The best opera performance I’ve encountered in 30 years in this city happened not at an opera company, paradoxically, but at Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra on Saturday evening. In a “semi-staged” rendering (meaning fully staged, but without costumes or props and only with an abstracted set) Mozart’s great Don Giovanni came across powerfully, without distraction. The insightful casting, engaging singing and acting, tasteful direction, Edo de Waart’s astute conducting, and the orchestra’s sensitive playing added up to a classy triumph.
Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, as experienced in contemporary roles as in Mozart, is a fascinating singing actor with a handsome, top-drawer voice. The tall and elegant Okulitch explored the dark side of the character, with slow-moving menace peppered occasionally by nervous jerks. Giovanni emerged not only as narcissistic sex addict, but also a sadistic and nearly psychotic one. Thoughts came to mind of Matt Damon at his most intense, or Christian Bale in American Psycho.
Tamara Wilson, as Donna Anna, is the most exciting young soprano I’ve heard in some time, with a voice that blooms with thrilling brilliance, breath-stopping soft high notes and a true artist’s feeling for phrase. Nicole Cabell’s empathetic performance of Donna Elvira reached its peak in the stunning aria “Mi tradì quell’alma ingrata,” with meltingly beautiful singing.
Matthew Rose, with a gorgeous bass voice, gave a rich performance as Leporello, full of life and wit. Paul Appleby as Don Ottavio, Grazia Doronzio as Zerlina and André Courville as Masetto were all better than good, adding to this excellent cast. The great James Morris, a mainstay on the world’s great opera stages for decades, gave commanding presence and distinction to the Commendatore.
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Director/designer James Darrah caught the essence of the piece with impressive efficiency, adding perceptive touches. Don Giovanni’s homoerotic control of Masetto before beating him has been done before, but not more persuasively than here. It was inspired direction to have Leporello write on the set the mind-blowing number of women Giovanni has seduced, left there for the rest of the first act as incriminating evidence.
This Don Giovanni ranks as one of the greatest accomplishments in the MSO’s history.
