Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta
and Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle
Saturday, February 14, 2015
I broke my regular Saturday routine,
which consists of prepping my class lessons for the week, then going to the
theatre in the evening. My friend Julia
recommended I put off my school work for one day, since it President’s Day Weekend. She wanted to go to IKEA, but I suggested we
go to see the Met Live in HD at BAM. It
was a double feature, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta
and Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle.
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| Photo courtesy of Met Live in HD |
I am not a big opera fan, but
watching the production in HD on the big screen has its advantages. The interviews with the stage director
(Mariusz Trelinski), the conductor (Valery Gregiev), and the stars (Anna Netrebko,
Piotr Beczala, Nadja Michael, and Mikhail Petrenko) during intermission (on
screen, or course) gave a deeper insight into the juxtaposition of the two
one-act operas. The production was
inspired by the classic noir films of the 1940s. Both stories are fairy tales. Iolanta
explores the coming into the light of a young woman as she finds her true
love. Bluebeard’s Castle delves into the dark side of love as Judith, the
main character, becomes victimized by her circumstances. The performances were moving, engaging, and
intense. The through line of images and
color, props and lighting from the first opera to the second illustrated the extension
of theme that Mariusz Trelinski identified in his interview. These images along with the interview details
allowed me to follow the character and theme development from the Iolanta’s fairy tale happy ending to the
darker metaphors in Bluebeard’s Castle.
The always enthralling communal experience of
any theatrical endeavor is why I attend every weekend. Upon entering, Julia mentioned how we were
among the youngest members of the audience.
That was an interesting thing for her to notice, especially since there
is a 30 year difference between her age and mine. I did wonder why the showing was not in one
of the cinemas on the first floor of the BAM Rose. It would have made it a lot easier for a
majority of the audience, since there were no elevators or easy access to the
theatre. After we found seats, Julia
pointed out the turquoise knit sweater sticking out of the coat sleeve or the
elderly gentleman seated to her left.
“It makes me think there’s a whole
other personality under his conservative exterior," Julia said.
We laughed as I told her I was in an
elbow battle with the man seated to my right, he claimed the arm rest before we
arrived and proceeded to inch his elbow into my side all the way through Iolanta.
Julia had a great conversation with
the turquoise sweater man on her left during the intermission. He was telling her that he and his wife used
to go to the Met often and sit in the dress circle. They could not see the faces of the singers,
but were happy to hear and experience the music and voices. He continued to tell her how much he prefers
the Met in HD presentations. He said it
is a more personal experience, since he can see the singers’ expressions, the
acting nuances, and production detail up close.
I definitely agree with him.
Between the close-ups and the English subtitles, the Met in HD is a
truly engaging experience.
Clearly, Julia lucked out with the
communal experience. I, on the other
hand, continued to sit with my elbows glued to my sides as the man to my left
spread out across the arm rest during Bluebeard’s
Castle. Some people just need to get
out more.
“So,” I said to Julia as we walked
out of BAM into the lightly falling snow, “this is what people do on a Saturday
afternoon.”
“Yes,” she replied, “and it’s only
4:20.”
Be sure to take in on of the
upcoming Met Live in HD presentations at BAM on one of the following Saturdays: March 14 and April 25. When I got to the box office about an hour
and a half before show time, I bought the last two tickets that were available,
so I recommend getting your tickets ahead of time.
Domenick Danza
