Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Debussy’s singular PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE is done proud by Met maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin

• By drediman
• January 23, 2019
• No Comments

Kyle Ketelsen and Isabel Leonard in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande”. Photo by Karen Almond.

Tonight, I caught a rare performance of Pelléas et Mélisande at the Metropolitan Opera. In my book, any chance to to see and hear Debussy’s sole opera live in the opera house is an opportunity well worth taking. Ever since first experiencing the mysterious and ethereal opera – really quite singular in all of opera – I’ve been mesmerized by its depiction of love, jealousy, and the elusive nature of the human soul, which seems to bloom with its own internal logic through Debussy’s seamless, simultaneously fragile and luxurious score. It remains one of my very favorite operas in the repertoire.

This is my third time seeing the opera, and it’s a strong rendition, thanks largely to the Met’s young new maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s work in the pit. He’s elicited some mighty fine playing from the excellent Met Orchestra, articulating the delicate layers of Debussy’s music exquisitely (the rendition’s astonishing precision comes perhaps at the slight consequence of the score’s innate spiritual qualities). Like his work last year with Verdi’s La traviata, Wagner’s Parsifal, and Strauss’s Elektra – and pretty much his overall contribution to the Philadelphia Orchestra – Mr. Nézet-Séguin has the uncanny ability to reintroduce his audiences afresh to well-worn scores they thought they knew. The Met has scored a huge coup with his appointment as music director.

As for the cast, they were mostly very good, particularly the glamorous soprano Isabel Leonard as Mélisande and bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as Golaud. Both interpretations were well-rounded and lusciously sung within the context of the work’s suspended, hushed universe. Although tenor Paul Appleby seemed a bit underpowered vocally, he nonetheless gave a dramatically sensitive performance as Pelléas. I’m actually a fan of Jonathan Miller’s production, which on first look gives the impression of being impossibly drab. But upon closer inspection, it’s depiction of a world devoid of vitality and any significant forward momentum seems just right for Debussy’s fading flower of an opera.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE
Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
3 hours, 50 minutes (with two intermissions)
In repertory through January 31