COSTA MESA,
Calif -- Back in 1997, I had the pleasure of seeing Don Giovanni
at the Opera Pacific. That
production served as a vehicle to showcase the talents of the fine
American soprano Helen Donath (as Donna Anna) and her conductor
husband Klaus Donath. And
what a glorious, resplendent evening it was!
While the current production does not boast a starry cast (at
least on the night I was there) or singularly brilliant individual
interpretations, it is nonetheless an amiable affair on the whole,
thanks mainly to the immensely enjoyable conducting by the
company’s artistic director John DeMain.
The love and care that went into the musical
preparation by Maestro DeMain were evident in the orchestra’s
playing. Dynamic
markings were carefully observed in the Neue Mozart Ausgabe edition
of the score but, in this case, theatrical excitement did not take a
backseat to scholarship. The orchestra bustled with life, energy, and freshness.
Tempi were often but by no means always on the
fast side. The overture's introduction moved swiftly and urgently,
and the entire opening scene-complex – up to the end of the
Anna-Ottavio duet – was tautly held together, with no relaxing of
the tension, as Mozart surely intended.
I also liked Maestro DeMain's quickish tempo
for the quartet “Non ti fidar”, excellently mirroring the
increase of tension in the drama, and his urgent direction of much
of the Act I finale. But he also allowed his singers plenty of time
to phrase their music expressively, for example in the
Giovanni-Zerlina scene in the first finale, in the trio at the
beginning of Act II (some wonderfully sensual orchestral colours
here), in Giovanni's serenade, in the great sextet (very powerfully
done!) and in the cemetery scene, which had a proper sense of the
hieratic and yet a knife-edge tension too. The second finale was
very relaxed and divertimento-like to start with and suddenly
tightened up with Elvira's entry. Maestro DeMain was very flexible
in his pacing of the recitative, to good effect, and scrupulous but
not dogmatic over the use of appoggiaturas. In sum, it was a highly
propulsive, theatrical interpretation, one that constantly had me on
the edge of my seat.
The youthful cast on the night of January 25
performed capably though not sounding entirely comfortable in their
respective roles, with the exception of Stephanie Woodling, who
portrayed Elvira with a creamy, incisive voice that was both
exciting (in “Mi tradir”) and moving (in Act II Trio).
At first I wondered if Paula Delligatti was slightly
overparted as Anna, lacking the steel in the voice that is usual for
the role; “Or sai chi l'onore” sounded labored and the
high notes often turned squalid.
But she delivered a powerfully stirring “Non mi dir”
in Act II (and some apt appoggiaturas), spacious, with strong high
notes and a real glow to her tone as well.
The role of Zerlina requires a sweet upper range and more
than a dash of sensuousness and charm – prerequisites that were,
alas, largely missing in soprano Sari Gruber’s portrayal.
Andrew Fernando made a good, incisive Masetto, Zerlina’s
on-again, off-again beau. Chat Berlinghieri’s Ottavio displayed a quick vibrato that
might not be for all tastes, but he gracefully ornamented the repeat
in “Il mio tesoro”.
David Michael’s Commendatore was a cipher, sounding not at
all imposing. Baritone
Kyle Ketelsen, the Leporello, was devoid of elegance or wit in his
stiffly sung Catalog Aria and Act II sextet.
Even worse was baritone Mark McCrory as a demonic, crass Don
Giovanni, who barked his way through the Champagne Aria and all but
ignored the sensuous portamento in the serenade “De vieni alla
finestra”. I
would not be surprised if, in this day and age, someone is quick to
offer forth a psycho-dramatic angle to this maleficent
master-servant relationship; I simply see them as two ill-prepared
voices that need to work on their solfeggi more before undertaking
something as perfect and challenging as Mozart’s music.
The costumes, minimalist sets, and stage
direction were all drab and uninspiring.
Among the many directorial oddities:
Leporello’s fondling of Elvira in Act II and Giovanni
meeting his demise alone, without the hand-holding by the
Commendatore. Now,
I can understand the need to reinterpret a scene by departing from
the norm (thought I may not comprehend it), but what of the
gratuitous lewd act that adds nothing to the drama, only
uncomfortable groans in the audience?
Until some clever but misguided director decides to do a teen
version of Don Giovanni, let’s show some respect for Mozart
and Da Ponte’s masterpiece and leave something to the imagination,
O.K.?
Kudos again for Maestro DeMain for a musically
compelling Don Giovanni.
Truman
C. Wang is editor of Classical Voice.
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