These two operas along with Roberto Devereux are referred to as Donizetti's "three queens"--the queen in Roberto being Elizabeth, and in the other two...well, you can probably figure it out if you can translate the super-tricky Italian (though Elizabeth also features prominently in Maria Stuarda). It sort of feels like you're in an alternate universe watching these operas about English history where the characters all have Italian versions of their names. Anyway, I'd seen Roberto Devereux (Live in HD back in 2016, when I was an extremely casual opera fan at most), but I thought it would be good to complete the trilogy.
I saw the latter opera first. This was going to be the Met's final Live in HD production this season, until...stuff happened. I'm not too broken up about the cancellation, given that there's already a video of that same production with Joyce DiDonato in the title role. What else do you want?
Simple plot: Maria is being kept prisoner indefinitely by Elizabeth, who feels her reign is threatened by her. Two lords, Leicester and Talbot, try their best to get her freed, but without success. The second act is ten years later, and Mary is executed. That is all.
What's most striking to me in all of this is that while in Donizetti's Roberto Devereux Elizabeth was an effectively tragic figure, here she's just an irredeemable asshole. There may be geopolitical reasons for the execution, but here it appears her main motivations are jealousy at Mary being hotter than she is and how come Leicester likes her more than me? I must say, I think it's extremely unreasonable to coat your face in clown make-up and then turn around and complain that other people are considered more attractive than you are. Maybe if fashion had been less horrible at the time, she would've been a little more chill. Of course, I am not a historian, and I am not commenting on how historical this all is--but I kind of have to agree with the chorus which asserts that "this barbarous deed will forever stain England's honor." I definitely thought about the indefensibility of capital punishment while watching it.
Well, but even without a complicated antagonist, I still liked it perfectly well. Was Donizetti capable of writing bad music? DiDonato and Elza van den Heever as Elizabeth are both more than up to it, but honestly, neither of them really come across as strongly-drawn characters. I hope it's not in some way sexist of me to say it, but I think the male characters work better here: Matthew Rose is very commanding as the paternal Talbot; Matthew Polenzani reliable as ever as Leicester.
Anna Bolena. Right. This 2011 production was apparently its Met debut, which is surprising to me. The king, Enrico, is married to Anna, but he's simultaneously having an affair with her friend Giovanna Seymour (GOD I love using these Italian names). He wants to catch her committing adultery herself, which is why he pardons her former intended Riccardo who's still carrying a flame for her and lets him hang around. But as it turns out, his opportunity actually comes from Smeaton, a minstrel who has a secret crush on her and definitely deserved to get caught up in all this even less than anyone else did. But now Anna, her brother Giorgio because why not, Smeaton, and Riccardo are all going to be executed. I didn't know that the historical situation was quite such a bloodbath, but it was, although the historical Riccardo apparently wasn't involved in any of this and also his named definitely wasn't Riccardo.
I mean, musically, it checks out. No problems. Anna Netrebko was clearly chosen to create a sensation in the title role, and yeah, pretty much. It's all well-cast. But man, it really kinda got me down, how grim it is. So is Maria Stuarda, but this more so. In this production, especially, when Smeaton (a trouser role, Tamara Mumford, very good) appears in the second act, having been "interrogated," he's absolutely drenched in blood, and it just really brings home how absolutely fucking savage British history--and human history more broadly--really is. I know that sometimes conflict is unavoidable, I'm not (that) naive, but GOOD GOD, can't we let our kindness and empathy and compassion be our central governing principles? It'd be a good start, anyway.
"I hope it's not in some way sexist of me to say it, but I think the male characters work better here."
ReplyDeleteOh so? You should have seen Beverly Sills as Elizabeth and Joan Sutherland as Mary Stuart hurling the word "Bastarda!" at her onstage in San Francisco years ago. It's one of my happier opera memories.
—G. Blum