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Gluck, Iphigenie en Tauride: Soloists, Orquesta de la Comunitat Valenciana. Coro de Cámara Amalthea. Conductor. Patrick Fournillier. Palau de les Arts de Valencia. 13.12.2008. (JMI)

Co-production Seattle Opera and New York Metropolitan.

Direction: Stephen Wadsworth (Original).
Sarah Schinasi (Revival).
Sets: Thomas Lynch.
Costumes: Martin Pakledinaz.
Lighting: Neil Peter Jampolis.

Cast:

Iphigenie: Violeta Urmana.
Oreste: Plácido Domingo.
Pylade: Ismael Jordi.
Thoas: Riccardo Zanellato.

As I was taking my seat in Valencia’s  Palau, a veteran aficionado said to me: “Difficult to believe isn’t it?  A full house for a Gluck opera in Spain”  This comment was true, but not totally so because it was  probably not Gluck who filled the theater, but the presence in the cast of Plácido Domingo. A year ago, the Metropolitan realised the risk of programming a not too well-known opera and decided (wisely) to include  Superman in the team.  Valencia followed New York’s plan, with similar great effect at the box office.

The fact is though that  we should thank Mr. Domingo, since his presence was the key to having the opportunity to see this great opera on stage once again. Without the presence of any big names Oviedo also offered Iphigenie last year and it was a decent enough success,  but before that we would have to go a long way back to find another performance anywhere in Spain.

Iphigenie en Tauride is a fundamental work in  Gluck’s evolution, in which  the composer’s ideas come to full fruition, after Orfeo, Alceste and  Iphigenie en Aulide. This is a lyric tragedy that precedes by a few years, another fundamental opera, Cherubini’s Medea. Both tragedies are inspired by Euripides  and follow his work  with reasonable fidelity. Both operas also  need an authentic singing actress of outstanding personality in the title role, leaving the rest of the cast with only secondary importance. Neither Medea nor Iphigenie are conceivable without an exceptional character interpreter, in addition to singers with the ability to cope with the vocal demands of both roles.

The production by Stephen Wadsworth, a co-production by Seattle Opera and the Metropolitan, offers a individualised stage set consisting of a large room with a sacrificial altar, a large statue of Diana and a profusion of torches at  the walls. Next to this room there is smaller one, which has multiple uses; among others it  serves as prison for the Greek friends, Oreste and Pylade. The sets are not too colourful, although they are suited to the action. Costumes are also well matched but the lighting is not particularly interesting. This is a production rather short on imagination.

Patrick Fournillier was in charge of  the musical direction and his performance was technically correct, but Iphigenie needs something more than that. His  reading was very fluid, but somehow short of dramatic character. The wonderful Orchestra of the Palau did not sound  as bright as it did for Lorin Maazel.

The protagonist was Violet Urmana, on paper one of the best possible choices today. Actually, her performance did not achieve what could be expected from such an excellent artist. She was perfectly suited to the vocal demands of the character, but the tragic character of Iphigenie escaped her. Violeta Urmana  interprets the role with a certain coldness and does not completely convey the tragedy of the heroine. With a voice of lesser quality I was more moved by  the Portuguese soprano Elisabette Matos in Oviedo last year.

Oreste was written originally for a light baritone, although for the premiere of the opera in Vienna,  Gluck changed aspects of  its tessitura so that it could be sung by a tenor which is what we had in Valencia,and in New York a year ago, with Plácido Domingo as Iphigenie’s brother. Yet  again I must comment on the miracle of Superman’s voice at 67 : it seems that time does not move for him at all. And as always happens with him, the intensity he brings to any role he interprets  is exceptional. For the rest though, I don’t believe that Oreste means more in his career than the fact of having been the 125^th role he has added to his huge repertoire..

Ismael Jordi was a very good Pylade. After his outstanding  Lenski a few months ago in Corunna, he has confirmed again that he is an excellent singer, with a physique to match on stage. Riccardo Zanallato has a larger voice than a few years ago, but he has lost some quality. His Thoas was rather coarse.  Ventseslav Anastasov was pure  luxury as Ministre while  Amparo Navarro was not a good Diana at least as  far as her singing goes.

A full theater as already mentioned At the final bows,  the audience declared a triumph for  Urmana,  Señor Superman and Ismael Jordi.

José M Irurzun

<sup>Picture © Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Valencia

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