Past Production Reviews
4The advantage of Glyndebourne Opera’s performances at the BBC Proms is that they give us a chance to concentrate on the music making. And there was plenty of high-quality music-making on offer at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 28 August 2017 when Glyndebourne Opera performed Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito.
Die «dokumentarischen Sequenzen» werden auf bühnenfüllender Leinwand gezeigt und wirken kaum bearbeitet. Was die Morgentoilette oder das Beobachten startender Flugzeuge an der Startbahn mit Pergolesis Musik zu tun haben, muss jeder selbst entscheiden. Marton spricht im Programmheft vom Entstehen von Ideen, denen man in anderen Situation, also ohne Pandemie, wohl nicht gefolgt wäre. Das scheint sehr plausibel.
Aristea, the contended princess, was Joélle Harvey, who convinced with her silvery soprano, while Argene (Licida’s abandoned lover) was Lauren Snouffer, a very welcome surprise for me: her soprano showed a solid middle register and great presence. The cast was completed by tenor Thomas Erlank, who graced us with a great interpretation of “Siam navi all’onde algenti”, and bass Carlo Allemano, who convinced as King Clistene.
It’s a smartly written tale about how the humble servant Figaro and his friends try to outsmart the handsome and powerful Count Almaviva in such a way that all can live happily ever after. You might be put off a bit because it’s in Italian. But somehow with the text above the stage, the mode of the music, and the artistic lighting, I’m sure you’ll understand every word and feeling. It’s been over 200 years since this work had its premier, and yet it almost feels like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is standing in the wings. Almost as amazing as the opera is the talent brought together to make this production a reality. As I watched, I felt like everyone on stage had been singing and performing together for years. However, after reading their biographies, you realize that these extremely talented individuals have traveled many different paths to find themselves in Pittsburgh for our enjoyment. The audience was made up of opera lovers of all ages from teens to retirees. There is no dress code for going to an opera. A small percentage of those in attendance wore jeans and another small group were in formal attire. The Benedum is a gorgeous and an extremely comfortable venue for enjoying any kind of performance. Every time an opera singer takes a part in a production as famous and popular as The Marriage of Figaro, they are compared to the many talented performers who have sang that same part in days gone by. Let the experts compare. All I want to do is to say thanks to all the talented folks that gave me an evening I won’t soon forget. A special thanks to Tyler Simpson, who played Figaro, Joelle Harvey, who sang the part of Susanna, and Christian Bowers who brought to life Count Almaviva. All three were making their Pittsburgh Opera Debut. And a special thanks goes to Pittsburgher Danielle Pastin, who sang the roll of Countess Almaviva. I have always enjoyed opera music, but I sort of kept it to myself. I started to believe being an opera fan must be a cool thing when I learned that the great race car driver, Mario Andretti was an opera fan. Now, I don’t need someone else to validate my appreciation of the art form; I simply enjoy it. And I’m sure you would too.
