Showing posts with label Nicola Luisotti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nicola Luisotti. Show all posts

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Royal Opera House 2016: Il trittico (Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi) ★★★★

Il tabarro - Photo by Bill Cooper
[5th March 2016]
The longer awaited production of Richard Jone's Il Trittico at the Royal Opera House was a relief for many who saw the premier back in 2011, which received positive reviews at the time, However Puccini's triptych of love, jealousy, murder, loss and comic trickery wasn't always performed together. For example, Suor Angelica would be dropped, while Gianni Schicchi would be paired with another opera, and so forth. For this production conductor, Nicola Luisotto is on top form, fashioning the diverse styles of Puccini - when the music was dramatic Luiosotto made sure you knew trouble was on its way. 

I've had the pleasure of seeing Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi by the talented Fulham Opera (review here) as well as Opera Holland Park's captivating production of all three (review here), and from this I've realised that putting these one-act operas together (originally Puccini's intention) - with their various storylines, diverse subject matters and versatile music - makes it a far more enjoyable night at the opera compared to seeing them as separate entities. What's more touching is that at the time of composing Il trittico (1918), Puccini was going through a difficult time in his life, making these operas more intimate and insightful of the composer's life. 

 Il tabarro ★★★★
Some may not consider Il tabarro (The Cloak) as their favourite opera but I relish the opportunity to hear it because of the unique music, lovely arias, intriguing detail and riveting narrative - a married woman who is driven into a clandestine affair with one of her husband's workers as a way of coping with child loss. It's fair to say that Il tabarro is definitely not a happy opera. Alongside the main story, which ends with a monstrous murder scene, Puccini opens up a picture of Paris seeped with poverty, misery and a constant yearning for a better life, by the lower classes. 

 Based on Didier Gold's play, La Houppelande, Puccini felt compelled to turn it into a melodrama opera, which is set in a similar time and societal space as his famous opera, La bohème. Stage designer, Ultz places the opera on the dock of the River Seine with Parisians minding their own business - kissing their lover in the backstreets and bargaining for pleasure - with a boat for our child-less couple Michele and Giorgetta. Italian baritone Lucio Gallo's Michele exhibits the sadness and loneliness felt of man destroyed of this loss. Michele's sings to his wife in desperate need of affection, reflecting on the moments he wrapped her and their child with his cloak, while Giorgetta rejects him and gives flimsy excuses for not kissing him when he requests it.

 Patricia Racette, as Giorgetta, misplaces her love and desire for Luigi, persuading him to come back when Michele is asleep. Racette enthralls the audience with her splendid voice and Carl Tanner had me listening attentively when he sang lyrically and exquisitely to Hai ben ragione! meglio non pensare. I suppose it must be all that pitying for all of the characters including Frugola (Irina Mishura) and the burden of child loss that moved me the most. One moment complete euphoria, for Michele, and then complete despair and death for Luigi.


Suor Angelica - Ermonela Jaho - Photo by Clare Colvin
Suor Angelica ★★★★
Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho is back again to regale us with her glorious performance as Angelica, as she did back in 2011. Suor Angelica is a spiritual opera that is said to have the most poignant and lyrical music of all three. Some of Puccini's best music comes from Il trittico (I agree) and again, this beautiful opera has a heartbreaking story to tell. Miriam Buether's set is a 20th century children's hospital where nuns look after children patients in a ward. 

 Having lived an immoral life, according to her family, Angelica is sent to a nunnery. After many years, she receives a visit from her unforgiving aunt who gives her the most devastating news. Jaho gives a courageous performance as Angelica, demanding an answer of the well-being of her son and showing the grief and shock as if it were real. Anna Larsson received a boo at the end but that was simply because of her convincing portrayal as the selfish and cold-hearted aunt who broke (our) Angelica's heart.

Jaho's performance in Senza mamma is like a knife. When you see her wobble and weep as she realises the consequence of drinking poison, which Angelica thinks would bring her closer to her son, it really is harrowing. Her isolation and segregation from the other nuns is made clearer in their inability to do nothing as she goes into a frenzy, grabbing and begging them to help her. The enchanting music and courageous singing makes this one of the most moving opera performances I've ever seen; many in the audience were in tears by the end of it. 

Gianni Schicchi - Photo by Bill Cooper
Gianni Schicchi ★★★
Wasn't it kind of Puccini to compose a lighthearted opera with the ‘desire to laugh and make others laugh' after all the dark melodrama and heart ache? Here, Gallo puts down Michele's cloak and returns to the stage as the raw and wittier Schicchi who saves the Donati family (well,) by impersonating their dead relative. In John Macfarlane's staging of Buoso's warmly-lit home, the family hang around waiting for the last moments of Buoso to die so they can each identify what they had inherited. To their disappointment, it turns out that Buoso had left them nothing and offered everything to the local monastery instead - they don't even get his mule!

