The Big Apple and New York City have never been a preferred travel destination for me. I was turned off when I saw the Vanderbilt houses in Newport, Rhode Island in the late 1990s and thought “Oh dear, emigrants just trying to recreate their former lives in Europe in their new land of greener pastures. At best, America is just a carbon copy of what Europe once was”. It was an irreverent thought as they were designed by eminent European-educated, American-born architect Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) who is revered for having shaped New York City including the Great Hall of the Met Museum.
My only other trip to New York City was in the early 2000s after I visited my daughter in Washington while she was interning with the Smithsonian Museum. It came as a surprise, more of a shock, to my opera buddy Paul, that I had never been to an opera at the New York Met despite my love of opera and the long years spent in an arts management career. With a gentle nudge, he urged me to pursue what became a bucket-list travel item.
And so, off we went on a whirlwind five-day trip of New York City, from 6th to 11th March 2024. We met at JFK Airport on 6th March and cabbed to our accommodation located South-Midtown-west of Central Park. Over the few days, I realized that we were more precisely in Manhatten which is one of five boroughs of NYC the others being The Bronz, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, I also realised that Manhattan is organized on a grid with 229 streets criss-crossing 12 avenues. Our accommodation was at 54th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue.
This being my first encounter with the Met Opera House, what did I feel? Well, until the fountain in the Lincoln Centre courtyard turned on, I did not feel I had “arrived”. The view of the dancing fountain preludes all the free Met screenings I watched during the COVID years and it felt nostalgic to be there. I had always dismissed the Met theatre as being probably too long so the stage would be too distant from the audience but they had created a semi-circular arena with six levels of 3,776 seats close enough to the stage that it was not too distant from centre of the second balcony stage where we sat. It felt intimate and the acoustics were fabulous and I could visualize the sounds converging at the second balcony, right where we sat at the Grand Tier. The proscenium did not look as wide as I imagined. Perhaps, it was dwarfed by its height while the more than ample rear stages gave me that impression on screen.
We watched four operas and a play in five days, with two operas on one of the days. I had seen two of the four operas on YouTube and whilst not sure it would prove worthwhile to watch them live, watch them we did. The magic in this opera house begins as soon as the chandeliers around the balconies rise to signal the start of performance. The house darkens simultaneously. It was a goosebump moment on the first night, when Maestro Yannick Nezet- Seguin walked in to great applause to conduct Gonourd’s Romeo & Juliette. It was a treat to hear him conduct the opera conceived by Bartlett Sher and re-staged by Gina Lapinski but I could not fight my jet lag. I had looked forward to Nadine Sierra as Juliette but nodded off at the wrong time, to wake to the final strains of the famous aria “Ah! Je veux vivre” https://youtu.be/vw__DNLHOK0?si=C3039S-owsSGmRp2. French tenor Benjamin Bernheim was a very romantic Romeo with his “Ah Leve too soleil”.
I enjoyed the Franco Zefferelli film on Youtube but live, the Turandot set looked dated and, stiff as were the two lead singers who sang Turandot [Elena Pankratova) and her suitor Calaf (SeokJong Back). It is not entirely their fault as they were attired, stood and moved exactly as in the film, adhering to the late Zefferelli’s directions. It was a debut performance for the Korean tenor who had a booming voice but as he could not resist playing to the crowds, Nessum Dorma turned out to be a recital as he came out of character. I could not hear tenderness or grief in his rendition, contextualized against the predicament of his father and Liu. The saving grace was Alessandra Kurzak who sang Liu most expressively. She is the wife of tenor Roberto Alagna who was the alternate for Calaf so we missed something special.
I had seen Puccini’s Madama Butterfly conceived by Anthony Minghella and choreographed by Carolyn Choa, with puppetry by Blind Theatre Summit, with Patricia Racette as Butterfly online but on stage, it was still a magical watch. From the well-constructed and manipulated puppet boy for Butterfly’s son whose expression though fixed, didn’t fail to elicit feelings of tenderness and pity; well-timed “waterfalls” of floating butterflies and flowers; and the swarths of red cloths to represent Butterfly’s guts spilling out as she took her own life. I still marvel at the beauty, stylishness / slickness of the staging concept. It was Aleksandra Kurzak’s performance in Turandot as Liu and tenor Matthew Polenzani’s name on the poster that contributed to our snap decision to watch Butterfly, an opera that Paul said he had “seen more than enough of” but in the end, we were glad we saw it at US$300, twice the price of the other tickets (not sure why). I enjoyed Patricia de Shong as Suzuki but Matthew Polenzani tuned out to be a “stiff watch” due to his larger girth and botoxed? face.
Met opera’s Madama Butterfly: “Vogliatemi bene”
Perhaps because I was less jet-lagged towards the end of our trip or perhaps, because of the beauty of Verdi’s music, the opera that took my breath away on this opera jaunt, was Verdi’s Les Forzo del Destino (The Force of Destiny) produced by prize-winning Polish director Mariusz Trelinski. It was the combination of Lise Davidson as Leonora, the collection of energizing duets and tender arias and the re-contextualized staging concept, that gave me my string of goosebump moments.
How it was re-contextualised? A) It was set in a developing Spanish Catholic country, probably somewhere in South America, with the Marquis of Calatrava as an important political figure whose death triggers civil unrest. B) Leonara is styled as a petulant aglamorous socialite whose descent into monastic robe, albeit by her choice, is heart-wrenching;C) Videos of war set in more recent times featuring military aircraft, helicopters, bombs, war and destruction, were screened. Reinforced by scenes of soldiers including Don Carlo resting and relaxing in a Playboys’ Club, this idea made the story feel more current but it was in danger of looking over-contrived..D) The deceased Marquis reappears to “haunt” and guide both his son and daughter. He sings much of Padre Guardiani’s lines, forgiving Leonora in the process. The two roles were sung impressively by bass Soloman Howard who has sung Hunding, Fafner and Sarastro. E) Alvaro sung by Brian Jagde, does not commit suicide like in a Marinsky version of the opera. F) Don Carlo’s tragic stabbing of his sister Leonora takes place off stage.
