Snow Days at the Opera
In early February, southern Oregon had what our school district superintendent called “Snowmageddon,” a historic amount of snowfall here in the Rogue Valley, shutting down our schools for a week. As my primary work during the school year is in supporting students with special needs, the week was an unexpected holiday. So, besides watching a few of my favorite operas on DVD, my husband and I decided to subscribe to Met on Demand (MOD) again. This was something of an “introduction to opera performance” for Boze; he’s long been a fan of several operas as a listener, but now he would be getting the full visual experience.
Here’s what we watched:
Don Quichotte, by Massenet; La Monnaie, 2010 (DVD)
Right before subscribing to Met on Demand, we watched the incomparable José van Dam as Don Quichotte from the 2010 production from La Monnaie that I have on DVD. This opera is a heartbreaker, and Massenet’s take on Cervantes’s Don Quixote captures a special poignancy that can sometimes be overlooked in the oddball, picaresque original novel. (Which I also love.)
Le Nozze di Figaro, by Mozart; Metropolitan Opera, 2014 (MOD)
In this 1930s-set gem of a production, Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov (Figaro) leads a stunning cast in this upstairs-downstairs Downton Abbeyesque romp as Figaro and his betrothed, Susanna, lay traps for the lascivious and unfaithful Count Almaviva (Peter Mattei). Ildar is utterly charming, as is Marlis Petersen as Susanna.
Eugene Onegin, Tchaikovsky; Metropolitan Opera, 2007 (MOD)
Robert Carsen’s visually stunning production of this Russian masterpiece is a perfect backdrop to three stellar central performances: Dmitri Hvorostovsky (rest in peace) as Eugene Onegin, Renée Fleming as Tatyana, and Ramón Vargas as Lensky. I had really been exited to show this one to my husband, and he loved it as much as I had hoped. Boze, who has something of a crush on Renée (who wouldn’t?) was particularly captivated by Ramón Vargas in the role of Lensky. Bravi tutti to the Met Chorus as well, and to conductor Valery Gergiev.
La Bohème, Puccini; Metropolitan Opera, 2018 (MOD)
Boze and I had listened to La Bohème so much on Spotify, especially around the Christmas seasons between 2022-24, that I wanted to show him one of the filmed versions in order that he might get a fuller character and story context. Plus, what could be better than the set/production of Franco Zeffirelli? There’s a reason why the Met can’t truly retire this one—nor that of Turandot. Both are simply iconic, perfect. Particularly the Dickensian vibrancy of Bohème’s Act II. The particular Zeffirelli version we chose, however, was a relatively recent one that neither of us had seen, with Michael Fabiano and Sonya Yoncheva (as Rodolfo and Mimi), two opera stars that I’ve followed for years. It didn’t disappoint, and the whole ensemble cast was fantastic.
Don Carlo, Verdi; Salzburg, 2013 (BluRay)
Finally, we got around to my favorite opera—though not yet in my favorite, French-language version of it: Don Carlo. This Italian-language, five-act, Salzburg production with Jonas Kaufmann, Thomas Hampson, and Anja Harteros, however, remains a favorite. It was my introduction to this Hamlet of operas—Verdi’s greatest masterpiece—and was the production that made me fall in love with this opera, and particularly with the character of Rodrigo and the friendship between the two leading men. And, in my view, Hampson remains the ultimate, ideal Rodrigo, whether in the French or Italian versions. There were many tears as Act IV came to its close.
La Damnation de Faust, Berlioz; Metropolitan Opera, 2008 (MOD)
Boze and I both had been intrigued to see a production of Berlioz’s take on this classic, especially because we are both fans of the Gounod. While I prefer Gounod, the Berlioz makes for another compelling, haunting, dream-like take, especially supported by the innovative production of Robert Lepage for the Met Opera. The highlight for me in this one was the Canadian bass John Relyea as the scene-stealing Méphistophélès.
Don Carlos, Verdi (French language version); Théâtre du Châtelet, 1996 (DVD)
Although we watched this one a good deal after “snow week,” I thought it worth including here, as it completed the Don Carlo (and van Dam) circle, this time in my favorite version of Verdi’s: the full five-act, French-language Carlos. And this particular production is a haunting, visually beautiful one from the mid-90s, with a stellar cast: Roberto Alagna, Karita Mattila, Waltraud Meier, José van Dam (in glorious voice), and a gorgeous, younger, long-haired Thomas Hampson. It is one of the only productions you can find of the full French-language version (which was the one Verdi originally intended), and I would highly recommend it.
What are a few of your favorite productions, whether on Met on Demand or elsewhere? We still have our subscription, and are eager for more!
For me my two favorite Met productions are the Cenerentola with Larry Brownlee and Joyce and the Coney Island Cosi. I also live the Akhenaten production.