“And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges”
The DVD of the performance is accompanied by another hour-long DVD, The Art of Bel Canto: Edita Gruberova, which includes some fascinating rehearsal and performance footage of the Slovakian diva, accompanied by the effusive praise of various producers and music critics.
Loy’s production opens on a bare, grey stage with the name “Lucrezia Borgia” on the center wall in lighted letters. The only props are straight-backed IKEA-ish chairs and tables. One assumes the production style is meant to focus the audience’s eye on the personal relationships of the opera rather than the trappings of early 16th century Venice and Ferrara, and to a certain extent that notion succeeds.
There is no attempt at a specific period in the costumes. The Venetian soldiers led by Gennaro and Maffio Orsini are presented in identical black suits, thin ties, and rolled-up black pants, creating an image that reminded me of the young toughs of A Clockwork Orange. In an interesting “boys 2 men” moment, they all rolled their pants back down as they told of the horrors inflicted upon them by the Borgias.
Loy careers wildly off course with the first scene of Don Alfonso (a solid if misdirected Franco Vassalo) and his agent Rustighello (Emanuele D’Aguanno), when the Don establishes his jealousy and seeks Gennaro’s arrest. Inexplicably, this scene is played as a comic lazzi reminiscent of J. Pierpont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying —lots of spit shining of the boss’s, shoes, and even the old “spotlight’s missing the singer” bit. It really, really doesn’t work, reducing the dangerous and threatening Alfonso into a cruel buffoon. The following scene of Alfonso defying Lucrezia and insisting on the poisoning of Gennaro is thus emasculated.
It must be assumed that the raison d’etre of this production is Loy’s collaboration with the great soprano Edita Gruberova, fresh from their recent work on Roberto Devereux, where Gruberova plays Elisabetta as a Margaret Thatcher-ish leader. Lucrezia seems to me a less compatible character for Gruberova, both vocally and histrionically. Her first entrance is promising —she arrives in a flattering red gown to discover the sleeping Gennaro, and, in “Come bello”, all guns are blazing on every ship in her considerable vocal flotilla. An idiosyncratic singer capable of a huge variety of vocal dynamics and colors, even at age 63, she retains the ability to start a thread-thin pianissimo, then ever so slowly build the heft and volume until it soars over the orchestra. She attacks nearly every note in a different way, always the consummate musician.
But time is beginning to catch up. These vocal fireworks that once seemed natural and easy have become effortful and calculated. Both the bottom and top notes are now a struggle in this role, and the soprano tires noticeably in the final scene. We have stopped raving, “Isn’t she amazing?”, and now begin to ask “Isn’t she amazing — for her age?” I’m sad to report that her final interpolated E-flat at the end of her “mad scene” comes out as a curdled scream. And it doesn’t help that Loy has costumed her here as a witch in a Morticia Addams wig, an element that reappears in other Loy productions.
The supporting cast is quite strong. Tenor Pavol Breslik portrays a boyish and befuddled Gennaro. His is a splendid lyric voice, and his handsome looks and fine acting are impressive. His last scene with Lucrezia, when he learns his Borgia parentage and chooses death over betraying his friends, is particularly touching. Alice Coote’s tough, gutsy Maffio Orsini is very fine throughout, turning sensitive and tender in the scene where Orsini and Gennaro swear to live and die together. The production tastefully implies their “friends with benefits” relationship, aided by the pair’s genuine and moving performances. Both Breslik and Coote bring bravura singing to their roles.
Vassalo does his best, singing bravely and stylishly, burdened by Loy’s buffo interpretation. Bertrand de Billy conducts with fine forward propulsion, though the volume stays too long at one level, so climaxes are a bit anemic.
This opera has worked wonderfully well in the hands of divas like Montserrat Caballe, Leyla Gencer and Mariella Devia. In this difficult role of loving mother vs. vengeful poisoner, Gruberova has a qualified success. The production is visually fascinating, but begs the question: “Is this all a dream? Whose dream? Lucrezia’s? Gennaro’s?” Director Loy remains frustratingly ambivalent.
