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Like its titular swallow, Puccini’s La rondine (1917) is a strange creature: part Viennese operetta, part full-blooded Italian opera. Telling the story of the Parisian courtesan Magda and her affair with a young man from the country, it shares similarities in plot with the composer’s La bohème and Verdi’s La traviata. It has never entered the standard repertory and remains the least performed of Puccini’s mature operas, even though the score contains some of his most memorable melodies.
Magda is one of the few Puccini heroines who isn’t killed off by the end and, in contrast to the verismo passion of Puccini’s other operas, La rondine is all wistful nostalgia and charm. Nicolas Joël’s well-travelled production transplants the action to the time of the opera’s composition, and its art nouveau sets and costumes are an impressive sight. Conductor Speranza Scappucci makes the most of Puccini’s waltz rhythms, combining rhythmic vitality with dazzling orchestral colour.
Scappucci’s exuberant approach is a good fit for soprano Angel Blue, lively and charismatic in her role debut as Magda. Blue’s luscious soprano is remarkable for its sheer beauty of tone, even from top to bottom, though one gets the sense that she has outgrown these lyric soprano roles. The voice doesn’t float as it should in her opening aria, though the full-throated passion she brings to the final scene as she abandons her lover is thrilling to hear.
Blue isn’t an ideal pairing for tenor Jonathan Tetelman, making his much-anticipated Met debut as Magda’s lover Ruggero. Tetelman’s voice has all the Italianate ardour needed for the role without compromising on elegance or finesse, and it helps that he’s a charismatic stage presence. Some ringing high notes aside, though, his voice is a bit small for the Met’s auditorium and he was frequently swamped by Blue in their duets.
There were no such audibility issues for tenor Bekhzod Davronov, also making his Met debut as the poet Prunier. Davronov has a gorgeous sound, warm and well projected, with the ability to reduce it to the merest thread. He was well matched vocally and dramatically with soprano Emily Pogorelc, another Met debut, as Magda’s maid Lisette. Pogorelc’s bright, peppery soprano contrasted nicely with Blue’s warmer sound, and she was a vivacious stage presence. Among the smaller roles, Amanda Batista stood out as one of Magda’s courtesan friends, with a rich luxuriant soprano that marked her as a future Puccinian of note.
★★★☆☆
To April 20, metopera.org
