Met Opera: Andrea Chénier

I went yesterday evening to hear Andrea Chénier performed at the Met.  The opera by Umberto Giordano has not often appeared in the repertory in recent years.  I was interested in seeing it primarily because I had long ago heard the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti sing the title role.  He took full advantage of the part to render one of his best performances and received thunderous applause at the end of Act IV.

The fact that Andrea Chénier is a period piece set during the French Revolution often masks the fact that it is actually an excellent example of Italian verismo opera.  Giordano had close ties to the verist composers Franchetti and Mascagni who both, at various times, helped him in his career and with the production of this opera.  Though the librettist Luigi Illica (who also wrote Tosca for Puccini and La Wally for Catalani) took creative liberties in his text, the story is firmly rooted in historical fact.  There really was a French poet named André Chénier who was guillotined only hours before the end of the Reign of Terror.  Two of his poems were actually used as the basis for the tenor arias Un di all'azzuro spazio and Come un bel di di maggio.  The grittiness of the French Revolution with all its proletarian ardor and its unjust persecution of the innocent pervades the opera and undercuts the fancy dress of the opening ballroom scene.

Andrea Chénier is an operatic masterpiece filled with music that provides incredible opportunities for both tenor and soprano.  As the program notes remark, however, "Star power has been the driving force behind productions of Andrea Chénier since the work's Met premiere in 1921."  It was a disappointment then that a better cast was not provided for yesterday evening's performance.  Tenor Marcelo Álvarez was simply not up to the part of Chénier and could not carry the role.  One longed to hear a Pavarotti or Domingo bring down the house once again.  Soprano Patricia Racette, though adequate in the great Act III aria La mamma morta, fared little better.  This lack of first tier singing was a shame because the conducting by Gianandrea Noseda was solid, and the 1996 production by Nicolas Joel was as attractive as ever.  One must hope that in the future the Met will do better by Giordano.