Cincinnati.(North America)(Don Giovanni)(Carmen)(Opera Review)

Why do Don Giovanni if you don't have a compelling Giovanni? I have seen artists the caliber of Samuel Ramey and Dmitri Hvorostovsky miss the mark as the Don (and for the same reason--that they played the general rather than the specific). So it was a pleasure to witness Cincinnati Opera's Giovanni, Teddy Tadu Rhodes, who put his stamp on the role with a daring performance. Audiences seemed so taken with Rhodes's statute and stunning physique that they didn't talk much about the real virtues of his performance: an attractive, burnished bass-baritone that he employs with keen phrasing and considerable agility, and an unapologetically fierce interpretation of the character. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Giovanni who took such pleasure in the humiliation of Donna Elvira; his treatment of her in Act II was horrifying, as if we were watching someone torture an animal.

Also largely responsible for the evening's success was the conductor, Xian Zhang, whose phrasing was extremely musical, and who tried her best to keep a good balance (although there wasn't much she could do for Sarah Fox's pipsqueak-voiced Zerlina--barely audible for much of "Batti, batti"). Zhang revealed many of the score's rich dramatic details, but her tempos occasionally seemed slightly sluggish, particularly in "La ci darem la mano." Alexandra Deshorties was an excellent Donna Anna, singing "Non mi dir" with pinpoint focus and great urgency. She was a match throughout for Rhodes, particularly in the scene in which she recognizes him as the murderer of her father. And Dana Beth Miller did nicely as Donna Elvira, delivering an attentively sung and heartfelt "Mi tradi"; instead of the nagging harpy that we are often given, this was an Elvira of genuine pathos.

Too often, it's hard to care much about Don Ottavio, despite the fact that he sings some of the score's most glorious music. Although Shawn Mathey showed command of the endless line of his two arias, he didn't make a compelling case for his character, infusing the role with little feeling or individuality. Gustav Andreassen was a solid presence as the Commendatore, but Thomas Goerz's hammy Masetto was an intrusive liability.

The production, directed by Jose Maria Condemi and designed by Cincinnati Opera artistic director Nicholas Muni, made excellent use of the stage; people and props appeared and disappeared through a series of trap doors. Playing spaces were well defined, and the atmosphere was appropriately dark and foreboding--nothing like the vast, empty stagings that this opera so often seems to receive. There were marvelous details--I especially liked Giovanni flicking water at Donna Elvira and straddling the Commendatore's coffin. Where the production faltered was in the jokey handling of Leporello (Michele Bianchini, projecting to the gallery). "Madamina! Il catalogo e questo," in which Leporello yanked props out of the floor (enormous overgarments for the full-figured women, false teeth for the older ladies), was not only unfunny; it obscured one of the arias principal dramatic points, namely the unsettling effect it has on Elvira.

Cincinnati's ...