The Arts in New York City
It was a good thing that I brought my inhaler to the Met last night because by the time we climbed Mount Everest to the Family Circle, I desperately needed it. I guess it didn’t really matter that I brought my glasses because I wouldn’t even have been able to see the stage with the Hubble Telescope. The thing that really makes the opera better than the rest of the things we’ve done so far, is that even though the seats were beyond terrible, the opera was still fantastic. The opera was great from beginning to end. I assume that the only good thing about the family circle is that it actually makes the opera more believable because you really can’t tell the difference between Don Giovanni and Leporello. The Don’s and Leporello’s performances were absolutely fantastic. Leporello is a true buffo. The commendatore also did a great job even though he only had a small, but pivotal, role. There were three instances during the opera that I can use to illustrate the magnificence of this opera. First, I would choose Leporello’s Catalog Aria. This aria, where Leporello tells Elvira about The Don’s list of women, exhibits Leporello’s real personality and is a pivotal aria in the opera. (Audio of Leporello’s Catalog Aria performed by the man we saw, Luca Pisaroni, can be heard here.) Second, I would say Don Giovanni’s Champagne Aria. This aria, exhibits the inner Don Giovanni, and although short, is also a pivotal aria advancing The Don’s character. (Audio of The Don’s Champagne Aria performed by the man we saw, Mariusz Kwiecien, can be heard here.) Third, I would say that the end of the opera just adds the icing to the cake. The final scene of The Don being dragged into hell can be portrayed in many different ways, some better than others. This particular performance included the stage floor opening up and sucking The Don into “hell” in a blaze of pyrotechnic glory. These three components of the performance of Don Giovanni proves the true magnificence and genius of the opera that we saw. The last thing that I can say about Don Giovanni – Bravo! Bravissimo!
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If you thought the Family Circle at the Met was a hike, wait ’til you see where we’re sitting at Carnegie Hall…
My dearest Will, I for one must disagree with some of what you’ve written here. For starters, I found the seats at the Met to be wonderfully comfortable and the red velvet soothed my aching back as I watched three long hours of Don Giovanni. And I personally believe that the characters weren’t that hard to see. The speck that played Don Giovanni and the speck that played Leporello were obviously very different in appearance. The set were large and well displayed, and when the orchestra played, I could almost make out the dot that represented the brass section.
However, I agree with your description of the opera as magnificent. The catalog aria had me hysterical, and just remembering Leporello’s light-hearted description of Don Giovanni’s escapades still makes me giggle like a pudgy Italian food critic. My favorite part of the performance was at the end, when the statue of the commendatore first appears. This particular scene, along with Don Giovanni being dragged down into Hell, was absolutely brilliant. Although I personally never want to see another opera for as long as I live, I hold no ill will towards someone who dreams of seeing the opera every single day. Overall, I was impressed with this performance.
I also agree that the walk up was quite a workout. What made it worse was that I was running late and the staircase appeared as if it would never end. The seats were some of the worst available, but at least they were comfortable and provided us with more room than the seats at “I Don’t Believe in Outer Space.” I too couldn’t really make out the faces of the people on stage, but it did add to the mystery between the identities of Don Giovanni and Leporello.
I think your statements regarding the bests arias are quite accurate, however i think that the best one was when hell opened up. It was truly a surprise I didn’t see coming. In terms of humor, the aria where the list of women was discussed and the champagne aria were the best. What added to it was that we saw the champagne aria in class and it reminded me of when that guy took his pants off in the movie.
The performance was impressive for its intended genre.
I have to agree, Will, that Leporello is a real “buffo.” He almost stole the show with his side-comments and overall acting. All the other characters are either hysterical, obsessively in love, or plagued with severe commitment issues. I sympathize with him most; if a statue about to drag my friend to Hell came to dinner, I too, would hide under a chair. I would not start talking to a statue in a cemetery, even if it talked back. I too, found the Champagne Aria to be a pivotal song, serving to characterize Don Giovanni throughout the opera. I couldn’t believe how catchy it was; it stuck around for several days in my head, and I believe I hummed it enough times to drive people insane, as can be confirmed by Isuree Katugampala.
I also agree that the scene where Don Giovanni is dragged to Hell was over-the top, and quite a way to end the show with a “bang.” I do wonder how many times something went wrong during the rehearsal of that scene, and how much the singers have to pay for insurance. I did not expect something so grand out of an opera production; I thought there would be singing, over-dramatic pantomiming, and an extreme lack of humor. The overall comedy of the show, the superb acting/singing, and the bit of pyrotechnics at the end convinced me to give other operas a shot.
The hike up to the Family Circle was indeed very tiring. And the velvet seats were comfortable for sitting, but were uncomfortable for my legs. I’m not a very tall person, but I could feel my legs being cramped between my seat and the back of the seat in front of me. I also agree that I could barely see the people’s faces, but I still could tell the difference between the people, mostly because they were wearing different clothes. If they were wearing the same clothes, I would not be able to tell the difference.
But besides these side comments, I was very impressed by the play, as you were. The last scene was AMAZING. I can’t imagine how difficult it was to plan this out, especially when the flames filled the whole entire stage. You would literally have to be exactly at the right spot at the right time, or else you would risk being burned as a performer. Sitting at the Family Circle I could feel bursts of heat when Don Giovanni was dragged to hell, imagine the people who were performing, or the people in the first row or even the orchestra pit? It’s crazy to think that an Opera could create something with so much special effects. I would think that the Opera would only focus on singing and the plot, but it was a great surprise.
The play itself was amazing in general. Even though I couldn’t understand Italian, all the performers are definitely very skilled and talented, because all the songs were on key. They are obviously very well trained. I think I would definitely go back, but maybe I’ll sit a little closer to the stage, and not in the Family Circle this time.