Andrea Pictured
with Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves
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My
Impressions of Werther
Posted By: Eileen M - Sunday, October 31 1999 -Report 1
Hello, all my good Andrea friends! I am just back from
the most wonderful weekend of my life and perhaps only
got three hours sleep in as many days. But I feel duty
bound to give a report of everything as promised. It may
not be my best effort, but here it goes:
He was wonderful. He was beyond wonderful. I cannot even
begin to communicate to you the magnitude of his
accomplishment. In the opening scene, when I saw this man
sitting so majestically and proud upon that horse, I
thought my heart would stop. He literally LEAPT off of it
with such ease and grace, but the impact when he landed
upon the stage reverberated right out into the theater
with such a force... it was truly, truly a moment I will
never forget! I just knew, KNEW then and there that all
was going to be fine.
He seemed a little tight and uncertain at first. But with
each passage of music, he became more comfortable and
fluid. By the second act, he was in full stride. He was
in wonderful voice and hit all the high notes beautifully
and added such lyrical tenderness to all the arias. With
all my heart I regret not staying for a second
performance, as all my friends did, because I must say
that I was truly in a daze and fear that I can't
sufficiently recall all of the wonderful details. But
here are a few memorable moments: at one point, Andrea
was so overcome by his grief when he realizes Charlotte
is betrothed that he literally threw himself down on the
stage and laid there prone and sobbing. Another moment,
when he and Charlotte have a heated exchange and he
leaves her room in amorous frustration, he picked up a
chair and HURLED it across the stage... Andrea did it
with such force that it splintered in two! I felt so
sorry for the baritone playing Albert, because he had to
ad lib picking up the pieces when he entered in the next
scene... it was one of those unexpected moments that make
live theater so interesting and exciting.
But truly the element that will emblazon this performance
in my heart and mind forever was the chemistry between
Andrea and Denyce... it literally sizzled and leapt off
of the stage. You could just sense the deep empathy and
trust built between them over these last weeks. And I
have to take a moment to give Denyce Graves her rightful
dues... she was MAGNIFICENT! I simply cannot adequately
express the caliber of her performance. And it was so
evident that she was our man's advocate and ally
throughout every musical passage, throughout every
difficult scene... it was really something to behold. By
the time the fourth act came and he was lying in her
arms, kissing her for the first time, and then breathing
his last... my heart just simply broke. It was the most
breathtakingly beautiful performance I have ever seen and
one I shall never, never forget.
Afterward, I had the good fortune to be able to attend
the candlelight dinner with the stars of the opera.
Andrea entered with Enrica and looked so happy and so
confident... you could just sense that he was pleased
with his performance. He was so relaxed and animated and
graciously made himself accessible to everyone. I shook
his hand and told him that his performance was
extraordinarily wonderful. He thanked me with such
sincerity, as if he had never heard this before, and
leaned down and gave me a kiss on both cheeks. Such a
small moment in his life, but of course, one of the most
momentous in mine. And I am convinced that this is what
sets this extraordinary man apart... his complete
unawareness of his effect on people, his true humility.
At the end of the dinner, Dr. DiChiera, General Director
of MOT, gave a wonderful speech and stated that what
struck him so profoundly about this production of Werther
was the atmosphere of love and concern and caring that
flowed between the cast and crew... a true phenomenon
that he stated he had never witnessed before in all his
career. But of course this is what Andrea is capable of
doing... of bringing out all the best in those around
him, of creating a synergy of commonality in those who
would be otherwise divided. And then Andrea himself took
the microphone and spoke at length. He thanked the cast
and crew for all of their support, for making him feel so
comfortable. He stated that never in all his dreams did
he ever hope to be accepted with such warmth and
affection by his audience. And that because of this, he
will surely return again and again.
Amen... so be it!