Vienna State Opera (live streaming), 04/10/2020
Verdi : Don Carlos
Vienna State Opera Orchestra
Bertrand de Billy
Life at the Vienna State Opera seems to be resuming as normal, at least in front of the public. The orchestra is in the pit, the chorus - which is numerous in this opera - is all on stage, the cast does not hesitate to touch each other as required by the production, only the auditorium shows signs of social distancing. The pre-show announcement stated audience members could remove their masks while in the auditorium if they wished.
This is a revival of Peter Konwitschny's 2004 production of the complete French-language Don Carlos, and very complete it is indeed, with all sorts of small cuts opened up, and even the ballet. That is perhaps the primary point of interest here; it makes for a long show, but the amount of material that one doesn't normally get to hear is staggering in comparison with the Italian versions. Konwitschny's production, though, is.a bit of a head-scratcher. There's not a shred of decor, just bare white walls, and barely any props, it's extremely sparse. Costumes are approximately in period for the most part, except for Posa who has a rather more modern look about him, and the auto-da-fe scene, which is treated like a red-carpet gala, complete with paparazzi, TV cameras and multilingual TV presenter, and actually starts outside the auditorium, in the main foyer of the opera house, while the 'ballet' is Eboli's fantasy of domestic bliss with Carlos and looks like the trailers for Marvel's new WandaVision TV show. It's very peculiar.
Outwith this bizarre episode, though, the starkness of the production does bring the focus quite sharply on to the individuals and their interplay. There's a surprisingly playful side to some moments; Carlos and Elisabeth at their first meeting flirt brazenly from the outset, while the Monk, in the first scene at Saint-Just openly lets the audience know that he is, definitely, Charles V. In a big crowd scene like the auto-da fé, that level of intimacy isn't possible, but the Brabant deputies are wearing red poppies, which is a very striking image. On another side, it's difficult to feel much sympathy for Philip's regret that his wife doesn't love him when his mistress is still right there in bed. When it matters, despite some peculiarities, Konwitschny's vision holds true to the piece.
It wasn't entirely matched musically. The French version of this opera is magnificent, but less visceral than the Italian, the language is less percussive. This translated to a certain lack of tension in the proceedings overall. There were occasional problems of intonation, some scrappy playing from the orchestra, and imprecise entries from the chorus. Jonas Kaufmann, as Carlos, although always a charismatic figure who draws and holds the attention, seemed a little uncomfortable in the first two acts, though that passed. Malin Bystrôm was a fine, queenly Elisabeth, but without that extra degree of warmth and tenderness to her. Igor Golovatenko was a good Posa, a handsome, bespectacled intellectual with a nicely rounded baritone timbre, and delivered his death scene persuasively. It was, however, noticeable that his French was better here than anywhere else - practice, no doubt, but it irked me a bit. The level of French in general was tolerable, and no more.
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| L to R : Michele Pertusi (Phillip II), Ève-Maude Hubeau (Princess Eboli and Roberto Scandiuzzi (Grand Inquisitor) Don Carlos, Vienna State Opera (screenshot) |
Michele Pertusi only really came into his own from Act 4, but Philip's monologue was well done, and above all that terrifying dialogue with the Grand Inquisitor, sung with stony implacability by Roberto Scandiuzzi, shuddered with a terrible, dark energy. Ève-Maude Hubeau, excellent actress, also made a good impression - it's the first time I've really heard her since the Toulouse competition the first time I saw her. I wasn't impressed then, even though she won 3rd Prize, matters have improved considerably. As the only native Francophone in the cast, she was a strong presence throughout, and particularly touching in the rarely heard duet for Eboli and Elisabeth in Act 4 Scene 1.
Yet though there was fine singing, I did not feel that Bertrand de Billy really drew the best from his forces. There were moments, some due to the individual singers, others, like the ensemble after the death of Posa, more broadly inspired, but generally speaking, there was just a lack of electricity, and it's a long piece when you're not absolutely riveted by the proceedings.
[Next : 9th October]