There is a lot to love about the Met's production of Le Nozze di Figaro. It's an elegant, relatively simple, perfectly conceived prodution that really keeps the focus on the music. On the evening of 11/12, the cast was, on the whole, in fine form. In particular, Hei-Kyung Hong's Countess and Joyce DiDonato's Cherubino stand-out. Hong's Act III aria was breathtaking. She delivered it with such effortless melancholy--truly beautiful work. And DiDonato's voice is a rarity. Pure, glassy--so perfectly pitch-centered it made me feel like I forgot pitch could be so dead-on. I am definitely psyched to see her as the 11th hour replacement for Jossie Perez in Monday evening's Romeo et Juliette premeire.
OK, I really need to mention the evening's leading man. Luca Pisaroni has a very focused, pleasing voice. Particularly for a 30 year old baritone...by the time he is in his 40's this voice will be something with which to reckon. He is a fun actor; his Figaro is likeable and he seems to have a terrific time with the text.
What I have to ask is, with all this buzzing going on about (the admittedly adorable) Stephen Costello and his role in Guillaume Tell this weekend...why has there been so little talk about Luca?
I have never really thought of Figaro as being wildly sexy. Until tonight. Luca is about 10 feet tall, ridiculously handsome, an incredibly charming performer, and sings well to boot. He also seems to be in *awfully* good shape for an opera singer. And...he's 30 and singing major baritone roles at the Met! This guy is a catch, folks.
Definitely one to watch...in a couple ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment