Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Women rule the world at The Met: Anna Netrebko triumphs in MANON LESCAUT and Kaija Saariaho’s L’AMOUR DE LOIN mesmerizes

• By drediman
• December 6, 2016
• No Comments

This past week, women certainly ruled the world at the Met, with Anna Netrebko triumphing in the title role of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, as well as the premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s uncanny and haunting L’Amour de Loin.

Anna Netrebko in “Manon Lescaut” at The Metropolitan Opera

Over the years, soprano Anna Netrebko has blossomed from being type cast as the sprightly ingénue (anyone remember her sensational comic turn as Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale ten years ago at the Met?) to a performer of extraordinary range. In recent years, the glamorous Ms. Netrebko has taken on weightier roles like Lady Macbeth and Anna Bolena, which have beautifully coincided with the evolution of her voice, which has gotten richer and more darkly expressive. It’s therefore not surprising that Ms. Netrebko once again triumphs in her Met debut in the title role of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), much as she did in practically the same role in Massenet’s Manon four years ago. Her magnetic transformation in Richard Eyre’s (somewhat problematic) production of Manon Lescaut from naïve country girl to bored sexpot to doomed heroine showed an operatic superstar at the height of her dramatic and vocal powers; her commitment to the roles she plays continues to be irresistible to behold. As her lover in the opera, tenor Marcelo Álvarez was equally impressive, singing with an ardent forcefulness that brought unexpected heat to Des Grieux’s turbulent relationship with Manon.

Eric Owens and Tamara Mumford in “L’Amour de Loin” at The Metropolitan Opera

The next day, I was back at the Met to catch Kaija Saariaho’s shimmering opera L’Amour de Loin (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Fascinatingly, the piece is only the second opera by a female composer to be presented at the Metropolitan Opera (the first was Ethel Smyth’s Der Wald in 1903!). L’Amour de Loin, which was originally commissioned by the Salzburg Festival in 2000, marks the second large scale project the Finnish composer has had in New York this fall, the first being a (literally) dynamic collaboration with the New York Philharmonic at the Park Avenue Armory entitled Circle Map. The Met production of L’Amour de Loin features two superb, deeply felt performances from soprano Susanna Phillips and bass-baritone Eric Owens as lovers from afar, as well as a soulful, high tech staging from Robert Lepage, who redeems himself from his big budget yet strangely inert mounting of the Ring Cycle, also here at the Met. These contributions help create a mesmerizing, contemplative experience, helping camouflage some rather static moments in the opera. In addition to Ms. Saariaho, conductor Susanna Malkki also makes history by being only the fourth female conductor to lead the Met Orchestra. Ms. Malkki, also Finnish, did a wonderful job of shaping the music, drawing a textured, distinctive reading of Ms. Saariaho’s score, one which could have easily gotten lost in the mammoth Met auditorium.

MANON LESCAUT
Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
3 hours, 5 minutes (with two intermissions)
Through December 10

L’AMOUR DE LOIN
Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through December 29