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Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier a Highlight of Met Season
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11094 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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3 / 1986 |
610 Words |
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Paul Gregory
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In a season that is widely regarded as the least interesting in recent memory at the Metropolitan Opera, the splendid production given by the late Mrs. John D. Rockefeller of Richard Strauss' most popular opera, Der Rosenkavalier, is a dazzling exception. Starring the immensely gifted mezzo Tatiana Troyanos as Octavian, the Count Rofrano--one of that diva's trademark pants roles--and the illustrious soprano Gwyneth Jones as Octavian's aging lover, the worldly and wistful Marschallin, Princess von Werdenberg, the bittersweet masterpiece offers something for almost everyone.
As Octavian, Miss Troyanos is presenting herself with a combination of youthful lustiness and Old World, chivalry that is not only irresistible, but also rather convincing as a portrayal of an amorous young man. The American-born singer's resonant voice is as rich and subtly modulated as it has ever been, and she seems to have grown in her interpretation of this demanding role. As the Marchallin, Miss Jones contrasts her young flame's ardor with a downplayed sophistication and restraint which creates a very winsome effect as a framework for her still powerful lyric soprano. A third outstanding performer in this glittering production is young Kathleen Battle as the ingénue Sophie, a role to which their own agility, precision, and cheerful tonality are perfectly suited.
Composed as something of a tribute to Mozart's Le Nozze di figaro, which also concerns an older aristocrat's affection for a much younger suitor behind her husband's back, Der Rosenkavalier represented a departure from the composer's earlier successes, Electra and Salome, both of which dealt with amatory subjects of a decidedly peculiar, and even perverse, nature. Shortly after Der Rosenkavalier's Dresden premiere in 1911 the world was thrown into catastrophic warfare, and the old order about which it revolved was forever lost to history. As a paean to a civilized age, the work has weathered the onslaught of the twentieth century's steady change and decline. It still stands as a monument to an era and locale, Vienna during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa, when courtly manners and genuine polity were an integral element of the cultivated life, even as illicit affairs of the heart often jeopardized the orderly fabric of family cohesion.
Perhaps as a statement of their awareness of the impending descent of civil behavior, Strauss and his librettist Hugo Von Hotmannsthal created the rule of the Baron Ochs, a rustic but agreeable character, played with excessive vulgarity and swagger by the Finnish bass Aage Haugland. The part offers the opportunity for far more dignity than his performance suggests, even though he is depicted as both ridiculous and presumptuous in the libretto. A strikingly smooth portrayal is offered by another male in the cast, the Hungarian tenor Denes Gulyas, who sings the "Aria of The Singer" with breathtaking polish, clarity, and sweetness. His is a career about to move into the ranks of superstardom, where it deserves to be.
Conductor James Levine, recently appointed artistic director of the Met--as if his positions as music director and principal conductor were insufficient--propels the rather long opera (over four hours) at a steady, if not always brisk, clip. Stage director Bruce Donnell unfortunately does not always maximize the opportunity for inventive utilization of the opulent first and second act sets designed by Robert O'Hearn, among the most beautiful and magnificent the Met owns. Thanks to Mrs. Rockefeller, O'Hearn's Rococo
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