RAVE: Musically riveting I Puritani (Bologna - January 2009) - Machaidze, Florez, Mariotti

It is good, after the bel canto morto di Glyndebourne/Muller/Arden in Houston to finally make assessment, of this Bologna/Mariotti/Pier’All I Puritani, filmed last winter at the Teatro Comunale, as shown at cinemas across the U.S. and the world, including Yorktown Rave in northwest Houston. Given often at times the provincial character of the musical performing arts here, it is a great outlet to have the innovation of operas in HD from even overseas so readily available to us. Not near enough people here take advantage of such great opportunity available to them.

Some Rave managerial staff has adjustment or two to make, to guarantee their audiences chance for an interval - for instance at least ten minutes after a long act. Theater staff waited to inquire until right after Act 2 of Puritani, as to if we all needed a break, whereas there were people who had sat for it for a little over two hours thus far. We did get the break, but there was chorus to open Act Two several people still missed.

It is also rare to get such a fine performance of a Bellini opera available to us; whatever shortcomings this one may have had, it would be churlish not to somewhat make light of them. One of the very first operas the Met gave us in their HD series was also I Puritani (January, 2007). I was satisfied just to pick up Act 3 on NPR and then was content that I had missed out on attending it. The Teatro Comunle di Bologna has a very gifted new music director, just barely thirty, in Michele Mariotti. Catching just a snatch of Act Two from the Met in HD Puritani off youtube – as conducted by Patrick Summers - I was immediately turned off by the wan, pallid color, equally pallid ‘period’ assumption or approximation of ‘bel canto’ of the orchestral playing under him at the Met.

Mariotti spoke in interview, via youtube, of an element of parlando in Bellini’s writing that does indeed, on close observation of Bellini’s vocal lines, infuse his writing with considerable degree of realism. Such makes Bellini, as has been written about him before, indeed a forerunner of verismo. Leaving the theater, it was commented by a retired lady from Italian faculty here that both there is such tragic and passionate feeling in Bellini’s writing, even for an opera the plot of which results in a happy ending. I find it quite visceral myself to have such a direct encounter with this opera from the old house in Bologna - with the distinctive richness of color from the orchestral playing and overall ambience of everything, beautifully supportive of the singers. Such can give vent to strong feelings and emotions from anyone watching so sensitive, open to allowing response to something so different, as this is for people here.

Nino Machaidze was the Elvira Walton on this occasion. Her name was merely just that, a name, while attending my first from overseas HD presentations of opera I ever did – her Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) in an immensely great and penetrating Il Trittico conducted by Riccardo Chailly and staged by Luca Ronconi at La Scala in March of 2008 - viewed here soon thereafter. In her expression, an utter determination to get most everything right for this most demanding part, one can not help but be moved by what Machaidze put into it. The emotions of a character of somewhat fragile mental and emotional state were made palpable in facial expression and sensitive shading of Bellini’s melodic lines. She also cuts a most lovely figure on stage, and except on slightly smudged rapid chromatic scale patterns, her coloratura emerged clear across the range.

As Bellini’s vocal writing exposes so much, there did however come up a few issues. Legato, for long spun vocal lines in Bellini is less pure and secure than it ideally should be – with as Neil Rishoi has pointed out before about this same performance, a mild intrusion of aspirates. No more challenging moment for either Machaidze or Mariotti occurred the entire way through I Puritani than the first part of the Mad Scene, during which Mariotti perhaps just slightly insisted on too regular a pulse for good of how to shape the line. There is by now a rarefied sense to getting such a passage, in the very individual way in which Bellini writes such, up to what demands really should be. Such issue as Machaidze had with legato was exposed here more than anywhere else - and also some coolness to the timbre, to just gently perhaps remind us of from how far East comes this attractive artist. I would welcome however eschewing having to make homage to Netrebko by lying prone on stage for any portion of the Mad Scene. This, in terms of stage direction, regardless as to who came up with it, accomplished nothing.

The smoky color of Machaidze’s lower register is very attractive; such, without pushing chest excessively, allows for just adequate flexibility to expand into the middle register without doing anything precarious. For there to be a podium with true authority doing Bellini, there needs to be along with the strong rhythmic profile that Mariotti brings to this, the yielding rubato for the long lyric lines that can help a singer bring out the right qualities for such. “Oh, vieni al tempio” in Act One, preview mad scene it is often called, made one first so very aware of these qualities - how they may have been shortchanged by mild enforcement of too regular pacing through it.

