Andrea Chénier Transmission Transcript
READ: Oropesa Show Intro
LISETTE OROPESA: Hello. I’m soprano Lisette Oropesa and I’m delighted to be your host for today’s performance of Umberto Giordano’s late 19th century potboiler, Andrea Chénier. Giordano’s opera is a classic example of verismo, the high-voltage style of opera in which passions rage. With its dramatic action taking place under the shadow of the guillotine during the French Revolution, Andrea Chénier invites its cast to give their most full-blooded performances.
And we have an inspired cast today. Acclaimed tenor Piotr Beczała sings the title role of the idealistic poet on a collision course with the revolutions reign of terror; the much-lauded soprano Sonya Yoncheva is Maddalena, the aristocrat whose love for Chénier spells disaster; and the dynamic baritone Igor Golovatenko is Carlo Gérard, the servant turned revolutionary who grapples with his own hidden passion for Maddalena.
The Met’s principal guest conductor Daniele Rutioni is ready to transport us to the turbulent times of the French Revolution. Here is Andrea Chénier.
INTERVIEW: Oropesa w/ Piotr Beczała
LISETTE OROPESA: (Applauding) Hello, Piotr.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Hello, Lisette.
LISETTE OROPESA: Bravissimo.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Thank you very much.
LISETTE OROPESA: Congratulations on that dramatic first act.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Thank you.
LISETTE OROPESA: The “Improvviso” is worth the price of admission alone, I think. I understand Andrea Chénier was a bucket list role for you. Why is that?
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Yeah, because, you know, this is for every tenor a kind of, goal going to in verismo world.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : So, Cavaradossi is beautiful but it’s very short. But, uh, Andrea Chénier is kind of a soul-filling rule – role. You know, you have beautiful four arias, you have two beautiful duets. And the character is very, very interesting.
LISETTE OROPESA: So, is this why you waited until now at this point in your career to bring us this role?
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Yeah, yeah, yeah. With -- with patience and with pleasure, you know?
LISETTE OROPESA: Good. That’s always the best way to do a premiere, I think. It was 19 years ago that you made your Met debut –
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Oh, really? You counted?
LISETTE OROPESA: — in Rigoletto. 19 years, yes. How has your voice changed and developed over your career?
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Slightly.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah?
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Not – not, uh, you know, a huge change but, of course, you know, I built this kind of progress through the years. And I think it’s, mmm, it works fine. I can still sing Rigoletto, Lucia. This is, uh – you have to – you have to fix—uh, focus the voice on the different aspects. So, you know, less middle voice, less low notes, less expression in the low register so that you have a freedom in the – in the higher register. You know that. (Laughs)
LISETTE OROPESA: Oh, I know. And your high register is golden –
PIOTR BECZAŁA : But, you know, the tension of a B-flat in Andrea Chénier is completely different than in Rigoletto.
LISETTE OROPESA: That’s very interesting.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : And – and basically it’s, uh, the same amount of high notes. So, it’s – even it’s higher.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah? You think Chénier is higher than Duca?
PIOTR BECZAŁA : I have two times, uh, B-natural. And in, uh, Rigoletto it’s just one.
LISETTE OROPESA: Oh. Yeah, well, we wait on that –
PIOTR BECZAŁA : So, statistically. (Laughs)
LISETTE OROPESA: Well, tell us more about reuniting with Sonya Yoncheva for more Giordano after singing Fedora with her just a few seasons ago.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Yes. No, we know each other so many years and we go – and we made the same progress, as we mentioned at the beginning. So, because we met in Vienna for Romeo and Juliet.
LISETTE OROPESA: Oh.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : So, through the years we go through the Bohemes and all this lyric repetory and now we arriving to – to this kind of verismo sounds and verismo tension. And, uh, I know I like very much to sing with Sonya. We have some nice chemistry on the stage and, uh, we have the same musicality and the same, uh, way behind us. So, it’s, uh –
LISETTE OROPESA: You sing beautifully together. We look forward to many more. Bravo on today’s performance, Piotr.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Thank you.
LISETTE OROPESA: And many thanks for speaking to me.
PIOTR BECZAŁA : Thank you. All the best to all friends of the opera in the whole world.
LISETTE OROPESA: Bravo.
READ: Throw to roll-in
LISETTE OROPESA: Our conductor today, Daniele Rustioni, is conducting his first live cinema transmission from the Met since being announced as the company’s new principal guest conductor. I’ve worked with Maestro Rustioni in the past – mwah! – and he brings extraordinary energy and deep musicality to every score that he tackles. We spoke to him recently about the score for Andrea Chénier.
