The Opera Tattler

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Griselda at Santa Fe Opera

Griselda-act3 * Notes *
Vivaldi's Griselda (Act III pictured left, photograph by Ken Howard) at Santa Fe Opera had a third performance last night. The small orchestra lilted under Maestro Grant Gershon, but were not always with the singers. The cast features many fine voices. Isabel Leonard (Constanza) looked lovely in her white ruffled gown with red trim, and has an attractive, dark voice. Her trills were strong. Amanda Majeski made for a convincing Ottone, if not a rather bird-like and pretty one, both physically and vocally. Yuri Minenko sang Corrado with a lightness that floated over the orchestra.

David Daniels (Roberto) sounded fairly sweet. He had a nice ease in Act I, but may have been more strained in the second half. Paul Groves made the best of the unsympathetic character of Gualterio. His sound is warm and pleasing, however, some of the coloratura of his arias seemed quite difficult. In the title role, Meredith Arwady sang with richness and depth. Her voice has some texture to it and is full without being overly loud. Overall the musical performance was vibrant but not perfectly cohesive. Vivaldi's music is beautiful, and that came through well.

The production, directed by Peter Sellars, is oddly static. There were a lot of giggles, but whether this was from confusion or engagement was not clear. Gronk's scenic design is bright, as are Dunya Ramicova's costumes. James F. Ingalls used the same strong colors in the lighting. On balance the effect is both lurid and a little boring. The production did not elucidate the plot, nor did it help bring the performance into focus.

* Tattling *
The person in RA 40 sounded like she was doing origami during the overture, and seemed baffled that I kept hushing her. Three latecomers surrounded me in the first 30 minutes of the show, and then it turned out they were not even in the correct spots. The tardy standees in RA 42-46 also spoke, but more quietly. There was noticeable audience attrition and more than three-fourths of the standing room was empty for Acts II and III.

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6 responses to “Griselda at Santa Fe Opera”

  1. Lottie Avatar
    Lottie

    I have been attending opera in different venues since the mid ’50s and Griselda (first performance. sans Mr. Daniels) was, without doubt, the worst production I have ever seen! Outside of Costanza and Roberto the singing was barely adequate, with the exception of Paul Groves who has no more business singing baroque opera than I do. The set (if you can call it that) looked like it had been painted by students for a high school production and the costumes looked as though they had been purchased at a thrift shop (I must admit, however, I am not one who likes those euro-trash productions which are done solely to save money on sets, furniture and costumes.) Peter Sellars’ production proved laughable to the first night audience. It will be forever memorable for all the wrong reasons.

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  2. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I really liked the music, but didn’t find this production made a good case for Vivaldi. I like Groves in the role of Pylade in Iphigénie en Tauride (at the Met and in San Francisco), but he struggled more with this opera, it seems.

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  3. graustark Avatar
    graustark

    I saw a more recent performance. I found it so tedious that I pretty much stopped paying attention to the narrative after awhile. I also found the music disappointing. It didn’t seem to go anywhere, bringing Philip Glass to mind. Groves was terribly miscast, which is a shame. He was a very interesting Hoffman last summer. The production demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt why Sellars is the absolute worst. I should have given up on him back in the 80’s. Incredibly, lots of people gave this disaster a standing ovation. I guess they liked the cast.

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  4. David Avatar
    David

    I saw the final performance, Aug 19, as a whole, a massive disappointment. The “set” was so boring and purposeless that it became invisible after a short while, much like any wall of graffiti one sees on a regular basis. There was no cohesivenes to the costumes, which could have been pulled from any thrift shop. The lighting was awful, unwarranted floods of red or green light, which washed out costumes in similar colors; often the singers were left to sing in the dark – no spot lights. The staging (I can’t even call it direction) was (typical for Sellars) all about Sellars and hidden meaning (I understand he handed out pages of explanation to reviewers). Awkward movements for singers (upstaging and crossing), hand gestures singers might use when learning an aria to temporarily physicalize vocal line, and a too often used ploy of writhing around on the floor and singing to the ceiling (requiring the conductor to be seated much higher than normal). The orchestra (mainly strings) played well, as usual, and most of the singing was adequate. Groves was obviously uncomfortable with coloratura, slowing the tempo, which the maestro succeeded in speeding up during interludes. Both Arwady and Daniels have initially commanding voices, but which become boring because of lack of variation (both in color and dynamics). Leonard’s voice seemed too light in the first act (perhaps because she was competing with a thunderstorm), but delivered well and beautifully in the remainder of the opera. Majewski’s costume and actions were a distraction from her rather pleasant voice, with well articulated coloratura. Minenko was the highlight of the evening for me with his bravura coloratura and focused tone (Daniels’ voice is much too covered and contrived for me, combined with his stiff stage presence and somewhat spastic movements during coloratura passages), singing with great freedom. This opera would have been better represented in concert form than the inconsistent production slapped together by the Sellars, Gronk, et al.

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  5. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    That’s really funny that you mention Glass! He does have some similar qualities to Vivaldi.
    I’ve been impressed by Groves in other roles, but perhaps you are right, he strained in this.
    Oddly, I liked Sellars’ Hercules in Chicago earlier in the season. But his Griselda production was a bore.

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  6. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    It was an unsatifying performance, particularly because it was boring. Given this work is rarely heard, it seems like a missed opportunity.

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