Gluck Meets Chekhov in Tauride

Iphigénie en Tauride, Metropolitan Opera

Prod: Wadsworth

Cond: Summers

Perf: Graham, Domingo, Groves

Opening Night: Feb. 12, 2011

 

Once again, Gluck has written an opera that teeters on the fine edge between Baroque and Classical, but I’m sure that he never meant for it to border on Chekhovian.  

Stephen Wadsworth’s production was interesting, to say the least, but unfortunately it follows in this new tradition of subjugating Gluck’s music, especially his ballets, to the emotional drama of the characters.  The pacing was a bit slow-moving at times, which distracted from the sheer beauty of the music, and the dances could have been better utilized; here, they seemed a mere afterthought or pretty window-dressing to the plot instead of a physical representation of the drama.  My greatest qualm was with the final ballet where the dancers were pushed to the back (some of them were even behind a doorway) and the foreground featured Iphigénie’s struggle with her anger and her ultimate reconciliation with Oreste.  While I applaud this completed character arc, and I’m sure good old Stanislavski would be proud, I don’t think Gluck is the correct place for it.  Gluck’s final ballets, such as the one in his Orfeo ed Euridice, are usually meant as celebrations, cleansing the emotional palate and allowing the audience to feel good before they head home.  However, this is the first Wadsworth production that I have seen live and he is known for interpreting 17^th and 18^th century dramatic works, so perhaps I shouldn’t be so harsh, but the ending felt out of place, in a psychological sense, within the confines of a Gluck opera.  All in all, I did love the final image of Iphigénie letting go of the neon-green cloth and it was a “palate-cleanser” for me, so perhaps I’m just being picky about how the effect was achieved.

Musically, the opera was satisfying.  The chorus was a bit off from Summers at times, but everything held together and I’m sure those sections improved as the run proceeded.  Graham was lovely as always, her silky, shining tone well-suited to Gluck and especially to Iphigénie.  Hearing her in the French repertoire is always a pleasure and this role has the added element of dramatic honesty in which Graham thrives.  Domingo brought all the brilliance to his performance as one would expect and Groves served as the perfect third-wheel to Graham and Domingo, his voice and performance strong and interesting enough to compete with the two heavy-hitters.  

Recently, the Met has not been my favorite place to see Baroque opera (although I did, regrettably, miss NYCO's Partenope last season), but I thoroughly enjoyed this production and I’m going to sound like a complete hypocrite because I am anxiously awaiting The Enchanted Island next season.  But I suppose with a concept and a cast as good as that one, you can pull off almost anything.