Hello, everybody!
I simply couldn't resist telling you all about this wonderful simulcast I had the honor of attending! This passed Saturday, I went to the simulcast of "Don Giovanni" Live from the Met. It was the most amazing production I have ever seen or heard. Details, details, details! We must have details!!
The cast is as follows:
Don Giovanni-- Mariusz Kwiecien
Leporello-- Luca Pisaroni
The Commendatore-- Stefan Kocan (unfortunately, I can't type symbols on this computer-- my apologies for spelling the names wrong)
Donna Elvira-- Barbara Frittoli
Donna Anna-- Marina Rebeka
Don Ottavio-- Ramon Vargas
Zerlina-- Mojca Erdmann
Masetto-- Joshua Bloom
And the orchestra was conducted by Fabio Luisi, who also played all of the harpsichord recitatives.
If you don't already know the story of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," see my previous entry "Of Disappointing Dons". The sets were simple, but easy to understand and well-done: Walls of shuttered doors, some of which opened to allow major characters onto balconies for dramatic effect or to display the Don's past conquests. Also, in the Graveyard scene, there was a structure akin to a giant bookcase that displayed the statues in the cemetery, including a massive, animated statue of the Commendatore.
Well, the opera starts under the flawless direction of Signore Luisi, and we find Leporello waiting for the Don. Pisaroni's Leporello was hilarious, lively, and best of all? Believable. In fact, all of the singers were so engrossed in their roles, I was forced to look at characters I once found apathetic or boring in a whole new light. Each individual put all of their heart and soul into their part. But I must continue. The Don arrives, evidently still trying to molest Donna Anna. Kwiecien (which I recently learned is pronounced KVEH-chen, for anybody who wants to know)is an incredible Don. When I saw him as Enrico in "Lucia di Lammermoor" a few years back, he said in a backstage interview that Don Giovanni was one of his favorite roles to sing. He is smashing at it, simply smashing!! He's so hard to like, but simultaneously so hard to hate. His chemistry with Pisaroni was incredible. Pisaroni said he wanted to make his recitatives sound like real conversation, and he really achieved it-- everyone did-- and he and Kwiecien played off of each other brilliantly. Rebeka's Donna Anna was touching, graceful and never shrill. I have heard a few shrill Donna Annas, and perhaps that is what has made me feel a little distant from her character. But seeing Rebeka's Donna Anna! You could hear and see the pain, the shock, the heartbreak, and anger in her character. Rebeka truly brought the role of Donna Anna to life. Vargas, too was incredible, and made me see Don Ottavio in a better light. He sang "Dalla Sua Pace" with such feeling, such grace, such gentility-- it was impossible not to respect the character. And he went through the runs in "Il Mio Tesoro Intanto" like they were nothing, hardly ever stopping for breath! It was amazing. Signora Frittoli played up Donna Elvira was more weepy than I would imagine her, but she pulled it off well, wobbling and swigging from a flask during "Ah, Chi Mi Dice Mai". Her voice is so velvety, and her expressions so perfect and pleading, I cannot imagine this role being done better by any other soprano. She was absolutely perfect. Mojca Erdmann, our Zerlina, accented the coquettinsh, naughty side of Zerlina quite a bit, and did it convincingly. She added some ornamentation to both of her solo arias that were really stunning. And my word, her Masetto was brilliant! So vibrant and active in voice, body, and facial expression. He added a delightful youthfulness to the role. If I ever play Zerlina, I should hope to be paired with a Masetto like Mr. Bloom. And last, but certainly not least, Stefan Kocan gave a performance like no other as the Commendatore! His voice is so powerful and clear, his enunciation so spotless, and his face has such an immense intensity and passion. He had me holding my breath in the final scene!
Here are some things I really loved about this production:
The stage directing was really creative and lively. There was almost never a time when you felt like you were just watching people stand there and sing. In the end of the Ball scene at Don Giovanni's house, they introduced a very interesting twist, though not in the libretto, that makes the Don's escape from his accusers make so much sense. He comes out with a knife to Leporello's throat, and Don Ottavio aims a pistol at him. The Don drops Leporello and quickly ensnares Donna Anna, threatening her with the knife, forcing Don Ottavio to put down the gun and let the Don and his servant go. Then, in the Graveyard scene, when Leporello asks the statue to dinner, I thought that the thing wouldn't move-- I've seen it happen in other productions. But lo and behold, the statue turned his head and menacingly raised his arm! You'd think I had never seen stage gadgetry before, I was so surprised. Ah, and lastly, the Stone Guest scene. I have seen so many ridiculous and disappointing interpretations of the most climactic and important scene in the opera, but this one terrfied, excited, and thrilled me! Stefan Kocan enters, dressed and painted to match the previously seen statue-- no still statue, no carboard-cut-out ridiculousness, the man himself-- and when Don Giovanni refuses to repent, smoke pours out of the floor, the doors of the set open to reveal ominous hooded demons, the floorboards come up and release gushes of flames, and Kwiecien is dragged into a hole in the floor, still writhing and trying to crawl and pull himself out. You could hear his pain and terror and anguish as he sang. It was PERFECT, absolutely no doubt about it PERFECT. (Ok, maybe that sounded a little morbid on my part, but good heavens! It was so much better than any other staging of the scene that I have ever sat through, and I've sat through a lot!)
I have only two complaints about this production, and both are relatively minor:
Firstly, I think that "stage make-out" was used over-extensively. At some points, it looks a little silly because the singers are moving so quickly-- it's a tad ridiculous. Also, the stage director got it into his head that the aria "Vedrai, Carino" really got quite erotic. Listening to it, it's really not as sexy as all that. Yes, Zerlina tells Masetto to touch where her heart is and feel her heartbeat ("Sentir la battere, toca mi qua"). But it got way more frisky than that. And yes, there was a fair bit of awkward touching as far as the Don and his conquests, but strangely, I was more insulted by the introduction of the hookers in "Il Trovatore" this April. The stuff that happened in "Don Giovanni" was relatively tame in comparison.
Secondly, the camera work got a bit choppy at times, just once or twice, and made it a little distracting, in my opinion at least. It felt visually disconcerting, but it only happened, aforesaid, once, maybe twice.
Another little note: All of the backstage interviews were really insightful! In particular, Ramon Vargas talked about how the thing to remember about this opera is that it all takes place over the course of 24 hours. For some reason, I had never thought about it that way before! It put the whole thing in such a new perspective, I was really touched. Also, Luca Pisaroni talked about adjusting to the different Dons he has performed with, and Barbara Frittoli explained why she thought Elvira was more madly in love than just plain mad. It was really really interesting!
I have emailed the New York Metropolitan opera to find out if this amazing simulcast will ever be released onto DVD, because I would LOVE to have it in my possession. It is the perfect "Don Giovanni". I will forever be amazed and awestruck by it. There is an encore broadcast on November 16, 2011 at 6:30 PM local time. I am hoping to be able to take a friend when the encore comes-- I am dying to share the experience with him! This is the perfect first "Don Giovanni" for anyone who is unfamiliar with the opera. I am really crossing my fingers and toes and hoping that the Met releases this on DVD. Anybody interested in the DVD, go send the Met a comment and tell them so here:
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/utility/contact/index.aspx
I highly, highly recommend this simulcast!!!
Until next time,
Your friend and fellow opera-lover,
~R.M.
