Met Live HD The Pearl Fishers a Cinematic and Operatic Triumph

by Dwight Casimere

Wednesday, January 20 at 6:30pm local time marks the Encore Performance of the Met Live HD transmission of  Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers" (Les Pecheurs de Perles). Last seen at the Met a hundred years ago, with the great Caruso in the title role, this current staging, a co-production with the English National Opera, incorporates unique staging which involves space-aged technology that only could be imagined at the time of Bizet's creation in the mid 1800s.

Met Live HD director Matthew Diamond did a superb job of realizing the global cinema transmission.

Brilliantly staged by British director and filmmaker Penny Woolcock, who previously mounted the Met's groundbreaking production of "Doctor Atomic" and "The Death of Klinghoffer," employed acrobatic dancers suspended from invisible wires on tracking devices borrow from NASA to simulate weightlessness in space flight, and a multi-dimensional video projection that made them appear to be actually swimming in the deep, like real pearl fishers. This opening effect alone is worth the price of admission!

Although this is one of Bizet's earliest works and it is rarely performed, opera lovers might recognize two of its oft-sung arias, the gripping male duet "Au fond du temple saint, which features tenor Matthew Polenzani and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as Nadir and Zurga, the two pearl fishers, who compete for the love of the virginal high priestess Leila, sung with exquisite style by soprano Diana Damrau.

Costumes by Kevin Pollard, and sets by Dick Bird, combined elements of  Far Eastern tradition and the hard-edged reality of modern day shabbiness to create the time-shifting atmosphere of the opera, which married ancient ritual with the realities of natural disaster (a Tsunami and a massive fire).

The story makes almost no sense, the fishermen, Nadir and Zurga, are locked in a headlong struggle for the affections of the priestess, Leila, who must remain a virgin in order to stem the fury of the impending tidal wave. When it hits, and the high priest Nourabad (sung with regal authority by bass-baritone Nicolas Teste)  discovers that Nadir and Leila have been doing more than holding late night seances, the pair get blamed for inciting the calamity. Pile on the Zurga's jealous rage brought on by the realization that Nadir has broken  their mutual vow to steer clear of the royal beauty in the name of lasting friendship and you have the makings of a love-triangle bent on a tragic outcome.

Kwiecien is especially protean as Zurga, when he sings of his jealous rage in the third act after removing his shirt, drenching wet from the tsunami. Leila/ Damrau, gives the most stirring performance of the opera as she pleads to Zurga to spare Nadir from the ritual death he has decreed for both of them.

The opera ends, implausibly, with Zurga setting a huge fire to distract the villagers, so that he can free the two lovers from the ritual execution he has ordered. No matter, the sets, the singing and the pearl fishers, both onstage and behind the video screen, were magnificent and worthy of a second viewing, which tonight's Met Live HD Encore Presentation affords. Check local listings for theatre locations. The next Met Live HD transmission is Saturay, January 30, at 1pm,  Puccini's Turandot with sopranoNina Stemme as the vengeful ancient Chinese princess.

o

NY PHILHARMONIC ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE ERIC OWENS DELIVERS POWERFUL WOTAN IN "RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES"

by Dwight Casimere

Opera  lovers got a preview of what New York Philharmonic Orchestra Artist-In-Residence, bass-baritone Eric Owens will deliver in the title role of Wotan in Lyric Opera of Chicago's next ring cycle. The Philharmonic featured him in a concert performance of the final scene of Act III of Die Walkure with soprano Heidi Melton in her Philharmonic debut as Brunnhilde. 

Owens sang the role of the sinister Alberich in the Metropolitan Opera's Ring cycle in 2011 to critical acclaim, but that outing only  showed a fraction of his capability. As a dramatic singer, Owen's proved more than equal to the contrasting textures and moods, both vocally and dramatically, inherent in the role of Wotan. He displayed both vocal power and range as well as emotional substance in the demanding passages. Conductor Alan Gilbert kept a tight rein on tempos, allowing the ebb and flow of Wagner's seething kaleidoscopic passages to build momentum without appearing rushed.  The preceding "Ride of the Valkyries was one of the Philharmonic's finest moments.

The concert began with a stirring rendition of Sibelius' tone-poem 'En Saga.' The colorful images created by the orchestra were almost cinematic in their breadth.  At times awash with lush crescendoes that melded into quiet moments of reflections, the music at times seemed suspended in time. 

Heidi Melton scored a memorable debut performance with Strauss's two songs, "Caciile" (1894) and "Ruhe, meine Seele" (1894). Her voice was full and expressive throughout with beautifully rounded tones and exquisite diction and delivery. Its certain that she'll be welcome on the Geffen Hall stage on many more occassions. 

