Metropolitan Opera 2018-19 Preview: What Is ‘Marnie’ & What Do We Know About Nico Muhly’s Newest Opera?
By David SalazarThis Friday, Oct. 19, the Metropolitan Opera hosts the North American premiere of Nico Muhly and Nicholas Wright’s “Marnie.”
This will be the 108th time that the Metropolitan Opera gives the United States premiere of an opera, dating all the way back to 1883 when “La Gioconda” was the first to hold such a stature for the company. Some of the other surprising works on that list include “Orfeo ed Euridice” in 1955, “Cosí Fan Tutte” in 1922, “Eugene Onegin” in 1920, and “Parsifal” in 1903.
In the 21st century, “Marnie” will be but the fourth opera to receive its United States premiere at the Met following “Cyrano de Bergerac (surprising)” in 2005, “Two Boys” in 2013, and “The Exterminating Angel” in 2017.
Most audiences believe that “Marnie” is based on the famed Alfred Hitchcock film from 1964, which starred Tippi Hendren and Sean Connery. However, the creators of the work have gone on record to express that they were actually inspired by the novel by Winston Graham from 1961.
This will be the second run of performances of the opera since its world premiere last season at the English National Opera (it was, however, commissioned by the Met Opera). That run, which starred Sasha Cooke and Daniel Okulitch (this production will star Isabel Leonard and Christopher Maltman) received rather unfavorable reviews.
The Telegraph’s title is pretty telling: “If you’ve seen Hitchcock’s Marnie then this ENO adaptation will only disappoint you.”
The Guardian noted that “the score has passages of undeniable beauty,” but “Muhly’s approach is essentially reflective and there’s too little menace and tension throughout.” The Times echoed this sentiment, adding, “His score has hardly a spark of discernible passion, but a barrelful of secondhand ideas mined from greater composers.”
The Art Desk took the libretto to task, noting, “First there was so much story to be got through that a lot of the dialogue was mundane exchanges of plot information.”
The Independent’s review, while among the most favorable, added “Muhly’s ‘Marnie’ feels like someone’s idea of what opera ought to be rather than a convincing opera in its own right.”
Of course, New York audiences will ultimately decide the work’s fate. It is set for a Live in HD simulcast on Nov. 10, 2018.
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