2h 48min | Music | TV Movie 24 June 2016
Director: François Roussillon
David McVicar ... stage director
Robin Ticciati ... Conductor
Robin Ticciati ... Conductor
Stars: Sally Matthews, Edgaras Montvidas, Tobias Kehrer, Brenden Gunnell, Mari Eriksmoen, Franck Saurell.
First performed in 1782.
The hunk on the cover is Franck Saurell, in the non-singing role of Pasha. He got the final bow in the curtain call, but was credited just before the actor who got 2 lines, and didn't take a bow.
This is a singspiel, not an opera, since large portions of text are spoken without music. I hope someday to learn the significance of Pasha not singing. He speaks plenty, so he's not so isolated as the mute eunuch, but it sets him apart. His overseer sings, so why not?
When I screened the dvd for playability, I was impressed with the look of the production. It reminded me of paintings from the period both in the colors used and the way it was lit.
This story makes a terrific contrast with Cosi fan tutte (1790), where the theory that women can be led astray is demonstrated. Here Kostanze gets close to yielding to Pasha, even caressing his bare upper body, but she remains true to Belmonte. (The casting of FS is pleasing, since he acts very well, and has a well-toned physique.) Then we finally meet Belmonte, and wonder why K is choosing him over P. By the end of the play, so is she.
I like being able to read a synopsis before watching the opera. I needn't be a complete slave to the subtitles. I read several, and Penguin had the most succinct. Then again, I didn't read it first, so maybe it benefited from what I had already learned elsewhere.
The bass playing Osmin had a terrific voice, and his speaking voice was the same as his singing. I wonder how he speaks in ordinary conversation.
The mute eunuch had a definite presence, especially in the scene where he preps Kostanze for Pasha's tryst. He acted well with face and body. I wonder how much the theatre audience followed him; we had the benefit of a TV director focusing the camera on him.
Why not a higher rating? The music is good, but isn't replaying in my head. The cast playing the Europeans weren't compelling, although Kostanze played her desire for the Pasha well.
François Roussillon et Associés, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, cond. Ticciati; 8
