Met HD Opera's 10th Season Starts with Fabulous "Il Trovatore"

It wasn’t just the romantic excitement of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore, or the absolutely top-level cast in top-level form. It was the authentic human drama on that stage that made this a most memorable opening of the Live-at-the-Met-in-HD for it’s 10th season.

The opera world has sadly missed performances the Russian super-star baritone, Dmitri Hvorostovsky had to cancel, when he announced he had a brain tumor. His triumphant return was greeted with a true showing of love and appreciation for him, his artistry and courage.

Not only was he greeted with incredible applause, given a prolonged standing ovation at the end, but showered with literally dozens of white flowers that seemed to come from the also vividly appreciative orchestra. Possibly the fact that the flowers were all white, may have been inspired by his striking white “mane” the baritone has flaunted at every performance. The reception all around was a most moving experience.

When last, in 2011, I reviewed this production by Sir David McVicar, the HD transmissions reached approximately 1500 movie venues in 46 countries. The current same production is shown in over 2000 houses in 70 countries. Not only does it prove the transmissions are a great success, it also is a persuasive reassurance that opera is far from moribund!

We are again seeing the McVicar production, which premiered at the Met in 2009, and we saw in HD in 2011. He sets the mise-en-scene during the Peninsular War (1808-1814) with Napoleon pitched against Spain – its horrors so graphically recorded by Francisco Goya.

The fairly uncluttered sets by Charles Edwards reflect the Goya darkness and make use of the Met’s rotating platform. This is of tremendous help to sustain the mood for the libretto’s frequent scene changes. In non-such equipped opera houses, the curtain has to be lowered for each change, robbing the impact of the continuous drama.

ll Trovatore from Verdi’s middle period has been debased as “vulgar” and filled with “over-the-top bathos” -- and that criticism definitely has some legs. But determined to make a strong statement, Verdi supposedly stopped the librettist Salvador Commarano from toning down the dramatics, declaring he wanted to “shock” the audience.

Was he one of the early anti-war proponents? Musically he does shock. Not via probably the ultimate cliché in all opera – the “Anvil Chorus” – but by giving us counter rhythms, uneven meters, and while setting most arias in minor keys, then surprisingly giving the villainous Count di Luna some in major instead.

Il Trovatore premiered in 1853, and was an immediate success. It has become a reliable ticket-seller in every major -- and minor – opera venue ever since.

The banal story is a mixture of love (including the maternal), vengeance, oppression, revolt and sacrifice…all bases covered “bathosically”! But it works because the music at times reaches the sublime.

And that was captured by the truly outstanding cast offered here. For the super-star soprano, the Russian Anna Netrebko, it was her first Met performance of the self-sacrificing Leonora. Her luscious sound, as usual fully confident of its beauteous delivery, plus her acting ability made this debut a smashing success.

During the customary intermission features, here delightfully hosted by Susan Graham, we not only met Netrebko and her rambunctious little son, but were given a quick reprise of the huge variety of stellar roles this super-diva has performed at the Met.

Some of the audience may have been worried that his illness may have affected Hvorostovky’s vocal prowess. It most definitely has not. His marvelous, mellow yet powerful tone was not compromised in any way. To me, he sounded and acted this Count di Luna just as splendidly as he did when I reviewed the performance in 2011, and any role I have heard him in since. The opera world can be grateful indeed.

I truly felt sorry for the South Korean tenor, Yonghoon Lee, who most beautifully sang the title role of the mysterious troubadour, Manrico. The role so often peopled by the most illustrious tenors in history, here was totally overshadowed by the Netrebko premiere and the Hvorostovsky drama. Mr. Lee has a lovely instrument and is a good actor to boot.

Dolora Zajick, the American mezzo-soprano, who owns the role of the gypsy, Azucena, was every bit as good as she was in 2011. Having performed more than 225 performances at the Met, she seems to make a habit of portraying gypsies and witches. She has portrayed Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera and the wily Jezibaba in Rusalka.

Stefan Kocan, the Slovanian basso as Ferrando, the Count’s sidekick, is another returnee as good as ever.

And at the podium, we again had Marco Armiliato. It felt a bit like old home week with the ever dependable Met orchestra in the pit.

It all made for a most enjoyable performance of this Verdi favorite all-around.

I highly recommend you catch the Encore on Wednesday evening, Oct.6th, or the newly available matinee on Thursday, Oct.7th.