The Jon Blog

Opera and Food

Yay, two of my favorite things.

Fancy dinner.

And the Metropolitan Opera.

I do not know why I like "fancy" food as much as I do (not fancy feast, you cat-obsessing freak), but I do. And I had two rather upscale meals today.

Lunch was at Lever House, and included a lovely appetizer of diver scallops with radish in a nage; a seared tuna salade nicoise, and a devil's food pudding cake with creme fraiche.

Dinner, before the opera, was at Picholine, which is a truly lovely restaurant. I really enjoy dining there, and tonight was no exception. I actually just had two appetizers (a butternut squash soup, with more scallops, followed by parmesan gnocchi with niman ranch pork belly), followed by a lucious helping from their cheese cart. It's amazing the difference between what they have on their cheese cart and what most NYC grocery stores consider a cheese department. Quite the contrast, and if you are lactose-tolerant and on a diet which entitles you to splurge in the dairy from time to time, and you like the interesting subtle variation and nuance of flavor (well, some's not so subtle) that is inherent in real artisanal cheese, treat yourself. The fact that they have a LOVELY wine list didn't hurt, neither.

After consuming an entire bottle of bordeaux, I tipsily jogged over to the Met and made it to my seat in just the right amount of time.

The performance, which was the final essaying of "The Queen of Spades" for the season, was stellar. Excellent singing, and the sets were just totally my style. If I were still designing sets, I would have been thrilled had I been able to design a set such as this one. It was basically a big box, with multiple moving walls, all of which were illustrated in a very painterly style of drawing which actually reminded me of the work of one of the professors at the university I attended (and whose campus I intend to revisit on my upcoming Texas trip). The set was extremely dramatic, and, unlike many of the sets you see in opera, it served the story extremely well. While it was not representational or literal, it framed the story in a highly effective manner, and, combined with the intense, stark lighting, framed the story gorgeously. Then there were the costumes, stark and elaborate at the same time - especially some of the period dresses. One woman had such an elaborate gown (it was over three times the width of her shoulders) she required three gentlemen to assist her when the action required she sit. The chorus & costumes received multiple ovations - well deserved.

Then, of course, there was the singing. What can you say that's bad about Dimitry Hvorostovsky, Placido Domingo, Elena Zaremba or Felicity Palmer? And Adrianne Pieczonka, who I did not really know of before tonight's performance, was also lovely.

It was very ironic to me, watching Domingo, the contrast between the direction of his career vs. that of Luciano Pavarotti's. (Where is Jose Carreras, by the way, if we're tracking the three tenors?)

Pavarotti seems to still be essaying the same old roles - well, notably Cavaradossi, which he's about to give at the Met - which he has done for years. Only he doesn't do them nearly as well. Domingo, by contrast, has evolved as a performer. He's challenged himself to learn new roles - not just singing roles, but a new, dual career, as a conduction as well. He's singing Tchaikovsky and Wagner -- "grown-up" tenor stuff -- while Pavarotti's still strutting through his old war-horses.

I don't totally mean to disparage Pavarotti. He was a great singer. But let me tell you, I heard him sing Cavaradossi at the Met a few seasons ago, and I would have preferred to listen to my old CD I've had for years. (That recording was released in 1990 but I don't remember when it was actually recorded and I don't feel like getting up to go across the room and check, 'cause I'm a lazy fuck.) He cracked, and the age was just so apparant in his voice.

Domingo, while he doesn't sound young anymore, still sounds very healthy vocally. He has power, he has endurance, and he has a wonderful presence. He was quite lovely to watch. And Hvorostovsky is pretty much a hottie... so it was, all in all, a lovely evening at the opera. Not to mention, a lovely day overall.

Posted by Jon at March 4, 2004 12:51 AM | TrackBack