When a lawsuit against Metropolitan Opera surfaced by star soprano Anna Netrebko, one of the projects planned for her was the revival of Tchaikovsky’s scorching tragedy Queen of Spades. She becomes Soprano non-grat On the metropolis supported by the Ukrainian War and Russian President Vladimir Putin, several Netrebko plans have been removed, while others have been like other new works Lohengrin and La Forza del Destino,,,,, Work with other soprano.
But the company decided to continue Queen of Spades Another name, starring Sonya Yoncheva, is Lisa, and Netrebko’s first stabbing in the opera was rescheduled side by side in late June in Vienna Staatsoper and her now ex-husband Yusif Eyvasov. After her success with Hermann in 2019, Eyvasov will surely repeat in 2025, so Met also has to find a new Hermann: a task that proves very complicated.
The plot of the opera is based on Pushkin’s novella, which revolves around the reckless pursuit of soldier Hermann to reveal the magical three cards that guarantee his gambling success. Metropolitan Plan Queen of Spades Back to the stage and finally involved three tenor. When the revival of this spring was announced in February 2024, Brian Jagde was Hermann, a new role for him. When I asked him last year, he raised: “Hermann is a character and I feel like I can really get stuck in my teeth…it puts me on a challenge and I feel like I’m ready to develop as an artist now.”
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However, less than a month before the premiere, Jagde quits and later revealed that he doesn’t have enough time to prepare for the role. The Opera Company then called Brandon Jovanovich, who starred in the new work Queen of Spades Just last season, it took over at the Bavarian Opera House in Munich. Then, the day before the rehearsal, the Metropolitan announced that Jovanovich would be replaced by Armenian tenor Arsen Soghomonyan.
A veteran Hermann fully demonstrated what he needed to have a strong tenor in his hastily arranged game. But maybe the nerve or lack of rehearsal made him rupture at several key points. There is no doubt that these unfortunate men appeared for their solo bows, wielding the pistol that he “destroyed suicide” a few minutes ago. Acknowledging the warm applause, he apologized to point it to his temple.
In another round of the Carousel of the Opera World, Soghomonyan has to leave Turandot At the Greek State Opera, he took on his surprise. Jagde replaced his website in Athens, which still lists the schedule for Hermann to operate in Deutsche in Berlin in late June.
The mean actor Soghomonyan effectively embodies Hermann’s distracted obsession, otherwise conveying his increasingly desperate music with the intensity of burning. In addition to the unfortunate crack, he eagerly threw powerful treble into the crowded house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvvdgbcajfc
He and Yoncheva show a cold chemistry, emphasizing that Hermann’s involvement in Lisa was mainly to obtain the Countess (her grandmother) to learn the secrets of the old woman with three cards. Since Bellini’s problems in 2023, the Metropolitan NormaBulgarian soprano gives us a passionate emotion Lisa, as possessed by Herman’s passion for self-destruction due to her gambling addiction. Her instruments have been greatly increased, and she is filled with rich tones in tormented arias. Her top notes may be sharp and worn, but they are in a more solid state than before Norma. Apparently, Tchaikovsky brought Yoncheva’s best, as she showed Ioranta At the 2019 Mets competition, she sounded much better at the premiere than the rehearsal video released at the Mets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Impb7vx65xq
One of the highlights of the vivid production of Elijah Moshinsky when it premiered in 1995 was Leonie Rysanek’s stereotype of the ancient Countess, her final role in a company that worships her. Her famously rich scenery embraced Moshinsky’s most breathtaking moments: after Hermann invaded the Countess’ bedroom and scared her to death, her ghost seemed to reveal the secret of the card to him: Three! seven! Expert! Moshinsky, who owns the Countess, now dressed in Hell’s Red, breaks loudly into the floor of the soldier’s dormitory. Rysanek is really scary, but Violeta Urmana this season failed to make her amazing entrance most of the time. In her earlier appearance, Urmana smashed in a luxurious Mark Thompson dress, but seems too proud to erect the weak, the weak nobles were so scared to death by the family invaders. However, Urmana brings a troubling vulnerability to her nostalgia Grétry Aria, who is very slow to be vulnerable to conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson.
The 1995 premiere also featured Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s metropolitan debut. The character has nothing to do except sing a fanatical aria of his love for Lisa. Igor Golovatenko made his Yeletsky debut in 2019, repeating the role this time. Although his voice is better than the autumn one il trovatore, This time his aria is not much gentler or legato. One hopes he has been trading with Alexey Markov since 2011, and his voice has been firmly ringing this season and will be more fluent in Yeletsky.
Maria Baranova La Forza del Destino Last season. Her role as Dashnis in the charming second act of the Mozartite priest In it, she competes with Markov’s humor Pluto for the affection of Ann-Kathrin Niemczk’s lovely Chloë. Chad Shelton stood out like Tchekalinsky, and it sounded like he might easily take over the Metropolitan fourth place Herman!
Commander Wilson made his debut in 2022, leading Shostakovich’s sarcasm Mrs. Macbeth of Mtsensk. She can negotiate the extremes of scoring from Hermann’s blazing out to Tchaikovsky’s score. priest. Over a long season, the company’s orchestra and choir remained on Wilson on top of their competition. If she Queen of Spades There isn’t a totally troubled premiere, it’ll certainly improve with a fifth performance, which will be MET’s last Saturday’s Matinee airs on June 7.
