United States Verdi, Nabucco: Soloists, Refrain and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, New York / Daniele Callegari (conductor). Transmitted stay (directed by Habib Azar) from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, to London’s Barbican Cinema, 6.1.2024. (CC)
Creatives:
Manufacturing – Elijah Moshinsky
Set designer – John Napier
Costume designer – Andreane Neofitou
Lighting designer – Howard Harrison
Revival stage director – J. Knighten Smit
Refrain grasp – Donald Palumbo
Solid:
Abigaille – Liudmyla Monastyrska
Fenena – Maria Barakova
Ismaele – SeokJong Baek
Nabucco – George Gagnidze
Zaccaria – Dmitry Belosselskiy
Anna – Brittany Olivia Logan
Abdallo – Scott Scully
Excessive Priest of Baal – Le Bu
Stay in HD Host – Angel Blue
It’s wonderful to keep in mind that Elijah Moshinsky’s manufacturing of Nabucco solely arrived on the Met in 2001; it feels very a lot of one other, earlier age, when cash was no object and spectacle was, if not all, definitely a serious consideration. John Napier’s revolving set is itself a dramatic masterstroke, silently turning to disclose utterly contemporary eventualities, together with a exceptional staircase resulting in a throne topped by an idol. Adreane Neofitou’s costumes properly suggest the time of the opera’s setting (Jerusalem and Babylon, round 586 BCE)
Costumes replicate the grandiosity of Moshinsky’s conception in addition to putting the opera vaguely within the mists of historical past, whereas lighting (Howard Harrison) is a masterpiece of atmospherics.
And but, in Nabucco, not every part is grand, and it was as much as the soloists and conductor to remind us of the inner machinations of the principal characters. The best laurels go to the conductor, Daniele Callegari, whose unerring ear for element was ever married to an appreciation of the work’s construction. This may be comparatively early Verdi (first carried out at Milan on March 9, 1842, and the composer’s third opera), however it’s a wonderful rating – a pointer, maybe, that different early operas deserve extra of our consideration. Callegari handled the piece with respect within the delineation of textures, but accorded it large emotive drive. His rapport with the Met Orchestra was clear from the overture, with its creamy brass and pinpoint ensemble. The spirit of early Verdi wafted by means of each phrase, each there and all through.
The refrain is arguably the foremost participant on this opera (most famously in ‘Va, pensiero’, after all, however that is just one of many choruses). Even at a take away and by way of the Barbican sound system, they have been vastly imposing, able to an enormous dynamic vary; every digital camera close-up revealed a face enrapt with focus.
Of the soloists, it’s Zaccaria that dominates the primary act, right here commandingly sung by Dmitry Belosselskiy, his a number of arias all completely idiomatic. He was not fairly the match for Mats Almgren in Gothenburg final 12 months (seen in Jacopo Spirei’s manufacturing), however purely by itself phrases it was absolutely convincing – and arguably extra Verdian than Almgren’s considerably extra Wagnerian take.
However the titular character is Nabucco, and baritone George Gagnidze excelled. The half plunges into insanity and again once more, within the course of changing Nabucco from despot (even Jehovah fears him, he thinks within the first act) to Jehovah-convert. Gagnidze has each vocal and dramatic must convey all of this, not simply convincingly, however poignantly. He matched and maybe simply overtook the psychological angst of the good Leo Nucci in Daniele Abbado’s manufacturing (additionally with Monastyrska) at Covent Backyard in 2013, assessment right here).
Actually, each Nabucco performances I’ve reviewed for Seen and Heard Worldwide from Covent Backyard have featured Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille. It is among the cruellest of soprano elements, requiring Wagnerian penetration at larger registers plus a mezzo-like power down under. And Verdi swings between the 2 in large leaps. Whereas I discovered her variable in 2021, she was wonderful in 2013 and now in New York, a decade-plus later, she is even finer. Subtlety has entered her assumption of this half, complementing her core of metal. Maybe her appearing continues to be considerably missing (perhaps that factor is for subsequent time), however vocally this was distinctive.
Tenor SeokJong Baek was making his debut as Ismaele, and what a assured debut it was. He actually made one want that Ismaele had extra to do – Baek has a vibrant, highly effective voice, filled with the ardent feelings of youth. He’s effectively complemented by the Fenena (who’s in love with him within the plot), mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova, whose high quality, pure voice and clear diction was a supply of actual pleasure, and who completely held her personal in a solid of sturdy personalities. Small marvel she is paddling in Wagnerian waters as Siegrune in Die Walküre later this 12 months, after performances as Fenena in Rotterdam, Dortmund and Paris.
The smaller roles have been all effectively taken, with explicit point out for Chinese language bass-baritone Le Bu’s Excessive Priest of Baal and a powerful contribution from Scott Scully as Abdallo.
Camerawork was typically good. There was a minimal use of flooring cam (fortunately), and solely a few errors (one obvious – a panorama shot a number of seconds earlier than it was due). However this can be a must-see. It has been absolutely seven years since Nabucco was final staged on the Met (assessment right here), and this solid – and conductor – acted as a well timed reminder of the work’s stature.
The documentation offered on the Met’s freesheet is as shoddy as ever, nonetheless: solely a partial solid checklist, and the synopsis of the primary act makes no reference in any way to Zaccaria. Nonetheless, the enjoyable of the interval ‘extras’ we get to see partially makes up for it: right here, it was Angel Blue, herself no stranger to the Met stage (or Covent Backyard, for that matter) who did the honours in interviewing soloists stay); a filmed interview with Callegari was additionally fascinating (he’s just about steeped in Verdi, having performed 21 of the grasp’s operas, with the twenty second on the playing cards for subsequent 12 months). These Met cinema broadcasts stay a wonderful evening out, and the timing (5.55pm begin) makes for a really civilised ending time.
Colin Clarke