ROLL-IN B: Music feature with Maestro Daniele Rustioni
DANIELE RUSTIONI: Andrea Chénier is an historical drama. It follows, of course, literally what's happening in the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. But everything is around the figure of Andrea Chénier, the poet.
In his first aria, which is called “Improvviso” because, if you hear the music at the beginning, it has a lot of stasis, harmonic stasis.
And this, with the arpeggio of the harp and the tremolos–a lot of tremolos in this repertoire–now of the violins, but in piano. So it gives a sense of suspension. And then he moves, little by little, starting to make poetry out of his words. So here we go.
[SINGING: One day, I gazed in rapture at the heavens.]
"I take a look at the immensity of the space, I connect with nature, I connect with the creation of the universe,” like improvvisando–he's trying to find the right words. And little by little this aria evolves and becomes warmer and warmer and then, finally, it reaches the climax with the love theme or the Maddalena theme. That is the only theme that is used by the composer, Giordano, as a leitmotif, and really helps the audience to understand this impossible love between Maddalena and the poet. It’s a very embracing theme, legato, but very simple. Now you hear…
[SINGING Here at last is life in all its beauty!]
“Here is life's eternal beauty, love and poetry.”
This says a lot–this first aria–about the style of this opera because it's like a speech, a speech in music.
We have real characters depicting real moments of life, and even the timing in the music is real, meaning the timing of the singing is the timing of the spoken language.
There is my favorite scene in the opera, which is the judgment scene at the end of Act III. And Chénier is accused of being a traditore, so to betray the government installed in Paris, and he's defending himself. And the moment he defends himself, he is declamato, his singing is quite strong and aggressive.
[SINGING: I was a soldier. I was never afraid of dying...]
But in one minute and a half, after all this shouting his honor is intact and he's pure, he changes into an incredible barcarolla, super tender barcarolla.
[SINGING: Passa la vita mia come una bianca vela...]
And then he has these wonderful declamato lines, legato, and it’s wonderful, we have the violincelli here doing…
Because it says about, “My life has been a dream pure as a silver sailboat.” And then we have these waves. Yes, so the score is full of these naturalistic descriptions in the orchestra. But everything is very poetic. And then, at the same time, the composer is like a painter. And then he wants, really, to use the baton of the conductor as has his instrument to paint.
The last aria of Andrea Chénier, he knows that he's going to die. And listen to the poetry of the harp here.
The importance of the harp in this score is essential, especially because it gives an ancient taste. But, it's really, it works perfectly with the sentiment of the poetry. It’s like the god Apollo starting to improvise on the instrument.
So I grew up with the VHS at home, the video of this wonderful production from the Met in 1996. And I really, I consumed that VHS. And for me, it's a great honor and incredible pleasure to be at the center of the musical storm and at the center of the Reign of Terror and this French Revolution. It's really an immense, an immense joy.
READ: Oropesa Neubauer / Johnson / Throw to break
LISETTE OROPESA: Compelling insights from Maestro Rustioni. The Met’s Live in HD series is made possible thanks to its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Met Live in HD series is in partnership with Rolex.
Today’s performance of Andrea Chénier is also being heard over the Robert K. Johnson Foundation Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. And we’ll be back after a break.
READ: Oropesa throw to I Puritani rehearsal clip
LISETTE OROPESA: Welcome back. The Met’s next Live in HD presentation will be Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece, I Puritani, in which I sing the role of the puritan Elvira, who goes made when she thinks her secret royalist lover has abandoned her. Playing my lover Arturo is my wonderful tenor colleague Lawrence Brownlee.
The action of the opera takes place during the 17th century English Civil War between the puritans and the royalists. Lawrence and I were recently rehearsing our Act Three duet “Vieni fra questa braccia.”
INTERVIEW: Oropesa w/ Lawrence Brownlee
LISETTE OROPESA: Lawrence Brownlee is with me now. Hi, Larry.
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Hi, Lisette.
LISETTE OROPESA: You sounded fantastic.
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: You sound fantastic.
LISETTE OROPESA: Thank you so much. Would you explain the context of that duet that we just did in terms of the overall plot of the opera?
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Oh, my gosh. This is the opportunity where he comes back and explains to her why he left. He really loves her and the love that he has for her drew him back to this place. And so he gets a chance to express that clearly. It’s one of the beautiful high moments of the opera and so it’s always fun to sing with high Ds and with you.
