learning that his beloved Amelia is adopted and not the true aristocratic maiden he thought he knew, Mr. Calleja movingly expressed his devotion to her in the simple line "L'orfana adoro!" and again in the tenderness of his gorgeously-honed "Mi dai la vita..." Abetted by Mr. Furlanetto's steady, rich singing, the tenor's heartfelt lyricism was a great source of delight as he observed the score's piano/pianissimo markings to exquisite effect.
As Paolo, Brian Mulligan's chance observation of Amelia in her garden drew another fine moment from the baritone at "O qual belta!". And then the great recognition scene began: Mr. Domingo was simply wonderful and expressive throughout this long duet; I couldn't help but wish that he'd had a different soprano to partner him here - maybe someone like Hibla Gerzmava, Leah Crocetto, or Anita Hartig - for Ms. Haroutounian upper notes were not blended lyrically into the line. The soprano was off-pitch at "Orfanella il tello umile", and throughout the scene her unsteadiness of tone and a lack of the desirable gradations of softer singing were a letdown.
The audience broke in with applause before Levine commenced "Figlia! a tal nome io palpito..." at a rather faster than usual tempo. Domingo was steady and effective, the soprano lacking in finesse and sometimes sounding a bit harsh. The Maestro and the Met players seized on the repeat of the great Verdi theme to splendid effect and the soprano rose to the occasion with some fine singing here. Then as the harp sounded poignantly, Domingo sustained a tender, touching "Figlia!"...bravo, Placi! An urgent exchange between conspirators - Brian Mulligan and Richard Bernstein - ended the scene.
The audience applauded the curtain-rise of the great Council Chamber scene...and why not? It's a really impressive set to behold. Mr. Calleja pricked up our ears with a big B-flat at "Pel cielo!"; Ms Haroutounian's intervention on a gleaming top B-flat was exciting, but the ensuing A-flat was sharp. Domingo's "Piango sul voi..." was beautifully inflected and very moving, and his impassioned singing of "E vo gridando pace...vo gridando amor!" ("I cry out for peace, I cry out for love!") was timely in its powerful simplicity. A marvelous tension filled the house as the Doge compelled the deceitful Paolo to call down a curse upon himself: Mr. Mulligan's expression of sheer terror was incredible.
With a different soprano, I would have stayed on to the end of this otherwise wonderful performance. I should perhaps explain why my complaints about off-pitch singing are so detailed and indeed seem like nit-picking: there's a reason for it. A couple season's ago when I remarked here that a certain singer was "off-pitch", I received an e-mail telling me that such blanket pronouncements were pointless and that if I could not cite specific passages where the singer's pitch was off, I should shut up about it. So, now the citations are included. It's meant as constructive criticism though for the singer's admirers, it's sure to come off as carping. And then of course there's the enduring theory that no two people will hear an operatic voice the same way.
Metropolitan Opera House
April 9th, 2016 matinee
SIMON BOCCANEGRA
Giuseppe Verdi
Simon Boccanegra........Plaçido Domingo
Amelia..................Lianna Haroutounian
Gabriele Adorno.........Joseph Calleja
Jacopo Fiesco...........Ferruccio Furlanetto
Paolo Albiani...........Brian Mulligan
Pietro..................Richard Bernstein
Maid....................Edyta Kulczak
Captain.................Noah Baetge
Conductor...............James Levine