BWW Reviews: IL PRIGIONIERO Holds Audience Captive at New York Philharmonic

It's a rare occasion when a concerto--even one as brilliantly played as violinist Lisa Batiashvili's performance of Prokofiev's First--takes a back seat to the second half of the program. But the New York Philharmonic's concert performance of Luigi Dallapiccola's IL PRIGIONIERO ("The Prisoner"), conducted authoritatively yet sensitively by Alan Gilbert, was such an event. By turns thrilling, soaring and sorrowful, the 50-minute opera, written in 1948, was as exciting a night at the opera as we had this season.

The unexpected

While it shouldn't be surprising to hear a wonderful concert with Maestro Gilbert and the Philharmonic, IL PRIGIONIERO was certainly unexpected: a 12-tone work that was gorgeous in its vocal writing--with a cast led by the mellifluous baritone Gerald Finley as the Prisoner and the magnificent soprano Patricia Racette as the Mother. The writing was nothing less than mesmerizing in its orchestral passages.

At a time when New York's opera companies are seeking out dramatic works to broaden their repertoires, how is it possible that IL PRIGIONIERO has remained unperformed for so long? One of its problems is its length--not long enough for an evening but what do you pair with it? (When I first saw it in San Francisco, it was part of a triptych, with Poulenc's LA VOIX HUMAINE and Puccini's GIANNI SCHICCHI!)

A riveting performance

More to the point, however, the opera has a bad reputation--for being demanding to perform and challenging for audiences. The Philharmonic's performance showed neither of those qualities. It was utterly galvanizing--riveting from the start and beautiful to hear from the very first notes out of Racette's mouth in the prologue to Finley's final whisper of "La libertà (Freedom)?"

The setting of the piece is contemporaneous with Verdi's DON CARLO. The opera opens with an urgent three-note motif, and almost immediately introduces the Prisoner's mother, whose son is a captive of the Inquisition. Racette makes such a strong impression that one wishes she had more to do--and that she wasn't cut short by the entrance of the chorus (the fine Collegiate Chorale, under James Bagwell).

Finley's sad, despairing performance was incredibly moving. The third major role is the Jailer, sung admirably by tenor Peter Hoare, who gives the Prisoner false hope of escape; he turns out to be the Grand Inquisitor himself, indicating how hopeless the fate of the Prisoner was from the very start.

A roar from the audience

At the conclusion, the Philharmonic audience roared its approval. I couldn't have agreed more.

By the time the opera was over, Batiashvili's performance seemed very far away, which was a pity, because she gave such an exciting performance. While the First Violin Concerto may not be one of Prokofiev's very finest works, it is a favorite of both conductor and soloist and they gave it their considerable best--in a passionate and athletic reading. On any other program it would have been the star. Paired with the Dallapiccola, it didn't have a chance.

Photo (left to right): Gerald Finley, Patricia Racette, Lisa Batiashvili

Single photo: Patricia Racette

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