Opera Chic

Sono in Retardo: Daniel Harding's Triumph @ La Scala with Dallapiccola & Bartók

We regret that Daniel Harding's Dallapiccola/Bartók doubleheader (currently in its last performances at Milan's Teatro alla Scala) was sandwiched between such an amazing stretch of events for OC -- an exciting Inter victory, a lovely Austrian vacation for Muti's Paisiello, and Torino's excellent Graham Vick la Clemenza -- which sadly deferred the proper praise that it warranted.

Suffice to say that the Italian media was completely wooed by the elastic talent of the young Maestrino Harding, offering lots of praise in the Italian-language press for both the conductor and the principals.



Corriere della Sera's review found Daniel Harding infused with a new sense of maturity and understanding (as during his last appearances at la Scala in March 2007 for Strauss's Salome, the critics found him unanimously precocious...although OC argues that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing), this time calling his performances nothing short of "superb".



Daniel Harding shared a few keen insights with la Repubblica last week as well for Luigi Dallapiccola's Il Prigioniero/Béla Bartók's Il castello del duca Barbablù, who were equally overwhelmed at the coherency and temperament of the two separate operas. 

The Financial Times reviewed as well:

"What impresses most is the lucidity and beauty of the score under Daniel Harding’s baton. The music may be 12-tone but it is leavened by such moments as the Jailer’s jaunty revolutionary song and it underscores the Prisoner’s hopefulness with perky textures and tempered astringency."

We sadly regret we won't see the conductor in Milan next season for Scala's just announced role-call, although the Associate Press seems to think that Harding indeed will be conducting Idomeneo in place of the scheduled Myung-Whun Chung. (click for a legible version)

Black & Blue: Bartók & Dallapiccola's Gloom & Doom @ La Scala

Although OC would have much rather been partying all nite loooong with her fellow interisti, she's glad she made it to la Scala this evening for opening night of the Dallapiccola & Béla Bartók double-header.

It's always a delight -- che soave zeffiretto -- when eeel maystrau Harding shows up in Milan, our gentle little Zephyr, to blow his gentle breezes around the stuffy theater.

A cold, scary, and lugubrious Luigi Dallapiccola's Il Prigioniero was stuffed full of brassy and jarring metallic tones. Raw and exposed nerves were threaded through the score -- although a lighter, crystalline approach could have worked equally as well, as we'll explain tomorrow in the full review. Dark but rotating sets peppered director Ferdinand Wögerbauer's vision of the chilling tale, and Vito Priante's diapered performance was balls-out. It was sw8, from the chorus that paraded past the action to il grande inquisitore, tenor Kim Begley, a nightmarish terror looming over the others on stilts.

Infractions were committed by the orchestra, that really didn't wear Dallapiccola (btw in Italian Dallapiccola means literally "By the little one", ymmv) comfortably -- as it is sometimes the case here, too many professori d'orchestra are long on arrogance, short on the ability to deliver the goods -- everything was regained fully for Béla Bartók's Il castello del duca Barbablù...a textured and tight reading with a Strauss-inspired coating, delicate and subtle without being emasculated. Elena's Zhidkova's Judit was excellent both in acting and technique.

An entertaining detraction from the evening was a cranky loggionisti who shouted a message after the first pause into the absolute silence of the darkened theater, waiting for Maestro Harding to make his reappearance.

After an interminable pause that lasted like an hour, a lone voice rang out from Galleria 2, "L'intervallo e' stato troppo lungo". ("The intermission was too long!") ha ha omg. i would have done it myself, but my larynx is too short to do this (2 inch cubic). A moment of disbelief, and the theater broke-out in spontaneous applause of support. omg anarchy @ the theater! mutiny!

the evening ended with a few rounds of curtain calls, and Harding sustaining a nice round of cheers from the satisfied audience. More tomorrow. If u can stand it!