- Stage capture from Metropolitan Opera’s production of Donizetti’s ‘Don Pasquale’
by Sam Juliano
This is the fifth season of HD broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera house in Manhattan aired to destinations worldwide. For disciples of the form who reside in the shadows of this famed institution, a quandary remains as whether an appearance at the Met is still preferable to a visit to a local movie house to take in the well-embellished movie screen presentation. While for opera purists with deep pockets the choice remains a no-brainer, there are some compelling issues in the mix here that are making a decision of preference progressively difficult. With eleven Saturday afternoon broadcasts on the schedule for 2010-11, (with Wednesday evening encores in place for each opera) the present season offers more titles than any to date, leaving only a smattering of ‘must-see’ operas that aren’t on the HD schedule. Obviously, for those who can afford it, the ideal compromise would be to attend the eleven broadcasta, and purchase some tickets at the Met for several operas not being offered on HD. Bt for those who don’t have that luxury, the matter of opera purity is quickly becoming a non-concern. The astonishing popularity of the broadcasts -many theatres have reported sellouts months in advance- has inspired executive at the Metropolitan Opera to give the viewers many “extras” unavailable to those attending the events in person. These include interviews with the stars and behind-the-scenes craftsmen bewteen acts, capsule summaries of the opera from a regular host, and the backstage maneuverings of carpenters and set designers. In addition -and most critically- the company’s cameramen are able to capture vital close-ups, while maintaining a mid-range stage picture, that is preferable to nearly every in house vantage point, save for those blessed with orchestra seats near the stage.
Seats at the Metropolitan Opera have gone through the roof price-wise, and those with intentions of seeing multiple operas during the season (I held partial season tickets for eight years at a time when prices were more manageable) are invariably forced to avail themselves of $20 standing room orchestra seats, which always results in a daunting demonstration of stamina, as most operas run between three and four hours. In addition to the discomfort, one must negotiate his vision between a rectangular stage view (which is compromised by the overhead mezzanine balcony) and the subtitles that are electronially projected on a small screen on the leaning post ahead. (For those with actual seats, the titles are to be accessed on the back of the seat ahead). What it all comes down to is this: Should one sacrifice personal comfort, viewing and listening difficulties, fascianting bonuses, and complete artistic immersion for the sake of “purity.” The answer seems clear enough now for all but the most obstinate. The HD presentation is the way to go for true opera lovers whose appreciation for the glorious art form is always being compromised at a place only convenient now for those in the highest tax brackets. Even with endowments and generous contributions from millionaire patrons the Met has priced itself well out of the range of both the casual fan and the most passionate area opera buffs. Anyone who prefers to be at the Met is ignoring the intrinsic worth and inobstrusive purity of the theatrical screen experience, seen in full comfort with optimum audio and video. Opera may be at its essence a consumate joy for those in the building, but it’s also a rat race, marred by spiralling costs and all kind of obstacles to the immersive experience that informs it’s finest interpretations.
In any case, the Met’s present production of Gaetano Donizetti’s beloved comedy masterpiece Don Pasquale is a treasure to behold in both the opera house or the HD movie screen, and all the glories of it’s comic charm, flowing bel canto lyricism and romantic allure are beautifully conveyed in a first-rate production. Renowned opera director and set-designer Otto Schenk introduced this production in 2006, delighting fans eager to experience a staging after a 20 year absence at the house. With Maestro James Levine conducting this work for the first time in his career and a distinguished cast including John Del Carlo (as Don Pasquale), Anna Netrebko (as Norina) and Matthew Polenzani (as Ernesto) this production can stand with the best of this opera worldwide, and it makes for a more than worthy transmition for those hankering to indulge in what the composer called a ‘drama buffo.’ By any standard of measurement Don Pasquale is one of a quartet of widely regarded masterworks by one of opera’s most prolific artists. Donizetti authored 75 operas in a twelve year span, and he is said to have admitted that he completed some in the space of a few weeks. His masterpiece is Lucia de Lamermoor, a tragic opera loosely based on Sir Walter Scott’s historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor, while L’elisir d’amore, La Fille du regiment and Don Pasquale have never vacated the stage for over 150 years. Furthermore, Maria Stuarda, Lucrezia Borgia and Anna Bolena and a few others receive productions regularly in opera houses around the world. With Vincenzo Bellini and Giochino Rossini, Donizetti is one of the great trio of bell canto composers, hence of one Italy’s finest writers of music in any capacity.
