Above: the drop curtain for the Met's production of RIGOLETTO; photo by Donghwan KIm
Sunday December 11th, 2022 matinee - This was one of the best-sung performances I have heard at The Met in many moons. Every single singer was perfectly cast, deeply committed, and eminently suited to his or her role. While Lisette Oropesa, Aigul Akhmetshina, Stephen Costello, Michael Chioldi, and John Relyea were the principals, everyone - down to the king of one-liners, Yohan Yi, as the Guard - gave us the kind of singing we so long to hear.
Speranza Scapucci was on the podium; her take on the music is fast and sometimes furious. The eccentric, rushed tempo she set for the "Cortigiani" was almost funny...and funny is not what you want at that moment. Scapucci tended to overdose on brass, and the storm music in the final scene became an orchestral interlude: you could see the singers' mouths moving but rarely actually hear what they were singing. But no matter: it was the the singers who made it all worthwhile. The chorus and orchestra were on peak form, though they deserve a more sensitive conductor.
Michael Chioldi gave a monumental performance in the title-role. The voice is a house-filling one, and his singing is emotion-drenched, and deeply human. The baritone started strongly and simply got better and better as the opera unfolded. But it wasn't all powerhouse vocalism, for Mr. Chioldi could find a haunting tenderness in his scenes with his beloved daughter. Like the great Cornell MacNeil before him, Mr. Chioldi has a ringing top register, so that such great moments as the end of the "Pari siamo..." and of the vendetta duet, caused extra shivers to race up and down my spine. At the heart of the Chioldi Rigoietto was his moving plea, "Miei signori", to the courtiers who have kidnapped his daughter. Minutes later, yet another lump in my throat was induced by the baritone's consoling "Piangi, fanciulla piangi". He ended the opera with a desperate cry to heaven. Bravo, bravo, bravo!!!
Lisette Oropesa's Gilda is more strong-willed than many I have encountered. A bit rebellious, she is not always cowed by her father's scoldings, which stem from his deep love for her. As her nurse Giovanna is already in cahoots with the seductive Duke, things follow a natural course. This Gilda is no shrinking violet: she welcomes her beloved into the ducal bedchamber with a passionate kiss. And although turning Gilda's 'murder' into a voluntary suicide is a bit far-fetched, Lisette convinced us that she was ready to die for love.
And her vocalism was ravishing. Strong emotional currents run thru everything Lisette sings; she can find just the right colour for every note and word, and it all seems perfectly spontaneous. A magical, palpable hush settled over the House during Lisette's "Caro nome": an exquisite portrait of a young girl on the brink, the innocence of the words underscored by a subtle sense of longing. In the ensuing scenes, phrase after phrase of captivating tone and nuance - from her defiance in the vendetta duet to the heart-wrenching poignancy of her farewell to her father - showed again what a thoughtful and unique artist this soprano is.
Stephen Costello's Duke was the finest performance I've ever heard from him. His voice was marvelously clear, handsome of timbre, and with an ardent quality that made the character seem sincere...even though we know he isn't. Stephen's blithe voicing of "Questo o quella" set the tone for his entire performance: sustained line, charming turns of phrase, and an easy high register. His elegantly tender "È il sol dell' anima" was irresistible...what girl could say "no" to him? In "Parmi veder le lagrime", the tenor notched up my admiration for his singing even further: I began to think of Gedda, Kraus, and Bergonzi in this music, and Stephen's singing of it seemed just as persuasive as these paragons. He then gave us two verses of "Possente amor...", sealing his triumph. "La donna e mobile" seemed like a built-in encore for an afternoon of truly impressive singing.
As the murderous siblings, Maddalena and Sparafucile, Aigul Akhmetshina and John Relyea repeated their roles from the season premiere of the opera, both making very strong impressions. The mezzo has a creamy sound, and she's quite gorgeous into the bargain. I'd love to hear her as Dalila or Charlotte. Mr. Relyea's inky bass is perfect for the gentleman/assassin...every line counted, and his low-F was chilling.
Craig Colclough was an outstanding Monterone, strong of voice and an excellent actor. Soprano Susan Burgess made her Met debut as a dishy Countess Ceprano, and Scott Scully, Jeongcheol Cha, and Paul Corona were sturdy-voiced courtiers. I loved Eve Gigliotti's Giovanna...but: this is a singer capable of bigger assignments at The Met, as her singing in the ASO's Taneyev evening earlier this season clearly showed. Andrea Coleman and Yohan Yi, both Met choristers, were back as the Page and Guard respectively, to fine effect.
The audience's reaction was typical of what we hear at the opera these days: relatively brief applause for arias and set pieces, then roars of enthusiasm during the final bows. But it was an attentive crowd, and for that we must be grateful.
Above: at the close of today's voice-fest, my friend DK finally met his idol, Lisette. They were to have met in 2020, but the pandemic caused a delay.
~ Oberon