1.5 Troyens and Counting

Back to the opera house tonight for "La prise de Troie," that is, the first two acts of Les Troyens, just to see Michaela Martens in her debut. And a mighty impressive debut it was: she has a vibrant, beautiful voice, the kind that carries a touch of sorrow in it. She was less the crazed and desperate Cassandre and more the sorrowing, dignified Cassandre. I was up in the balcony, where the voices tend to be more immediate than in the orchestra section, but I'd bet her voice is significantly larger than Anna Caterina Antonacci's.

All else was much as in the primo; I thought there was a bit of lagging at some point in the first act, but nothing major. You don't get a very good look at the horse from Row G and probably have to be a lot farther forward to see the whole thing, alas. The offstage effects are just as wondrous from up there, though.

I realize that I neglected to call out the excellent performance by Jordan Bisch as the Ghost of Hector. He is a wonderfully spooky presence and has the perfect sepulchral sound for the part.

Tattling: An awful lot of people must have lost track of the six o'clock curtain, because there was way too much milling around and chatter and people being seated between Acts I and II. And there was chattering (and shushing) after the music started.