This was truly a music lover's concert and an excellent opportunity to preview the superb Wagnerian talents of Eric Owens, a Wotan for our time.

MET LIVE HD HOLIDAY ENCORE: MOZART'S THE MAGIC FLUTE WEDS DEC 16 at 1 AND 7PM

by Dwight Casimere

Mozart's The Magic Flute Live In HD Weds Dec 16, 1 and 7pm

The Met Live in HD presents a special Holiday Encore of Mozart's The Magic Flute this Wednesday, Dec 16 in theaters globally at  1 and 7pm. This marks the 10th Anniversary Encore of the groundbreaking broadcast that launched the Met's Live in HD series. Maestro James Levine is set to lead the orchestra and a stellar cast including Met favorites Nathan Gunn, Matthew Polenzani, Rene Pappe, Ying Huang and Erika Miklosa in Mozart's timeless fairy tale in a magical production featuring the imaginative puppetry of Julie Taymor.  With its enchanting sets and costumes and whimsical humor, "Magic Flute" is sure to delight the entire family, making it a perfect holiday treat. For tickets and information, visit metopera.org or fathomevents. com.

If you missed the recent Met Live HD transmissions of Alban Berg's "Lulu," you missed an opportunity to hear German soprano Marlis Petersen in her final performance of the title role, which she has performed in ten productions.  Fully realized in a glittering production by South African director William Kentridge, who also directed last season's "The Nose,""Lulu" employed a non-stop layered montage of video projections that enveloped the set, acting as a visual narration that accompanied the musically adventurous score. Petersen pounced upon the role with feline ferocity. Projection designer Catherine Meyburgh and set designer Sabine Theunissen seamlessly executed Kentridge's complex vision. The entire production seemed perfectly matched to the medium of Live in HD with its visual acumen.

Future Met Live in HD productions will include the upcoming Les Pecheurs (The Pearl Fishers) Saturday Jan 16, 2016 at 12:55pm and Puccini's Turandot Saturday Jan 30, 2016, also at 12:55pm. For tickets and information, visit metopera.org or fathomevents.com.

Marlis Petersen in her last performance of Berg's Lulu

Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Russian Piano Virtuoso Ends NY Philharmonic Rachmaninoff Festival With A Flourish

Daniil Trifonov delivers Piano Concerto No. 3 with lightning speed

 Piano soloist Daniil Trifonov

Guest Conductor Ludovic Morlot


by Dwight Casimere

The ink was barely dry on the announcement that Russian piano whiz Daniil Trifonov would become the newest member elected to the board of the New York Philharmonic than he took the stage at the newly-renamed David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center to give a commanding rendition of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.

Known to students of the instrument as a sincere "knuckle buster," Trifonov dove into the horrendously difficult piece with gusto and proceeded to make mince meat of it. At times, his hands seemed to fly over the keys, yet each note was distinct. Underlying themes emerged and faded, giving the piece a portrait-like setting. There was more than towering bombast. Deep feelings emerged from the fray as Trifonov quickly shifted from flights of fury to probing emotion. An encore of Medtner's Fairy Tale further lifted his star into the firmament of piano greats.

Guest conductor Ludovic Morlot , music director of the Seattle Symphony,  similarly brought an emotive approach to the Rachmaninoff, showing a remarkable ability to maintain a nimble approach, which allowed the soloist free reign to push  tempos forward without losing control.  He similarly kept a tight lid on Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, giving the opening march all of the power and grandeur it deserves yet allowing all of the emotion and beautiful themes to unfold in the contrasting middle section. As in the earlier concerto, outstanding solos in the string section and  the mighty horns rang out with regularity.

The New York Philharmonic presents Beethoven's Fourth Symphony, Richard Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks and the World Premiere of Andrew Norman's Piano Concerto with James Gaffigan conducting, Dec. 10-12. Then, the philharmonic goes into full holiday mode with the 20th anniversary collaboration of the Canadian Brass with the orchestra in Holiday Brass, Sunday, Dec. 13, followed by Handel's Messiah, with Jane Glover conducting and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Dec. 15-19. For information, visit nyphil.org.