Donizetti reached the pinnacle of his popularity in the years immediately following his death in 1848 (at the age of 51) when it is said that one of every four opera stagings in Italy was of a work he wrote. In the last deacdes of the nineteenth century his reputation plummeted, with critics and musicologists making claim that his operas were “facile and imitative.” (of seventhteenth and eighteenth century comic buffas.) However, after the second World War, a major reassessment rightfully reasserted the composer as a titan of world music, and a formidable figure in the development of Italian opera. Without question it is difficult to conceive of the phenomenon of Verdi without the foundation stone of Donizetti’s work, who provided the even greater composer with the profound melodrama that was taken to even loftier heights.
Don Pasquale is the last of the golden tradition of opera buffa of the first half of the 19th Century to remain in the international repetoire. Designed for the principal quartet of the “Theatre-Italien” the opera has a concentration and comic sweep, humanized by touches of Donizettian pathos, that sets it in a class by itself. It is said that at this point in his busy, occasionally frantic career Donizetti had accumulated a background of practical theatrical experience unmatched by that of any of his rivals, and this experience in combination with his musical talent produced a work whose freshness has never faltered. In the light of this schievement, it is difficult to realize that before the year was out the illness that would both dim his mental capacites and claim his life, would manifest itself.
The story is bare and simple: A corpulent old bachelor wants to marry a much younger and pretty young thing, and after a number of often exasperating admissions and a purposely convoluted plot line that involves some mistaken identities, the elder man blesses the union of the pretty one with a handsome young tenor. It invariably ends as an exceedingly delighful evening at the opera for the young at heart. The homogenous score includes a sparkling overture (which Maestro Levine nevigated with a spirited tempo and typically textured and rousing flourishes that quotes several themes that appear later in the opera -most notably Ernesto’s Act II serenade and Norina’s self-analyzing aria from Act I.) Malestesta’s aria in the opening scene, “Bella siccome un angelo’, in which he describes the charms of his mythical sister, is a fine example of bel canto irony. The high spirits of the work are neatly epitomized in the duet for Norina and Mallatesta that closes Act I, wherein he coaches her in the part she must play to bamboozle Pasquale. Act II, with its unflagging buildup to a hilarious climax, which is for many the summit of Donizetti’s achievement here. Act III contains its own share of riches in three irrestible duets and an apt finale to point the moral of the piece: that December should not tempt fate with May. Instead of the traditional secco recitative, the connective passages are string-accompanied. The mid-point finale is a solo quartet without choral reinforcement; indeed, the chorus appears only in the two scenes of Act III.
Schenk’s comparatively spare sets include typical Italian interiors with a backround (winding staircase) and a luminous noctural balcony centerpiece that properly don’t overwhelm the spirited comedy and the stellar singers being showcased. As the shrewish young lady-turned vixen, Ms. Netrebko admitted in a between act interview that she relished playing a ‘character who didn’t die.’ Her rich, crystal-clear and resonant interpretation was a contrast to De Carlo’s crusty and lecherous title character (albeit audience sympathy increases with his domination by Norina.) The baritone Mariusz Kwiecien is smooth and animated as Mallatesta, while Matthew Polenzani’s glowing and often soaring lyricism injects the work with an indellible romantic underpinning.
When charm and passion is in great abandance, the chemistry always results in a winning combination. The Met’s production of Don Pasquale is a contagious mix of timing and effervescence.
So, you have made a final decision. Watching HD broadcasts in the movie theatre is more appealing than sitting (or standing?) in an opera house. When one considers the length of time one must spend in these productions, it’s no wonder you reached this conclusion. This is a beautiful piece of writing on a work you have a bit of love for.
