Madrid, December 29, 2024.
Once again, Christmas has arrived to the Spanish capital, and with its famous traditional street illumination, the crowds shopping for their families, and the frenzy taking hold of the Madrileños for two weeks. This frenzy also reaches the cultural stage. This year, the Teatro Real is closing the season with a repertoire title, but not as classical as other years: Maria Stuarda, by Gaetano Donizetti, which is part of the famous "Tudor Trilogy", about three queens: Anne Boleyn, Queen Consort of Henry VIII, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, and Elizabeth I of England, cousin of the former, whose stories are told in this opera, in Anna Bolena and in Roberto Devereux. Three works written for true primadonnas, with difficult tessituras, and that several of the greatest Italian opera sopranos have covered, although they have not always sung all three, and if they did, not always with the same result in each one. It is worth remembering that Sondra Radvanovsky gave us a memorable concert with the three finales of these operas on January 6th.
Based on the German play Maria Stuart by Friedrich Schiller, which fictionalises the events surrounding the execution of the ill-fated Mary Stuart (in Italian, Maria Stuarda), signed by Elizabeth I, because the Scottish queen was accused of claiming the English throne and conspiring against her cousin. In his work, Schiller pits both queens against each other, despite the fact that they never met in person in reality. This story was the source for the libretto of this opera, written by the jurist Giuseppe Bardari. At its premiere at La Scala in 1835, it was not as successful as hoped and was banned after six weeks, because of censorship, which frustrated its premiere in Naples. After almost a century of oblivion, the opera returned to the great repertoire in the 1960s, sung by legendary sopraanos such as Leyla Gencer, the first to exhume it, Beverly Sills, the first to record it, and others such as Montserrat Caballé, Edita Gruberova or Mariella Devia.
For the first time in its history, the Teatro Real is staging this opera on its stage, although Montserrat Caballé sang this opera in the capital in 1979, at the Teatro de la Zarzuela. For this occasion, it returns with two A-class casts.
The staging is directed by David McVicar, a regular at the Teatro Real, who has just done the Ring at La Scala. McVicar had already done a version of this opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, but on this occasion it is a new production, a classical one, fit for the most conservative audiences. However, with its darkness, it tries to convey the atmosphere of tension that hangs over Mary Stuart, whose life is endangered, as well as the reign of terror in which Elizabeth I (in this opera) of England has subjected her court. Brigitte Reifenstuel's costumes are period, although the aristocrats, are dressed in black, and the people, are dressed in greyish colours. Throughout the work, an enormous golden orb, a symbol of power, suspended in the air, imposingly presides over the scene. In the first act, the main set is a huge golden wall on which many eyes and ears appear, and in the centre, an image of Elizabeth I. An example of the palace rumours that reach us about Mary's situation and the plot of which she is accused? In the second act, red leaves fall, which could be interpreted as Mary's blood that will soon be spilled, falling like mature leaves from a tree in autumn. The third act is darker, in the second scene a mural of several daggers surrounding a horse appears, all drawn in chalk: Mary has been sentenced to death, and her final hours are closer. In the final scene, there is no set: the stage is black, with everyone dressed in this colour and in grey, with Mary giving the only note of colour, with a red dress, in which she attends her execution, which is a tense moment, because when she positions herself for the execution, she waves her arms convulsively, while the curtain falls.
The Teatro Real Orchestra , conducted by José Miguel Pérez-Sierra , played at a very fast tempi and with the instruments playing very loudly. However, this has a positive side: fast tempos can lend agility and emotion to a bel canto score. In addition, the orchestra had already worked on the work as performances went by, which made all its sections sound good. Special mention should be made of the cello in several scenes, and of the string section in general in the scene of the queens' confrontation, as well as in the introduction to the third act, in which the horn also stood out in the orchestral introduction to the grand final scene. Th Teatro Real Choir, conducted by José Luis Basso , gave a memorable performance, especially in its great number in the Finale, in which the voices once again showed both their musical and acting potential: not only did they convey the pain of the imminent execution of Queen Mary, but they also sang splendidly: first the male voices began as a whisper, until they achieved fullness as a whole, in this sombre piece, which they closed with a grave, solemn prolonged note on the final word "rossor", overwhelming the audience, who rewarded them with someone exclaiming "Bravo, coro!" and then an ovation.
As mentioned before, two excellent casts alternate for this run of performances. Tonight's performance was the last of the first cast, which gave its best.
The world-famous American soprano Lisette Oropesa is one of the most beloved sopranos by the Madrid opera-goers, among whom she has many followers. Since her unforgettable 2018 Lucia di Lammermoor, which earned her international recognition, has delighted the people of Madrid with Traviata, Il Turco in Italia, and now this Maria Stuarda, which we can state that it features among her best remembered performances in the capital. Some picky opera hooligans might think at first that her coloratura voice is not completely fitting into the score's vocal range, but Oropesa has made one of the greatest efforts of her career to fulfill the part and the result has been a total success. Her beautiful and sweet voice, added to her impressive high notes, and her devoted portrayal of the ill-fated, courageous character, helped especially in the low notes. As a result, it was a memorable rendition. When she was on stage, one could not take one's eyes off her. As the final act transcurred, Oropesa raised the bar, and in fact the finale was moving, both in the prayer aria, and in the following scene, where she received spontaneous applause, and in the final cabaletta "Ah, se un giorno", in which she sang splendidly, closing with a spectacular high note. Once again, she delighted the Madrid audience, which eagerly awaits for her return.
Opposite her, a rising Russian mezzo-soprano in the present day operatic stage: Aigul Akhmetshina, has impressed with her powerful voice, singing Elizabeth I of England. Akhmetshina has a very dark, contralto tone, a voice that sounds fleshy, with an impressive volume and an appreciable low voice. Some say that her diction could be improved, but what is clear is that her vocal means are impressive, and if she continues to work on them, she could become one of the most important mezzo-sopranos of our time. She had already sung in 2021 in Madrid in the second cast of Cenerentola, but this performance has consecrated her for the madrileño audiences. Throughout the performance she maintained a splendid level, even improving in her brief appearance in the third act. We hope to see her again soon at the Teatro Real.
Ismael Jordi played the Count of Leicester. Jordi is already in a stage of vocal maturity, which takes its toll on him in the high notes, especially in the first act. Although short compared to the previous ones, the role of Leicester is so intense, that requires a top-level tenor, like Jordi, for that part. But he still has resources: for example, some beautiful pianissimos in the duet in the first act with Queen Elizabeth, and his interpretation went further, reaching a devoted singing in the great final scene.
Roberto Tagliavini was splendid as Talbot. This Italian bass, a regular at the Teatro Real, brilliantly played Maria's friend, with his powerful voice and spectacular low voice and notes throughout the performance.
The young Polish baritone Andrzej Filończyk was a remarkable Lord Cecil, especially in the third act, and the mezzo-soprano Elissa Pfaender was a well-sung Anna Kennedy.
In a bel canto opera, if the cast is of a high quality, as in this case, the performance is very enjoyable, even more so when it is an opera that requires singers of substance. Thus, this performance of Maria Stuarda has been vibrant, and very enjoyable due to the intensity of the cast, with ovations for each intervention of Oropesa and Akhmetshina, and after the end of the opera, for the entire cast. Upon leaving the theatre, several spectators headed to the artists' exit to greet Oropesa. Possibly, we are facing the greatest success of the current season at the Teatro Real.
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