LISETTE OROPESA: Mm-hmm. Yes, we get to sing Ds together, don’t we?
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Yes.
LISETTE OROPESA: In terms of style, I guess you could say that the pure vocal beauty of bel canto is the opposite of the raw power of verismo. What do you say to that?
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Oh, my gosh. You know, bel canto, of course, it’s, – you can say it is beautiful singing, but I think the emotion, the expressiveness that we can, really exhibit in bel canto is wonderful. And so I think we’re equipped with the things to do with the high notes, the beautiful legato lines. And so it’s different than verismo, uh, that’s usually with passion. But also bel canto can have passion as well. But I love bel canto and I think it’s the height of all music.
LISETTE OROPESA: I’m with you on that 100 percent. And I’m so excited for the premiere of our new production directed by Charles Edwards which opens on New Year’s Eve. How are you feeling about it?
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: I’m excited. Really given the chance to sing with you. I don’t just say that lightly. With Christian, Artur, of course, Marco, Eve, David, Tony, all of the cast, the wonderful production staff, everyone together, it’s a great joy. So, I’m looking so forward to our New Year’s Eve opening.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yes, me too, Larry. And it can’t come soon enough for me. And I love the role of Elvira, but I must say it is not easy, as you know. Lots of coloratura, fast notes, slow notes, high notes. What are the challenges of the role of Arturo – not that you have any.
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Well, everybody knows that it’s a bunch of high notes, but expressivity, communicating the plot, the story. I think the connection between all the characters is very, very important. And so that’s what I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about trying to tell the story in a way that’s real and authentic. So, the music helps me do that and I just try to do my best job doing that. So, yes, there are high notes but I want to make sure that I’m conveying a message the whole time.
LISETTE OROPESA: That’s right. And you do that so beautifully and we love – I love being on stage with you, Larry.
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Likewise, likewise.
LISETTE OROPESA: And next week we’ll be moving from our rehearsal room to the Met stage where we’re standing right now. And so far we’ve only seen the set models. But would you care to describe what the production is supposed to actually look like?
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Well, it’s supposed to be one building that everything takes place in. And so, acoustically it’s supposed to be favorable, which we as singers love that.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Uh, but I think we – the way it converts into different time – different times, time has passed. And so I think it’s great to be able to use that and use the space in a very, very efficient way. So, I’m looking forward to being on stage and seeing what the set really does for us in the house.
LISETTE OROPESA: Me too. Me too. I think it’ll bring out the best in everybody.
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: I hope so.
LISETTE OROPESA: So, thank you so much, Larry. I’ll see you in rehearsal on Monday, and cinema audiences can see us together in I Puritani at our live transmission on January 10th. Looking forward to it.
INTERVIEW: Oropesa w/ Igor Golovatenko
LISETTE OROPESA: And now let’s get back to the world of Andrea Chénier. I’m joined now by our baritone, Igor Golovatenko. Igor, hello, and bravissimo.
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: Hello, Lisette. Yeah, thank you so much.
LISETTE OROPESA: Lovely, lovely to hear you in this opera.
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: Thank you.
LISETTE OROPESA: Incredible. Many consider Gérard, the baritone role you are portraying, to be the most complex in the whole opera. What do you think – why do you think that is?
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: I think it’s – I think they’re right if they consider this way. Because he’s, I mean, the singing part is not so huge like, my colleague’s Piotr. No. But, uh, the transformation of his life, you know, it’s so huge. Because he starts with a proclamation of being a revolutionary and then he leads, you know, life like a leader of all these events. And then the thing which strikes him is love and the duty. Now, and this is one of the most, touching things in the – in the whole opera world, you know?
LISETTE OROPESA: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, you have one of the opera’s showstopping arias about this specific struggle, “Nemico dell patria” –
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: Yes, yes, yes.
LISETTE OROPESA: — coming up just a little bit later, which we all can’t wait to hear.
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: Just a little bit later, yeah, yeah, yeah.
LISETTE OROPESA: Can you explain what makes this aria compelling? Is he feeling guilty? Is he feeling – what is he feeling?
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: I think he doesn’t feel guilty. He feels a huge, huge, great feelings to all humanity and he expresses this. Because he says, uh – so, excuse my English – but “La coscienza nei cuor ridestar delle genti.”
LISETTE OROPESA: Yes.
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: So, to wake up the people. And now to, uh, to gather all the tears, you know, and embrace and kiss, to love all the people.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yes.
