Le Compte Ory
Le Comte Ory - Gioachino Rossini
Original transmission date: Saturday, April 9, 2011
Rossini’s vocally dazzling comedy stars bel canto sensation Juan Diego Flórez in the title role of this Met premiere production. He vies with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in the trouser role of Isolier, for the love of the lonely Countess Adèle, sung by soprano Diana Damrau. Bartlett Sher, director of the Met’s hit productions of The Barber of Seville and The Tales of Hoffmann, describes the world of the opera as, “a place where love is dangerous. People get hurt. That can be very funny and very painful. Rossini captures both-with the most beautiful love music Rossini ever wrote.”
Maurizio Benini; Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Susanne Resmark, Juan Diego Flórez, Stéphane Degout, Michele Pertusi
Juan Diego Florez was delightful. I like these young opera singers who can do convincing physical comedy, because they are thin and light on their feet. I think this character is just a roue - he just likes to get into trouble with women - but i kept thinking that maybe he was a sex addict. Haha. That's the sad thing about our age, i suppose, that there's a diagnosis for everything. But honestly! Count Ory runs away from home and risks a heresy conviction by pretending to be a monk and then a nun and goes after every pretty woman.
This was a very difficult opera to sing, I think. Diana Damrau in particular was spectacular, lovely voice, and a certain Dita von Teese kind of sexiness, particularly because she's a bit plump and colored like three scoops of vanilla.
It was really, really fun.