LYRIC OPERA'S THE MERRY WIDOW THE PERFECT HOLIDAY TONIC

CIVIC OPERA HOUSE IS TRANSFORMED TO 1905 PARIS  'LA BELLE EPOQUE"  IN
MAGICAL PRODUCTION

 Renee Fleming stars in Lyric Opera's :"The Merry Widow" through Dec. 3

Thomas Hampson and Renee Fleming star as Count Danilo and Hanna in dazzling production

There is no better tonic for the tragic and traumatic events in Paris than a night in its greatest era, La Belle Epoque, in 1905, as depicted in Lyric Opera's New-to-Chicago production of Franz Lehar's "The Merry Widow."

Lyric creative consultant Renee Fleming stars as the irrepressible Hanna Glawari. Lyric favorite Thomas Hampson stars as Count Danilo, an old flame and reluctant object of her current affections.
The production runs through Dec. 13 with 2005 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition winner and Lyric Ryan Opera Center alum Nicole Cabell taking over the starring role for the final three performances Dec. 9-13.

The performance is full of life and laughter, with abundant romantic clinches and complications. With a spectacular production and sometimes acrobatic dancing directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman,  lavish sets by Julian Crouch (both in their Lyric debut), elaborate costumes by William Ivey Long, and inspired conducting by Conductor and Lyric Music Director Sir  Andrew Davis in the pit, this was a thoroughly delightful evening.

The libretto for The Merry Widow by Viktor Leon and Leo Stein is based on the comedy L'attache d'ambassade written in 1861. Originally sung in German, it is translated here by Jeremy Sams and performed with supertitles above the stage of the Ardis Krainik Theatre.  Although spoken and sung in English, the supertitles seemed necessary because at times, the amplified speaking parts were muffled and some of the sung words could not be understood over extended vocal and orchestral lines.

The plot is a simple one. In fact, it provides just enough to drape Franz Lehar's sumptuous score around. Beautiful Hanna is newly widowed. Her husband has left a fortune behind, quoted often in the opening act setup as "twenty million"(euros? dollars?, but, you get the idea). In fact, her newly gained fortune is enough to rescue her fictitious homeland of Pontevedrian from bankruptcy. The ambassador from that country sets the wheels in motion to find her a proper husband from her homeland. The free-wheeling widow has another suitor in mind, the confirmed bachelor Count Danilo, played and sung brilliantly by Thomas Hampson. His entry onstage is one of the great comedic moments in opera. The mark of the Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Stroman is all over this production. Comedic timing is perfect throughout, with Hampson leading the way.

Renee Fleming is in top form, delivering a commanding performance. The high point, of course, is her performance of the familiar aria "Vilja." It was finished with a dramatic flourish that seemed to ring throughout the hall. It brought a well deserved ovation.

Supporting cast members weighed in with some memorable moments; Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi in his Lyric debut as the pompous Pontevedrian ambassador, Baron Mirko Zeta and Heidi Stober as his young wife, Valencienne, also in her Lyric debut.

The Merry Widow, through December 13. For information, visit www.lyricopera.org.

EVGENY KISSIN PIANO RECITALS MARK 3 YEAR PAUSE IN US APPEARANCES

RUSSIAN-BORN MASTER OF ROMANTIC REPERTOIRE IN QUASI- 'FAREWELL' US TOUR DRAWS RECORD CROWDS

by Dwight Casimere

Photo: Hiroyuki Ito/New York Times

NEW YORK--Evgeny Kissin is appearing at Carnegie Hall in two sold-out recitals this week, the first pianist to perform dual concerts there in a single week since Vladimir Horowitz in 1979. His first performance brought record attendance, prompting the seating of more than a hundred lucky patrons onstage. An encore performance will be heard  on Friday, November 6 at 8pm. For more information, visit carnegiehall.org.

Evgeny Kissin's program of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms and the Spanish composers Albeniz, Larregla and possible encores of Granados, will be heard at Chicago's Symphony Center Sunday,  November 15 at 2pm. For information, visit cso.org.

In his Carnegie Hall performance, the enthusiastic audience literally enveloped onstage and off  as he strode onstage before the capacity crowd. He got directly to the business at hand, delivering a concise reading of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata in C Major. His deft fingering layed out the playful opening melody with a light touch that allowed him to gently increase its intensity. Accompanying themes grew more defined in the left hand as the first movement, Allegro moderato unfolded.

The most exquisite moments were to follow in the Andante cantabile in which he allowed the central theme to literally sing forth, filling the acoustically perfect space with the most celestial of sounds. The Allegretto literally danced beneath his lithe touch, which ended with a graceful flourish.

