Renée Fleming was dazzling in Capriccio at the Met

My plane from Chicago was running late, and I thought I might have to drag my suitcase from La Guardia to Lincoln Centre! Luckily the tailwind helped the plane catch up. So I got to the Met in good time for Capriccio.

It was the 9th performance of Strauss's last opera Capriccio at The Met. I was surprised - I thought it would have been performed more often. The opera didn't get off to a good start. The sextet overture was scrappy and the phrasing was not entirely logical - it sounded like those playing in it didn't rehearse enough. And there were some excruciating moments. Never mind. Joseph Kaiser was Flamand the composer who looked and sang wonderfully at the opening. Russell Braun was Olivier the poet whose more mellow tone reflected the role well. Peter Rose sang the role of La Roche with depth and compassion - especially his rant which was superb. The star of the show, Renée Fleming, was superb - she delivered playfulness and class throughout, culminating in the introspective and imaginative monologue at the end (the orchestra redeemed itself with the lyrical Moonlight Music). Sir Andrew Davis conducted - and apart from the overture it was fluid and tight at the same time.

Comments

Dialogues des Carmélites at the Royal Opera

Michael Levine's set design for Dialogues des Carmélites was minimalist. Actually, was there any set design? I suppose the director Robert Carsen was clever at introducing formation of human figures in many different ways to suggest the context of the opera. It kind of worked. Blanche, sung by Sally Matthews, was pretty good. Though I did find the whole work quite tedious - I think the intimate nature of the dialogues needed a small and intimate performing space i.e. not the Royal Opera House. The ending was worth waiting for. Dramatic. Poignant.

Xuan Spa, Park Hyatt Saigon

After a long day on my feet travelling from frantic Bangkok to Saigon, I very much looked forward to a relaxing massage before going to bed. The Xuan Spa was a very pleasant surprise. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere of the spa was tranquil - a world away from the screaming mopeds on the streets outside. The therapy room was big, with an en suite shower and lovely foot bath. The massage was good - classical Swedish - and at a leisurely pace. Subsequently I had a very good night's sleep.

Strauss Four Last Songs and Sibelius 5 - Singapore Symphony

The evening concert started with the overture of Lohengrin. Jukka-Pekka Saraste took a poised temple and the strings of Singapore Symphony rose to the ocassion to provide that mythical sound. This probbaly was intedned to set the mood for the Four Last Songs - I guessed. Evelina Dobračeva was the star soprano. Frühling got off to a sure, if a little safe start. The best was probably Beim Schlafengehen, sung with great stillness. September and Im Abendrot felt unblanaced - Dobračeva's subtle words were somehow lost among the swell of orchestral sound. This was followed by Morgen - probbaly the best song of the evening, perhaps the very light orchestration helped. Jukka-Pekka Saraste and SSO were on surer footing with Sibelius 5. The first movement was brisk with lightness and details. The second and last movements felt cohesive, leading to the well known tune in the finale. If only there were more people in the concert hall to enjoy the music.

Diary of a Culture Hedonist

Search This Blog