|
|
|
|
|
The Classical Review, November 10, 2011 |
By Marion Lignana Rosenberg |
|
Ciléa: Adriana Lecouvreur, New York, Carnegie Hall, November 8, 2011 |
|
Gheorghiu, ageless and in charge with Opera Orchestra of New York’s “Adriana”
|
|
Adriana Lecouvreur, the opera by Francesco Cilea and Arturo Colautti turned
109 years old on November 6, an occasion marked in grand style by Opera
Orchestra of New York Tuesday night at Carnegie Hall.
The heroine’s
namesake, Adrienne Lecouvreur (1692–1730), was the most celebrated actress
of her day, a women who died under mysterious circumstances. In the opera, a
poisoned posy (sent by a rival for the tenor’s love) is the improbable cause
of her demise. The historical Adrienne suffered insult as well as injury:
she was denied a Christian burial because the French Catholic Church of the
time had long excommunicated theatre folk, deeming them akin to prostitutes.
Many illustrious sopranos have portrayed the stage Adriana, including
Claudia Muzio, Renata Scotto, and Dame Joan Sutherland. The opera’s grateful
melodies, comfortable range, and built-in claque for its heroine make it a
favorite of sopranos entering their elegant decline, Cilea’s potboiler often
proving as flattering as a soft-focus lens. Their love for this bit of
faux-Rococo frippery is fierce. In 1937, when Edward Johnson refused to
produce Adriana for her, Rosa Ponselle left the Metropolitan Opera.
Opera Orchestra of New York, which champions less familiar works and
showcases divas and divos for the greater joy of their admirers, has done
well by Adriana. In 2002, the work’s centennial year, OONY’s founder and
conductor laureate Eve Queler brought together Aprile Millo, Marcello
Giordani, Dolora Zajick, and Anooshah Golesorkhi for a lusty and
unforgettable Adriana. Those lucky enough to be there might have thought
that performance impossible to beat, but Tuesday’s Adriana at Carnegie Hall
came close.
Tenor Giacomo Lauri-Volpi described the legendary Muzio’s
voice as made of “tears and sighs and restrained inner fire.” Those words
came to mind listening to Angela Gheorghiu as Adriana. Yes, she indulged in
her customary who’s-in-charge-here taffy pull with the conductor (she was
clearly the boss), and early on her phrasing was as fussy as her handling of
her chiffon train.
But her voice is a satiny beam of moonlight, and
with it Gheorghiu wrought wonders: a thrilling, full-throated volley of
vitriol hurled at her rival the Princesse de Bouillon, a heartbroken
filigree spun in Poveri fiori. Her final scene, with her timbre at once
radiant with ecstasy and pale with the chill of death, was one for the ages.
Frippery Adriana may be, but Gheorghiu transformed it into a queen’s array
by means of the alchemy that only a true diva can muster.
As
Maurizio, Jonas Kaufmann displayed his intelligence, musicianship, and dark,
coppery tone. Noble in intent, Kaufmann’s whisper-soft attacks as Maurizio
in La dolcissima effigie were throaty and tortured, but he soon overcame
those fleeting difficulties and won repeated (and rapturous) ovations. With
easy charm and ringing, heroic sound, he gave an electrifying account of
Maurizio’s mettle in battle (Il russo Mencikoff). In the opera’s final
scene, he matched Gheorghiu frisson for frisson with his tender, inspired
singing.
Casting Ambrogio Maestri, a great Falstaff of our time, as
the lovelorn Michonnet is the kind of largesse that makes OONY such a
cherished institution. His sound is lush and rolling, though he scaled it
down to a gorgeous, buttery-soft mezza voce in Ecco il monologo.
Like
the rest of the cast, Maestri sometimes bellowed — because OONY audiences
rejoice in decibel tournaments, and because OONY music director Alberto
Veronesi occasionally conducted like he was expressly trying to drown out
the singers. I understood no more than two words sung by Anita
Rachvelishvili as the conniving Princesse de Bouillon (a problem of
enunciation, not of audibility). She has a huge, occasionally squally voice
and an imposing seconda-donna manner.
Smaller parts were ably sung
and played: Nicola Pamio was a deliciously catty Abbé de Chazeuil, and Craig
Hart brought unusual dignity to the role of the princess’s soon-to-be
cuckolded spouse. As always, OONY cast plucky, gifted young singers in
comprimario roles: Lázaro Calderón, Jennifer Feinstein, Alexander Lewis,
Zachary Nelson, and Danielle Walker. The youngsters, though, suffered the
most from Veronesi’s maladroit balances.
The New York Choral Ensemble
under Donald Barnum sang little but admirably, the Opera Orchestra itself
played Cilea’s syrupy score with gusto, and the evening belonged to Angela
Gheorghiu, as seemingly ageless and divine as the immortal Adrienne.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|