ll Trovatore, as has been said many times before, does have a convoluted story, and is occasionally over the top dramatically, but it is memorable for the character of the gypsy Azucena and for containing one of Verdi's most melodically rich score. Even when the stories are not always great Verdi's music nearly always delivers.
Kicking off the 10th season of the Metropolitan Opera HD Live series, this is an outstanding production. It is even better than the powerful 2012 production (also directed by David McVicar and starring Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Dolora Zajick, except with Marcelo Alvarez and Sondra Radvanovsky as Manrico and Leonora), mainly because the leads are better here, and is by far the best of the three productions that Anna Netrebko has starred in. Due to that the Berlin and Salzburg productions were disappointments, having staging that was either bizarre, clumsy or dull, uneven singing and unappealing visuals. This performance however is a winner dramatically, is strong musically across the board and creates a lot of atmosphere visually.
On a visual level, the production is highly atmospheric. A dark atmosphere is created which suits the story perfectly without being too darkly lit and the attention to detail is meticulous, never cluttered but never sparse either. The costumes are attractive and suit the characters and their motivations well, especially those for distinguished Di Luna and vengeful Azucena, while the make-up and wigs are appropriate and never look over the top or weird. As ever, the high definition seeing the production in the cinema is of very high quality, with resonant sound, camera work that is unobtrusive and narrative-enhancing and crystal clear picture quality. Susan Graham is an engaging host, and while the interviews for the Met simulcasts are not always as interesting as they could be they were here and entertaining too, loved Zajick's story about the bottle in the restaurant (can't blame anybody for still finding it hard to sum up the opera's story).
McVivar's stage direction is nothing short of splendid. He has always been an interesting director, though with the odd strange choice, and his Met Trovatore is to me some of his best. Here, and in the 2012 production, he manages to make the drama clear and succinct. Character motivations not as overly-melodramatic as they could have been, the scenes between Leonora, Manrico and DiLuna are pitched just about right here. He puts a lot into the character interactions and how to make conversation-like scenes nowhere near as static as they could be, a highlight being the psychological intensity between Manrico and Azucena in particularly Act 2. And the characters feel more dimensional than they usually feel, Azucena always was one of the most interesting mezzo roles in a Verdi opera, but surprisingly Manrico has more to him than just being a hero and DiLuna is more a conflicted character than just being a 'villain'.
Again, the Met pull out the stops again when it comes to the musical values. The orchestra have the pathos for Ah Si Ben Mio, the Miserere and D'Amor Sull'Alli Rosee, Di Quella Pira and Anvil Chorus are heroic and joyful and Stride Le Vampa and the end of Act 1 have intensity. The chorus are not just great singers but great musicians, over the years their personalities have become more individual and that can be seen here. Marco Armiliato's conducting is energetic yet elegant while also stylistically alert and filled with the right amount of pathos. The principal performances are hard to find fault with, Stefan Kocan is a sonorous and authoritative Ferrando, making one really want to listen to the dark tale he tells at the beginning of the opera. Ines is touching and dutiful, and Raul Melo's Ruiz is very strong.
The Leonora of Netrebko was the best thing about the Berlin and La Scala performances, and her Leonora is one of the highlights of this production as well. Vocally, it is a role that suits her beautifully, her voice sounding so rich, easy and darkly creamy, the musicality and phrasing are supple, energetic and emotion-filled (just listen to those high-note pianissimos in D'Amor Sull'Alli Rosee, which are incredibly hard to do especially with some of the phrases being as long as they are) and it is clear from her stage presence that she knows every word and what she is singing about. Zajick, who has sung Azucena since 1988, and is perhaps the best in the role of the past twenty five years or so, enthrals once again. Her voice is still firm and penetrating and sounds great for 63 and dramatically she's riveting, astonishingly vivid when describing her mother's death.
Hvorostovsky is also in a role that's been familiar to him for a number of years. He is still gripping, and he showed enormous courage singing while battling a serious illness- a brain tumour- (having performed on stage hours after suffering an epileptic seizure, I too know what it's like and how hard it is carrying on despite feeling terrified). Amazingly, his voice didn't sound affected at all, ravishingly warm even in Il Balen with only the end of Act 1 trio showing a little sign of forcing and he brings command, sinister authority and surprising subtlety to a not-so- subtle role, never showing signs of being uncomfortable. Yonghoon Lee is a big improvement over Alvarez in the previous Met production. He has the heroism but also the steel for Manrico, and communicates such volumes just by his eyes and face, and his voice shows itself more than capable for the lyric and spinto passages, being one of not many tenors in recent years to still sound strong after Di Quella Pira (an aria that unsurprisingly taxes many).