Once on to ‘Vien, diletto, - though it possibly lacked the last amount of current of hysterical ecstasy to it - Machaidze pretty much hit home stretch from this point on - with splendid support for Juan Diego Florez in duets and ensemble with him for highly successful third act from her as well. Her opening duet with Ildebrando d’Arcangelo made apparent fine psychological understanding of Elvira with the fine vocal qualities she has at her disposal too. Communication between singers on stage was acute, in an opera with drama, action so often static. Stage direction was attentive to getting all this right – momentarily heavy reliance on stock gesture aside.

Ildebrando d’Arcangelo was curiously just halfway effective as Giorgio Walton. It is a good resonant voice, with an internal rapid vibrato, that under stress, approaches becoming a beat. A little of such internally old-world quality to tone production though got curiously matched up with a modern approach to making something expressive with it here. Legato varied between good to halfway patchwork. For comfort in making strong sense of his line and of gravitas in dramatic situation at hand, he chose to sing “Se tra il bujo un fantasma’ – middle section of his long scena with Riccardo Forth declamatory, non legato. Lines therein allow for breaks for verbal emphases; taking it all non legato however is slightly vulgar. “Cinta di fiori” conveyed fine sense of narrative– a comparable piece to introducing Lucia’s mad scene in Donizetti for Raimondo – but was as always here slightly weak on legato. D’Arcangelo overall had the vocal weight if a bit exaggerated for an essentially lyric bass, the gravitas too in appearance; it was just more legato that one sought here. Ugo Guagliardo, as Lord Walton, second bass, gave his two passages of accompanied recitative the weight, warm gravitas desired and fine look of authority as well. Gianluca Floris (Bruno) was adequately incisive on his thankless opening lines but sounded thin vocally.

Gabriele Viviani, with still the youthful bloom on his voice and fine malleability too, was Riccardo Forth. It is hard to make much villainous out of “Ah, per sempre io ti perdei”, but still first, this being Bellini, in its demands is the legato, and.Viviani has it. Such grasp of legato enhanced bringing out just right the auburn grain, color in his sound; all worked to make very attractive Forth’s first act aria and cabaletta. This is an essentially lyric instrument, one we do not want to see pushed into the dramatic repertory, at least too soon, as is tempting way too often these days. Viviani was incisive, if with in facial expression stock gestures for playing a villain, in making something menacing of those lines with which Riccardo threatens Arturo in Act One. As up to task d’Arcangelo was, one’s ear still often led one to Viviani whenever the two sang together.

Incisively facing up to him was the Arturo Talbot of Juan Diego Florez. “A te, o cara,” which in supporting lines had Machaidze so engaged – promising their very fine Third Act together – carried with such pliancy, ease, shape to line, passion, as to send shivers up and down one’s spine – even more than his handsome looks - for me that alone would not do it. A recent recital disc of Florez sounded as though recorded so close it brought out more metal to this voice, suggesting perhaps that Florez might already have started forcing things too heavy. There was however so little evidence of such on this occasion, perhaps that it also takes some economization to sensibly be able to get through the Third Act for any Arturo.

Florez eschewed taking the high F in “Credeasi, misera”, settling for a strongly delivered D-flat instead. The scene with Henrietta in the First Act, rightly considered a lapse in dramatic and musical inspiration on Bellini’s part, hardly seemed so at all, with the strong single-minded determination with which Florez started it, fine support from Nadia Pirazzini as distressed Henrietta with fine character to his lines and from Mariotti accompanying, leading it all. Someone wrote in somewhere about Florez’s tone being too clear, perhaps too open, light for the demands of singing Arturo. Florez however mapped, scaled what he had before him so wisely, singing it all very expressively, that one can only reckon such remark as churlish.

Pier’Alli’s stage direction was somewhat of an abstraction, but such was his intent, not to distract from what penetrating insight he sought into what goes on psychologically with the characters in I Puritani. He also has a weak libretto with which to work – having as much as any other producer to rely so much upon Bellini’s musical inspiration alone. In persistence of abstract hand motions for chorus, he did seem mildly glib in taking passages involving them on. The somewhat geometric blocking into varied military positions he applied to his choral forces, during early scenes especially, made good sense and even enhanced atmosphere, as did even more the deep lighting across width and breadth of the stage past well lit proscenium. Only a little rushing up and down the length of the stage floor - perhaps in pursuit of Arturo – looked almost silly, as did lapse of judgment during the Mad Scene already mentioned.

