Nicolas Joël’s 1996 production of Andrea Chénier, Umberto Giordano’s tempestuous melodrama set in Paris in the midst of the French Revolution, is back at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time since 2014. The passionate love story tells the tale of the poet Andrea Chénier, whose political conscientiousness and love for the beautiful aristocrat Maddalena cost him his head (as well as hers) during The Terror.
The dashing, highly romanticized hero of the opera has been portrayed by some of the 20th and 21st centuries’ most legendary tenors – Beniamino Gigli, Mario del Monaco, Franco Corelli and Luciano Pavarotti, among others – allowing them to revel in the vigorous lyricism and dramatic intensity of the arias and big scenes with the chorus and other characters. This third revival boasts a resplendent cast headed by Piotr Beczała in his role debut as the doomed poet. With his beautifully toned spinto tenor and gorgeous legato, he instantly drew the audience into his character’s emotional world in an impassioned rendition of “Un dì, all’azzurro spazio”, also known as the “Improvviso”, his famous Act 1 aria about the suffering of the poor and the indifference of the aristocracy. Another solo highlight was the sensitively rendered “Come un bel dì di maggio”, his final poem in which he compares the twilight of his existence to a beautiful day in May.
Reunited with soprano Sonya Yoncheva – making her own Met role debut as Maddalena, the poet’s aristocratic lover – for the first time since their lauded partnership in the Met’s 2022-23 production of Giordano’s Fedora, the two are particularly well-paired. They express their love in two of the most highly charged duets in the Italian operatic repertoire: the intimate “Ecco I altare” of Act 2, where the effect of Yoncheva’s shimmering vibrato coupled with Beczała’s fervent high notes was dazzling, and in the finale’s “Vicino a te”, sung as they are being taken to the guillotine, where the charismatic pair delivered all the vocal excitement one could hope for. In Maddalena’s famous “La mamma morta”, the graceful cello solo introduction laid a foundation for Yoncheva’s beautifully shaped phrases, describing her isolation and vulnerability after losing her home and family to the Revolution.
As the complex, morally conflicted Gerard, who transforms himself from an oppressed servant to a powerful revolutionary leader, baritone Igor Golovatenko was magnificent. In “Nemico della patria”, the Act 3 monologue in which he wrestles with the contradictions between his personal desires and his loyalty to the revolution, his clear, sharp voice was tremendously powerful yet always perfectly nuanced.
In the smaller roles there were solid performances from mezzo-soprano Siphokazi Molteno as La Bersi, bass-baritone Maurizio Muraro as Mathieu, tenor Brenton Ryan as the sinister and opportunistic spy Incredible, and mezzo-soprano Nancy Fabiola Herrera as the Countess de Coigny, Maddalena’s mother. Mezzo Olesya Petrova, revisiting her 2014 portrayal of Madelon, the blind widow who offers her only remaining grandson to the revolutionary cause, was appropriately dignified. Making his company debut as Chénier’s loyal and pragmatic confidant, baritone Guriy Gurev was an unusually strong presence.
In this revival’s opening night performance, Hubert Monloup’s huge, heavily symbolic sets and elaborate costume designs looked more glamorous than remembered. But with fine work from the chorus and the orchestra’s excellent rendition of Giordano’s lush and stirring score led by Daniele Rustioni, the evening was more notable for its standout singing and orchestral playing than for its stage dressing.
