IN REVIEW: Metropolitan Opera – Roméo et Juliette

Roméo et Juliette
Charles Gounod

CAST:
Conductor: Plácido Domingo
Juliette: Anna Netrebko
Stéphano: Isabel Leonard
Roméo: Roberto Alagna
Mercutio: Stéphane Degout
Frère Laurent: Kristinn Sigmundsson
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Production: Guy Joosten
Set Designer: Johannes Leiacker
Costume Designer: Jorge Jara
Lighting Designer: David Cunningham
Choreographer: Sean Curran
Fight Director: Dale Anthony Girard

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (September 29, 2007)– I was so disappointed about the cancelation of Rolando Villazon, in my opinion the finest lyric tenor on the scene. Adding salt to this wound was the news that he would be replaced by Roberto Alagna who I had given up on after disrespecting opera’s temple, Teatro alla Scala, a few months ago.

The opera began well enough, with the opera chorus sounding in fine form with their prologue. The set was the Met’s astrological production, the one in which a few years ago Natalie Dessay fell out of the flying bed.
For as many difficulties as the original run of this staging had the Met has made it work well. The work opened with the Capulet ball where the guest are dancing and having a wonderful time. The Met’s chorus (for once) looked as good as they sounded in the joyful scene.

Mercutio, the visceral baritone Stéphane Degout, performed his first ballad well. The show really began with Anna Netrebko. I hadn’t heard Anna live until that night, she didn’t interest me (except maybe as Violetta). Expecting a simply stunning moment, I was shocked when the loudest (I mean loud in only the best manner) singing came from the skinny Russian. One of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, she danced around the stage singing “Je veux vivre”. In that moment I understood Juliette as a young woman who wanted to live life to the fullest…she was sure great things were to come, and I too wanted them for her.

I must say that Alagna was impressive. I expected the most awful singing of the week, buy he did a very fine job. I found it hard to imagine what other tenors would have looked like in the difficult to look good in costume.

The evenings shenanigans came and went. The floating bed turned out very beautifully I must say…though once more I expected tacky. No one fell out this time either. Later in the evening Mezzo-Soprano Isabel Leonard proved herself a fine singer as Stéphano, but she didn’t project the male quality to the “pants roll” that some mezzos do. Stéphane Degout’s performance suffered as Mercutio died later in the evening…I’m not sure why, but it didn’t work.

The last scene was very touching, they seemed so in love… I found myself very saddened. When the lovers were finally (after some wonderful singing)dead I just wanted to look at Netrebko some more. He was hot, and she was the most stunning thing I had ever seen.

If Netrebko, Alanga, and the production were not enough to prove my biases wrong, Placido Domingo’s conducting was another wonderful surprise. The orchestra sounded so alive and added to the drama. A first class performance all around, this was the finest opera I have seen this year.