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Classics Today |
Robert Levine |
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Ciléa: Adriana Lecouvreur, New York, Carnegie Hall, November 8, 2011 |
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STARS SHINE LOUDLY IN OONY’S “ADRIANA”
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Francesco Cilea’s one everlasting success is Adriana Lecouvreur, premiered
in 1902, but sounding so unabashedly Romantic that it could have been
composed 20 years earlier. It might be referred to as “dainty verismo;”
there are big, overtly dramatic moments with grand, show stopping arias and
duets, but the connective tissue, featuring backstage shenanigans at the
Comedie Francaise where the opera takes place (Adrienne Lecouvreur was a
real figure; she died in 1730, when the opera is set) owes more to the
chatter of minor characters in Massenet operas. The plot is a pile of murk:
Both Adriana and the Princess de Bouillon love Maurizio, the Count of
Saxony; rivalry ensues. Adriana somehow saves the Princess from being
discovered in a sleazy situation but later insults her publicly. It the end,
the Princess sends Adriana a posy of poisoned violets which take 18 minutes
of gorgeous music to kill her in the arms of her beloved Maurizio, who shows
up just in time.
The opera is hardly a masterpiece and works
particularly poorly unstaged, as it was at Carnegie Hall as Opera Orchestra
of New York’s first presentation of the season: the action is almost
unfollowable. But it has a few ravishing melodies that Cilea uses over and
over again – the odd thing is that they’re always welcome. The soprano has
two big arias and duets, a very dramatic recitation and that Death Scene;
the tenor has the same; the Princess has an aria and some fine
confrontational music, and the Comedie’s stage manager, Michonnet, who also
loves Adriana, is given some touching music. It must have a great singing
actress with a true spinto soprano in the title role, and despite the fact
that Angela Gheorghiu’s biography in the Carnegie program begins with the
word “superstar,” which is true, this is not her role. Her voice remains
gorgeous, with spun pianissimi, long lines (albeit in her own chosen
rhythms) and a true attempt at great volume and pointed delivery in both
spoken and “grand” moments, but she delivered a narcissistic reading of the
part without the requisite power in mid-voice. Yes, Adriana is an actress
and within the opera itself she acts a good deal of the time, but Ms
Gheorghiu’s toying with her flowing gowns and fidgeting while others sing
was hard to watch. It may have been exciting, but it wasn’t the alternately
fragile and angry Adriana, it was a superstar soprano.
Joining her was the adored tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Maurizio. The voice seems
to be able to do everything, and he too, shows off a bit much. His control
of dynamics is remarkable: he sings softly for long passages in a type of
croon which he can swell to great strength and volume at will and his tone
is as handsome as he is presentable and elegant. He made as much of
the role as he could and held nothing back. Georgian mezzo Anita
Rachvelishvili took over the character of the nasty Princess and presented a
hall-filling voice at every register. It was a pity that she flats on big
notes above the staff. Michonnet was sung by Italian baritone Ambrogio
Maestri, a big man with a big, impressive baritone voice. He is the opera’s
most sympathetic character and Mr Maestri’s sincere attention to text and
dynamics delivery made him live. The smaller roles involve a lot of quick
babbling for the most part, and were colorfully taken.
Music director
Alberto Veronesi led an unsubtle performance; very loud for the first half
and very watchful of Ms Gheorghiu in the second – one would have liked to
hear what went on at intermission between the two. The orchestra, playing,
as suggested, at full throttle, occasionally sounded crude, but played
accurately. Yes, there were thrills galore, but too often it seemed as if
we, the audience, were being bombarded with star power at the expense of
real drama. Never mind, the crowd roared.
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