Ken Howard
The tip of the 2024-2025 Metropolitan Opera season has introduced some fascinating position debuts. The Spring season revivals of The Queen of Spades and La bohème have ushered within the return of two sopranos who’ve been off the roster for 2 years in a single case, 14 within the different.
Sonya Yoncheva deserted a run of Norma in 2023 after a poor reception from the press and opera followers. Missed reveals and a few nasty feedback on her social media noticed Yoncheva go from home (and administration) favourite to one thing of a pariah earlier than her return as Liza in The Queen of Spades on Friday. Corinne Winters did 4 performances of Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto again in 2011, then by no means returned till this Sunday in a a lot greater position: Mimì in La bohème. This was after establishing herself as a number one worldwide soprano within the title roles of Kát’a Kabanová, Jenufa, Madama Butterfly, Suor Angelica, and Rusalka at Covent Backyard, the Bayerisches Staatsoper, and Liège et al. throughout that 15-year absence, a feat she mentioned at size with the field final week.
By opening evening on Friday, Might twenty third, The Queen of Spades in the end supplied a tremendous efficiency of a masterpiece with a really promising, vocally spectacular solid that delivered inconsistently – lack of rehearsal? We had been offered with the third Hermann, a last-minute addition to the corporate who was making his Met debut with little rehearsal. However, the efficiency gained in pressure over the night and guarantees to enhance over the run.
Ken Howard
The Queen of Spades is a haunting examine of obsession, betrayal and despair. The 30-year outdated manufacturing by the late Elijah Moshinsky has completed good service over time, although it’s lastly exhibiting some put on and tear. Sure results don’t come off as convincingly as they did when artists like Leonie Rysanek and Karita Mattila did them initially in 1995.
Keri-Lynn Wilson led a firmly delineated orchestral studying with evident data and good baton method. Nevertheless, sure scenes had a reasonably matter-of-fact sort of stasis and her musical sophistication didn’t at all times end in dramatic power. This modified in later scenes like the ultimate playing scene which crackled with pleasure then turned on a dime to a mournful last dirge. I believe her work will enhance.
The Armenian dramatic tenor Arsen Soghomonyan made his home debut in a calling card position he has carried out many occasions. This time Soghomonyan changed Brian Jagde who had bother mastering the Russian and Brandon Jovanovich whose departure was extra mysterious, however these days he has been going by means of a nasty patch of sick well being and vocal troubles. Hermann drives the plot and is in nearly each scene – it’s a protracted grueling position. Soghomonyan has a darkish, vibrant tenor that has plentiful presence in an enormous auditorium just like the Met.
Nevertheless, the debut nerves and lack of a protracted rehearsal interval caught up him rapidly. Hermann’s huge solo outburst on the finish of the primary scene concluded with a excessive B that splayed and his high was brittle afterward. Soghomonyan appeared to be settling in in Act II however got here to grief in a number of locations in Hermann’s nihilistic Act III last aria “Shto nasha zhizn? Igra!” (What’s our life? A recreation!) breaking on each be aware above excessive A. He completed the efficiency on dangerous footing. As for his performing, it was a dour, sullen one-note interpretation that lacked mania and sexual magnetism. Maestro Wilson will need to have admired Soghomonyan’s efficiency in rehearsal, however stay efficiency is a crap shoot. I want him higher luck in later reveals the place I’m certain he’ll calm down and enhance.
Yoncheva, then again, sounded significantly refreshed with a voice that was steadier and fuller than once we final heard her. There was some fleeting tonal put on with hints of unsteadiness when the vocal line expanded within the higher third, however largely she sounded great — a darkish, voluminous soprano with an overlay of gleaming silver and barely any of the wobble that was threatening to take over a number of years in the past. Her voice now seems like a real lirico-spinto, not a pushed lyric soprano manufacturing qualities she was not born with.
Liza’s last aria by the Winter Canal in Act III “Akh! istomilas ya goryem” (I’m worn out by grief) was a spotlight of the night. This was a task debut for the Bulgarian diva and musically and stylistically she was on high of it. Dramatically, Yoncheva missed the naïveté and insecurity of the character, seemingly too mature, self-possessed, and complex. The soprano and tenor lacked chemistry and did not ignite a lot ardour within the Act I seduction scene; she appeared too realizing and unperturbed and he appeared too self-absorbed onstage.
Ken Howard
As for the mysterious, decrepit Countess, former mezzo- and dramatic soprano Violeta Urmana was a robust but overly sturdy and sturdy stage presence. Her voice sounded reasonably wan however she scored with the Countess’s nostalgic Grétry solo “Je crains de lui parler la nuit” sung with line and class. No successor to Rysanek has ever recreated the enterprise of pulling the black lace scarf over herself when she dies, as if the Countess is out of the blue tiny and coated in cobwebs, or the terrifying spectral emergence from the floorboards, bathed in lurid mild from beneath, in Act II’s barracks scene.
