At eight o’clock sharp the audience was instantly greeted by a blitz of harmonious frequencies and tones emitted by the orchestra; as the all-too-familiar sounds of the infamous Mozartian overture perforated the theater, the audience was given a morsel of the amazing performance to come. Stunned with nearly every aspect of the opera, I can fairly say that Le Nozze de Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera House was one of the best performances I have ever had the pleasure of viewing.
A gift bequeathed from the 18th century, Figaro exemplifies the commonality of the mankind. An opera written over two hundred years ago performed in a foreign language still attracted hundreds. The opera’s ardor, themes of jealousy and adultery, and even humor were effectively communicated to the audience, despite the apparent language and time barriers.
The true genius of the opera, however, lied in the vocals. Unaccustomed to the sheer power experienced by vocal opera, I was truly “wowed” by this performance. Several times throughout the opera I had to remind myself that the sounds I was hearing were actually being emitted from a human being. All of the performers communicated a gamut of tones and pitches I would never have dreamed. In particular, John Relyea playing as Figaro caught my attention. The distinguished bass of the performance, Relyea was able to emit a sound whose zeal could be felt almost instantaneously.
Only a meager review, however, would discuss an opera’s vocals without drawing attention to the orchestra. The score was unparalleled to any of which I’ve heard. Beautifully enhancing the vocals, the orchestra was able to create a dynamic relationship with the singers; both aspects complimented each other and were synchronized throughout the opera, most notably at the recurring crescendos during the dramatic scenes of the opera. After listening to the score a second time, it’s fascinating to see how the music mirrors the world it depicts; although the score may initially seem to be of elegance and beauty, a sharper ear can trace elements of discord and deception. The wedding march in Act III for example, initially gives the impression of formality and gracefulness. The trembling chords at the end of each phrase, however, communicate to the audience that something is astray. The opera may have been over three hours long, but because of the orchestra and vocals, I almost wished it had been longer.
Psychological perception is never based upon the sum of reactions to individual entities, but rather to the gestalt experienced by the observer. Thus, a true review of my viewing of Figaro would be incomplete without mentioning how the Metropolitan Opera House amazed me. From the lighted water fountain to the enormous glass panes that compose the entire front side, the opera house was truly a feast for the eyes. The set design for the opera was equally ravishing, with the creation of lifelike sceneries and lightning. There was fine attention brought to virtually every detail of the set, from the upholsteries to the marble walls. The lightning was superb, with both the night and sunshine being lifelike. I personally loved the subtitle display box, particularly because a given display was only visible to the person directly in front of it and not to the other people sitting next to him. Upon looking this up, I learned that the words on the subtitle display were actually composed of LED pixels, or tiny “lighted dots.” Each of these dots had a narrow tube in front of them, with one end of the tube faced at the lighted pixel, and the other end of the tube facing directly forward. Thus, a viewer can only see the LED pixels (and thus the entire display) by being directly in front of the display; anyone to the sides would not be able to see it due to the tubes blocking the light.
Le Nozze de Figaro was an amazing experience that has helped expose me to the world of opera.
Krishan Sharma
