Back for seconds: Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Met Opera

Went back to Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Met thanks to Sally and the Rush Ticket program. This production, this cast, this opera made me FEEL about opera again. Viewing it twice was barely enough.

Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Met Opera

Noah insisted that I see Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Met.  It's the only opera this season we planned to definitely see at the Met and actually purchased tickets for in advance.  I am completely and thoroughly dazzled by every aspect of this masterpiece and production.   The music is other-worldly and I possibly floated right out of my seat.

We started out in the Family Circle, but ended up being upgraded to third row orchestra. It's hard to describe the thrill of being able to see the faces and hear gorgeous gigantic voices over a 200 piece orchestra. And what voices!   Everybody was marvelous: Christine Goerke, Anne Schwanewilms, Johan Reuter, Rosten Kerl and Ildikó Komlósi.  

This was Anne Schwanewilms' Met Debut.  I was fortunate to hear her as the Marschallin in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier in her Chicago Lyric 2006.  It was not a voice or a stage presence I could forget.  I was delighted at the opportunity to witness another thrilling performance from her. 

 I had also heard the dynamic Christine Goerke as Chrysothemis in Strauss' Elektra in 2008.  WHAT A VOICE OF ASTOUNDING DYNAMICS! 

See a pattern here?  RICHARD STRAUSS!   As we were leaving the Met, I found it unable to describe the emotions I was feeling.  It's not that I don't find Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Wagner, Massenet (and probably others) fulfilling, entertaining and completely worthy of my time, but Strauss takes me to another place.  It's a complete adrenaline rush and my heart feels like it will beat right out of my chest.  Noah said,  "It sounds like God."  Surely, he must be right. 

There are two opportunities to see it at the Met again...I'm double-checking my calendar because I really think I need to see this one again.  It's rarely produced and it has been at the Met for the last ten years.

Film: The Opera in Margaret

I watched Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret this weekend.  I'm still a little stunned.  It's one of those New York City movies full of beautiful, hurting people and in which, the city itself is a character.  I loved it, but it's hard to put into words just how it made and is still making me feel.   It stars Anna Paquin as a teenager, not exactly dealing with the typical teen angst, but definitely hit with some heavy, life-altering events.

I had been anticipating the film since 2009, when I learned that it would include a scene at the Metropolitan Opera with my two favorite opera singers Renée Fleming and Susan Graham singing "Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann.   

Apparently, there was drama with the filming and the subsequent release of the film. It was released in theatres last year and now has finally hit dvd.   I got it via net-flix, which is a limited cut.  I've been told that the version to see is the full director's cut.  The net-flix version was fine, although a few scenes came out of nowhere.  Fortunately,  the scene with Renée and Susan is included and is gorgeous.  I believe that the performance itself, even though it appears to be on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, it was filmed at the Supreme Court of New York.  

A huge bonus was another scene at the Metropolitan Opera that features Christine Goerke singing "Casta Diva" from Norma.  It's only a snippet, but oh, she's thrilling!   

The film's haunting score is also by young composer Nico Muhly, who has written and premiered at least two operas, Dark Sisters and Two Boys. 

I can't wait to hear all of these divas sing live again.  However, I'd love to see them featured on the big screen anytime.  In fact, I think all films would be better if they featured opera scenes.  

 

Rusalka at the Met

For almost four years, I've been looking at this poster of Renée Fleming on my office wall. My sister sent it to me as a surprise just in time to have Renée autograph after a performance I was attending. Renée told me that the photo was taken just before curtain of Rusalka on the stage of the Met. So, I've been imagining what it must be like for a while now and I finally had the opportunity to see it last night.

Rusalka was exactly the magical experience I hoped it would be! The set and the costumes reminded me very much of the fairy tale book I loved as a child. The set and costumes were sparkling and softly colored, just as the illustrations in that beautiful book. (On my last trip home, I came across that book in my old room and handed it down to my book-loving niece Cara, in hopes that maybe she takes after her Auntie RahRah just a little .)

Dvorak's score is sumptuous and floated up to the balcony. When Renée sang O Silver Moon, I felt overjoyed, but it had nothing on the final act. The staging was something I had never seen before and I loved it. It actually looked like she walked across the sparkling waters as the moonlit spirit. I think Sally, Noah and I collectively gasped.

As usual, Renée sang gorgeously. It was great fun to see Stephanie Blithe as the Ježibaba. It was also fabulous to see Christine Goerke as the Foreign Princess, since we loved her so much in the WNO's Elektra last season. She's also 7 months pregnant. Wow! As beautiful as it all was, it was also entertaining and quite fun. We couldn't help but delight in all of it, especially the members of the children's chorus dressed as woodland animals helping Ježibaba with her spell.

Despite the excitement of finally seeing the production, it wasn't during the opera that I became sentimental - it was after. Noah told Renée that it was my sharing of O Silver Moon with him several years ago that made him want to hear more opera. She looked at me and smiled. I was able to tell her that it was her By Request album, and that song in particular, that saved me during a long and lonely first winter in New York. Her voice brought me comfort and warmth and lead me to a love of opera.

I'm planning to see Rusalka again on the 17th and I just can't wait!