Michele Mariotti did not waste any time, revealing what understanding and command he has of Bellini. The opening introduction and choruses were rapt with intensity, color, suavity for subtle harmonic changes in and beneath the line and intimations of febrile meaning along with it. His allowing color that occurs naturally in ruddy form to the orchestra of the Teatro Comunale, such as very seldom encountered on this side of the pond (or at Glyndebourne for their excursions into bel canto either) and command of fine choral forces all emerged very naturally. All was so distinctive and also indicative of wonderful gain of having someone already so sensitive on opera podiums in various locales before long. The swagger he brought to this score’s polacca (and habanera?) rhythms and to extensive scena closing Act Two, especially to the Risorgimento driven ‘Suoni la tromba’, especially there, was fiery, highly compelling.

Mariotti’s atmospheric framing starting Act Three and line to command all so flexibly but authoritatively the remainder of the way, including incisiveness during storm portion of this to set things off, was all remarkable. There were just one or two passages, most of all the first part of the Act Two Mad Scene, that betrayed some inexperience, but such with time that may get well overcome and before long from such an already determined mind and with serious intent not just about his craft, but about the art as well. This makes, in high definition, a most auspicious debut for the young Mariotti, in contrast with more venerable complacency that still visits local opera podium this week. Mariotti demonstrated by his own work there should be little room for such complacency.

With this for Bellini, not being quite everything it could have been by standards a generation or two ago, there was still something to have been reckoned about this experience. Such can only linger on for having faithfully disclosed most of all the paramount virtues of Bellini’s music, as opened out so very well here.

News of the week - RAVE opera series and MetzmacherDSO Edinburgh broadcast (online this week)

First of all, it is hot to report that the Metzmacher concert is currently audio online.

The program, performed on September 2nd at the Edinburgh festival this month included the Passacaglia by Webern, Berg Violin Concerto with Christian Tetzlaff (before repeating the concerto two nights later at the Beethoven festival in Bonn) and the Brahms Fourth Symphony.

Your links for locating this are as follows:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mrxq8

This notable program, in intent an exposition of what is very logically construed as a tribute to Bach by all three composers listed, was played online live from Philharmonie in Berlin last February in anticipation of tour of four cities in Asia - and played just as listed above in Hong Kong in early March. It all turned out most excellent and as close to definitive as I have ever heard an interpretation of the Berg Violin Concerto. In other words, this is a concert not to be missed.

Easy to find on the BBC Radio 3 site by doing either a keyword search there or on google, is the Discovering Music link for a very easy to follow, coherent explanation of the Berg Concerto - as listed down just reasonably lengthy list of works offered this way there - this for those of you out there who may still have a little difficulty appreciating the music of New Vienna School composers - not so new anymore - the Berg Concerto just slightly past the heyday for all this is close to 75 years old - but widely accepted today as the timeless masteerpiece it is, at least approaching something in stature of the great single Beethoven and Brahms concerti for the instrument.

RAVE Motion Pictures has finally put together from their conversations with Emerging Pictures a series of opera in HD from the movies - from opera houses other than the Met. The way they go about presenting these, as I have seen so far, I find more professional than how the Met has gone about it so far. I welcome not being yanked by the arm backstage, so to speak, in view of the Metropolitan Opera House, before I have had a chance to catch my breath for instance at the end of Act One of Tosca.

Included in plans are a satellite streamed absolutely live presentation of Carmen as opening night at La Scala on Monday, December 7th - such as with a highly disappointing Don Carlo from La Scala happened at only six theaters in the U.S. last year. A new Georgian mezzo is the Carmen and Jonas Kaufman adn Erwin Schrott stand off as Don Jose and as the toreador respectively, with Barenboim conducting. The producer is, somewhat from the avant-garde theater world, Emma Dante. Barenboim's choices of producers for what he conducts I have found ninety percent trustworthy, and usually at least something engaging, provocative on some level.

The Robert Dornhelm studio movie of La Boheme, starring Netrebko and Villazon shows this Thursday night in theaters across the U.S., as it seems as promotional and with good cause of getting better attendance for the rest of the series. A live Trovatore from Barcelona follows the Carmen, starring Luciana d'Intino as Azucena and Marco Berti as Manrico on December 22nd, in a production by Gilbert Deflo.

