{"id":1169,"date":"2025-05-10T22:34:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T21:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/?p=1169"},"modified":"2025-06-22T04:19:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T03:19:38","slug":"i-groteschi-la-monnaie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jayweiner.me\/blog\/concert-reviews\/i-groteschi-la-monnaie\/","title":{"rendered":"I Grotteschi – La Monnaie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Miro (Part I) – 26 April 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Godo (Part II) – 27 April 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Pur ti miro, pur ti godo,
Pur ti stringo, pur t'annodo,
Pi\u00f9 non peno, pi\u00f9 non moro,
O mia vita, o mi tesoro.<\/em>\"<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Claudio Monteverdi, L’Incoronazione di Poppea<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"I look at you, I long for you 
I embrace you, I bind myself to you,
I no longer suffer, I no longer die,
Oh my life, Oh my treasure.\"<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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On paper, the concept is intriguing: merge scenes and music from these three very different operas<\/a> and some madrigals into a new, coherent whole. In reality? Coherence was the last thing this production delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Let\u2019s start with the good: the twelve (!) soloist singers were equally strong across the board. The male soprano, Federico Fiorio, was particularly impressive, pulling off a demanding part with ease and clarity, I also enjoyed his characterisation. The bass, J\u00e9r\u00f4me Varnier, was also extremely good, both vocally and as an actor, and one of the sopranos, Giulia Semenzato, gave a standout performance as well. The countertenor Xavier Sabata<\/a> defended a difficult female role with brio. Vocally, the production was on very solid ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The music was sublime, a compendium of Monteverdi’s arias, duos, and madrigals among the best music from the Renaissance. Monteverdi is considered the father of opera, and his L’Orfeo<\/em> (1607), the first opera ever composed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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