Met Opera in HD: The Tempest

It was such an irony that the screening of Metropolitan Opera’s The Tempest at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) got postponed due to inclement weather. After a couple of weeks with much improved weather, the screening finally happened although it turned out to be a bothersome viewing experience that was beset by technical problems.

This contemporary work adapted from William Shakespeare’s play of the same name was composed by Thomas Adès who also conducted the orchestra in this production. And since this is a new work that premiered only in 2004, I still have no idea how the overall music sounds like. So it was the music more than anything else that I focused on throughout the screening. I knew that how Adès cast the roles would be vital in order to grasp the work a lot more. Prospero, portrayed by baritone Simon Keenlyside was very stern both in demeanor and in his vocals. Ariel (Audrey Luna), on the other hand, is a soprano whose vocal range belonged to the stratosphere as befitting a spirit. Caliban (Alan Oke) is a lyrical tenor whose vocals contrasted very much to the harshness of Prospero’s despite the former being depicted as monstrous. These three characters’ music felt like they had neither flow nor direction, probably reflecting the wild, untamed and desolated island that they reside in. This was in contrast with the court that got shipwrecked in the island that included Antonio (Toby Spence), Sebastian (Christopher Feigum), Gonzalo (John Del Carlo) and the King of Naples William Burden whose music had more structure and resemblance to recognizable music forms. The comic relief duo of Stefano (Kevin Burdette) and Trinculo (Iestyn Davies) were the exceptions from the court since they were mostly drunk throughout the opera. The King’s son Ferdinand (Alek Shrader) and Prospero’s daughter Miranda (Isabel Leonard) were the two who were able to mesh up the contrasting music styles suggesting that the differences between the two opposing forces could still be settled. And it was during their duet that I was able to hear a sweeping melody although it was still in keeping with the feel of the entire work. The most memorable part for me was when Ariel sang that he would feel pity if he were human. And during this time, Audrey sang her lowest notes ever in the whole opera. It was as if a dose of humanity brought her closer to the ground shown by having her sing at significantly lower registers.

It was hard for me to be emotionally attached to the music since it was not only new to me but it was very much unlike the operas by Giuseppe Verdi and Gaetano Donizetti that I’ve seen in previous Met Opera screenings. Still, I was glad that they chose to screen a work like this that is still unknown in here which gave members of the audience something new.

The director Robert Lepage, made this opera set inside Milan’s La Scala opera house with the ensemble made to look as if they’re patrons of the opera. If I’m not mistaken, Lepage has directed the play The Tempest numerous times so it was only fitting that he be given a chance to direct the opera adaptation of this work. But I found it hard to connect this stage within a stage to the actual plot of the opera, if it did highlight the struggles of Prospero and if it served to strengthen the themes of this work.

What really bothered me during this evening screening was that the movie skipped numerous times with the operator having to stop the film and press play again when things got worse. And sometimes, the audio was not in sync with the video. It was barely noticeable, but it was enough to bother me. Because of these technical issues, most of the behind the scenes footage was no longer shown during the intermission. This really made for an unpleasant viewing experience because of the many interruptions. I am pretty sure that the CCP meant for the Metropolitan Opera in HD to end on a high note (just like Ariel’s music) but the postponement due to a tempest (pardon the pun) and the technical issues with the copy of the film somehow put a damper on the end of the series.

I am pleased though to be able to see all five screenings namely Aida, Rigoletto, L’Elisir d’Amore, Maria Stuarda and The Tempest. And for me, the best of the bunch for me was Maria Stuarda mainly because of Joyce DiDonato’s phenomenal performance.