Soprano Danielle de Niese’s best moments were Donizetti ditties. Dan Saunders, on piano, accompanies her tonight in Brooklyn. (Richard Termine)
Nature cooperated Wednesday night for the Metropolitan Opera’s opening recital at Central Park SummerStage, with balmy temperatures, mild humidity, even a gentle breeze.
Only the singers were under the weather.
A trio of Met regulars — soprano Danielle de Niese, tenor Dimitri Pittas and bass-baritone John Del Carlo — struggled with a program of arias and scenes by Mozart, Verdi, Rossini and others.
Pittas bellowed sharp with a harsh vibrato, cracking high notes in numbers from “Faust” and “La Boheme,” and Del Carlo, hoarse from the beginning of the night, ended by talking his way through a patter song from “The Barber of Seville.”
De Niese’s issues were subtler but equally nagging, as she cooed and swooped through elaborate Mozart concert arias. Only in a couple of intimate songs by John Dowland did the natural charm of her voice shine through.
To the rescue rode Donizetti, whose delightful comic operas “L’elisir d’Amore” and “Don Pasquale” — chunks of which were performed that night — have catchy tunes and bubbling rhythms that can stand up even to so-so vocalism.
Here De Niese shone, belting out a flirtatious aria from “Pasquale” in a sequined gown so tight she could hardly curtsy.
The 3,300-plus crowd took a break from their picnics of sushi and pizza to cheer.
The Australian-born diva also played host, rattling off plot points of upcoming scenes in her incongruous Valley girl accent. She even chatted with the audience as Pittas dashed offstage for repairs to his body mike.
Del Carlo joined her for a couple of fast-paced duets, his voice raspy but his comic mugging perfectly timed.
The trio, along with their attentive accompanist Dan Saunders, repeat this program in Brooklyn Bridge Park tonight.
Starting Tuesday, a second cast of young singers continue the series, adding numbers by Stravinsky and Kurt Weill to the mix, along with a big dollop of — who better? — Donizetti.