Frank, there is still an incomparable excitement to be in an opera house. I am actually planning to see a Bernstein opera at the New York State Theatre (City Opera) right across the courtyard from the Met later this week. To be there in person always holds a special feeling, that can’t quite be replicated watching a movie theatre simulcast. Yet, viewing conditions and prices have mitigated much of this position in recent years, and all the Met technicians have enhanced the HD experience to where it’s more comfortable and affordabe.
Thanks for the very kind words!
My favorites from the bel canto repetoire are Bellini’s “Norma”, Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” and Donizetti’s own “Lucia de Lammarmoor”. The famous sextet from the last of these is my favorite individual piece of music from this type of opera.
You have very good taste Bill. I love all three of those, and I’d add a few more by Rossini, Bellini’s ‘La Sonnambula’ and Donizetti’s own ‘L’elixir d’Amour.’ The sextet is a great choice too!
Thanks for stopping by my friend!
” It invariably ends as an exceedingly delighful evening at the opera for the YOUNG at heart.”
Well Sam, it’s obvious that includes you!
Why thank you Laurie!
It takes a charming opera like DON PASQUALE to get you in the best of moods, no doubt about it. This is really what opera is all about: soaring emotions, laughter, and a flowing melodic line. Bell Canto par excellence.
As always my good friend, it’s a real treat to have you here!
A great study of this seminal opera and the HD experience. Comedy buffa isn’t really my sort of thing for the most part. I must tell you I will be buying a ticket for Adams’ Nixon in China. (I think it is being staged after the new year.) That one long aria is electric.
Frederick, I am with you 100% on NIXON IN CHINA! And yes, that intoxicating aria “Ain’t It Prophetic?” is worth the price of the opera alone. Adams’ minimalist style isn’t everyone’s thing, but it’s ultimately an acquired taste.
Thanks for the generous words my friend!
Hi! Sam Juliano…
Sam Juliano said,”What it all comes down to is this: Should one sacrifice personal comfort, viewing and listening difficulties, fascianting bonuses, and complete artistic immersion for the sake of “purity.” The answer seems clear enough now for all but the most obstinate.
The HD presentation is the way to go for true opera lovers whose appreciation for the glorious art form is always being compromised at a place only convenient now for those in the highest tax brackets.
Even with endowments and generous contributions from millionaire patrons the Met has priced itself well out of the range of both the casual fan and the most passionate area opera buffs.
Anyone who prefers to be at the Met is ignoring the intrinsic worth and inobstrusive purity of the theatrical screen experience, seen in full comfort with optimum audio and video…
This seems to me more like a “pro” (HD movie screen) and “con” (The Met Opera House) review…to me!
With that being stated…This is a very well-written, very descriptive review of Gaetano Donizetti’s ‘Don Pasquale’ that I throughly enjoyed reading too…(even though I have never watched or “listened” to this opera I found your review to be…very informative and very interesting. (Which I find important in order to hold a reader attention span.)
Thanks, for sharing!
DeeDee 😉 🙂
As always Dee Dee, I can’t thank you enough for your unwavering support and enthusiasm for my classical music and opera posts. You’ve always been there, and your comments are always creative. You are right in asserting that my views here heavily favored the HD broadcasts, because of financial, comfort and viewing/listening conditions. I love the excitement of being in the Met or the City Opera house, but in order to sit near the stage in the former tickets are over $200, and in the latter, around $100. It’s insanity, but this can be chalked up to spiraling operational expenditures. If you are interested in seeing more than a few a year, it’s just not feasible. When you are forced to sit all the way in the back or high up in one of the balconies, you miss so much, and the sound is unavoidably muted. So it’s the age old question of how important it is to be there. As it is, I have it both ways, taking in the HD simulcasts and attending a few at the opera house that aren’t offered on HD. Of course with the City Opera, one MUST attend, as there are no HD broadcasts available.
Thanks too for the very kind an dgenerous words on the review of DON PASQUALE. It’s a fun and buoyant opera, no matter how many times you experience it.
Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Who played the trumpet so beautifully in the live Met performance of Don Pasquale? Does anyone know? It was not acknowledged by James Levine when he presented the orchestra at the end of the performance. A pity?
