As much as I do love opera, I have never considered The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny one of my favourites. It does have an interesting story structure, but apart from the Alabama song Weill's style in general is one that I haven't ever warmed to for some reason. While I do much prefer the 1979 Met production with Teresa Stratas, Astrid Varnay, Cornell MacNeil and Paul Plishka, this 1998 one from Salzburg is still pretty good.
Do I think there are any problems? I do think so. The sound quality is rather diffused and doesn't feel very balanced. This is especially true in regard to the orchestra. The sets are also drab in colour and rather bare considering how huge the Salzburg stage is. I would have preferred a more evocative approach like with the Met. The video directing is also a disappointment. I do often find Brian Large's work interesting and sometimes almost cinematic, but here there are a lot of in-your-face close-ups and sadly not much else. It is especially unkind to Catherine Malfitano.
However, the costumes are colourful, and the staging makes the most of the material. I personally also found it very amusing when Jimmy jumps down the stage, runs out and starts harassing the audience, that was a neat touch and didn't detract from the music or story. The orchestral playing is richly detailed and does its best to make the music energetic. Dennis Russell Davies paces things nicely, though I did find it odd that he was wearing casual clothes.
Jerry Hadley is an outstanding Jimmy. His voice fills the auditorium, which is quite a feat considering the scale of it, yet also has some ardour. His acting is compellingly exciting and he seems to believe and feel every word that comes out of his mouth. Catherine Malfitano may be a tad too mature for Jenny, and I would have preferred a more jazzy sort of voice for the Alabama song compared to Malfitano's thrilling but rather loose-vibratoed tone. However, she sings beautifully, really immerses herself in the role and her duets with Hadley have a great sense of intimacy.
Gwyneth Jones vocally is not at her best. While having some signs of power, this is a stage in her career where the voice was very wobbly and I also got the notion that the role of Begbick was too low for her. However, the intelligent and musical singer she is, she does give it her best shot, her drinking and trial scenes are very vivid.
Roy Cornelius Smith sings lusciously, while Wilbur Paley's Trinity Moses is imposing and sometimes obnoxious, Toby Spence is a youthful Toby Higgins and as Jimmy's group of friends Udo Holdorf, Dale Duesing and Harry Peeters would do Weill and Brecht proud. Overall, an interesting and well-sung and acted production, if not my first choice and imperfect. I just hope that my perception of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny goes up from mild appreciation overtime.
7/10 Bethany Cox