While I find the concept of the production interesting, I think that both Gruberova and Breslik are terribily miscast. She because even though her voice isn’t completely gone, her sense of style gives Renee’s mannerisms a run for their money. Come è bello posted here isn’t bad, but check for the final scene and it’s a complete trainwreck: vibrato-less tones, scoops, coughs (read “chest voice attempts”), tonally strange candenze, see it and you’ll understand. And yes, the E flat doesn’t really count as a note…
It’s on the final scene that Berslik also hits the bottom. He simply isn’t a belcanto tenor yet. He might be good in Mozart (I have to say I don’t know much of his work) but he’s got no business singing Donizetti the way he sang it on the final scene.
Overall, I think this could have been a good production had they casted someone else as Lucrezia and Gennaro. Mariella Devia comes to my mind: her voice is in much better shape and she does have a sense of taste. By the way, I think Gennaro would be a good comeback role for Villazon.
And about Gruberova, let me add that while I give her all the credit for the career she had (even though I’ve never really liked her very much), I think she’s entering that “Oh, why is she singing yet?”-phase that Christa Ludwig wanted to avoid.
She;s one of the singers I felt like I *should* like, rather than someone I *actually* liked.
And I never understood with this production why it was necessary to put Lucretia’s name on the wall. Did the audience not know they bought tickets for this opera? (he asked snarkily)
not her name, it’s her family’s. And the displaying of BORGIA then ORGIA is part of the story in every production.
It would be much better of they would just release on DVD the concert performance of Gruberova’s very first Borgia which has a much better cast:Ewa Podles (Orsini) and Jose Bros (Gennaro).
I was filmed and radio broadcast, but no one will release the entire video. She was in much better voice, especially for “Era desso” in that performance.
Anyway, who the hell wrote this review? Mention Caballe and Gencer but completely skip Sutherland in favor of Devia? OMG!
I believe the name on the wall is part of the story, with Gennaro’s buddies striking off the B in Borgia.
“Gennaro and his friends come into the Plaza. They see the [legend] BORGIA under the escutcheon of the palace. Gennaro, to show his detestation of Lucrezia’s crimes, rushes up the steps and with his sword hacks away the first letter of the name, leaving only ORGIA. At the command of the Duke, he is arrested.”
There is a little known fact about Lucrezia Borgia. Her tumb is inside the Corpus Domini convent in Ferrara. It is not open to the general public, but if one rings the bell, a nun will usually come to the door and allow you to visit the tumb, The tumb’s marble transudes with a sort of slightly sticky liquid (condensation, if you will). The nuns collect it in little vials and claim that it will heal any throat’s ailment. I know a few singers who make regular use of it.
June Anderson is still doing a fine job at this:
Ismael Jordi, the Gennaro, is really cute, and the voice is beautiful. June has never been a singer who did it for me. But I think she sounds terrific here. She’s not that much younger than Gruberova.
Off topic, during the chat the other night, someone provided a link to download Don Giovanni with Sills (Donna Anna), Michel Senechal (Ottavio), and Gerard Souzay (Giovanni). OMG! Souzay is about the silkiest Don ever. And Sills is amazing.
June Anderson’s at least partially faithful to the score, Gruberova’s a total mess. Caballé will remain the ultimate Lucrezia, followed closely by Sutherland, who was also superb. This is a master score that should be staged more often, it was way ahead of its time for 1833, Verdi was heavily influenced. Plus there’s no love interest, Gennaro and Orsini might as well be openly gay.
June is actually pretty amazing here!
As much I like this website as much I dislike this ongoing comparing of living and still singing artists with dead or since a long time not singing anymore artists. If so then beside Caballe, Sutherland, Sills there should be also Erika Köth. I did not watch this dvd and will not, I saw the live broad cast on TV and heart the one of the opening night on radio. Gruberova sang during the taping period three time Lucretia and two time Norma, what she never should do. The dvd is for sure edited out of two taping sessions and was also the one which was broadcasted. If the producer would be a producer then he would correct the wrong notes with the ones from the radio broadcast, which was just wonderful and would be not a fake because it was the same cast and conductor. What made me more angry during watching the broadcast, how the video director missed most of the very intellegent staging work of Loy and how additional TV lighting destroyed the scenes. Again a producer problem.