Kevin Spooner and Ricardo José Rivera
(photo by Steven Pisano)
Personally, we enjoy some education along with our entertainment and that is the reason we hold Teatro Nuovo in such high esteem. Maestro Will Crutchfield is valued for the extensive research he does into bel canto opera in much the same way as Opera Lafayette reveals the treasures of the 18th century. Last night the Rose Theater (Jazz at Lincoln Center, which is actually in the Deutsche Bank Center, née Time Warner Center) was the venue for an exploration of Mozart's timeless Don Giovanni, which first saw light of day as Il Don Giovanni in 1787 in Prague.
Restoring the "Il" was a device meant to establish that we were seeing this superb work through fresh eyes, the eyes of the Garcia family, a family which brought opera to New York City in 1826 at the behest of Mozart's librettist Lorenzo DaPonte who created a new edition. The opera was enthusiastically received by both the 19th century audience at the Park Theater and last night's audience at the Rose Theater.
There was an enormous amount of scholarship involved in researching performance traditions, editing, scoring, and blowing the dust off this masterpiece that contemporary audiences have taken for granted. One was obliged to listen with an open mind and thirsty ears, of which ours were thrilled to hear ornamentation galore and charismatic cadenze.
Mo. Crutchfield's pre-performance lecture stressed the investigative approach, making th4e point that opera was a combination of score plus performance. His talk was so full of ideas that we yearned for a written copy so that we could consider his ideas at leisure, but his talk was extemporaneous as only an expert can produce and woe to those who cannot keep up with a mind like his. We did our best, Dear Reader, we did our best.
It was during the performance that we were best able to appreciate the efforts. Here was the famous story of the reprobate Don (Ricardo José Rivera) and his coming to a well deserved end. Here was the story of the somewhat faithful servant Leporello (Kevin Spooner) who put up with his master's abuse for money. Here was the story of the devoted Donna Elvira (Sedona Libero) who couldn't stop trying to reform him. Here was the story of Donna Anna (Elizabeth Novella) who finds out eventually that the man who tried to rape her also killed her father. Here was the story of the easily swayed peasant Zerlina (Simona Genga) who learns almost too late how evil the Don is and how she would do well to make it up to her bridegroom Masetto (Noah B. Rogers).
We also have a Don Ottavio (Martin Luther Clark) who wants to wed Donna Anna and wavers between supporting her and getting angry at her putting him off. And then there's the victim of the Don's mayhem, the Commendatore (Daniel Mobbs) who gets his revenge.
So, the characters are all there and, we believe, all the arias we love except Don Ottavio's oft-omitted "Dalla sua pace". We relished every single embellishment of each character's vocal line and we believe that the rest of the audience did as well, judging by the thunderous applause. If other elements were discarded we did not miss them. What we did miss was the finale, the ensemble in which all the surviving characters sing about their future plans. Indeed, if Mozart intended this as an opera buffa, or dramma giocosa, it felt abrupt to end with the Don writhing on the floor.
A few words about the production values--we had the impression that the artists directed themselves. Don Giovanni and Leporello had a nice rapport and Donna Anna was totally convincing in her sorrow, her resolve, and her attempts to placate Don Ottavio who mostly did not connect with her. Although the staging of the first scene and the duel was a bit clumsy, subsequent scenes worked far better.
In lieu of sets we had projections by Adam J. Thompson which served well. The only "stage furniture" appeared during the final scene for Don Giovanni's dinner --it was not missed. However, we do take exception to the costuming, or rather the lack of costuming. This was not a concert version with music stands and so we would have liked at least a suggestion of class differential; having the peasants attired in streetwear would have been a cost-free way of emphasizing their status. Having the entire cast in formal wear was jarring.
But less us get on to the most important issue, that of musical values. Maestro al Cembalo Geoffrey Loff performed his role with enthusiasm and artistry, keeping the performance moving along at a brisk pace whilst giving the singers room to breathe and enjoy their respective fiorature. As is customary with Teatro Nuova, the musicians are arranged so that they can see each other. Having heard from a few conductors we know that the best place to sit was as close to the conductor as possible, we took the advice and were glad we did. At no time did the orchestra drown out a singer. Well done, Maestro!
We might mention the pre-performance recital of works by the scion of the aforementioned Garcia family. And what a family they were, including daughters Pauline Viardot and Maria Malibran. The program was narrated by Resident Artist Timothy Cheung. and we wished he had spoken to the audience instead of reading. His accompaniment however was excellent. Catching our attention by beauty of voice and interpretation was tenor David Freides' performance of Garcia's cancion "Cuerpo bueno, alma divina" .
Tonight, Teatro Nuovo will offer Rossini'a rarely seen Il Turco in Italia. We are eager to see and hear what Mo. Crutchfield has to tell us and what the company will show us. We hope to see you there, Dear Reader.
© meche kroop
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