Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera
Take into account that Gioacchino Rossini was solely 23 years outdated on the time of composition. Adapting the identical Beaumarchais comedy because the veteran Paisiello needed to nice acclaim 34 years prior initially earned him the derision of the Roman public. Paisiello’s model has all however disappeared from the repertoire; the younger composer’s chutzpah paid off in spades. The plot follows the antics of younger lovers Rosina and Almaviva as they try to flee the geriatric tyranny of Dr. Bartolo, Rosina’s dodo of a guardian. They’re aided by Figaro, the titular barber, whom Rosina describes as “un bravo giovinotto.” Rossini’s rating propels the following hilarity with unflagging vitality, inventiveness, and an underlying horniness, capturing the unbowed spirits of its protagonists.
Although not but in her thirties, Aigul Akhmetshina possesses a preternaturally developed sound. Her mezzo-soprano accommodates as many luxurious hues as an amethyst-lined geode. As Rosina, she balanced this robustness of her sounds with a lightness to her coloratura, retaining the intricacies of Rossini’s vocal writing whereas infusing it with a sultriness that underscored the heroine’s precociousness. Her descents into her chest voice all through “Una voce poco fa” have been simply as, if no more, thrilling than her concluding excessive B. She was a winsome presence; her eyes sparkled with mischievous delight all through “Dunque io son,” and her “Contro un cor che accende amor” crackled with each Rosina’s frustrations and dedication.
Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera
Minnesota native Jack Swanson made his Metropolitan Opera debut because the lovestruck Almaviva. Regardless of a barely rocky begin, his efficiency right here promised a vibrant future with the corporate. His honeyed tenor asserted itself after a halting “Ecco, ridente in cielo,” displaying outstanding consistency throughout his register and ringing out amid the opera’s many ensemble numbers. His tender singing sweetly formed an earnest “Se il mio nome saper voi bramate.” He additionally displayed an intensive understanding of the stylistic and technical calls for of “Cessa di più resistere” as he dealt with the aria’s notoriously difficult runs meticulously, punctuating them with rigorously parsed dynamics. He and Akhetshina shared a straightforward chemistry, and he took full benefit of the alternatives for buffoonery in Almaviva’s varied disguises. The viewers’s reception was very enthusiastic.
As Figaro, Andrey Zhilikhovsky was maybe much less idiomatic than lots of his colleagues onstage that night. “Largo al factotum” was extra a show of bluster than bravura; his diction and pitch have been typically imprecise, and his phrasing lacked the mix of magnificence and comedian glint that Rossini calls for. Nonetheless, his sonorous baritone carried properly, and he reigned it in appropriately throughout the recitative. Even when his vocal type typically left one thing to be desired, his Figaro nonetheless proved to be a charmer, thanks largely to his onstage swagger and the vitality with which he imbued the character.
Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera
But, it wasn’t simply the youthful forged members who made an impression. Within the fuddy-duddy nook, Peter Kálmán, additionally making his Met debut, was an appropriately skeevy Bartolo. He displayed eager comedian timing throughout the recitatives and carried off the patter sections of “A un dottor dell amia sorte” with aplomb. Funnier nonetheless was Alexander Vinogradov as Don Basilio, proving that underplaying is commonly the important thing to comedy. There was nothing underplayed about his vocals throughout “La calunnia è un venticello,” nonetheless, as his bass-baritone thundered by Rossini’s signature crescendos.
Kathleen O’Mara’s pert soprano made for an unusually contemporary Berta whereas Joseph Lim as Fiorello impressed together with his vibrant baritone. Actor Jay Dunn was a hoot as Bartolo’s near-narcoleptic servant, his physicality typically resembling that of a cockroach in rigor mortis because the chaos of the family repeatedly crashed down upon him.
Bartlett Sher’s manufacturing, directed in revival by Katheen Smith Belcher, combines a easy set consisting primarily of doorways and potted orange timber with ample Looney Tunes-style antics and sight gags. The stage motion may very well be a bit busy at occasions, however it elicited stomach laughs throughout. Conductor Giacomo Sagripanti led the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in spirited studying of Rossini’s rating, punctuating orchestral prospers for his or her full comedian impact. His tempi and the pacing of his dynamics have been tight, conveying the rating’s frenetic vitality with out sacrificing cohesiveness.
