The best of heroes and the worst of heroes

Martin Bernheimer in the Los Angeles Times:

Under the circumstances, it is gratifying to report that Pavarotti turned “Andrea Chenier” into a vocal triumph. Stress the adjective.

He sang on Tuesday like an artist who had somehow discovered the fountain of youth. His tone emerged bright, fresh and vibrant, a few pardonable signs of stress in ascending passages notwithstanding. His phrasing was a model of suavity and grace, his diction a model of clarity and precision. He shaded the text with telling finesse in moments of romantic introspection, caressed the line with sensuous allure in moments of impetuous ardor. It was wonderful, and the multitudinous fans responded with de facto delirium.

Pavarotti’s dramatic portrait turned out to be another matter. In essence, the aging idol mustered a cautious personal appearance, hardly a characterization.

He was the best of heroes and the worst of heroes.

Sporting an incongruous beard (his own), he turned the dashing, impetuous protagonist into a portly, oddly reticent, perpetually down-cast statue. Bowing to apparent physical infirmities, he kept motion to a minimum, sat whenever possible, and, when it wasn’t possible, spent a lot of time leaning on a sword that doubled conveniently as a cane. Contradicting the libretto, he often left the stage when he felt he wasn’t needed. He even managed to sip water between arias. Ultimately, this perilous adventure became a grand night for singing – and a grand night for self-indulgence.

The Met did its lavish best to validate the star turn in four short acts and three long intermissions. James Levine, about to celebrate his 25th anniversary at Lincoln Center conducted with the sort of enlightened commitment that actually makes the tawdry sound noble. Nicolas Joel staged the proceedings deftly within Hubert Monloup’s spacious decors, tracing an elegant line between prop and symbol, stylization and surrealism.

Aprile Millo, apparently enjoying a vocal rehabilitation, complemented Pavarotti as a Maddalena of radiant pathos supported by good prima-donna manners.

On this day in 1989 soprano Sumi Jo made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Gilda.

Birthday anniversaries of mezzo-soprano Martha Lipton (1916), composer Andrew Imbrie (1921), tenor Juan Lloveras (1934) and soprano Joan Carlyle (1931).

Happy 79th birthday soprano/mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer.