By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Los Angeles Opera: Verd’s Simon Boccanegra
February 11, 2012 • Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Next performances: Feb. 15, 21 and March 1 at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 19, 26 and March 4 at 2 p.m.
Information: www.losangelesopera.com
Plácido Domingo and Ana Maria Martinez star in Los Angeles Opera’s production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, which opened last night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Photo for LAO by Robert Millard.
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Simon Boccanegra isn’t the least performed of Verdi’s operas but it’s not at the top of the list of the Italian composer’s favorites, either. It was given, to quote Thomas May’s article in the printed program, “a lukewarm premiere” when it debuted in Venice in 1857 and, again according to May, subsequent performances in Florence and Milan were “outright fiascos.” In 1881, Verdi — who had by then ostensibly retired from the writing opera — revised the work, and the success of that revival led him to write his final two — and greatest — operas: Otello and Falstaff.
What Verdi created in Simon Boccanegra was somewhat formulaic; even though the two plots are different, I had the feeling I was reliving last season’s Rigoletto all over again. Part of the reason for the familiarity may be that Michael Yeargan designed both productions, Rigoletto originally for San Francisco and Simon Boccanegra for Royal Opera, Covent Garden.
Nonetheless, wonderful music pours out of every page of Boccanegra and the ensembles he wrote — trios, quartets and, in particular, a marvelous sextet to conclude the first Act — the famous “Council Chamber” scene — are quite special.
For Los Angeles Opera, the major reason for mounting Simon Boccanegra is that Plácido Domingo wanted to undertake the title role. After a century as one of the world’s great tenors, Domingo (who turned 71 on Jan. 21) has discovered the joys of once again being a baritone (he actually began that way as a young adult). Actually, it’s quite a rare feat; normally a tenor voice doesn’t have the heft necessary for baritone roles but Domingo has always been unique.
Last night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Domingo’s lower register wasn’t as deep as many who have been baritones all of their adult lives, but the glorious ring that has characterized his more than 130 tenor roles remains very much in evidence. Moreover, he brought an anguished pathos to the role of an elder statesman struggling to unite his country while wrestling with personal demons, as well.
So, if you’re hesitating whether to attend one of the six remaining performances, hearing and seeing Domingo’s riveting performance in his “new life” is worth the price of a ticket. Besides, there’s no guarantee that he can keep going; Domingo has already announced that he’ll perform in Verdi’s even more rarely heard I Due Foscari to open LAO’s 2012-2013 season in September (yet another baritone role), but the clock is, regrettably, ticking.
Fortunately, Domingo is not the only reason for making the trip to downtown Los Angeles; the balance of the cast is uniformly strong and, in a couple of cases, better than that. For me, the highlight of the evening was soprano Ana Maria Martinez, who in her fourth appearance with LAO sang the role of Amelia with a rich, lustrous tone and tossed off a spiffy trill at the end of the sextet to boot. She also brought deep emotion to her acting.
Vatalij Kowalijow’s portrayal of Jacpo Fiesco echoed the nobility that the Ukranian bass brought to his portrayal of Wotan in LAO’s Ring cycle three years ago, Stefano Secco made an impressive LAO debut as Gabriele Adorno a gleaming top tenor range. The balance of the cast included Paolo Gavanelli as Paolo Albiani (and didn’t have to worry about remembering his first name), Robert Pomakov as Pietro, Sara Campbell as Amelia’s maid, and Todd Strange as a captain. The LA Opera Chorus was effective in the crowd scenes.
To no one’s great surprise — he has conducted 25 performances of three productions of Boccanegra before last night — James Conlon conducted with assurance and sensitivity and the LA Opera Orchestra played beautifully; it would be a shock if either were otherwise but such skill is not to be taken lightly or for granted. David Washburn sparkled as a one-man banda.
The production features a simple unit set with columns to symbolize Italy and a moveable back wall alternating two different styles of graffiti with Trajan-style letters, each trying to figure out clever ways to slip Simon Boccanegra’s name among the other words. The costumes, originally by Peter J. Hall, ranged from colorful to nondescript and the lighting design by Duane Schuler was suitably atmospheric for the most part. Elijah Moshinsky directed the six scenes skillfully.
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Hemidemisemiquavers:
• The opera ran just under three hours including one intermission.
• Conlon revealed in his printed-program article that Simon Boccanegra was among the first operas he saw, at age 13 from the standing-room area of the old Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
• The large banners of Domingo and Conlon that used to hang from atop the Pavilion are no longer present. They were destroyed in big windstorms in December.
• In addition to the remaining Simon Boccanegra performances, LAO’s production of Britten’s Albert Herring opens Feb. 25 for six performances through March 17. Information: www.losangelesopera.com
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(c) Copyright 2012, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.
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