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: That’s – that’s the final words of the aria, which is, you know, I don’t remember such words in any other operatic stuff for a baritone, because this is so uniting and, touching, and right words and great music as well.
LISETTE OROPESA: You realize he’s a protagonist actually.
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: Kind of. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, in third act he becomes a protagonist because in all the third act he’s on stage and all the events revolve around him, and he’s like at the epicenter of all the – all the things which – which are happening.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yes. And we can’t wait to hear it all. Bravissimo on today’s performance, Igor.
IGOR GOLOVATENKO: Thank you so much, thank you so much, thank you so much.
READ: Throw To Act II
LISETTE OROPESA: At the end of the previous act, Andrea Chénier may have scandalized the French aristocracy with his criticism of their indifference to the war, but the revolution is in the air. When the next act begins, it is five years later and the reign of terror is in full swing. Here’s Act Two.
INTERVIEW: Oropesa w/ Sonya Yoncheva
LISETTE OROPESA: (Applauding) Bravissima, Sonya, hello. You sound so fantastic.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Thank you so much.
LISETTE OROPESA: Oh, bravissima. It’s exciting to see and hear you throwing yourself into this powerful role. Tell us how you relate to Maddalena, both vocally and dramatically.
SONYA YONCHEVA: You know, it’s the story of a young girl who dies for love. And, you know, for me it’s better to die for love than to – to live without it.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: So, since she is choosing that way and – and vocally, what can I say? It’s a very difficult part.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Because Giordano always demands this low voice and then these high notes and I try to give her the youth in the beginning and then the drama at the end.
LISETTE OROPESA: That’s beautiful. That’s a great way to say it. In fact, it leads into my next question. Would you describe verismo for us vocally?
SONYA YONCHEVA: Oh, it’s something. It’s a mixture (Laughs) –
LISETTE OROPESA: It’s that.
SONYA YONCHEVA: It’s a mixture of all. You know, you have to be ready to scream, to give yourself, to throw yourself into the most difficult vocal lines and, of course, to keep the stamina. Yeah.
LISETTE OROPESA: And to play a French aristocrat during the French Revolution, what is that like for you?
SONYA YONCHEVA: Well, you know, I always thought she was just born there. But actually she is just like a bird in a golden cage. Because, you know, she wouldn’t be so much in love, with this rebellious, Andrea Chénier, and of course he’s fascinating, he’s romantic, he speaks all these words. It’s very easy to fall for him, right? (Laughs)
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah. Yeah, and Piotr Beczała and you have such an incredible chemistry.
SONYA YONCHEVA: It’s true.
LISETTE OROPESA: And we heard your recently in Giordano’s Fedora together.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Yeah.
LISETTE OROPESA: A few years ago, actually. Tell us about singing with him and your chemistry.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Oh, Piotr, he’s one of the greatest colleagues I ever had. You know, as a partner he’s so generous and he’s so supportive as well. Because, you know, it’s not every night perfect. We are all humans and sometimes – and this is the beautiful thing about us, that we are both of us Capricorns. (Laughs)
LISETTE OROPESA: Ah!
SONYA YONCHEVA: So, we really give to each other a lot of energy, even if it’s – even if it’s hard sometimes, we just keep it there.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: And I adore this with him. It’s real teamwork.
LISETTE OROPESA: That’s amazing. Well, your chemistry is so palpable on stage.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Thank you.
LISETTE OROPESA: And I don’t want to get too far ahead but I do want to ask about “La mamma morta,” the famous aria, yes, that Maddalena has coming up. What is it like immersing yourself in this sublime and emotional aria? I watched you the other night, I have to say, it was just so raw and clean and clear for us. I wanted to cry so much.
SONYA YONCHEVA: It’s the moment where Maddalena loses her – she knows that she has nothing to lose, because she lost her mother, she lost her house, she lost her youth, you know. And just three years after that she met Andrea. And, um, in that moment she is just – I feel it like a long monologue. She’s talking about her feelings and she’s not trying to convince anybody. She’s just – I need a friend, Gérard, and I thought you were my friend. So, I want to share this with you.
LISETTE OROPESA: Oh.
SONYA YONCHEVA: And this gives extra emotion to the aria, yes, but it’s a very difficult piece to sing. Really.
LISETTE OROPESA: Do you think that’s what changes his heart?
SONYA YONCHEVA: Oh, yeah, yeah. But since the beginning, you know, the scream that she says take my body, just take it, if this is the price to pay.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
SONYA YONCHEVA: She has nothing to lose anymore.
