Above: Quinn Kelsey as di Luna and Yonghoon Lee as Manrico face off in IL TROVATORE, a Karen Almond/Metropolitan Opera photo
~ Author: Oberon
Saturday February 3rd, 2018 matinee - After reading and hearing many enthusiastic comments about the cast of the Metropolitan Opera's current revival of Verdi's IL TROVATORE, I had high expectations for this afternoon's matinee performance. From our balcony box, we could look out on a surprising number of empty seats; for a popular opera at a matinee performance, this does not bode well. In the event, it was a rather uneven performance.
To begin, Stefan Kocan (above) did a fine job with Ferrando's monolog, a thankless piece which is not easy to pull off. He sounded his usual dark-toned and rather ominous self, and looked well into the bargain. The girls of the camp in the scene of the siege of Castellor were very happy to encounter Mr. Kocan, and who could blame them?
Jennifer Rowley had taken over the role of Leonora from Maria Agresta on rather short notice. Ms. Rowley's vibrato was not to my liking, and her singing of "Tacea la notte" lacked a poetic feeling. To be sure, there were some appealing moments along the way; her voice speaks well in the big house, especially as she goes higher. Ms. Rowley's "D'amor sull'ali rosee" was attractively sung, though her vibrato-free piano high notes in this aria seemed to come from a different voice. (A cellphone going off noisily during this aria was really unfortunate.) Mr. Rowley tends to sing slightly sharp from time to time. I had missed her single Tosca earlier this year; perhaps it is a voice better suited to verismo than Verdi.
Anita Rachvelishvili sang one of the best renderings of "Stride la vampa" I've ever heard, displaying some very nice soft singing as well as ample power. Azucena's searing monolog, which follows, was excitingly done, though her top notes did not always bloom; she ended this great scene with a formidable display of chest voice: very impressive. In "Perigliarti ancor..", Ms. Rachvelishvili went for the oft-omitted top-C but never quite got there: better to leave it out. Her singing of "Giorni poveri vivea" was beautifully moulded and expressive, and she latched onto a prolonged top note before her defiant "Deh! Rallentate, o barbari!" We slipped out before the final scene of the opera, but from what I heard I feel that for now I'd rather hear Ms. Rachvelishvili is more melodious roles - like Dalila, Charlotte, or Dido - than in dramatic ones. But it's an authentic and impressive voice, no doubt about that.
Quinn Kelsey sounded wonderful at his first entrance, the voice putting me in mind of Leonard Warren's. Later, in "Il balen", he was singing beautifully until a slight crack made him tense up and sing more cautiously; he never quite recovered as the first half of the opera moved to its dramatic climax. But he was back on top form in the scene outside Castellor, and superb in the duet with Ms. Rowley.
Yonghoon Lee's handsome face, lithe and almost dancer-like physique, and cocky, swashbuckling demeanor made him highly enjoyable to watch. He sings with great intensity and bristling passion, but is always musical. In "Ah, si, ben mio" Mr. Lee did the most pleasing singing of the afternoon, with finely-supported piano passages and ardent turns of phrase. "Di quella pira" was sung at full-throttle, a rabble-rouser as it should be: I'd join his prodi guerrieri any day.
Marco Armiliato's conducting was on the 'good routine' level; I always feel he's more at home in verismo. But he let the singers cling to cherished notes, and never covered them. His tempi were propulsive; the orchestra played very well, and the chorus really got into it. I enjoyed seeing and hearing my chorister-friend Edward Albert in the role of The Gypsy.
Much of the staging of this production is lame; Leonora spends a lot of time on the floor, either by choice or having been flung there. But the staging of the attempted kidnapping at the convent, and the arrival of Manrico - who everyone thought was dead - makes for high drama. With di Luna surrounded by the troubadour's swordsmen, the count's forces are in a bind. At last Manrico slashes his rival's face, and later kicks him while he's down.
Ah, but those nasty camp wenches before the walls of Castellor! With recent developments at The Met fresh in our minds, how can we endure the sight of Ferrando slapping a pretty butt, a girl with a riding crop mounted on an amiable soldier, and even - quelle scandale - a blowjob! Totally inappropriate.
Metropolitan Opera House
February 3rd, 2018 matinee
IL TROVATORE
Giuseppe Verdi
Manrico.................Yonghoon Lee
Leonora.................Jennifer Rowley
Count Di Luna...........Quinn Kelsey
Azucena.................Anita Rachvelishvili
Ferrando................Stefan Kocán
Ines....................Sarah Mesko
Ruiz....................Eduardo Valdes
Messenger...............David Lowe
Gypsy...................Edward Albert
Conductor...............Marco Armiliato
~ Oberon