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What's the matter with Anna?
La Scala's "Don Giovanni': second helping
Steve Cohen
Of all the operas I reviewed in 2011, the one that I criticized most sharply was La Scala's new production of Don Giovanni on its opening night December 7. (See "Missing the point about Don Giovanni.") But when La Scala's Giovanni received an encore showing at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on December 27, I went back for a second look.
Why return to a production that displeased me? Well, so many European critics praised the production I thought I might have missed something,
After this re-viewing I have indeed reassessed two particulars— one for the better, one not.
Peter Mattei deserves praise for his singing and acting as Giovanni. Previously I was so distracted by director Robert Carsen's strange concept of the Don that I didn't adequately mention that Mattei looked superb as an aristocrat. The intimate second verse of his serenade was especially seductive.
On the other hand, I tried to appreciate the Donna Anna of Anna Netrebko, whose work I've loved in the past. But time and again she failed to hit pitch squarely, and single notes were delivered as upward scoops. Three slurred notes for the price of one may be a bargain in a supermarket, but not on an opera stage.
Most casting directors understand that the difference between the two leading sopranos in this opera isn't so much the range as the vocal style and color. Donna Elvira can be fluttery and uncertain, like her personality, but Donna Anna is stronger-willed and consequently should be sung in a more commanding manner. Netrebko's singing lacked that imperious quality.
Netrebko's appearance was disturbing as well. She has been opera's most glamorous lady, slender and sexy. Now her face looks puffy and her neck jowly. You couldn't help wondering about the state of her health.
Director Robert Carsen's concept— in which Don Giovanni vanquishes his critics in the end— remains annoying too. The characters point toward La Scala's presidential box as they sing: "This is how scoundrels will end." Is Carsen suggesting that Silvio Berlusconi will emerge triumphant when the history of Italy is written?
Why return to a production that displeased me? Well, so many European critics praised the production I thought I might have missed something,
After this re-viewing I have indeed reassessed two particulars— one for the better, one not.
Peter Mattei deserves praise for his singing and acting as Giovanni. Previously I was so distracted by director Robert Carsen's strange concept of the Don that I didn't adequately mention that Mattei looked superb as an aristocrat. The intimate second verse of his serenade was especially seductive.
On the other hand, I tried to appreciate the Donna Anna of Anna Netrebko, whose work I've loved in the past. But time and again she failed to hit pitch squarely, and single notes were delivered as upward scoops. Three slurred notes for the price of one may be a bargain in a supermarket, but not on an opera stage.
Most casting directors understand that the difference between the two leading sopranos in this opera isn't so much the range as the vocal style and color. Donna Elvira can be fluttery and uncertain, like her personality, but Donna Anna is stronger-willed and consequently should be sung in a more commanding manner. Netrebko's singing lacked that imperious quality.
Netrebko's appearance was disturbing as well. She has been opera's most glamorous lady, slender and sexy. Now her face looks puffy and her neck jowly. You couldn't help wondering about the state of her health.
Director Robert Carsen's concept— in which Don Giovanni vanquishes his critics in the end— remains annoying too. The characters point toward La Scala's presidential box as they sing: "This is how scoundrels will end." Is Carsen suggesting that Silvio Berlusconi will emerge triumphant when the history of Italy is written?
What, When, Where
Don Giovanni. Opera by Wolfgang Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte. Choir and Orchestra of La Scala in Milan, Daniel Barenboim, conductor; Robert Carsen, director. December 7, 2011 through January 14, 2012 at La Scala, Milan. High-Definition TV version shown December 7 and 27, 2011 at Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. www.teatroallascala.org.
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