Gluck’s Opera 'Iphigenie en Tauride:' A Welcome Revival in Live HD Form

When Peter Gelb, the General Manager of the Met, stepped in front of the curtain just before opening time, an anticipatory moan was heard in the audience, both at the actual house and our HD movie auditorium. Seasoned opera goers are aware that such an appearance usually means a leading singer is indisposed and a substitute announced. It wasn’t going to be good news everyone assumed…

It turned out to be a plea for tolerance since colds were plaguing both Susan Graham, the title role mezzo, and the famed tenor Placido Domingo, who was to sing Oreste. Luckily both were willing to “soldier on,” as Gelb put it. This elicited thunderous applause, again in both venues. Our movie audiences often react, fully involved, probably because of  the knowledge that everything is truly “live,” happening via instantaneous satellite projection. 

The announcement made,  the Met, with its extraordinary technical ability, opened Iphigenie by having her rescued from human sacrifice by the goddess Diana descending via cable and lifting the young princess into the Met’s vast heavens. Thus we establish that Iphigenie is transported to Tauride, as prescribed by the Euripides play on which the opera is based.  It was an auspicious start for a surprisingly pleasant operatic experience.

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787) composed this opera for French production in 1779. The successful, very cosmopolitan composer, incidentally the music teacher of young princess Marie Antoinette, is known for innovations such as granting equal importance to both the music and the words.  He strove to eliminate unnecessary theatrics as well as overblown aria flourishes in order to express character through both.

The very lyrical result: relatively uncomplicated rhythmic lines with chromaticity used only for color.

The story line follows the Euripides play fairly closely. To appease the Gods, in order to secure favorable winds on the way to war against Troy, the Greek King Agamemnon, is willing to sacrifice his eldest daughter, Iphigenie. The godess Diana saves the young princess by transporting her to Tauride, where Iphigenie herself,  now is forced to perform human sacrifice when ordered by Tauride’s king Thoas.

A severe storm—ingeniously musically described by Gluck—frightens Thoas to demand the human sacrifice of two  shipwrecked strangers who landed on Tauride’s shore.  They are Oreste,  Iphigenie’s brother, and his great friend Pylade. The siblings who have been divided for the past 15 years do not recognize each other.

Oreste, half mad, pursued by the Furies for killing his mother, who in turn had slain Agamennon,  tries to save Pylade. Pylade, in turn, is ready to die for Oreste, in true Greek, possibly more-than-just-friendship fashion. Iphigenie helps Pylade to escape and is most unhappily ready to sacrifice Oreste, when the siblings recognize each other.  Pylade, arrives with an army to liberate them; Thoas is killed and in another timely deus ex machina Diana floats down from the heavens and frees Oreste from the Furies.  The liberated trio happily sets sail for Greece.

Incredible Susan Graham’s gloriously mellow tones came over without a hint that anything untoward was going on with her voice. For Placido Domingo it was fortuitous that the Oreste setting is almost in baritone range. It was only when Susan Graham came off the stage during an intermission interview that one became aware how nasal her speaking voice sounded. And Domingo in his dressing room sounded decidedly raspy.

How do they do it? How can they demand their singing voices to overcome the problem that could be so debilitating?  A knowledgeable friend from Irvington informed me that a great voice coach can teach a singer to do just that.  Good that these top performers obviously had great coaches!

The rest of the cast, specifically, the tenor Paul Groves gave us a marvelously lyrical Pylade and baritone Gordon Hawkins the appropriately sonorously nasty Thoas.

The chorus, which here is really the commenting “Greek Chorus,” was given interesting hand motions to convey inner meanings of the often bloody tale. The ballet sported costumes that made their “Whirling Dervish” choreography most interesting.

Commandeering the fabulous Met orchestra, Maestro Patrick Summers gave us a performance of this lyrical, easy-to-take music that is to be remembered.

Most of us had not seen this opera before, undoubtedly because after its well-received 1916 debut at the Met, it was not revived until this very production with almost the same cast, in 2007. Incidentally, that 1916 version was in German, an adaptation by famed Richard Strauss.

Better plan to catch the Encore.  Who knows when this opera will be revived next!

You can catch that Encore on March 16th, at the White Plains CITY CENTER 15 CINEMA DE LUX or the New Rochelle REGAL NEW ROC 18 at 8 p.m.

Here are some reactions from members of the HD movie audience:

Carol Fox of Somers thought the music was exquisite, but found the story line of the first two acts too slow and repetitive. But then, after the intermission, “it was fabulous, especially the singing of the two friends,” she said.  She did not particularly like that there were no scene changes for the opera.

Muriel Dolinsky of White Plains was fascinated by the intermission feature that showed us how bloody scars come “off the makeup artist’s palette!” She thinks the HDs are a wonderful idea and wishes there were even more per season and was especially appreciative that there were repeats last summer.

Vivian Brown of Larchmont “did not really expect to enjoy the opera.  I really only used to attend the Met because my husband wanted to go.”  This was her first HD movie experience and she was much impressed. She said she tried to get tickets before but found out that everything was sold out for the season. For next season she now plans to get there bright and early!

Numa Rousseve of Greenburgh was not used to the simplicity of Gluck’s music and considered the beginning too slow.  But then he was “won over,” and especially appreciated the great singing.  “You’d never know they had colds,” he said.

Laura Margolis of Rye was another member of the audience who thought the beginning too slow, but “just loved it after the intermission.  It became so exciting -- it was magical -- and the singing was so good.”  She was taken to the opera as a child and fell in love with it. “How could you not,” she exclaimed! This is her third HD season.  She reported that she has lots of opera on her I-Pod.  Bully for her!

Corrine Lanna of Ossining decided that this was the “most intense opera experience” she has ever had.  She was “enthralled by the whole range of emotions and the impeccable singing.” It was the first Gluck opera she has ever seen and she plans to do research on the composer.

This is her second year attending the HD movies. “ Of course I  still prefer to be in the actual house, but I think these HD performances are fabulous in the way they offer detail you can’t see at the Met itself. And I love the personal approach of the intermission features.”

Shirley Rush of Somers did not like the opera.  Greek tragedy “is not my thing.  I just could not get into it,” she said.   She has attended opera for the last 15 to 20 years  but now the trip into the city is too taxing. She attended the HDs last season and plans to continue to see them in the future.