Alexey Markov as Rely Tomsky/Plutus was vocally resplendent and excessive power with a suavely debonair stage method. The Muscovite baritone scored a house run together with his Card Aria (Tri Kartï). Igor Golovatenko as Prince Yeletsky sounded a bit gruff and bluff in his huge Act II aria “Ya vas lyublyu” (I like you past measure), which remains to be owned by the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky. It’s a main voice however lacks class and legato on this position which can’t simply be belted.
As Polina, mezzo Maria Barakova seemed and sounded beautiful, however she is a dusky mezzo, not a plummy contralto, and a few dips into chest lacked affect. She delighted as Daphnis within the Mozart pastiche Act II pastorale in tandem with bright-voiced newcomer Ann-Kathryn Niemczyk as Chloe.
Once more, main performers did not persistently ship however there was sufficient high quality onstage and within the orchestra pit that the efficiency added as much as greater than the sum of its elements. I extremely advocate catching a later present.
Evan Zimmerman
Everybody appeared extra linked and buoyant in Bohème which premiered on the Sunday matinee 25 Might. The viewers but once more cheered the curtain opening for Act II with a split-level panorama of a Paris block with the Café Momus tucked away in a stage proper nook. The solid had only a few necessary voices however putting ensemble teamwork by a vivacious, young-looking, engaged, and fascinating solid of ‘non-stars’ (although she has been profiled within the New York Instances and sung everywhere in the U.S. and Europe, Winters hasn’t as a lot of a profile regionally).
Within the pit was Yannick Nézet-Séguin in his sole outing main the Puccini warhorse this Spring – Giacomo Sagripanti is ending out the ultimate weeks of the run. Sir Thomas Beecham, no stranger to Bohème, mentioned there are two sorts of conductors: those that conduct too quick and people who conduct too sluggish – there isn’t a third! The Montreal maestro began out in his early seasons within the first class, however zippy, buoyant and detailed. He lately has advanced (or devolved) into the second class of expansive or enervated slowness. The orchestra did play fantastically for him, however I think a number of the smaller voiced soloists may need benefited from extra pace. A minimum of Yannick lastly is aware of how and when to maintain the orchestra down and doesn’t drown out singers.
Not one of the singers, aside from the Musetta, have huge devices however they knew how their elements labored, gave detailed and spirited performing performances and had been all on the identical web page. In addition they know that there’s plenty of comedy in Acts I and II.
Corinne Winters is an skilled, clever singer whose voice is about one or two sizes too small for the Met. She focuses on tragic heroines and her Act III “Donde lieta uscì” aria and Act IV demise scene confirmed interpretive perception, knowledgeable dealing with of textual content, and dramatic intelligence. She is an artist and she or he acquired by on intelligence and expertise, however the voice had little affect in the home although the viewers gave Winters an enormous ovation at her last bow.
Marty Sohl
Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov has a vivid, plangent, reasonably cool tenor that isn’t giant, and his high (which can’t take strain, however he didn’t push it) is dependable sufficient. He’s a pleasant stage animal filled with character with wonderful reactions and cleverly carried out enterprise. As Marcello, Anthony Clark Evans, who has been doing comprimario roles on the Met, confirmed he’s able to greater issues. (He does Scarpia, Rigoletto and Sharpless in different regional homes.) His Marcello was a lovable burly bear who could possibly be heat and fuzzy or prickly relying on circumstances – his baritone can also be burly however heat toned.
The Romanian bass Alexander Köpeczi, tall and youthfully good-looking had a tremendous debut as Colline – relaxed onstage and pleasing in line and tone in “Vecchia zimarra.” Home common Gabriella Reyes, a pleasant heat Musetta, unfurled a lush, smoky soprano which is giant and beautiful with no shrillness. She was earthy and joyous reasonably than vulgar and annoying. Sean Michael Plumb seized each second obtainable to Schaunard with added comedian bits whereas his clean despair within the last scene was touching. He returns to the position subsequent season alongside together with his baritone colleague Evans.
La bohème is ever common and so is the Franco Zeffirelli manufacturing, although Zeffirelli and the manufacturing are unpopular round right here. The Zeffirelli manufacturing remains to be a panoramic spectacle which works in some moments however is detrimental elsewhere for what’s mainly an intimate story about extraordinary folks. The very best second is Act III the place the stage is large however the motion is concentrated downstage. Acts I and IV has Paris rooftops which put the garret upstage and lifted up, so we really feel just like the singers are half a block away and never in the identical room with us. Act II is a knockout spectacle however a whole bunch of supers and animals compete for focus with our bohemians who’re again in a stage proper nook additional upstage. It impresses the viewers, particularly opera newcomers. Stage director Sara Erde made it play like a newish manufacturing with exact and stunning bits of Personenregie as a substitute of a 40-year-old manufacturing returning for the umpteenth time.
What made this solid work on this outdated manufacturing with out voices like a Freni and Pavarotti, Alagna and Gheorghiu? You believed they had been younger, you believed they had been associates, and also you felt their ache. So, they didn’t get misplaced within the huge streets and rooftops of Zeffirelli’s Paris.
