Andrea Chénier: Live from the Royal Opera House

Despite not being often performed, to me Giordano's Andrea Chenier is one of the finer examples of Verismo there is.

Some may find the opera's story, very loosely based on the real story of 18th century poet Andre Chenier, melodramatic hokum, others like me find it very riveting and emotionally resonant. Some may think the score has Chenier's(L'Improvviso being the most famous) arias, La Mamma Morta, Nemico Della Patria and the final duet and everything else not being as memorable, others like me find the score to be one of sheer beauty and dramatic power, and while the rest of the music outside of those highlights may not be as memorable or as well-known they are by no means inferior. By all means I have heard and seen better performances of Andrea Chenier than this David McVicar-directed one from Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, but that did not matter. What mattered was whether the production would look good, be well performed and be dramatically engaging, and this production succeeds in all three of those areas.

The production looks beautiful for starters. The sets are very opulent and a lot of care and meticulous research went into the designs and how things looked then. The costumes are equally handsome and well-tailored, and in the case of the Marveilleuses colourful as well. Also really liked the austerity of the final act, it was very appropriate to what was happening then in the story and it gave the production some depth and atmosphere, all this without looking too ugly. McVicar's stage direction is remarkable, nothing is static here, and neither does he try to over-complicate the drama by adding something psychological that could have potentially confused and distorted things, or insert any odd gimmicky touches that would have jarred considering the specific time period Andrea Chenier is set in and made things distasteful.

Instead he lets the cast play to their dramatic strengths, there is plenty of poignant emotion such as in La Mamma Morta and the final scene, as well as some gritty tension in the suspenseful courtroom scene. He also doesn't forget to emphasise that some people found "fun" in the Revolution which can be seen with the Marveilleuses and the dancing here, or make the characters interesting, with Carlo Gerard still a complex character("the revolutionary with a conscience"). The dancing for me didn't quite have the same amount of impressive detail, especially in the first act Pastoral, the choreography is still very intricate and nimble and danced with impeccable grace, but like with setting the Pastoral to a Pas De Deux there was for personal tastes no matter how good and professional it looked too much of a 19th century ballet feel whereas it could have been more stately and truer to period.

Musically, the production is superb. The orchestra play with elegant style, lush textures, poetry and dramatic intensity, so the music always feels powerful and nuanced. The vocally well-balanced and dramatically lively chorus impress as does Antonio Pappano's conducting, which is dramatically alert, authoritative and also sympathetic, he brings real energy and urgency to the score while also allowing it to properly breathe without losing pulse. Of the excellent cast's supporting/secondary roles, Roucher, Bersi and Madelon were particularly colourfully characterised while Rosalind Plowright is an imposing and regal Contessa. Eva Marie Westbroek is largely successful as Maddalena, her voice takes a little time to settle and her top could have bloomed a little more in La Mamma Morta but it is a big, rich, full sound she makes without sounding too unsteady, shrill or heavy. She is a very genuine and heartfelt actress too, performing with true commitment from beginning to end(one of her most motivated performances in fact) and her chemistry with Kaufmann and Lucic convinces.

Jonas Kaufmann's exceptional Chenier is the production's high point. He may lack the warmth of some other tenors in the role (i.e. Domingo) but he nonetheless brings subtlety, heroism, passionate ardour and charm to the role without ever disconnecting from the words and he is nobility personified. Even better was his singing, his voice has lost none of its chocolaty baritonal warmth and his top is not at all strained, but it wasn't just that he sounded great, it was clear from his musicianship with the liquid smooth phrasing, enviously focused soft singing, beautifully controlled dynamic contrasts how much colour and thought he went into the interpretation which showed signs of an intelligent and very committed artist. Zeljko Lucic gives the other outstanding performance, his voice is more sonorous and more powerful than before and as with Kaufmann used with impeccable musicality and excellent taste. He is also a fine actor with a powerful stage presence, the conflicts of Gerard's character in Nemico Della Patria especially conveyed beautifully with Lucic.

Overall, a great-looking, musically superb and dramatically engaging and powerful production. Not the definitive Andrea Chenier out there, but a refreshing change from some of the visually unappealing, at times dramatically dull and gimmicky productions seen recently at the Royal Opera House. 9/10 Bethany Cox

One could be forgiven for imagining that Giordano is a service station on the M5 but Umberto Giordano was, in fact, an Italian composer of verismo operas. Andrea Chénier dates from 1896 and has a libretto by Luigi Illica, better known for La Bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. Not surprisingly then, the libretto is the best thing about this opera. It tells a good story in the tight four act, two-hour structure that is familiar from Illica's other works. In fact, in a world of stupid opera plots, the libretto of Andrea Chénier would be a good candidate for the title of most intelligent opera ever.

Sadly, Giordano's music is not of the same standard. It is at best workmanlike. Although it offers plenty of opportunities for star performers to sing their hearts out there is nothing that you can actually hum as you go home from the opera house. Jonas Kaufmann and Eva Maria Westbroek give their all as the tormented poet Chénier and his aristocratic lover Maddalena but for me, the star is baritone Željko Lučić as the mentally-tortured servant Gérard.

The story starts in pre-revolutionary France. There is a ball at the house of an aristocratic family. Gérard, the butler, despises his employers and pities his elderly father: "For sixty years, father, you have been in service and fathered slaves". The poet Andrea Chénier arrives and Maddalena is immediately attracted to him. She wants to hear some of his poetry but, at first, he says he is not in the mood. Finally he relents and sings a song of love for his country, to the disgust of his fellow aristos. The ball ends in disarray with the news that the rebels are at the gates. Gérard throws off his livery and lets the rebels in. Rosalind Plowright, in a delicious cameo as the Contessa, delivers the best line in the opera: "That Gérard ruined by reading".

Six years later, Gérard is a leader of the revolution. Chénier is on the run and Maddalena is in hiding. Maddalena is captured and offers Gerard her body if it will save Chénier's life. There are shades of Tosca here but Gérard is a more complex character than Scarpia. He actually loves Maddalena and, for her sake, defends Chénier at his eventual trial. To no avail of course. Chénier is sentenced to the guillotine but Maddalena swaps places with another prisoner so that she can share her lover's fate. Shades of Aida here but the last scene as the doomed pair pledge their love is very moving.

I have seen the 1980's productions of Chénier, starring Plácido Domingo and Jose Carréras and like this David McVicar production they were both opulently and traditionally staged. The plot would lend itself to being staged in modern-day Syria but, fortunately no- one has thought of this yet. This is a fascinating production of an opera which is much more than a star vehicle. There are 23 named singing roles and also a lively chorus that is particularly effective in the trial scene.