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| David Daniels (Prospero) and Joyce DiDonato (Sycorax) |
So difficult to write this - so many superlatives keep exploding in my head all at once, what an experience - I feel I have witnessed something very very special indeed and I am sure anyone else who saw this either Live in HD at the cinema or any of those extremely lucky to see this live at The Met will agree. Aaarrrgh, where to start!!?
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| Creative team: Jeremy Sams William Christie (conductor) | Phelim McDermott |
What a creation! What a cast! Yes it's been described as a mash-up even by it's creators - Shakespeare's The Tempest + Midsummer Night's Dream + Baroque music of Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau and others = a creative masterpiece of delectable cuisine, a sumptuous feast nay, a veritable Baroque Banquet!!!
Almost impossible and unfair to single out individual performances when every single person up on that stage was performing their socks off however big or small their role and have to say tears (not for the first time) filled my eyes as I witnessed the standing ovation of the entire Met audience on my cinema screen, so well deserved.
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| Joyce DiDonato (Sycorax) goes through transformations from hag to goddess |
OK, so here I go, I'll dive in straight away with huge applause and overwhelming gratitude to my fave person in the opera world, Joyce DiDonato, who pulled off an absolute blinder of a performance as Sycorax, from the stunning vocal gymnastics here in this clip, in her aria Maybe soon, maybe now have to confess this is my very favourite aria from the opera - well it's Joyce isn't it! (more from me on Joyce here http://annez-reflectionz.blogspot.com/2011/12/joyce-didonato-yankeediva.html
and again here as her powers return in My Strength Is Coming Back To Me
from there though, we move on further, where she is with the emotionally wounded Caliban, her son, and she puts in such a moving and beautiful performance singing Hearts That Love Can All Be Broken, truly a mothers heartfelt lament, tears ..... oh yes. (sorry, sadly can't find a vid of that, would be lovely to relive that, as well as many of the truly brilliant songs featured throughout - some great singalong numbers).
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| Luca Pisaroni (Caliban) and Joyce DiDonato (Sycorax) |
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| David Daniels (Prospero) |
Think I'm going to end up picking out everyone here, but must give mentions to those who opened the opera, David Daniels' Prospero was simply divine and Danielle De Niese's Ariel a revelation, fabulous acting and singing from both throughout.
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| David Daniels (Prospero) and Danielle de Niese (Ariel) |
David Daniels - Prospero - sings Chaos, confusion, madness, delusion ...... beautifully! We certainly did see a lot of chaos and confusion as spells and potions get mixed up and all plans go awry, as Miranda - Lisette Oropesa - falls in love with first Demitrius and then Lysander, some hilarious moments as Ariel just gets it so wrong .... more on that later
and Danielle de Niese - Ariel - here singing Can you feel the heavens are reeling,she was simply amazing throughout, both singing and acting, a fabulous Ariel, the humour we see in her Ariel is a sheer delight
I'm afraid that's all the performance videos I can find for now but if any more appear I shall post them here - just wish there were some of Luca Pisaroni - Caliban - I have never seen a more moving Caliban than the lovelorn "monster" portrayed here, falling in love with Helena (one of the Midsummer Night's Dream characters) who under a spell from Sycorax returns his love for a while, just love his line with Sycorax when all falls apart, "it wasn't just botany, it was chemistry" talking of how they looked at flowers together and shared time together.
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| Luca Pisaroni (Caliban) |
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| Paul Appleby (Demetrius) Layla Claire (Helena) Elliot Madore (Lysander) Elizabeth DeShong (Hermia) |
OK, so going back to where Ariel gets it so wrong, mixing up the lovers-love it when she realises, singing "Doh, wrong ship!", she has shipwrecked the lovers from Midsummer Night's Dream instead of Ferdinand, who should Ariel call upon to rescue everything. Why, Neptune - Placido Domingo - of course! Oh what a treat, what a very special treat watching this in cinema and knowing so many opera lovers all over the world are enjoying a piece of this great master on his 71st birthday! And WOW, what an entrance he makes to Handel's Zadok The Priest (inspired!), the audience is applauding madly before he even opens his mouth, tears - of joy - prick my eyes again and we greet a grumpy old Neptune, or I should say Ariel meets a grumpy old Neptune as she asks for his help in setting things straight, he first asks why should he, then relents, apologising that he is old and grumpy.
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| Danielle de Niese (Ariel) and Placido Domingo (Neptune) |
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| Miranda (Lisette Oropesa) and Ferdinand (Anthony Roth Costanzo) |
So Miranda has fallen for Demetrius-we hear them sing Wonderful, wonderful ..... then Lysander, and now Ferdinand turns up on the island with a pardon for Prospero - relief all round as things, helped by Neptune, start to unfold in the correct manner. At first sight Ferdinand - Anthony Roth Costanzo (sung beautifully) and Miranda (sung beautifully also-heck, everyone sang their socks off!) fall in love - Prospero breathes a hearty sigh of relief, and the Midsummer Night's Dream couples are reunited. All is not quite over as Neptune points out to Prospero how badly he had wronged Sycorax, realising this Prospero pleads with the now transformed Sycorax to forgive him his wrongdoing singing "Lady, this island is yours", she graciously forgives him, his next and long-awaited step is to release the spirit Ariel who now sings "Can you feel the heavens reeling" (see vid posted above of this).
The whole cast assemble on stage for "Now a bright new day is dawning" and the enchantment is over, or is it, as we witness in the cinema the entire Met audience rise ecstatically to their feet an excited buzz breaks out around the cinema - I hope and believe we have not seen the last of this magical Enchanted Island, days later I am still buzzing and singing those beautiful songs - and laughing again and again as I remember all the delicious moments of humour of which there were many.
Just must add that the mashed up music of Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau and others was magically mixed and flowed beautifully ....... aaaahhhhhhh "Wonderful, wonderful ........"
For all my exited build up - go here
Met Opera Enchanted Island ...... Looking Forward
http://annez-reflectionz.blogspot.com/2011/12/met-opera-enchanted-island-looking.html
also has the list of all the music details contained in the opera - essential reading
Footnote: OK, I was already a biiiiiiiiiig Joyce DiDonato fan before Enchanted Island, and also loved Placido, but after this am going to have to start following all the others involved, yes really, all of them - especially Luca Pisaroni and David Daniels.
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