All said and done, this opera by itself, made the long flights worthwhile. Wow! So, I took the trouble to queue backstage, to get Lise’s autograph.
Metropolitan Opera: La Forza Del Destino 2024 – Trailer plus R &R in playboys’ club
Met Opera La Forza del Destino, Act 3 – Brian Jagde as Alvaro
“O tu che in seno agli angeli”
Besides these operas, I also used the opportunity to watch Witness for the Prosecution directed by my old friend Mark Waite who once helmed Escaped Theatre in Singapore. Mark had moved to New York as his husband Ed had been posted there for work. The production was successfully staged by a cast of experienced actors and of course Mark brought out the best in them. Ed designed the set that “period” set.
All in all, it was a good trip although the weather was unfriendly, being mostly rainy and damp. We endured a couple of days of continuing rain but thankfully against predictions, there were enough dry the windy days that allowed us to walk around. The sun blazed the day we cabbed to the aiport for our departure flights and we realized that we had visited during the first half of March which was technically still “winter”.
The big eye opener for me was Roosevelt Island where Mark and his family reside. This island on which “Witness..” was staged once housed shelters for the the sick, the insane, criminals and the underprivileged but has been revitalized with stylish apartment blocks while the asylums and hospitals have been repurposed as community spaces. It has lovely parks and is where I would like to park myself for longer trips in the Big Apple. It is not inconceivable that I would head there again. I have found an island to take refuge in, from the frenetic streets of Manhatten.
My First time at Met.
Once the fountain turned on, I’ve felt I had arrived.
Thought it would be distant but the wall of six levels shielding the stage made experience intimate and acoustics were fabulous when in centre of hall.
Theatre begins as soon as the chandeliers rise to signal start of performance.
Proscenuim not as wide as I thought. Perhaps, height of stage and rear stages gave the impression on screen.
R & J
Looked forward to Nadine Sierra but perhaps, too jet lagged or fully appreciate her and Brian…familiar staging, as expected
Enjoyed the film but live the set is too stiff. Everyone stood astemplates and the sigibwqs stiff, except for Liu who was very dramatic.
Butterfly
Spur of the moment decision to add 4th opera. Seen it online and still Marvel at the beauty stylishness / slickness of the staging concepts- the skills of the puppeteers ad the expression on the boy puppet’s face; the red cloth / blue cloth to represent the Inards pouring out; the falling butterflies and flowers.
Polenzani too stiff from larger girth. Loved Patricia de Shong as Suzuki and x as Butterfly.
Met opera’s Madama Butterfly: “Vogliatemi bene”
Final scene – puppet boy
DESTINO
Goosebump moments with Lise Davidson and re-contextualised version of story:
A) Set in Catholic SAmerica, father as important political figure whose death triggers war; leonara a glam socialite.
B) videos of military aircraft, bombs, war and destruction
C) Dead father haunts both son and ddughter. Father sings part of chief abbot and forgives leonora.
D) Alvaro does not commit suicide like in Marinsky version.
E] Stabbing out of sight.
What we saw..
MET OPERA Verdi – La Forza del Destino
Metropolitan Opera: La Forza Del Destino 2024 – Trailer plus R &R in playboys’ club
Met Opera La Forza del Destino, Act 3 – Brian Jagde as Alvaro
“O tu che in seno agli angeli”
?
For comparison.
Verdi – La Forza del Destino Act 3 (Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Valery Gergiev)
Still Living & Learning – Juliana
Still Living & Learning – Juliana
First time at Met Opera house
Operas
Gonoud’s Romeo & Juliette
Four operas – Gonoud’s Romeo & Juliet, Puccini’s Turandot & Madam Butterfly and Verdi’s La Forza del Destino – in three days at the NY Met. Enjoyed them all but my goosebump moments arrived with Lise Davidsen’s debut as Leonora in “La Forza del Destino”. My goosebump moments erupted with Lise Davidsen as Leonora in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. That alone, made the long flight worthwhile so this Fan-Gran queued at Stage Door for her autograph.
Puccini’s Turandot
Curtain call for Puccini’s Turandot, a re-staging of production directed by Franco Zeffirelli for film. The treat was his elaborate set. The Korean tenor SeokJong Baek was impressive but I missed hearing Robert Alagna as Calaf.
Verdi’s La Forza del Destino (Force of Destiny)
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
Madam Butterfly sung by Alessandra Kurzak with Matthew Polenzani as Pinkerton and Elizabeth DeShong as Suzuki. Polenzani was the reason I made a snap decision to add the 4th opera as well as the brilliant puppetry by Blind Summit Theatre.
PLAYS
Witness for the Prosecution directed by Mark Waite, 10 March 2024: Main Street Theatre, Roosevelt Island
EXHIBITIONS
Poverty Line at MOMA
Since I was in NY, I had to go and see Chow & Lin’s a work from their series Poverty Line that had been acquired by MOMA. I even dressed up to match the abundant tomatoes they used as a device to communicate their story of relative wealth / deprivation around the world. Congratulations once again, Stefen Chow & Huiyi Lin.
My Arts Bucket : Life is an Endless Stream of Goosebump Moments! 