It was the Lyric's production of The Barber of Seville, which garnered rave reviews from the Chicago critics. Apparently they were seated a lot closer to the stage than we were. Isabel Leonard as Rosina, Nathan Gunn as Figaro, and Alek Shrader as Count Almaviva, seem to have made a pact, or were told, to sing everything at half voice. Corbelli and Ketelsen obviously didn't get that memo because they sang with good projection and fine sound. Perhaps it was the idea of the conductor, Michele Mariotti, because even the Overture seemed under played.
Alessandro Corbelli
Each of the other singers seems to have a perfectly fine voice, capable of filling this house, but for some reason they chose to hold back vocally. In Act 2 they sang out a bit more, but all of their fioratura was sung to themselves.
I know that some voice teachers tell singers to cut back on their sound when singing fast runs but that has never been my method. My theory is that long runs require more, not less, energy. And require good, full sound. When Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and I were working on roles that required fast, complicated singing, I always told her that she must sing INTO a run, not shy away from it. Nobody sang runs any faster or clearer than Lorraine; and she could be heard at the back of any hall.
I was perplexed by this production and a little bored. I expect to be blown away with this kind of singing and was left disappointed.
Tracy Cantin as Berta also did not get the sotto voce memo and sang very well. A beautiful clear voice unafraid to be heard. Several of the other male singers also sang well, sending their sound to the back of the room.
Next time I will try to get a seat in row G.
