Arresting, consistently absorbing stage pictures expertly follow the mournful flow of this slow-moving epic, while a powerhouse castof singers and the Met Orchestra under the sure direction of Daniele Gatti ensure that the evening has both gravity and momentum.
" Trying to keep a sense of humor about the time constraints in opera, he refers to one ofthe last rehearsals with thecast and a piano (instead of full orchestra) as "my four weeks of previews.