Dropping in on the Met: Idomeneo

Idomeneo last night at the Met. Having lucked into two comps, I brought along Mr. Supersweetie.

Ben Heppner sang the title role in this opera, just as he had 15 years ago when he debuted at the Met. I had been there then, and I was glad to hear him in this role again after all this time. I love Idomeneo very much. The depth of emotion in the vocal lines and the inventiveness in the orchestral writing are miracles of art.

But Idomeneo succeeds only when all the artists involved can do the music and the drama justice. Since this is rarely the case I tend to get disappointed, but I try to stay as open as I can to whatever strengths the performers offer.

I let myself enjoy Ben Heppner’s probing gravitas and robust tone, even though Anthony Rolfe Johnson’s sturdy suppleness had so much more life and complexity when I heard him in the role. I let myself enjoy Dorothea Röschmann’s biting passion as Ilia, even though I would have preferred Hei-Kyung Hong’s soaring tenderness. I let myself enjoy Kristine Jepson’s urgent portrayal of Idamante, even though I remember Anne Sofie von Otter singing the role with ten times the depth and one tenth the effort. I let myself enjoy Olga Makarina’s gleaming virtuosity as Elettra, even though Carol Vaness used to make the character’s hammy blocking completely believable and terrifying. I let myself enjoy the nimble precision of the orchestra, even though every tempo felt weightless.

I’ve been nervous about overexposing Mr. Supersweetie to performances he’s not ready to appreciate. Since he’s used to musicals, operas are mysterious to him and hard to enjoy. I tried my best to help him along with improvised explanations of opera seria during the intermissions. Espresso, bits of chocolate, and glasses of champagne also helped the medicine go down.