In conclusion, an outstanding production, when it comes out on DVD it could be a contender for the best Trovatore available (as much as I do love the 1957, 2012, 1978 and 1988 performances). 10/10 Bethany Cox
Kicking off the 10th season of the Metropolitan Opera HD Live series, this is an outstanding production. It is even better than the powerful 2012 production (also directed by David McVicar and starring Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Dolora Zajick, except with Marcelo Alvarez and Sondra Radvanovsky as Manrico and Leonora), mainly because the leads are better here, and is by far the best of the three productions that Anna Netrebko has starred in. Due to that the Berlin and Salzburg productions were disappointments, having staging that was either bizarre, clumsy or dull, uneven singing and unappealing visuals. This performance however is a winner dramatically, is strong musically across the board and creates a lot of atmosphere visually.
On a visual level, the production is highly atmospheric. A dark atmosphere is created which suits the story perfectly without being too darkly lit and the attention to detail is meticulous, never cluttered but never sparse either. The costumes are attractive and suit the characters and their motivations well, especially those for distinguished Di Luna and vengeful Azucena, while the make-up and wigs are appropriate and never look over the top or weird. As ever, the high definition seeing the production in the cinema is of very high quality, with resonant sound, camera work that is unobtrusive and narrative-enhancing and crystal clear picture quality. Susan Graham is an engaging host, and while the interviews for the Met simulcasts are not always as interesting as they could be they were here and entertaining too, loved Zajick's story about the bottle in the restaurant (can't blame anybody for still finding it hard to sum up the opera's story).
McVivar's stage direction is nothing short of splendid. He has always been an interesting director, though with the odd strange choice, and his Met Trovatore is to me some of his best. Here, and in the 2012 production, he manages to make the drama clear and succinct. Character motivations not as overly-melodramatic as they could have been, the scenes between Leonora, Manrico and DiLuna are pitched just about right here. He puts a lot into the character interactions and how to make conversation-like scenes nowhere near as static as they could be, a highlight being the psychological intensity between Manrico and Azucena in particularly Act 2. And the characters feel more dimensional than they usually feel, Azucena always was one of the most interesting mezzo roles in a Verdi opera, but surprisingly Manrico has more to him than just being a hero and DiLuna is more a conflicted character than just being a 'villain'.
Again, the Met pull out the stops again when it comes to the musical values. The orchestra have the pathos for Ah Si Ben Mio, the Miserere and D'Amor Sull'Alli Rosee, Di Quella Pira and Anvil Chorus are heroic and joyful and Stride Le Vampa and the end of Act 1 have intensity. The chorus are not just great singers but great musicians, over the years their personalities have become more individual and that can be seen here. Marco Armiliato's conducting is energetic yet elegant while also stylistically alert and filled with the right amount of pathos. The principal performances are hard to find fault with, Stefan Kocan is a sonorous and authoritative Ferrando, making one really want to listen to the dark tale he tells at the beginning of the opera. Ines is touching and dutiful, and Raul Melo's Ruiz is very strong.
The Leonora of Netrebko was the best thing about the Berlin and La Scala performances, and her Leonora is one of the highlights of this production as well. Vocally, it is a role that suits her beautifully, her voice sounding so rich, easy and darkly creamy, the musicality and phrasing are supple, energetic and emotion-filled (just listen to those high-note pianissimos in D'Amor Sull'Alli Rosee, which are incredibly hard to do especially with some of the phrases being as long as they are) and it is clear from her stage presence that she knows every word and what she is singing about. Zajick, who has sung Azucena since 1988, and is perhaps the best in the role of the past twenty five years or so, enthrals once again. Her voice is still firm and penetrating and sounds great for 63 and dramatically she's riveting, astonishingly vivid when describing her mother's death.
Hvorostovsky is also in a role that's been familiar to him for a number of years. He is still gripping, and he showed enormous courage singing while battling a serious illness- a brain tumour- (having performed on stage hours after suffering an epileptic seizure, I too know what it's like and how hard it is carrying on despite feeling terrified). Amazingly, his voice didn't sound affected at all, ravishingly warm even in Il Balen with only the end of Act 1 trio showing a little sign of forcing and he brings command, sinister authority and surprising subtlety to a not-so- subtle role, never showing signs of being uncomfortable. Yonghoon Lee is a big improvement over Alvarez in the previous Met production. He has the heroism but also the steel for Manrico, and communicates such volumes just by his eyes and face, and his voice shows itself more than capable for the lyric and spinto passages, being one of not many tenors in recent years to still sound strong after Di Quella Pira (an aria that unsurprisingly taxes many).
In conclusion, an outstanding production, when it comes out on DVD it could be a contender for the best Trovatore available (as much as I do love the 1957, 2012, 1978 and 1988 performances). 10/10 Bethany Cox
