Andréa Chenier – Metropolitan Opera

Nicolas Joël’s staging of Umberto Giordano’s epic verismo opera of revolution and forbidden love is brought back to life by Revival Director J. Knighten Smit with the orchestra under the baton of Daniele Rustioni in his first season as Principal Guest Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera.

At a glittering party in 18th-century Paris there are distinctly two tiers of society on display from the lowly footman Gérard (Igor Golovatenko) who follows in the footsteps of his father who has been in service for sixty years, to the sumptuous host, Contessa di Coigny (Nancy Fabiola Herrera), whose daughter Maddalena (Sonya Yoncheva) straddles both as she eschews the fancy dress and faux manners in favour of intellectual discussion, so when the poet Andréa Chenier (Piotr Beczała) delivers an impassioned denunciation of Louis XVI, there are more than just revolutionary sparks in the air.

Five years later, the Revolution has given way to the Terror, transforming the power balance between Chénier, Maddalena, and Gérard: who now is calling the shots in this love triangle?

Hubert Monloup’s set and costume design capture the richness of the ruling class in the opening act with some strongly choreographed scenes for the Chorus, following which the brutal reversal of fortune is embodied in bold but blander settings in which a rich seam of colour flows as the downtrodden become the oppressor.

Rustioni directed the orchestra perfectly through Giordani’s musical maelstrom of emotion delivering leitmotifs and harmonies with aplomb and setting a high bar for the vocalists to match.

Beczała and Yoncheva are two of operas stalwarts, but whilst he has stated this was a role he always aspired to play, she has separately acknowledged the challenges of verismo, and one had to wonder whether the passage of time would have taken its toll on their performance and tone. Well, age brings experience and nous and whilst the vocal timbre did strain on occasions, both gave controlled, powerful performances, perfect for verismo, and probably saving themselves for the final act’s duet. However, this was at the expense of the necessary on-stage chemistry which was somewhat lacking throughout and somewhat of a surprise given the long performance history that they share.

Similarly, Golovatenko delivered a powerful vocal, yet it never felt that we got to the heart of his character’s inner conflicts which are essential to the unfolding of this opera.

The cast was littered with strong supporting performances with special mentions for Siphokazi Molteno’s delightful vocal as Bersi whilst Brenton Ryan’s captivating performance as the Incredible was realistic with its sinister undertones. Olesya Petrova’s vocal was emotional and moving as she sacrificed her all for the revolutionary cause.

Reviewer: Mark Davoren

Reviewed: 13^th December 2025

North West End UK Rating: