Anna Netrebko
Excerpts from Operas
At times, in the past, I quipped that we live on the entertainment planet of the Universe. In a sense, this is true, not only are we exposed from childhood to stories, but we see them enacted on stage and in film as well as on the Internet. Due to resonance, we respond to what triggers our own buttons. The creative arts lead the way towards the next steps in civilization so we can take inspiration from what is ennobling or descend into the darkness and fears of dramas that may or may not ever play out in reality. Manipulators of humanity and even of Nature exaggerate the darkness in hopes that light will not guide us to our ultimate destination.
Being a music lover, I am perhaps more attracted to opera than poetry or literature. Opera is a complete art since it has a libretto, score, stage, settings, costumes, acting, and singing. In the last post, I referred to our various incarnations as a kind of repertoire. The purpose of today’s post is to draw a parallel between the roles played by an actor or actress — or opera singer — and the many incarnations each of us have had in which we also acted out different aspects of ourselves.
Obviously, all of us understand that performers have repertoires. We have our favorite actresses and actors; and we have seen them in countless roles, some of which won them awards. So, the purpose is take in the idea that the soul also has a repertoire and it may also cast itself in similar roles for many incarnations before developing a new talent.
In L’elisir d’amore, Anna Netrebko sings the role of Adina, a vivacious and flirtatious woman of means who has several aspiring pursuers aiming to tie the knot with her.
Though not acknowledged in the show notes, the tenor is Rolando Villazón. The opera is delightful from the beginning to the end when the heart wins over ulterior motivations.
In April, I posted some links to the glass harmonica, including the mad scene from Lucia di Lammermoor with Nadine Sierra. Now, we will see how this scene was handled by Anna Netrebko, not for the purposes of comparing interpretations or operatic talent, but simply to show what repertoire looks like. This is a lovely performance (two videos), but it clearly requires the capacity to project an entirely different personality. .
In Lucia, we see a young woman bullied into marriage by her ambitious brother when she is in love with Edgardo. She goes mad, murders her husband on their wedding night, and shocks the guests. I have seen many performances of this opera and thus many interpretations. This particular one shows a sort of emptiness in her eyes as the fate imposed on her had destroyed her sanity. It is an outstanding performance.
I know there are many professional musicians who read my posts so I want to reiterate that my purpose is not to link my favorite performance, but rather to convey the idea that our lives are also roles. They do also evolve from fantasies that are more typical of youth than maturity. So, today we are looking at three different kinds of marriages. In the Elixir of Love, Adina flirts, but the marries the suitor she actually loves.
Lucia is tragic, but the music is glorious and has survived almost 200 years despite the demands made on the voice. Now, however, I will finally post a link to a Verdi selection. Some of you know that he is my favorite composer.
Macbeth was Verdi’s tenth opera and the first based on a Shakespearean play. It was a huge success when it premiered in 1847. It opens with a witches scene.
I believe that music precedes changes in culture . . . and that Verdi was first composer to use onomatopoeic music, something we regard as normal now. So, the witches and their prophecies are eerie and they sound eerie, not like something out of the bel canto repertoire. With Verdi, the music “announces” the plot so the libretto and singing are matched and evoke powerful emotions. This said, I have never used a Verdi opera in music therapy!
The opera is really more about Lady Macbeth than than the king. I knew someone who believed she was reincarnation of Macbeth. It goes without saying that she had many unresolved issues.
Lady Macbeth has a powerful character weakness and can be strident. "Una macchia" is the sleep walking scene in which Lady Macbeth cannot remove the stain on her hand after the murder of King Duncan.
Many years ago, I was close with an actress from the Royal Shakespeare Company who was famous for her interpretation of Lady Macbeth. I never saw her on stage. We were both living on yachts in Dover at the time. I asked her how she interpreted the role, and she said Lady Macbeth loved her husband and everything she did was out of love for Macbeth. I think Verdi found her more ambitious than her husband and the music speaks to this.
Music Buffs
Several subscribers have expressed curiosity about which performance I would select. I try to balance the choices so as to present a combination of composition, singing, stage settings, and relevance to the topic. In short, I am not always picking my favorite recording, but I might mention that there are many drafts that have not been posted yet. One features Pretty Yende, and I do love her performance in L’Elisir d’amore.
Lucia is a harder one to call. I actually saw it twice in the same week at the Metropolitan Opera countless years ago, one sung by Joan Sutherland and the other by Anna Moffo. The conductor and cast were the same in both productions except for Lucia herself. I definitely preferred the performance of Anna Moffo because her vulnerability was more credible.
Macbeth is very hard to say. I have listened to many recordings, seen it live in several different opera houses, and would say that the Met production with Anna Netrebko was utterly amazing. Right, it is not as “beautiful” but Lady Macbeth had blood on her hands and should not look like an innocent young girl. Here is the blonde Lady Macbeth, still Anna Netrebko, same aria, but it is so different from the Berlin performance.
Musically, this touches me deeply. It is truly Verdi as the forerunner of psychotherapy and ultimately, the pioneer in eradicating social injustice. This last performance is not just gorgeous, it is also majestic, this is just my first post with a Verdi link!
This Met performance is particularly precious to me because my best friend and I talked about it after the Live in HD performance. Gail and I met because of our mutual interest in music therapy. She was a harpist, composer, and professor of music who was declining rapidly with cognitive issues. Our discussion of Macbeth was the last really coherent talk we had.
We facilitated many past life recalls for each other as well as for clients, colleagues, and students. We, of course, had connections in many past lives so I have absolutely no doubt that one day we will meet again.
Copyright by Dr. Ingrid Naiman 2023 || All Rights Reserved
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