The Met’s Andrea Chénier has impressive singing from Beczała and Yoncheva and Rustioni’s sure hand
Photography by Karen Almond/Met Opera
Article by Jim Pritchard from Seen And Heard International
“The Met Chorus made a resounding contribution when called upon. In his first appearance as the Met’s new Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni whipped his wonderful orchestra through to the incandescent final few minutes – as Chénier and Maddalena fearlessly prepare for death – with a Romantic sweep.
There was ebb and flow as Rustioni navigated the opera’s dramatic shifts with an expert hand, without entirely disguising the longueurs. We heard from Rustioni during a pre-recorded segment about his connection to Andrea Chénier: ‘I grew up at home [in Italy] with the VHS of this wonderful production from the Met in 1996 and I consumed that VHS and for me it is a great honour and incredible pleasure to be at the centre of the musical storm and at the centre of this Reign of Terror and this French Revolution, it’s really an immense, immense joy.’ “
