Thursday, January 17, 2013
Opera The Met to broadcast "Maria Stuarda" to movie theaters on Saturday
Posted by Andrew Alexander @AndrewAWriter on Thu, Jan 17, 2013 at 8:17 AM
- Ken Howard/The Metropolitan Opera
- I TOLD THEE I WAS HARDCORE: Soprano Elza van den Heever shaved her head so that the elaborate wigs for the role of Queen Elizabeth would fit better during performances of the Met's "Maria Stuarda." The Met's new production will be broadcast live to movie theaters this Saturday.
Since 2006, the Metropolitan Opera has been broadcasting Saturday matinee performances to movie theaters: The simple idea has achieved success beyond anyone's reckoning, with broadcasts rapidly expanding onto multiple screens around the country and to far-flung places in Europe, Japan, South America and Australia, now reaching a total of more than 1,700 theaters in 54 countries.
The broadcasts (about 12 per season) typically represent a broad range of the Met's offerings, from classic productions of familiar favorites (and also controversial new productions of familiar favorites) to bold interpretations of contemporary works and innovative mountings of lesser-known operas from the vaults. They're all pretty spiffy, but each year, there does seem to be one particular production that gets everyone talking, and undoubtedly this year it's Maria Stuarda.
Donizetti's opera has long been regarded as having a few lovely arias, but as being too old-fashioned and focused on vocal tricks to stage as effective drama. But director David McVicar insists that the opera doesn't just contain some absolutely fantastic music throughout, but that it also has a great, riveting story. Broadcast audiences witnessed how stunningly successful his approach could be in last year's production of Donizetti's Anna Bolena, the first opera in the "Tudor trio." (The last in the trio Roberto Devereux will be staged next year).As if the terms "seldom performed," "rave reviews," "two queens in a cataclysmic showdown," "starring Joyce DiDonato," "crackling with drama," and "bel canto gem," weren't enough to get opera fans all in a tizzy, soprano Elza van den Heever, making her Met debut as Queen Elizabeth I, decided to put the icing on the cake by making the type of unexpected, devoted, stylish, dramatic gesture we all love. Out of commitment to the role, she shaved her head to better accommodate the queen's elaborate wigs (Excuse me for a moment. I seem to have passed out).
"Ms. DiDonato is simply magnificent, singing with plush richness and aching beauty," wrote music critic Anthony Tommassinni in the Times, obviously trying his best to keep his cool and then subsequently losing it. "At a few moments, from the collective sounds of the subdued chorus and orchestra, a pianissimo high note, almost inaudible, emerged from Ms. DiDonato's voice, slowly blooming in sound and throbbing richness ... It was hard to imagine a better New Year's Eve gift to opera lovers than this musically splendid and intensely dramatic performance of Maria Stuarda."
For some reason, I didn't get any gifts at all on New Year's Eve this time around, so now I'm ready for mine. Gimme.
The Met broadcasts "Maria Stuarda" to area movie theaters this Saturday, January 19, at 1 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit The Met.
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