LISETTE OROPESA: It’s amazing. Oh, Sonya, thank you so much for speaking with us. Toi toi toi for the rest. I can’t wait.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Thank you, thank you, Lisette. And toi toi toi with your show.
LISETTE OROPESA: Thank you, my dear. Thank you so much.
SONYA YONCHEVA: Thank you. Thank you.
READ: Oropesa throw to tape
LISETTE OROPESA: Verismo operas, like today’s Andrea Chénier, are famous for high drama and full-throated vocalism. We recently sat down with the Met’s former archives director Peter Clark to learn more about this passionate operatic style.
ROLL-IN D: Verismo at the Met
PETER CLARK: Verismo is a musical movement that began in the end of the 19th century. It literally means realism. It was based on the literary movement in France called Naturalism, and taken up by Italian authors at the end of the century. It’s basically a reaction to Romanticism, in that it has stories that are about everyday people, everyday situations–familiar conflicts in people's lives–as opposed to heroes and heroines of mythology or royalty.
The Italian literary movement started with an author named Giovanni Verga. In 1880, he wrote a series of short stories set in his native Sicily. One of those stories was called Rustic Chivalry–Cavalleria Rusticana. A young composer named Pietro Mascagni took this story and wrote a one-act opera, which became the first verismo opera. Cavalleria Rusticana then became quite well-known throughout Italy.
So the way verismo opera is more distinct is in its use of raw– violent, often–emotions. Primary emotions, and often in a very gritty setting, so that the characters are reflecting the kinds of conflicts that everyday people saw in their lives, but very heightened emotionally.
Following Mascagni’s success with Cavalleria Rusticana, there were a number of Italian composers who took up the same style, who are known as verismo composers: Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Francesco Cilea, Umberto Giordano, and most of all, Giacomo Puccini. Puccini really embodied the core of the movement.
Another aspect of verismo opera was the fact that it basically changed the vocal style that many singers used. The Italian singing style had always been what we call bel canto. It was a beautiful sound with a very flexible voice that could do ornamentation and float high, beautiful phrases. Verismo looked for something else. Verismo wanted power more than anything. They had to be able to sing over these big orchestrations, their melodies that they were singing often doubled by the orchestra. So they have to sing more powerfully.
And in addition, a lot of the tunes have a good part of the melody in the middle and lower voice. The middle and lower voice are more difficult to project for a singer. So a number of the singers had to alter or evolve their singing a bit in order to do the verismo operas.
So today's opera, Andrea Chénier, is a wonderful example of verismo opera. It has so many moments of intense passion and clearly defined personal relationships that the audience can feel through the huge melodies that Giordano has created. He really hit his stride with this opera in finding just the right melodies to go with the dramatic situations.
The most famous of which is at the very end of the opera. When Chénier and Maddelena are going off to their death in defiance of their torturers. And it's so thrilling, if this duet doesn't make your spine tingle, then you need to have your pulse checked. It's the kind of, sort of big dramatic moment that is the essence of verismo opera.
READ: Oropesa Neubauer / Throw to break
LISETTE OROPESA: Wow, that’s an illuminating lesson in verismo that we won’t forget. The Met’s Live in HD series is made possible thanks to its founding sponsor, the Neubauer Family Foundation. Digital support is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Met Live in HD series is in partnership with Rolex. We’ll be back after a break.
READ: PSA / Fundraising / Throw to HD Season Preview
LISETTE OROPESA: Welcome back. It is such a treat to immerse oneself in the impassioned vocalism of a verismo opera like Andrea Chénier. To hear artists like Piotr Beczała and Sonya Yoncheva pour their hearts and souls into a score like this is an unforgettable experience. But let’s be clear. As extraordinary as these artists are on cinema screens, you have to be right here in the opera house to experience the full impact of what they’re delivering for us today. Nothing compares to the experience of hearing great singers performing live in the opera house. So, come to the Met or visit your local company.
Today’s production of Andrea Chénier is a dazzling display of verismo opera. But the Met’s HD Season also features everything from Puccini to Wagner, as well as bel canto favorites like Bellini’s Il Puritani, the opera I’ll be performing in next month. It takes an incredible number of people, highly trained musicians, artists, technicians, designers, all masters of their craft to put on such a wide range of great works at the highest level here at the Metropolitan Opera. And sharing them with a global movie theatre audience is very costly. Ticket sales cover just a fraction of what it takes to support that endeavor. So, we rely on opera lovers like you to help us keep bringing our beloved artform to the world.
