the long anticipated date with "Le Comte Ory" arrived. I, and a number of others, less than for previous performances (why?), sat in the freezing cinema bedazzled by vocal fireworks.
This well matched cast has sufficient secure artistic footing that those fireworks truly work.
And I mean WORK!
Plus they seemed to have such fun doing it - instinctively?
Mezzo Joyce DiDonato plays Ory's male romantic rival with male swagger and all -
she seems to submerge herself fully into the role of Isolier -
and the laughs keep coming!
She amazes me - from the drama of Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking) to the comic swagger of Isolier, she stands her 'man' - ahem part. She seems to get better and better!
As I mentioned earlier, these three principals are so darn well matched, each sings the heart out side by side- upright or prone, as the case may be :-), and, still, can be heard clearly with their own distinct vocal sound.
It was truly a joy to hear and see them!
All three eventually wind up in bed together by Act II. Yes, really!
That's what robs it of its intimate charm as the French farce it is meant to be, or so I think.
This well matched cast has sufficient secure artistic footing that those fireworks truly work.
And I mean WORK!
Plus they seemed to have such fun doing it - instinctively?
Tenor Juan Diego Florez with his agile, flexible,
clear voice is the seducer willing to use disguises to gain access to the object of his desire. And he is soo desirable himself, with his flashing eyes, that twinkle and nudge, those smirky smiles, and such. And that he fills all sorts of costumes to their best advantage does not hurt as well, all this while tossing off high notes and higher ones with such apparent ease.
clear voice is the seducer willing to use disguises to gain access to the object of his desire. And he is soo desirable himself, with his flashing eyes, that twinkle and nudge, those smirky smiles, and such. And that he fills all sorts of costumes to their best advantage does not hurt as well, all this while tossing off high notes and higher ones with such apparent ease. Phenomenal, he is a true Bel Canto tenor!
Soprano Diana Damrau 
as the object of his affections shows excellent comic timing along a vocal display that thrills and drills to the core of the listener. And she too was stunning visually in her dazzling array of hot pink, passionate purples, frothy pinks displaying most of her physical charms - it's no wonder The Count and his Page are lusting after her:-)!
as the object of his affections shows excellent comic timing along a vocal display that thrills and drills to the core of the listener. And she too was stunning visually in her dazzling array of hot pink, passionate purples, frothy pinks displaying most of her physical charms - it's no wonder The Count and his Page are lusting after her:-)!Mezzo Joyce DiDonato plays Ory's male romantic rival with male swagger and all -
she seems to submerge herself fully into the role of Isolier - and the laughs keep coming!
She amazes me - from the drama of Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking) to the comic swagger of Isolier, she stands her 'man' - ahem part. She seems to get better and better!
As I mentioned earlier, these three principals are so darn well matched, each sings the heart out side by side- upright or prone, as the case may be :-), and, still, can be heard clearly with their own distinct vocal sound.
It was truly a joy to hear and see them!
All three eventually wind up in bed together by Act II. Yes, really!
And that was a feat of choreographing sinuous movements in a darkly lit -after all it IS night - bedchamber.
The 'nuns' chorus is hilarious
The women's is decidely frou frou!
The whole opera/operetta is a delight for all senses, the visual, the audial, the 'funny bone', the tongue-in-cheek, the irreverent take on religion, the hidden sexuality, repressed desires.. and the gamut just keeps growing. All to a frothy, funny musical score. Yet the score does have some,though not too overt, sophisticated parts. Rossini's music is full of harmonic melodies which well serve the comedic ends of the piece. And the French libretto serves its aim very well, French is just the right language for comedy and farce with those overtones and undertones :-) - and since most singers enunciated the words very crisply, they were easy to follow! Merci, Mesdames et Messieurs!
Yeargan's sets are designed to fit the production within a production.
Sher's direction overall is, IMO, rather superb, he does follow musically and so the romp this Le Comte Ory is, is done to perfection. The women's is decidely frou frou!
The whole opera/operetta is a delight for all senses, the visual, the audial, the 'funny bone', the tongue-in-cheek, the irreverent take on religion, the hidden sexuality, repressed desires.. and the gamut just keeps growing. All to a frothy, funny musical score. Yet the score does have some,though not too overt, sophisticated parts. Rossini's music is full of harmonic melodies which well serve the comedic ends of the piece. And the French libretto serves its aim very well, French is just the right language for comedy and farce with those overtones and undertones :-) - and since most singers enunciated the words very crisply, they were easy to follow! Merci, Mesdames et Messieurs!
Yeargan's sets are designed to fit the production within a production.
Maestro Benini conducts Rossini, I felt, a bit too carefully, and that holds back the fast and furious pace the score seems to require.
I have only one caveat! I truly feel this opera would be best seen LIVE and Live in a smaller house!
Not on the huge screen with amplification, or in a huge opera house!That's what robs it of its intimate charm as the French farce it is meant to be, or so I think.
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