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Mozart: Don Giovanni
Vienna State Opera
22 January 2006
This revival - the 21st performance in this production by Roberto de
Simone - brought a series of role debuts in the house for almost the entire
cast!
Simon Keeleyside, presented his Don here for the first time - suave in
style, beautifully-phrased, particularly in the more lyrical moments (the
La ci darem with the delicious Zerlina of Ileana Tonca) was one
of the evening's highlights. His scale could be larger though - in every
way, and I couldn't help feeling that his physique and personality were
somewhat dwarfed by the opulent (but beautiful) costumes of Zaira de Vincentiis.
His Leporello, Kwangchul Youn (with his a fine, resonant bass) went through
all the necessary motions - but didn't (in keeping with his Asian colleague,
Eijiro Kai, as Masetto) quite manage to fully integrate with the European
members (and indeed concept) of the production. Their choreographed scene
during Zerlina-Masettos nuptials had more than a hint of the Samuai to
it - simply as a result of the unmistakable body language!
Anna (Ricarda Merbeth) and Elvira (Melanie Diener) - both giving role
debuts here - were vocally rather too close in timbre and vocal weight
for my taste. They both produced some fine singing to go along with fairly
standard interpretations, but failed to usurp fond memories I have of
other productions and other sopranos in the same roles.
The English tenor, Ian Bostridge, drew the first "bravos" of the evening
from the audience. His musicianship is almost consummate - limited perhaps
only by certain aspects of his vocal resources (and I think of Peter Pears
in the same vein). His light, and at times slightly emasculated tones
sometimes veer toward the Male Alt in quality, naturally harmonizing with
his rather willow-like physical presence - ein Gesamtkunstwerk which will
one day undoubtedly make a perfect Aschenbach.
To round-off the cast, Dan Paul Dumitrescu returned as a competent Commendatore.
As I have written before in these pages (Così fan tutte
in Salzburg), I am much taken by Philippe Jordan's readings of Mozart.
These were his first "Dons" at the Staatsoper, and he treated us to an
intimacy in the pit - at times almost reminiscent of a string quartet
in finesse and accuracy - allowing his singers to "breathe" within their
capabilities, both in tempo and dynamics. May he please return!
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