If you can, I ask you to please consider making a contribution to the Met. To make a donation you can visit us at metopera.org/donate. You can also text HDLIVE, that’s H-D-L-I-V-E, to 44321 to make a contribution; or call us at 212-362-0068. All of us at the Met thank you for your support.
Now here’s a look at the remaining Live in HD transmissions coming up from the Met.
INTERVIEW: Oropesa w/ Brenton Ryan & Maurizio Muraro
LISETTE OROPESA: Now let’s get back to the world of Andrea Chénier. I’m joined by tenor Brenton Ryan, who plays the role of the Incredible, and bass Maurizio Muraro, who sings Mathieu. Hello, gentlemen.
BRENTON RYAN: Hi, Lisette.
MAURIZIO MURARO: Hi, Lisette.
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE: Good to see you.
MAURIZIO MURARO: Very nice to see you.
LISETTE OROPESA: Good to see you both, too. Your roles are not huge but they’re so memorable. What’s the secret to making the most of these parts? Brenton?
BRENTON RYAN: Oh, goodness. I think it’s really – for the Incredible, it’s listening. He plays a spy, he’s always in every single scene trying to make the most out of what he’s trying to – to figure out with regard to the revolution. And so he listens. That’s his profession. He listens, he takes notes and he always remembers.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
BRENTON RYAN: So, watch out.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah, watch out. And, Maurizio, what do you think?
MAURIZIO MURARO: For Mathieu is the next moment who’s going to open the third act, the topic, scene for Mathieu trying to inspire the fold to donate everything for the revolution. As we know, the revolution is always itself a bloodshed. But, it’s a big change for the country. So, Mathieu has this opportunity – this mission.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yes. And this next scene is moving because there’s a woman that donates her young grandson, right, to the revolution?
MAURIZIO MURARO: Exactly.
LISETTE OROPESA: Which is so heartbreaking.
MAURIZIO MURARO: It’s a very touching scene.
BRENTON RYAN: Yeah, very touching.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah. Brenton, HD audiences have also seen you in roles like Scarpia’s henchman Spoletta –
BRENTON RYAN: Yes, yes. Mm-hmm.
LISETTE OROPESA: — in Puccini’s Tosca. And also as Monostatos in Zauberflöte.
BRENTON RYAN: Right.
LISETTE OROPESA: Are you drawn to playing these morally questionable characters?
BRENTON RYAN: They’re so much fun. That’s the – that’s the thing. You can explore these darker sides. And I feel like we need that contrast. You need the darkness to appreciate the light, as that beautiful saying goes. And so –
LISETTE OROPESA: Very well said.
BRENTON RYAN: So, it’s a lot of fun as an actor to play these roles and it’s great to be the foil to the heroes in the story as well.
LISETTE OROPESA: That’s beautifully said, actually. Now I want to see you play a good guy.
BRENTON RYAN: (Laughs)
LISETTE OROPESA: Maurizio, you play Mathieu with such relish. What do you enjoy about playing these important supporting roles like Bartolo – you were a legendary Bartolo – in The Marriage of Figaro and he Barber of Seville?
MAURIZIO MURARO: That’s very nice of you. Thank you, I appreciate your words, Lisette. In this role, the character is very dark, is very serious. And, uh, I think there’s nothing funny comparing with the repertoires I’m singing usually.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
MAURIZIO MURARO: And, yeah, it’s a little bit challenging for me, uh, to explore this kind of repertoire, you know, with this kind of character.
LISETTE OROPESA: Yeah.
BRENTON RYAN: It’s so great.
LISETTE OROPESA: It’s wonderful. And you still sound amazing. It’s been 20 years and – I know we worked together in Nozze di Figaro and I remember that so fondly.
MAURIZIO MURARO: Absolutely, yes.
LISETTE OROPESA: And, Brenton, I look forward to sharing the stage sometime with you, I hope.
BRENTON RYAN: Oh, likewise. I – it’d be my pleasure truly.
LISETTE OROPESA: Thank you so much, both of you gentlemen.
BRENTON RYAN: Thank you, Lisette.
MAURIZIO MURARO: Thank you for everything else. Thank you so much.
READ: Throw to Acts III & IV
LISETTE OROPESA: At the end of the previous act, a conflict of Gérard was wounded by Chénier, but then helped him to escape. As the curtain goes up on the final two acts, the drama heightens as Chénier, Maddalena and Gérard all face their destinies. Here’s the powerful conclusion of Andrea Chénier.