Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall. Balcony (Seat B14, $28).
The concert ended at 10:35 pm.
Program
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Opera in Four Acts and Nine Scenes, Op. 29 (1930-1932) by Shostakovich (1906-1975).
Cast
Katerina Ezmailova - Kristine Opolais, Boris Izmailov/Ghost of Boris - Gunther Groissbock, Zinovy Izmailkov - Peter Hoare, Sergei - Brenden Gunnell.
Story. Katerina is in a loveless marriage to Zinovy. When Zinovy goes on a business trip, she is reminded by her father-in-law Boris that she must remain faithful. The new worker Sergei - a well-known womanizer - comes to town, challenges Katerian to a wrestling match, and the two eventually have an affair. Boris catches Sergei, beats him, and locks him up in the storeroom. Katerina puts poison in the mushroom dish she prepares for Boris, and he dies. When Zinovy returns, he suspects Katerina's having an affair, and beats her. In their struggle, Katerina and Sergei kill Zinovy and puts the body in the cellar. On her wedding day of Katerina and Zinovy, a drunken guest discovers Zinovy's body and reports that to the police. The police arrive before Katerina and Sergei can escape, and she confesses her guilt. After being convicted, Katerina and Sergei are being shipped to Siberia. Along the way, Sergei asks Katerina for her stockings to give to his new lover Sonyetka. Katerina throws Sonyetka into the Volga and jumps in herself.
I knew very little about this opera before the concert. My prior encounter with Shostakovich's opera was "The Nose," a surreal composition which I didn't understand at all. That was the only other opera Shostakovich wrote. This is a completely different composition, the characters are well-defined, the story line is quite straightforward, and the music follows (or leads) the arc of the story tightly.
Shostakovich composed many film scores (34 per Wikipedia), and one might conclude he used many of the same techniques to compose the music for this opera. There is a film Katerina Izmailova, of which Shostakovich was a part of, and for which he wrote the musical score, I do wonder if that music resembles what we hear today.
Opolais - at one point married to Nelsons - was the clear star in the production. She was on stage for most of the time, and probably did as much singing as the other soloists combined. Her voice remained strong throughout. The only time she was drowned out was when the orchestra was playing at its loudest. (From where I sat I wasn't even sure she was singing.) I may have remarked on her inability to act in prior reviews, but that wasn't an issue for today's opera in concert. Hoare as Sergei generally did well, although his voice would drop off every now and then. Many other soloists did very well, although their roles tended to be brief.
The BSO has a great sound, although for this opera not much subtlety is required. The set up makes it feel a lot more like an orchestral concert than an opera. I wonder how different the experience would be if this is a staged opera, with the orchestra in the pit. Groissbock as Boris ghost sang for a few minutes from the second tier. It was interest that a conductor was right next to him, conducting quite vigorously.
The synopsis has Katerina pushing her rival into the river, and then jumping in after her. In the actual performance the reference is to a lake. There were three screams, so I don't know who screamed twice (it was done off-stage). Opolais was on stage during the last scene, which contribution to my confusion, and (I am sure) she didn't do any screaming.
One can imagine a staged opera can be quite lurid, and may add some additional dimensions to the experience. Without the distraction of the props and costumes, one's attention is more focused on the music, which isn't a bad thing.
The program notes has the duration at 3 hours, including an intermission. In reality it went from 7:10 pm to 10:35 pm. One could argue some scenes can be shortened or cut out completely (e.g., Scene 7, the police station).
At the end of Act 2.
James Burton (back to audience) is the conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.
Opolais deserved the extended applause she got from the audience.
It was a great evening. I do wonder why the play is called Lady Macbeth of Mtensk, though.
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