Kissin seemed most at home with Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23, appropriately named "Apassionata." Kissin found the beating heart of this masterpiece of the Romantic piano repertoire. There was long and artful development of the central thematic line of the Allegro assai, building to a crescendo that burst, then faded like fireworks against a nighttime sky. Andante con moto was more dance-like with spirited movement, just as Beethoven intended. Again, Kissin's strong fingers brought forth the light quick-step of the melody while conveying a sense of the dramatic elements to follow. He pulled out all the stops in the final movement, Allegro ma non troppo (fast, but not too fast), was Kissin's opportunity to showcase the full dynamic force of his playing. At first restrained, building the increasingly complex thematic material in the left hand,  while executing beautifully embellished cascading arpeggios in the right. It all erupted in a dazzling display of virtuosic prowess.

Following the interval, Kissin bore his Romantic soul in Johannes Brahms' Three Intermezzos. His contemporaries referred to them as a "fountain of pleasure....filled with "poetry, passion, rapture and heartfelt emotion." Kissing summoned forth all that and more in his performance. He leaned forward, hovering above the keys as if listening patiently for the soul of the music's creator to speak to him.  The emotions he conjured forth were thusly heartfelt. There was a bittersweet quality to his playing that almost brought one to tears.

Isaac Albeniz' tone poems Granada, Cadiz, Cordoba and Astorias are the Spanish composer's version of tone poems, evoking the sights and  sounds of his homeland. Awash in impressionistic tonal brush-strokes, Kissin used his considerable skills to paint a musical portrait as only he can do.

The ensuing encores of fellow Spanish composer Enrique Granados; Quejas o la maja y el ruisenor, Andaluza and Brahms' familiar Hungarian Dance, No. 1, had them figuratively dancing in the aisles   as the happy and satisfied audience made its way toward the exits. 

This program repeats Friday, November 6 at 8pm at Carnegie Hall. 

Photo: Hiroyuki Ito/New York Times

MET LIVE HD TANNHAUSER IN ENCORE PRESENTATION WEDNESDAY, NOV 4, 6:30PM

SUPERB SINGING BY CAST AND EXCEPTIONAL CONDUCTING BY MUSIC DIRECTOR JAMES LEVINE

by Dwight Casimere

Johan Botha as Tannhauser and Eva-Marie Westbrook as Elisabeth

The Metropolitan Opera brought all of its vast resources into full focus to realize a superlative production of Richard Wagner's Tannhauser which will be seen in a Met Live HD Encore Presentation Wednesday, November 4 at 6:30pm local time. Check local listings for theatre locations.

Music Director James Levine led a finely drawn reading of Wagner's lush orchestration, emphasizing the central theme, the hymn sung by the pilgrims which would be repeated at several key points throughout the opera, building the passages slowly. He allowed the magnificent Wagnerian horns to ring out, while coaxing sweet sounds from the woodwinds and somber, dramatic passages from the strings.

The vocal ensemble was among the best to be presented on the Met stage this season. Tenor Johan Botha shined as the knight minstrel Tannhauser. His brilliant voice changed in character throughout the performance; at first proclaiming his youthful ardor for Venus, sung with voluptuous tones by Michelle DeYoung, then moving into more dramatic territory, alternately reflecting despair and emotional trauma as he struggled with his conflicting emotions.

Eva-Marie Westbrook gave the most impressive performance in the demanding role of Elisabeth, the object of Tannhauser's affection.
The opera tells of Tannhauser's early existence in the subterranean lair of Venus, who continues to lure him back with her siren song at several key points in the opera. 

Tannhauser longs for Elisabeth and enters into a singing 'duel' with Wolfram, sung by Swedish baritone Peter Mattei. His Song to the Evening Star is one of the high points of the opera.

James Levine's conducting and the performances by the opera chorus and orchestra were exceptional. The camera work by Live In HD Director Barbara Willis Sweete focused in on the soloists at key moments, showing the brilliant playing of the Wagnerian horns and the exceptional dexterity of the harpist, who figured quite prominently in the solo sung by Peter Mattei.

Costumes by designer Patricia Zipprodt, were outstanding and reflective of both the Medieval period of the story and the specific nature of the characters. Some of the costumes, according to Zipprodt in an intermission interview with Live In HD Host and Met soprano Susan Graham, dated back to the original production by Otto Schenk in 1977.

Set design by Gunther Schneider-Siemssen and Lighting Design by Gil Wechsler provided a nuanced landscape that effectively charted Tannhauser's pilgrimage toward redemption.

The Metropolitan Opera Chorus is a key element in the success of this sweeping production. Chorus Master Donald Polumbo made the pilgrim  theme a thrilling moment. 

For more information on Met Live In HD Tannhauser, visit metopera.org or fathom events.com.