Reviews
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Arizona Opera's 'Roméo et Juliette' is a splendid workBy Ken Keuffel Jr
Only the lowliest knit-picker wouldn't recommend Arizona Opera's current production of "Roméo et Juliette." Go see this show; in nearly every way, it's worthy of the great Shakespeare tragedy on which it's based. Conductor Michel Singher deserves the most credit for the production's success. From beginning to end, he conducts this astonishing music in the right way: with a passion that's always tempered by refinement and the highest standards of musical execution. And he brings out the best in each singer, from the leads to the chorus. Last night, Robin Lee Parkin, as Juliette, offered a brilliant coloratura that belies her petite frame; it found an appropriately edgy, almost crude quality in the famous Waltz Song of Act 1. It sounded pleasingly sweet in more lyrical sections. James Miller, who played Roméo, has a smallish voice, perhaps better suited to roles such as the Tamino he played in last season's "Magic Flute." In the Act 11 scene in which he kills Tybalt (Reynaldo Romo), he failed to summon the dramatic power that tense moment requires. The higher the notes rose, the more he strained to reach them,too. That said, Miller's middle-register production is fluid and wholly natural. Last night it blended well with Parkin's more brilliant soprano in softer duet writing. (Parkin shares the Juliette role with Susanna Uher.) There are some great small-part roles in this opera. Last night, Stefan Szkafarowsky acquitted himself admirably as the Friar, unleashing a booming baritone with gusto during the marriage scene. Some have derided this opera for its almost endless string of duets for the title roles. But last night, the listener regained an appreciation for Gounod's greatness as composer. (He wrote a lot of choral literature, some of which deserves to be performed more.) The opening scene's largely a cappella chorus, in which the crowd comments on the story in the manner of a Greek chorus, sounded particularly moving and rich in harmonic splendor. And the choruses that accompany Act II's fight scenes came across with astonishing fury and dramatic power. Hats off too to the pit musicians for the precision and expression they brought to their playing. Last night, the intermittent clarinet solos sounded particularly classy. How nice to hear pure, nicely rounded sound coming from a licorice stick. I had to miss the final act of last night's show to make deadline. However, the final scene, in which both lovers die, came off convincingly at a Thursday matinee. Though Miller was clearly saving his voice for what will have been a four-performance run in Tucson, both he and Parkin sang their final love duet with passion. This opera touches the emotions like few others; its music will sweep you away.
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Roméo et Juliette (Synopsis) |
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