My six or seven old readers might remember that I had first found Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor in the Deutsche Oper dreadful and then old-fashioned. Today, I could even imagine that it could actually become interesting if a stage director could be found to make its seediness purposeful. The fact is that, in this worn-out production, Olga Peretyatko seemed somehow too brand-new. She has many and many ideas about Lucia and she diligently tried them out – in the Mad Scene, she cared to try sexiness, crudeness and even grotesque – but without the help of a director, coherence was not really there. The effort is nonetheless more than welcome. Moreover, she has physique de rôle for romantic heroines and moves gracefully (albeit in a very standardized way) on stage.
The musical side of her performance similarly shows a serious intent of making sense of everything, in the way an important singer should do. I am not only sure that, at this stage of her career, she has the “important” voice to put her ideas into practice. To start with, her soprano is a couple of sizes too small for Lucia; Donizetti’s orchestration can hardly be called “heavy”, but Peretyatko was often inaudible – not in her high register, it must be said, which is always clear, round and pleasant. She has very good trills, very smooth (but not athletic à la Sutherland) coloratura and beautiful staccato. Her in alts are a bit fragile, but very reliable, and her low notes are particularly solid for such light a voice. She understands the dramatic situations, but – having to operate at 100% most of the time – she does not really have leeway for tonal colouring “on the text” as true bel canto style demands. I had the impression that, in a lighter role, one could sample her artistry (and not merely her technique or loveliness) more properly.
The announcement of Joseph Calleja’s cancellation was received with booing – and his replacement by an ensemble singer was not really encouraging. I had seen Yosep Kang before as Tamino and Don Ottavio and had nothing to write home about both times. This evening, however, he really showed what he can do. Although the voice has no inbuilt charm in it, the Korean tenor has very easy high notes and can pierce through the orchestra, although his voice too is a bit on the light side for Edgardo. That very lightness, though, made his Edgardo sound young and vulnerable, his very clear phrasing (sometimes a bit short on legato) and diction made everything he sang sound sincere and – even if the libretto does not give him much to work on – he could find the right note of melancholy, of helplessness in his role. One could almost see the suicidal element lurking on from the beginning. I have to confess that I found his hardly-for-the-ages but truly fresh performance the most interesting thing this evening.
I had seen Luca Salsi long ago at the Met as Sharpless and my impression then was of a spontaneous voice. Not this evening, I am afraid. His baritone lacked projection and his performance was a bit faceless. As always, nobody really gave the rest of the cast lots of thought – and one could hear that. Roberto Rizzi Brignoli could help his under-rehearsed cast out, but not his under-rehearsed orchestra. The opening scene was embarrassingly messy – and, even if things got a bit better afterwards, these musicians did not seem to be “into” this performance.
I’m a simple and recent opera lover, but allow me to comment as well – I never manage to go to the opera with friends, so I cannot exchange my views ! I agree with you that technically wrote Yosep Kang did show what he can do; but for me the voice lacked expression and I could not hear any lurke of suicidal thoughts as you wrote. He was delivering the text perfectly but somewhat mechanically, especially when singing forte; he had a few sparks of feeling here and there, in the last act z.B but overall I found it a colourless performance from the singing point of view.
The fact that I am not an expert allows me to enjoy an opera without having too many preconceived ideas. I thus did not think that the Olga Peretyatko’s voice was light for the role, as it was my first Lucia live ;P. I did enjoy her voice and the efforts she made to somehow use it to express her character, especially in the mad scene.
I must say though that my experiences at the Deutsche Oper are often spoiled by the acustic of building. I was told that in the second balcony it would be better, but my impression is that you are then not surrounded by the music as in other opera houses, the sound of orchestra always come from somewhere distant and it is indeed a problem to hear the singers. I once saw a Tosca where only two of the singers could pierce thru it, so disappointing. I am one of those who believe that the orchestra should not only play for itself but also to accompany the singers; if you have a singer whose voice is not very loud, you have to adjust the sound of the orchestra; after all, we are speaking of a impair “battle” between several instruments and one (or two) singer alone on stage.
Hi, Laura! Your comments are certainly welcome – and you don’t seem simple at all to me. Peretyatko is my third Lucia in the Deutsche Oper – and the one I could hear less easily. We agree that this did not prevent her to make an impression. I believe she could have been even more impressive in a lighter role.
I’ve had a second balcony seat only once, for La Cenerentola. That evening, I could hear every singer well. But maybe I was lucky that evening
As for Kang, maybe it’s a matter of expectation. One expects nothing and then is open to hear something new. Most Edgardos sing alpha-male style and a few of them with genteel grace. I’ve found it interesting to hear it sung boyishly and without much “attitude” – it made the character more believable to me. Maybe that is the suicidal thing – the vulnerability, the fits of anger that do not sound threatening but rather worrisome. In any case, I understand that in one’s first Lucia, one would like to hear something more seductive – as Calleja would have definitely offered if he had sung last evening.
I think that Peretyatko has great talent and it is shown June 14, at t DOB. In “Regnava nel Silenzio” her “up” was too broad and forte (the effect of the Russian school?), But the “mad scene” I had no problem with that. Russian sang and interpreted perfectly. I’ve heard in Berlin as Lucia – Mosuc, Bonfadelli, Sumi Jo, Damrau … Olga Peretyatko was the best.
I am waiting now for Patrizia Ciofi…