The orchestra are superb throughout, I think they are at their best during Capriccio. Susan Graham and Deborah Voight host with interest and clarity, while I cannot fault Opening Night Gala. The High Definition is consistently very good, with clear sound and picture quality and the camera work doing everybody and everything favours. The costumes are sumptuous especially Fleming's black dress performing the final scene of Capriccio, and the settings are truly beautiful though Zeffirelli's Traviata set could be seen as dated, very reminiscent of the look of his 1982 film, one of my favourites just for the record. The telecast looks fantastic for starters. is really a magical night, the music is sublime, it looks wonderful and while she is supported solidly by all involved Fleming is the one who steals the show in three of her best and most favourite roles, Violetta from Verdi's La Traviata, Manon from Massenet's Manon and the Countess from Richard Strauss' Capriccio. I saw Opening Night Gala Starring Renee Fleming as a life-long fan of opera, someone who generally enjoys the productions and concerts from the Met and who likes Renee Fleming and her creamy voice. She dispenses with the elaborate wigs of the previous two sections in favour of a more natural hairstyle and she wears a breathtaking costume by John Galliano. Her rich voice is wonderfully suited to Strauss's soaring vocal line. After all this spectacle, the musical highlight of the evening is Renée Fleming's solo performance of the end of Strauss's Capriccio. Ramon Vargos plays both Germont Fils and Des Grieux in these two excerpts.
I particularly liked the religious groupies discussing Des Grieux's sermon as if it were a pop concert. This is one of Renée Fleming's signature roles and she deliciously depicts the coquette who deserts Des Grieux only to seduce him again, years later, the night before his ordination, just because she can. Thomas Hampson is most to blame here as a wooden Germont. The evening gets off to a slow start with a lacklustre performance of Zeffirelli's dated Traviata.
The choice of repertoire gives ample scope to show off the Met's chorus and dancers as well as an array of guest principals. Both Act II of La Traviata and Act III of Manon consist of two contrasting scenes so first we witness the effortless transformation of Violetta's country retreat into a Paris ballroom, then we see a Paris street scene transformed into the chapel of Saint-Suplice. The format is a bit like Readers' Digest condensed operas.The only thing that comes near to upstaging Queen Renée is the stage itself.
Well, if ever the post of Queen of England becomes vacant, she would certainly get my vote. Renée Fleming gets to appear in segments from three of her favourite operas in one evening.
0 kommentar(er)
