Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Nights at the opera: The Met’s holiday presentation of CINDERELLA and a new RIGOLETTO

• By drediman
• January 5, 2022
• No Comments

Astonishingly, since re-opening this fall, the Metropolitan Opera hasn’t yet had to cancel a performance. This week on consecutive nights, I found myself at the Met relishing a pair of shrewdly cast productions. Read on for my thoughts on them.

CINDERELLA (HOLIDAY PRESENTATION)
The Metropolitan Opera
Closed

On Monday, I caught the final performance of the Met’s holiday presentation of Massenet’s Cinderella (RECOMMENDED). Performed in English and trimmed to a 95 minute run time, the family friendly production is an excellent way to introduce young ones to the art form (this season, the Met also presented its truncated holiday version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute directed by Julie Taymor). Laurent Pelly’s staging – originally presented by Santa Fe Opera – is economic yet imaginative, making it ideal for such a presentation. Overall, Mr. Pelly’s production is a frothy delight that adults will fancy for its stylishness (particularly the witty and frequently audacious costumes designed by Mr. Pelly himself) and children will adore for its charmingly literal storybook aesthetic. One of the main draws of the revival was its uncommonly fine cast (arguably rarer for these holiday presentations), led by all-around gorgeous soprano Isabel Leonard in the title role. Also worth mentioning are the scene-stealing mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as Cinderella’s Stepmother, the bass-baritone Laurent Naouri (who is a wonderful character actor) as her Father, and the luxuriously voiced mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo as her Prince Charming. In the pit was Emmanuel Villaume, who conducted a sparkling account of the Massenet score.

RIGOLETTO
The Metropolitan Opera
In repertory through the end of the season

Then on Tuesday, I was back at the Met to take a first look at Bartlett Sher’s new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto (RECOMMENDED), which the mighty opera company premiered on New Year’s Eve (the Met has a tradition of unveiling new productions to usher in the new year). The production replaces Michael Mayer’s polarizing staging, which set the Verdi classic in Las Vegas (for the record, I was a fan of the production). Mr. Sher – who, like Mr. Mayer, hails from the theater world and has become one of Peter Gelb’s go-to directors – sets his Rigoletto in 1920s Berlin during the height of the Weimar Republic. In doing so, he highlights the socio-economic disparity between the set-upon title character and the more prestigious members of society, in contrast to the flashy Hollywood blockbuster veneer of Mr. Mayer’s production. Even if the handsome new production isn’t as overtly entertaining as the earlier one, it’s nonetheless insightful and fluidly staged. From a music-making standpoint, the performance was superb, featuring conductor Daniele Rustioni’s lucid reading of the Verdi score, as well as a bevy of fine performances, notably robust tenor Piotr Beczala as the Duke (Mr. Beczala is a veteran in the role) and soprano Rosa Feola as Gilda (a relative newcomer whose bright voice reminds by of a young Patricia Racette). Unfortunately, stalwart bass-baritone Quinn Kelsey was indisposed last night. That being said, Michael Chioldi admirably stepped into the title role, more than holding his own.