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New York Daily News, November 30 2011 |
Joe Dziemianowicz |
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Gounod: Faust, Metropolitan Opera New York, 29. November 2011 |
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Jonas Kaufmann goes atomic as ‘Faust’ at the Metropolitan Opera
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'Jersey Boys' director resets Gounod classic in nuclear age
It takes
more than everyday oats to make a war horse like “Faust” canter with a fresh
kick.
It takes an original idea.
And “Jersey Boys” director
Des McAnuff, in his Metropolitan Opera debut, has come up with a bold one in
his star-studded and stirringly sung vision.
In the Tony-winning
director’s take on the 1859 pact-with-the-evil romance, Faust is an aging
nuclear physicist considering his role in the death tolls of World War I and
II.
Suffice it to say that when Charles Gounod’s “Faust” was the
inaugural Met offering in 1883, Fat Man and Little Boy (the bombs’
nicknames) were nowhere to be seen.
But they are here.
Met
favorite Jonas Kaufmann plays the suicidal doctor in this “Faust,” a
production shared with the English National Opera, and shares a kinship with
“Doctor Atomic” and “Dr. Strangelove.”
An odd mashup? Yes.
But
a compelling enough one, since wide-scope atomic annihilation mirrors the
small-scale destruction of fair Marguerite by Faust and Mephistopheles.
Robert Brill’s airy and imaginative multilevel steel laboratory set
works well to support the singing. Two towering spiral staircases frame the
stage and give the evil the perfect high perch from which to gaze upon the
sorry affair he’s set in motion.
Sean Nieuwenhuis’ video projections
of faces and restless clouds lend arresting imagery, while Peter Mumford
bathes the action in moody and colorful lighting. Paul Tazewell’s suits and
uniforms define the period and Kelly Devine’s jagged choreography for a
hellish jig feels just right.
Not everything about the almost 4-hour
production does. A stately pacing tends to sap energy. And at times, the
visuals — the everything’s-coming-up-roses seduction, for instance — comes
off as corny, not cool.
As compensation, there are musical riches
galore. The orchestra, led by Yannick Nezet-Seguin, is captivating. Large
ensemble scenes are wonderfully in unison.
In supporting roles,
mezzo-soprano Michele Losier and baritone Russell Braun shine as
Marguerite’s would-be suitor and fair-weather brother.
The
three principal roles are exceptionally wellsung.
As the angsty
Faust, Kaufmann brings a rich warm tenor that brims with great emotion; he
was nearly swooning as he idealizes Marguerite’s virtue in the aria “Salut!
Demeure chaste et pure.”
As the object of his ardor, soprano
Marina Poplavskaya has a voice that’s clear and plummy it sparkled
especially bright in the lovely Jewel Song.
And bass Rene Pape was
outstanding as Faust’s wily, well-dressed wingman. His singing was
consistently strong, his phrasing elegant. Is it any wonder why the audience
leapt to their feet as he took his bow It wasn’t the Devil — his talent made
them do it.
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