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Detroit The opera La Rondine"
(The Swallow), by Giacomo Puccini opened at the Detroit Opera House on
Saturday, April 19 and stunned many listeners who had never heard this work
performed before. Who would have guessed that this relatively unknown work
could be such a masterpiece of staging, singing, orchestral effects and
moving drama? The most famous aria from this work comes about 10 minutes
after the first act opens and knocks you off your seat, so splendidly is it
sung by first cast soprano, Pamela Armstrong, in the role of Magda.
Armstrong is a superb singer with stunning high tones and a rich and
beautiful timbre throughout; she is an actress of extraordinary ability. Her
portrayal of the kept woman, longing for true love, who flies from her nest
to find it, is thoroughly engaging and convincing. The powerful and deeply
moving finale of this opera is due entirely to her sincere and believable
acting.
Wochen-Post readers will be particularly interested to note that at the
outset of her career, American-born Pamela Arm-strong made the very sound
decision to accept an engagement in Germany, and spent three years at the
Giessen Opera, near Stuttgart, where she cut her operatic teeth. In the
700-seat theatre, her splendid voice could blossom in the many different
roles she sang there. In a brief conversation, Ms. Armstrong expressed deep
gratitude for the wonderful experience the Giessen Stadttheatre gave her at
the beginning of her career.
David Pomeroy, as Ruggiero, the true love" object of Magda's affections also
does a very fine job of his part; indeed everyone in the cast, including
chorus and dancers do all that is necessary to make this a top-notch
performance. One of the most thrilling musical moments in the opera is the
second act quartet, where the two pairs of lovers (Ruggiero/Magda and
Prunier/Lisette) sing of their love, and the entire chorus joins them in a
sweeping, grand expression of praise to love. Sung in Italian with English
supertitles, you were able to follow the sense of each aria, each ensemble
piece.
This is surely Puccini at his best. Among those deserving of special mention
are Amanda Squitieri as Lisette, the perky maid to Magda; Victor Ryan
Robertson as Prunier, the dashing poet; and Kimwana Doner as Yvette, one of
the ladies of ill repute we first meet in the home of Rambaldo (Philip
Skinner). Rambaldo is the wealthy, cool, not very romantic, but in some ways
ever-faithful lover of Magda, to whom she will return in the end, as a
swallow returns to its nest.
A
large part of the success of this performance is due to the genius of Lotfi
Mansouri, whose beautiful staging is outstanding; and to the masterful
conducting of Maestro Steven Mercurio, who understands every nuance of this
brilliant score and brings the MOT orchestra to its highest level of
excellence.
La
Rondine is having a surge of revivals throughout the world - from San
Francisco to the New York Metropolitan Opera and La Scala in Milan, Italy.
But, with this exceptional cast of singers, conductor, chorus and staging,
MOT's production is about the best you're likely to see anywhere.
David DiChiera deserves commendation for his courage (and amazing knowledge
of the world of opera) in bringing this relatively unknown but powerful work
to Detroit. Indeed, Dr. DiChiera should receive very special recognition and
gratitude for the light and beauty he has brought to our area. He has
enriched the lives of many thousands of viewers. Since Michigan Opera opened
in 1972 at the Music Hall (incidentally, with this very opera: The Swallow,
sung in English), DiChiera has raised the quality of this opera company to
an excellence, which places it in the top tier of regional opera companies
in the country.
The final opera of the MOT 2007/2008 season is La Traviata by Giuseppe
Verdi, one of the all-time favorites throughout the world. Performances are
from May 10 through 18. I recommend you get your tickets early.
Dina Soresi Winter |
