Don Giovanni returns to the Met.
by
Paul J. Pelkonen
 |
"Want to switch?" Don Giovanni (Ildar Abdrazakov, l.) negotiates with Leporello (Erwin Schrott, r.)
in Act I of Don Giovanni. Photo by Marty Sohl © 2012 The Metropolitan Opera. |
On Wednesday night, the Metropolitan Opera revived Michael Grandage's 2011 production of
Don Giovanni, which sets the action against a curved, sliding wall of louvered doors that (to this writer) recalls the façade of certain seedy motels in Wildwood, New Jersey. The show's biggest success: Ildar Abdrazakov, whose bellowing, hyper-testosteroned take on the title character made him an energetic and charismatic leading man.
This reviewer saw Mr. Abdrazakov's
Don a few months ago. He still purrs and fawns during "La ci darem la mano" and achieves a manic glee in the Champagne Aria. He still prowls with a catlike presence and charisma. And he remains compelling in the Damnation Scene, going (quite literally) down in flames as he bellows his last notes at the statue. (Note on that effect: although it was a major talking point of this new production last year, it (along with the rest of this staging) has outworn its welcome.) If anything, the Russian bass seemed more restrained in this show, toning down the excesses and working within the context of the ensemble.
In this cast, Erwin Schrott moves from singing the Don to Leporello. As the put-upon servant, the bass-baritone seemed to yearn for his old role: macking on the ladies instead of carrying the catalogue. He undermined his performance repeatedly, with comic mugging and repeated attempts to one-up Mr. Abdrazakov. However, his Catalogue Song sparked the first act, bringing a sluggish opera to life The Act Two "seduction" scenes with Donna Elvira (Emma Bell) were a comic highlight.
