Review: 'Don Quixote' makes for a gratifying night at Seattle Opera

Everyone knows the story of Don Quixote, the self-proclaimed knight who tilts at windmills, aided by his sidekick Sancho Panza and inspired by his lady love Dulcinea.

It's this popularized version of Cervantes' story that underpins Massenet's 1910 opera "Don Quixote" ("Don Quichotte" in its original French). But in Seattle Opera's inspired production of this local premiere, the original novel also receives its due, quite literally: The action takes place amid gigantic, leather-bound books, out of which the Lilliputian players seem to have escaped.

Kudos to director Linda Brovsky and set designer Donald Eastman for making this obvious conceit work brilliantly. Between scene changes, scrims emblazoned with quotes curtain the stage like pages from a book, eventually highlighting one of the novel's most famous lines: "Too much sanity may be madness, and maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it ought to be."

This tension between madness and sanity, between idealism and realism, powers the story, which is thin on plot. In the first act, Dulcinea distracts a besotted Don Quixote by asking him to retrieve a stolen necklace from a gang of bandits, which he succeeds in doing. In the second act, Don Quixote returns the necklace and proposes marriage to Dulcinea, who rejects his suit and breaks his heart.

Musically, the first act is a bit frustrating, as Don Quixote never gets to properly serenade his lady love. The bits of melody he's allowed are gorgeous, but they are quickly snatched away. The closest thing to a showstopper is Sancho Panza's humorous tirade against women in the second scene — an odd paean to offer in the midst of a romance.

The opera redeems itself in the second act, with a heart-breaking aria sung by Dulcinea to the Don, and Sancho Panza's touching defense of his scorned master. Once again, Brovsky's elegant stage direction makes the most of every dramatic opportunity.

There is always much speculation about which Seattle Opera cast will be "better" in their portrayals. In this case, both sets of lead singers turned in admirable performances.

Saturday's Don, bass-baritone John Relyea, pushed the outer limits of his character, careening between loony madman and inspired idealist, while Nicolas Cavallier on Sunday brought a stiffer dignity to his portrayal. Both men possess lush voices, with Relyea's sounding a bit more distinctive.

Both Sancho Panzas, Saturday's Eduardo Chama and Sunday's Richard Bernstein, brought to their roles the necessary ballast to balance the airy elocutions of their fellow knight-errants. Each man sang beautifully.

The two Dulcineas, Malgorzata Walewska (Saturday) and Daniela Sindram (Sunday), brought different strengths to their portrayals. While Sindram was the more convincing coquette in the first act, Walewska was absolutely riveting in the second act. Her apology to the Don for being unable to accept his suit was ravishing and emotionally charged: At last, one understood why the poor besotted man had placed this woman on a pedestal.

"Don Quixote" doesn't offer the kind of instantly memorable arias that power Bizet's "Carmen," another Spanish-inflected French opera. The absence of such hummable tunes may explain why this charming opera hasn't been staged very often.

But Massenet's lightly perfumed orchestral score is full of delights, which conductor Carlo Montanaro displayed to their best advantage as background music for the mesmerizing dance sequences choreographed by Sara de Luis. Add to this a lineup of great lead singers, a beautifully staged and costumed production and you have a most gratifying night at the opera — made sweeter by the relative brevity of "Don Quixote's" 110 minutes.

Sumi Hahn: sumi@bewodo.org