Several delayed, recorded live presentations remain in between, including Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte in new Claus Guth production from Salzburg. Guth's Nozze di Figaro in starring Anna Netrebko as Susanna and as in Cosi, Bo Skhovhus, has done very well in the press, with audiences and by now in dvd sales. Miah Persson is the Fiordiligi and Adam Fischer conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Most notable among these several however are the I Puritani to show here next month from Bologna - Pier'Alli the producer, and starring Nino Machaidze, Juan Diego Florez and Ildebrando d'Arcangelo., and then in November the production of Eugen Onegin by Dmitri Chernyakov, who has made a few headlines lately, and starring Mariusz Kwiecien and (expected in Houston for Pique Dame this coming spring) Tatiana Monogarova (Tatiana), with Anatoli Kotscherga and former Tatiana Makvala Kasrashvili in the supporting cast. All important that Rave may have overlooked, in my opinion, is last-spring revival at La Scala the classic Luca Ronconi production of Rossini Viaggio a Reims with set design by architect Gae Aulenti - as audio preserved from Pesaro on DGG conducted by Abbado from Pesaro twenty years back, but still inexplicably not professionally on video as of yet.

For more information (dates, times, locations), consult RAVE site listed right below and then for casting, production details the website www.operaincinema.com - latter again for a little more detail on each presentation coming here and then on opotential ones as well. Reviews of several of these events at least will appear on this blog, as well as for the Tosca listed right below. I personally encourage one and all to come out for this and encourage any to all who might even halfway take an interest to attend as well, and my hope as well that these are happening in a city near you.

www.ravemotionpictures.com and www.operaincinema.com


Tosca just opened at the Met Monday night, to be presented live on Saturday, October 10th, and received some booing there, for what is deemed to be a controversial production. So confident that Luc Bondy is the professional he is in producing theater and opera, such reaction from still pro-Zeffirelli members of the Met audience is more cause to attend this instead of avoiding it, in my personal and humble opinion.

The BBC Proms is over. There are only several events that I hope to finish giving coverage for here, once everything is ready. I am delayed on posting a review of Jonathan Nott and the Mahler Jugendorchester on what turned out one of the most excellent Proms of the season by circumstances, opportunity that has presented itself in the past couple of days - in addition to getting also a little hamstrung by combination of the complexity of the Zimmermann piece just reviewed, how everything has piled up the past few weeks, and a little fatigue as well.

History has repeated itself lately in Munich with the Philharmonic and at the Bolshoi in Moscow. Christian Thielemann benightedly thought that decisions about what guest conductors to invite back and programming decisions should be mostly up to the orchestra itself, as opposed to the Intendant, whoever might fill that position there. The Culture Secretary for Munich, Hans Georg Kuppers, however thought differently, and said now in need of replacing Thielemann in the position there, Thielemann now compelled to resign, that in doing so the orchestra does not need so much another star as someone who has good interpersonal skills. For those who know this business, 'interpersonal skills' is one of the worst euphemisms I have yet come across, and as addressing the position as needing someone to fill it who will get along with the orchestra (members). What I fail to read in any of this however is how this is a situation in which the maestro was slipping in any way in getting along with the orchestra. It seems that it was merely intendant and administration with whom he was doing less well in getting along.

At the end of the day I have a flash for Andre Schmitz in Berlin, concerning Metzmacher, Kuppers in Munich as well, and municipal leadership in probably both cities. There are those out there who, using interpersonal skills, are aggressively jockeying for open positions out there, and pushed beyond what they know (where to go and how to handle where they might wind up) by their coaches and booking agents, including one person I read on the list for who might eventually replace Thielemann. There are those who can turn on the 'interpersonal skills', and then there are those who come to their work to make music. Given what the real job description is, this is 90 percent of what matters, and to the musicians qualified to be in their jobs as well playing for those who are in the relevant positions.

Whatever you think of Metzmacher, Thielemann, Vedernikov in Moscow (fine conductor I am told for controversial production of Eugen Onegin playing at the movies here in November and across thirty RAVE motion picture locales across the U.S.), one has to admit that those who are running things or are badly attempting to do so are not only dropping the ball but behaving in as unethical a manner as can be construed possible. The business of preserving our orchestras, including those finest ones over in Europe, as some of the finest cultural institutions in our midst, is at stake here.