All right, everybody, I'm going to try and get caught up so I can write about "L'Elisir D'Amore," because I'm super excited to tell everyone about the opening show of the Met's 2012-2013 season. But first, I must deal with "Ernani," which I saw last February. Goes to show how seldom I post here. I am, as you surely know by now, an avid Verdi-lover. Violetta from "La Traviata" is my dream role. Gilda of "Rigoletto" and Oscar of "Un Ballo in Maschera" are also roles I'd love to sing someday. "Il Trovatore" is a great work in my opinion. So, I was looking forward to attending a Verdi opera I had never seen or heard before. My expectations, I'm afraid, were sorely disappointed.
Well... one of my biggest complaints about the piece was really the story, so I'll start there. The plot is supposed to revolve around Ernani, an outcast nobleman turned vigilante/criminal. He's in love with Elvira, a lady of noble birth, who is being held prisoner (essentially)by Don Ruy Gomez de Silva, her elderly uncle. De Silva is forcing Elvira into marrying him, but Ernani plans on rescuing her... That is, until his other rival, Don Carlo(king of Spain and a candidate for Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire), steps in. So the three gents duke it out while Elvira begs for Ernani's safety. De Silva apologizes to Don Carlo once he knows Carlo's true identity, and the king forgives his rival, whose political support he needs.
Plans for De Silva's marriage to Elvira continue, but Ernani again attempts to foil them (Elvira pleading for mercy once more) and is again interrupted. But this time, there's a twist: De Silva hides Ernani and refuses to give the outlaw into Don Carlo's custody. Don Carlo takes Elvira as hostage. After a brief scuffle, De Silva and Ernani decide to put aside their quarrel until after they have gotten Don Carlo out of the way. Here, Ernani makes a really stupid move, almost stupider than Faust selling his soul to the Devil: he puts his life in his rival's hands, giving De Silva a hunting horn and promising him that when the horn is sounded, he will kill himself. Facepalm, anyone?
While Don Carlo awaits news of the election results, a conspiracy has been formed by Don Carlo, Ernani, and their respective supporters to kill the king. But they're not terribly good at plotting, because their prey simply lies in wait for them, and once cannonfire signals his election, he pops out and orders their arrest. Elvira shows up and begs for Ernani's life (forget the other noblemen). This seems to have become a hobby for her. But hey, wait a second-- it actually works this time! Don Carlo has a change of heart, forgives his enemies, and agrees to let Ernani marry Elvira.
All seems well until the wedding night. A fabulous part is underway, when suddenly a stranger appears in a long, dark cloak. Guess who? De Silva! But do any of the guests do anything? No. They just let him slip in and demand the life Ernani promised him. Ernani, if nothing else, is true to his word, and after the horn sounds, he stabs himself and dies in Elvira's arms.
Lame, right? I can deal with melodrama. After all, that's opera in a nutshell. But this was just ridiculous. The characters were flat and predictable (except Don Carlo, strangely...) and I guess Verdi thought "Who cares about triangles? Let's have a love-square!" It was just too much. I almost thought Elvira was going to be a new favorite character; in the opening act, she threatens to stab Don Carlo when he tries to kidnap her. Badass! But she spends the rest of the opera pining and begging for mercy for Ernani every ten minutes. And don't get me started on the boy-toy himself-- he refers to himself in the third person constantly and doesn't really get anything done. But the opera has some great numbers, and with the right cast and the right director, it could be pretty good.
Now, for the review of the Met's "Ernani". Let the roasting begin!
The production was a lavish revival of a past "Ernani" from the 80's. Stunning period costumes, enormous, rich sets-- absolutely beautiful. Our cast starred Angela Meade as Elvira, Marcello Giordani as Ernani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Don Carlo, and Feruccio Furlanetto as De Silva.
I had especially looked forward to this show because of Hvorostovksy and Furlanetto; I can never say enough about these two amazing singers. Hvorostovsky made his character real for me, flesh and blood, multi-dimensional, and he did it with style and panache. It was an absolute pleasure to see Furlanetto in action as De Silva. He sang the role with a sultry richness and deep-rooted emotion that is incomparable. You could hear the years of bitterness in the character's heart through Furlanetto's voice.
Angela Meade, a new star in the Met constellation, has a gorgeous voice. It's smooth, controlled, balanced, easy on the ears. I hope to see her in more operas in the future. I'd love to hear her do something like Nedda in "I Pagliacci" or even Leonora in "Il Trovatore".
Personally, I found Marcello Giordani's performance homogenous, and not in a good way. It felt bland and as flat as his character, which is something that can be helped. He's a great singer, but I think he could work on acting a bit more.
Also, the stage director was pretty unimaginative. The chorus just stood around while the main players acted in front of them, and it was just plain uncomfortable to watch. It felt like the stereotype of opera, not the genuine article. And I think I heard a slight hiccup in the timing between the main singers and the orchestra at the very end of Act II, but that could just be me.
Anyway, for those of you who are trying out opera for the first time and would like to hear some Verdi, I prescribe you steer clear of "Ernani." Go for "Traviata," "Trovatore," "Rigoletto," or perhaps "Un Ballo in Maschera" first. Later in your opera experience, if you really want to, go back for "Ernani," but don't let that be a player in your tender, impressionable, early days of listening to opera.
Until next time,
Your friend and fellow opera-lover,
~R.M.
