Falstaff

Opera (1893)
by Giuseppi Verdi

With Ambrogio Maestri (Sir John Falstaff), Stephanie Blythe (Mistress Quickly), Angela Meade (Alice Ford), Jennifer Johnson Cano (Meg Page), Franco Vassallo (Ford), Paolo Fanale (Fenton), Dr. Caius (Carlo Bosi), Keith Jameson (Bardolfo),Charian Van Horn (Pistola), Lisettte Oropesa (Nannetta)

Unlike much of Verdi, the story is extremely light. Sir John Falstaff (Ambrogio Maestri) is up to philandering tricks with two established matrons, Alice Ford (Angela Meade) and Meg Page (Jennifer Johnson Cano), in order to rectify his finances. But Ford and Page are onto him, and with Nannetta (Lisette Oropesa), Alice’s daughter, and their friend, Mistress Quickly (Stephanie Blythe), they concoct a scheme to teach Falstaff a lesson. Alice’s husband, Ford (Franco Vassallo) is already jealous and up to his own shenanigans to unearth the truth from Falstaff, and the two subterfuges eventually intertwine. Like all good corny stories, this one poses a rivalry between Ford’s choice for his daughter’s bethrothal – the not very romantic Dr. Caius – and the young and dashing Fenton, Nannetta’s choice.

This last opera of Verdi’s is extremely different in a variety of ways from the usual Verdian fare.

First of all, it is a comedy through and through. Most of the rest of Verdi’s works are tragedies through and through. Think of poor Violetta dying from consumption in La Traviata, or Gilda taking a hit in Rigoletto. Un Ballo in Maschera is also not without tragedy, and the list goes on, and on. Falstaff is a moral tale, but it is also pure fun.

Ambrogio Maestri is the Falstaff par excellence. He looks the role and has a perfect all-over-the-place-devil-may-care schtick that he puts into full throttle for the part. Apparently, he performs as Falstaff all over the world and has made quite a reputation doing so.

Stephanie Blythe is really something as Mistress Quickly. She has a wonderful comedic capacity, which we did not get to see when she performed Fricka in Wagner’s Ring at the Met recently, and she gets to use it to the fullest here. She also has an amazing range which is supremely evident when she sings low. The rafters practically rattle with the profundity and breadth of the notes she bends way down to get. Hearing it is like tasting a fabulously expansive Zinfandel – its just kind of goes on forever.

Angela Meade, Jennifer Johnson Cano and Lisette Oropesa all provided lovely sonorities and Franco Vassallo had good dramatic flair. Paolo Fanale (Fenton), however, as the young paramour, had a distinctively clear and strong voice.

James Levine was in a wheelchair with a front support bar that seemed as though it might be constricting, but he was back in full form and got an enormous cheer. He has worked wonders at the Met for decades (as he did at the Boston Symphony for several years before illness prevented his continuation) and it is great to see him back doing his magic. Many thought his departure from the Met podium a couple years ago was a final goodbye; happily, they were wrong.

– BADMan