It could have easily been the other way around with these two DVDs, the first two from the Peter Gelb era at the Metropolitan Opera in a new high-definition format.
That is, Renee Fleming might have sung the bel canto role of Elvira in Bellini's "I Puritani," and of course Anna Netrebko could, naturally and by birthright, have sung Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin." That each does so well in these performances, taped live last winter and broadcast in the Met's new network of movie theaters, shows that we are blessed with two sopranos who have extraordinary, flexible voices and who can act convincingly under the close eye of the HD camera. That they are both beautiful, in ingénue roles that call for beauty, doesn't hurt, either.
Since studio recording became prohibitively expensive, DVDs are now the format of choice for complete operas, and they have the real advantage of capturing the heat and chemistry - and the circus-like edginess - of live performance. The camera work here is not as penetrating or fresh as it might be if the cameras were freer to move about the stage, however. Shots tend to be very close up, or very distant. (One change: A rolling small camera along the front of the stage was introduced last year.) The Met says it wants to be loyal to its staged performances, but as its productions get more adventuresome, which is managing director Gelb's aim, the filming will, or should, adapt.
The "Eugene Onegin" production by Robert Carson is abstract and minimalist. The stage is a huge box, enclosed by three walls, and the stage floor in the first act is covered with leaves. This gives the peasants something to frolic in - which looks a bit silly - and Tatiana runs around in them while writing her love letter. ("There, I've finished," Fleming sings, just making it back to her desk.) The deep-box staging doesn't really add anything, and when the camera pulls back to take it all in, it defuses some intimate moments.
The singing, however, is marvelous. Fleming, in her first Tatiana at the Met, conveys the girl's impetuousness, tenderness, and brusqueness toward her nanny (a wonderful turn by Larisa Shevchenko), her heartbreak at Onegin's rejection, and her resolve when she rejects him. Dmitri Hvorostovsky is an ideal Onegin, with just enough warmth under his surliness to make his conversion plausible. Ramon Vargas is a sweet-voiced Lensky. Conductor Valery Gergiev is exciting and impulsive, hot-wiring the polished Met orchestra.
The "I Puritani" production by Sandro Sequi and Ming Cho Lee was created in 1976 for Joan Sutherland and Luciano Pavarotti. It's a series of giant tableaux, in which the chorus fills the stage in hats, feathers, and fabric. The camera can't really capture the majesty of these scenes, and a part of you wishes you were in the big house.
On the other hand, the principal singers have lovely, light voices that are well suited to closely miked video performance. Netrebko sings the staccato runs and high Ds and E flats well enough, but her soft lyric soprano also has an appealing womanly quality that makes you care for her character. And of course, she is a delight to watch. Tenor Eric Cutler, as Elvira's AWOL fiance, sings with a pure light tone, without any forcing on the high notes. The Met orchestra and chorus contribute mightily under Patrick Summers.
