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Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
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Bellini's I Puritani boasts two spectacular casts |
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| Bellini's I Puritani boasts two spectacular casts | ||
| by Rod Parke -
SGN A&E Writer Bellini's I Puritani at Seattle Opera May 3-4 McCaw Hall Some of us, believe it or not, go to opera primarily for the singing. Some who go for other reasons left after the first act of I Puritani at Seattle Opera Saturday night, not because the singing was lacking but probably because the story is, in Beverly Sills' delightful commentary, "a problem." It's a silly, improbable story, not worth the re-telling. But it IS worth singing about, especially when it's Bellini writing the tunes. Before I get carried away telling you about some truly extraordinary singing, let me say that the production values were generally fine, with special mention going to the gorgeous costumes, created some 30 years ago for the Metropolitan Opera by Peter J. Hall. The single-unit set by Robert A. Dahlstrom was attractive and worked quite well. The direction of Linda Brovsky, however, was lackluster, relying too often on stock gestures (back of hand to the face, one man's hand extended to another man's shoulder, etc.) to convey sadness, worry, or confusion. On the musical side, always-dependable Edoardo Müller could not be faulted in his conducting, and the horns were simply grand in their considerable contributions in this score. Those who saw the Met Opera's performance of I Puritani in movie theaters last year could especially appreciate the lively work of the Seattle Opera Chorus, whose members made those often boringly long Bellini choruses much more interesting and better sung than were those at the Met. Ah, but then we come to the solo singing! (Please imagine the most pompous fanfare for the following.) In my 70 years, I have never heard better singing than that of Lawrence Brownlee, who sang Arturo, the young lover of the extremely unstable Elvira. Not since Jussi Bjoerling serenaded us on folding chairs in the dreadful Civic Auditorium in 1955 have I heard a better tenor in Seattle. Brownlee has developed since his first years in Seattle Opera's Young Artists Program so that now he appears confident on stage, physically as well as vocally. His voice was utterly free, warm, and capable of superb coloratura. His phrasing and legato was stunning. His high Cs and Ds were easy and beautiful, and the high F-above-high-C was thrilling if not effortless. On the world stage, he most often shares the roles of Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez. Having heard them both live several times, I find Brownlee's the more beautiful (and bigger) voice. Bradley Williams, as the Sunday matinee Arturo, sang almost as well (without the high F). He was a handsome and ardent lover. Although his voice was small, it was so perfectly focused that I'm sure no one had any trouble hearing his lovely, very bright tone. His matinee Elvira, Cuban soprano Eglise Gutiérrez, took over the show, however, with her thrilling singing. Her voice, perfect technique, and lovely appearance made her the most exciting new voice I've heard in a long time. And she could act. Vocally, she had everything: perfectly floated soft high notes, beautiful, warm tone, ample volume, real trills, perfect coloratura, and complete evenness from top to bottom. I want more and more of this singer! Unfortunately, the Saturday night Elvira, Norah Amsellem, had a very rough first Act. She just couldn't get the voice to work right. It would come in and out of audibility, and the tops sounded like a totally different singer, altogether pinched and tiny. The Act II mad scene (Elvira has 2-1/2 mad scenes in this opera!), however, saw Amsellem back in form; she sang and acted very well (without a decent trill) for the rest of the evening. I have only the highest admiration for the ability of Speight Jenkins to come up with two such wonderful casts for this extremely difficult-to-cast opera. Of the two performances, the Sunday matinee was the more exciting and satisfying, even if it lacked the thrill of Lawrence Brownlee's unbeatable singing. For instance, even though the familiar bass of John Relyea is justly loved in Seattle, the matinee bass, Denis Sedov, had much the better bel canto line and sang his big area with better legato and beauty. The Saturday Riccardo, Mariusz Kwiecien, is a thrilling singer and stage presence; but he over-sang, pushing his voice beyond its limits and producing a strangled sound on top. Sunday's Riccardo, Morgan Smith, displayed less testosterone but sang beautifully and cut a fine figure. In both performances tenor Simeon Esper was an especially promising presence as Sir Bruno Robertson, and Joseph Rawley was impressive as Elvira's father. Only the Enrichetta of mezzo Fenlon Lamb failed to deliver, lacking both the voice and presence to convey her regal stature in this small part. The only solution for anyone wanting to hear the best singing in this singers' opera must be to see both casts! Reviewer Rod Parke can be reached at rod@sgn.org |
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