{"id":94164,"date":"2024-11-20T09:39:21","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T14:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/operawire.com\/?p=94164"},"modified":"2024-11-20T09:40:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T14:40:01","slug":"opera-de-monte-carlo-2024-review-viva-puccini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/operawire.com\/opera-de-monte-carlo-2024-review-viva-puccini\/","title":{"rendered":"Op\u00e9ra de Monte-Carlo 2024 Review: Viva Puccini!"},"content":{"rendered":"
(Credit: Marco Borrelli)<\/h6>\n

Sometimes one has the impression that anniversaries are used to rationalize our infatuation with the music of an already popular composer. Such is the case this year when opera houses around the globe are commemorating the centenary of Puccini, <\/span>the most performed opera composer after Verdi and Mozart<\/span><\/a>. The <\/span>Op\u00e9ra de Monte-Carlo<\/span><\/a> is no exception and in her third season as the company\u2019s Director, Cecilia Bartoli programmed concert versions of “<\/span>La Rondine”<\/span> (whose premiere was given at the Op\u00e9ra de Monte-Carlo in 1917) and “<\/span>Tosca<\/span>,” as well as a staged version of “<\/span>La Boh\u00e8me<\/span>,” and a gala concert “<\/span>Viva Puccini!”<\/span> featuring tenor Jonas Kaufmann.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nov. 17<\/span>th<\/span> in Monte-Carlo was the final stop on Kaufmann\u2019s “<\/span>Viva Puccini!”<\/span> tour<\/span><\/a>, which took him to Freiburg, Vienna, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Paris, and Munich. The tour follows Kaufmann\u2019s two recording projects for Sony Classical devoted to Puccini\u2019s music: “<\/span>The Puccini Album<\/span> (2015),” and most recently “<\/span>Puccini: Love Affairs<\/span><\/a> (2024).”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The touring program was a synthesis of the two recordings. The two solo arias were from “<\/span>Tosca<\/span>:” Cavaradossi\u2019s \u201cRecondita armonia\u201d and \u201cE lucevan le stelle.\u201d The remainder of the sung numbers were duets featured on the more recent album: Rodolfo and Mimi\u2019s \u201cO soave fanciulla\u201d from “<\/span>La Boh\u00e8me<\/span>,” Pinkerton and Butterfly\u2019s \u201cViene la sera\u201d from “<\/span>Madama Butterfly<\/span>,” and Manon and des Grieux\u2019s \u201cTu, tu, amore tu\u201d from “<\/span>Manon Lescaut<\/span>.” On Kaufmann\u2019s <\/span>Love Affairs<\/span> disc, these duos are recorded with Pretty Yende, Maria Agresta, and Anna Netrebko, but on the <\/span>Viva Puccini!<\/span> tour, Kaufmann was joined by the Italian soprano Valeria Sepe.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Commanding Vocal Performance from Kaufmann<\/b><\/h3>\n

Kaufmann sang flawlessly, with extraordinary breath support and tonal projection. Although this was a concert performance, he effectively used a minimum of gestures to act his role, thus aiding the audience to imagine the dramatic situation of each aria or duo. His voice easily sailed over the large orchestra, although he had more difficulty doing so in the second half of the concert\u2014which may have been more a result of conductor Marco Armiliato\u2019s reluctance to reign in the musicians of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Perhaps the only criticism one could make is that he sometimes came across as being too controlled, and rarely gave the impression of taking spontaneous risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

There were many highlights in Kaufmann\u2019s interpretations, beginning with the stunningly beautiful <\/span>diminuendo al niente<\/span><\/i> on the final note of \u201cRecondita armonia.\u201d Also memorable was the intensity of his soft legato singing in \u201cE lucevan le stelle,\u201d particularly on the held note on the word \u201cdisciogliea.\u201d [I untied] His judicious use of <\/span>portamento<\/span><\/i> (sliding between intervals) added a heightened sense of passion to his duet singing. The beauty of his low and medium registers was more impressive than his high register, but the only moment when the latter appeared strained was on the final notes, sung offstage, in the duo \u201cO soave fanciulla\u201d from “<\/span>La Boh\u00e8me.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Sepe sang beautifully, with careful attention to the sweep of long phrases. Her registers were well-matched, and she ascended to high notes with ease. Sharing the stage with Kaufmann is not easy, as his artistic personality is so dominant and his command of softer dynamic ranges is incomparable. Nevertheless, the audience responded warmly to each of Sepe\u2019s contributions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Armiliato and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo had several opportunities to shine, not incidentally allowing Kaufmann and Sepe to rest their voices. The intermezzi from “<\/span>Madama Butterfly”<\/span> and “<\/span>Manon Lescaut”<\/span> were particularly effective. Principal clarinetist Marie-B Barri\u00e8re-Bilote was outstanding in her expressive solo introducing \u201cE lucevan le stelle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Five Encores<\/b><\/h3>\n

The full house in the Grimaldi Forum enthusiastically demanded five encores from the singers. Kaufmann went first, delivering a \u201cCh’ella mi creda\u201d from “<\/span>La fanciulla del West<\/span>.” The next two were from “<\/span>Turandot<\/span>:” Sepe sang \u201cSignore, ascolta!\u201d followed by Kaufmann\u2019s “Non piangere, Li\u00f9.” Sepe then gave what was perhaps her most effective performance of the concert in \u201cO mio babbino caro\u201d from <\/span>Gianni Schicchi<\/span>. Kaufmann finished the evening on a triumphant note with \u201cNessun dorma,\u201d a moment long-awaited by the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Credit: Marco Borrelli) Sometimes one has the impression that anniversaries are used to rationalize our infatuation with the music of an already popular composer. Such is the case this year when opera houses around the globe are commemorating the centenary of Puccini, the most performed opera composer after Verdi and Mozart. The Op\u00e9ra de Monte-Carlo is no exception and in {…}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":94165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,73],"tags":[18,4768,24451],"class_list":["post-94164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-review","category-stage-reviews","tag-jonas-kaufmann","tag-valeria-sepe","tag-viva-puccini"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOp\u00e9ra de Monte-Carlo 2024 Review: Viva Puccini! - OperaWire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The touring program was a synthesis of the two recordings. 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