MJA-S , Victoria BC, Canada
Barbara and Mike:
I can speculate from information I have that the trumpet player’s name is Gavin Bondy. I am not absolutely sure, as I did not get a program (only given out at performances at the Met) but there was some internet information available. I don’t know Bondy’s work, but the trumpet work during the overture and at intervals in the score was indeed beautiful.
Many thanks for stopping in!
I have yet to check out an movie theater presentation of an opera. I guess in my head I always dismissed them, but reading your comments I wonder if I wasn’t hasty in that appraisal. There is nothing like seeing an opera (or anything performed on a stage) performed live, but you are right: ticket prices can be outrageous. The Los Angeles Opera, not exactly the pinnacle but still a solid outfit, has had a great program that I used to take advantage of where they offer unsold tickets to students for $20. They can be anything from up in the highest balcony where those afraid of heights can’t sit to center orchestra. I saw some great operas then, but slowly have stopped going. “The Turn of the Screw” is coming up.
I simply love your passion for opera, something we see so little of today. It doesn’t help that prices are so high. I would think they should be past trying to keep out to riff-raff. If opera is to survive stronger than it is now it has to be more inclusive and lower ticket prices can do that, but now the option of movie theater viewings is intriguing.
Jason: Prices for seeing the operas in movie houses have now risen to $24, which is roughly about the same amount you will need to fork over for an orchestra standing room seat at the Met. Seems like the only people these days who aggressively stand by the in-house attendance over the movie theatres are the ones who hold season tickets plans. The movie theatres pose a serious threat to their convictions of purity. But “purity” should also include an unadulterated navigation of sound and sight lines. Just being in the building is not enough. I expected to hear that you’ve had some opera in your past, as I know your taste for the arts is exceptional in every sense. I hope you take advantage of some upcoming opportunities, as I find this form as the most precious of all. I liked Britten’s THE TURN OF THE SHREW quite a bit in fact, and saw it performed live several years ago by the New York City Opera.
I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate what you say there in your last paragraph! Many thanks my very good friend!!!
Sam offered me the golden opportunity to accompany him to this Donazetti program but I’d had a previously made appointment so I declined the offer saying something like: “I would need to be tripping on LSD 25 to get anything worthwhile out of that.”
And I was of course, serious, but for what reasons?
When I see opera in the movies or especially on the TV when they are actually being performed live and on film, all I find myself thinking about is how tortuous it must be to be an opera singer. It’s probably the most difficult job in show business…the arts…you name it. Imagine having to use all that make-up, wear those terribly uncomfortable and hot looking costumes, and then having to be an adequate actor and an outstanding singer at the same time and be WONDERFUL for we the audience every performance!
As for LSD 25…it’s power to temporarily switch off certain filters situated in the brain which tone down the perception of outside stimuli is the only way to enjoy opera and that is merely my preference. If it’s the right opera and the right quality acid one feels almost as if one is involved in the story in some solipsistic fashion.
By using LSD to enhance this opera I would hopefully be experiencing a transcendental state of mind hopefully hallucinogenic to the brink of madness…to the brink one dosed with LSD 25 watching an Italian Opera can soar from the inner mind to the outer limits so to speak.
Encore!
Wonderful and probing essay SCHMULEEEEEEE!!!! I concur, whole-heartedly on your opinion that the Met has priced itself out of the box for goers that don’t own real-estate in Manhattan or get to the opera house via limosine. That nobody has sung the praises of the all-encompassing HD telecasts is baffling. For a fraction of the price, the viewer of the HD presentation gets the works (like those that hold out for special edition DVD’s). As for this opera? Not exactly one of my favorites but a joy no matter how you look at it. I’m fascinated by Natrebko, I have been looking at her filmed performances on YOUTUBE a lot these past few months and find both her and Elina Gorancha to be two relative newcomers that have a lot more than just the right stuff.
Here’s a sample of the lovely Anna Netrebko. She is joined by the wonderful and beautiful Elina Goranca (by no means the “typical” opera star) in a rendition of Offenbach’s “Bacarolle” from his masterpiece THE TALES OF HOFFMANN. Whenever I think the beauty in the world has fizzled out, I listen to this piece and I am immediately repremanded for such thoughts…