Above: Michael Volle as Sir John Falstaff; a MetOpera photo
Sunday March 19th, 2023 matinee - I'm not crazy about the Met's current production of Verdi's final opera, FALSTAFF, but I did very much want to hear the current revival, mainly because Michael Volle is playing the title-role. His spectacular performance made me very glad to have been there, even though it was otherwise an uneven afternoon, playing to a house with a lot of empty seats.
I had high hopes for Daniele Rustioni's conducting this afternoon, as his recent Carnegie Hall debut really impressed me. There was much magic in his rendering of FALSTAFF today, but - like seemingly every other conductor working at The Met these days - he sometimes lets the voices be covered, leaving the singers with the option of shouting or going unheard.
Overall, the women fared less well than the men today. Granted, for much of this opera the vocal lines are brief and declamatory, or chattery, leading to a tendency to overplay. Hera Hyesang Park as Nannetta was fine, but her top notes now seem to have a steady beat. Ailyn Perez's beauteous Alice Ford sometimes seemed a bit under-powered vocally, though she delivered some beautiful phrases ("E il viso tuo..."), and the voice bloomed in the final scene. Jennifer Johnson Cano sang very well as Meg Page, but the character needs more lines to make more of a vocal impression. Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Dame Quickly had wonderful moments, including some plushy low tones, though the parlando style sometimes took away from the written notes when making comic effects. Her message-delivering errand to Falstaff was a highlight of the matinee, wherein she and Volle played well off one another.
In the trio of male supporting roles, Carlo Bosi (Dr. Caius), Chauncey Packer (Bardolfo), and Richard Bernstein (Pistola) excelled. Here one expects to hear jesting, chortling, and broad comic effects. The three gentlemen seized upon every line and nuance.
Bogdan Volkov was a capital Fenton, the fresh lyricism of his "Dal labro il canto..." was a balm to the ear, and his youthful voice blended lovingly with Ms. Park's. Christopher Maltman was a vivid, dramatic Ford, the voice powerfully expressive of the jealousy and barely controlled fury of "E sogno? o realta?"; this was grand-scale singing, bristling with so much passion that I wanted to applaud at the climax...but the music goes on.
Michael Volle's masterful Falstaff places him in a perfect triumvirate of great artists I have previously experienced in this role in the theatre: Sir Geraint Evans and Sir Bryn Terfel. A vocal masterpiece, from house-filling power to intriguing subtlety, Mr. Volle had the audience in the palm of his hand from first note to last. Cunningly etching falsetto lines into the vocal mix, his "Io son di Sir John Falstaff..." put a smile on my face; minutes later, was thundering out the end of the "Honor" monologue.
Between his scenes with Ms. Lemieux's Dame Quickly and Mr, Maltman's Ford came Volle's marvelous "Va, vecchio John...", and soon enough he was courting Ms. Perez's Alice Ford with the charming "Alfin t’ho colto raggiante fior..." (watch the scene here), and singing of his younger days in the delicious "Quard'ero paggio..."
Mr. Volle engaged our sympathies at the start of the afternoon's second half (there is only intermission, thank god) as he recovered from his dunking in the Thames, and he perfectly expressed Falstaff's terror at Herne's Oak with his whispered "Sono le fate! Chi le guarda è morto!")...one of a thousand magic touches in the Volle Falstaff.
All's well as ends better, as the hobbits say: the opera finishes with Mr. Volle in a red jacket, parading down a long dinner-table (see photo at the top) and then seating himself to preside over a gala feast that the Fords are hosting to celebrate everyone's happy ending...well, everyone except for Dr. Caius, who is now married to Bardolfo.
I went to the stage door to greet Mr. Volle and thank him, not only for today but also for his memorable Wagner performances at The Met (and his magnificent Scarpia, too). He is a very tall and impressive gentlemen, with cordial manners of the 'olde school'. Bravo...bravissimo!!
~ Oberon