Gallo gives a memorable performance as Schicchi while Sussana Hurrell performed beautifully as Lauretta as she sung O mio babbino caro, delightfully; the audience sighed and applauded loudly as soon as she was done. Sicilian tenor Paolo Fanale was also a glowing voice on the stage as Lauretta's fiancé, together they represented the sweet side to the opera, fluttering their eyelids, encouraging Schicchi to help the family out so they can get married sooner. Much praise goes to the hilarious ensemble as the disgruntled and complacent money-hungry family sung by Elena Zilio, Marie McLaughlin, David Kempster, Gwynne Howell and Tiziano Bracci.

Production ends on the 15th March 2015. Although it is three operas, it is shown in one performance. Click here to purchase tickets or call the ROH on the day to see if there are any return tickets. 





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Sunday, 22 March 2015

Madama Butterfly: Royal Opera House 2015 ★★★★


© The Royal Opera House
This Friday [20th March] was the opening night of Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier’s 2011 revival production of Madama Butterly, which brought audiences to tears. Following a tremendous portrayal of a troubled Manon in a‘tight fitted, bust improvising pink corset’ in last year’s controversialproduction of Manon Lescaut, Latvian Soprano, Kristine Opolais, gave a dramatic performance as a naïve Cio-Cio san with the vocal heft that made it one of her best nights at Covent Garden.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly - based on a 15-year-old ex-geisha who falls in love with a chauvinist American, that leaves her with a love child unbeknown to him - is ranked as the 7th most popular opera in the world. According to co-director, Leiser, ‘it is a very important story to tell’ and many would agree. The revival production, directed by Justin Way, embodies the tragedy of Madama Butterfly through Japanese simple architectural design, lavishly made kimonos by Agostino Cavalca, and Japanese cultural values including patience and graciousness. 

Christian Fenouillat’s minimal set design of subtle sliding doors and large panels convey Cio-Cio san’s enclosure from the outside world: her heritage, religion and, most of all, her family. Act I reveals a picturesque backdrop of Nagasaki: a mountainous beauty, as the wedding ceremony commences. Yet as the Bonze (Jeremy White) utters his curse on Cio Cio san Nagasaki is no more. Her family, sung by the Royal Opera Chorus, walk over the image of Nagasaki as they sing in outrage, ‘Cio-Cio-san’ and abandon her for ever. 
© The Royal Opera House

For Leiser and Caurier, the opera presents a cynical ‘American imperialist view on Japanese culture’ where such characters as Pinkerton ‘do not consider Japanese culture as valid.’ It is a ‘dark work’ that captures an unfortunate situation that happens repeatedly to many women in the world. The sadness lies in the virtuousness of Cio-Cio san whose illusory beliefs depend on her apparent American husband. With an unexpected child in the mix the operatic drama is amplified, gripping the hearts of many young mothers in the audience. 

Even Opolais can empathise with this heartrending tale being a mother of a three-year-old. She stated how emotionally taxing and challenging the role of Cio-Cio san can be in an interview with Latin Post . Recently she told Rupert Christiansen, ‘[Cio-Cio san] knows that her child is going to be taken away from her and that for me is what makes the agony of the tragedy.’ 

Under the baton of Nicola Luisotti, the music director of San Francisco Opera and the Teatro di San Carlo, the Royal Opera House Orchestra gave a resoundingly rich musical performance of Puccini’s much-loved opera. Having never seen Luisotti in action before, watching him was like watching, something out of, a movie. His delicate, classic and, almost, cinematic conducting style was a sight to marvel as was his love for Puccini, which was oozing audibly out of the pit. 
@ The Royal Opera House
Making his debut at the Royal Opera House, as bad boy Pinkerton, was ‘fresh off the boat’ American Tenor, Brian Jagde. Pinkerton only hangs around for the first act, but, for this, Jagde gave a convincing performance of a man who had fallen for an exotic creature as he sung, ‘I’m marrying Japanese style for 999 years.’ His voice has an exquisite vibrato, which is disarming even if the words he sang were not genuine. I hope we get to see him again in another production at Covent Garden.

Enkelejda Shkosa, who sang as Suzuki, added spice and a little kick to her characterisation of Cio-Cio san’s maid. She presented a tougher version of Suzuki. In the flower duet Il cannone del porto! with Opolais, her sweet vocal accompaniment seemed also deluded with hope of Pinkerton’s return, which made the audience sigh.

Gabriele Viviani sang as Sharpless after having sung the role of Pinkerton in the original production. Here, he exudes the remorse and guilt of being the go-between, but, unfortunately, did not present much luster or sheen in his voice. Carlo Bosi as Goro gave a theatrical performance of a corrupt Japanese marriage broker. Dressed in a fabulous semi-Western, semi-Japanese design, he concocted a Goro we would learn to hate and sang pleasant enough, even though he played a villain.
© The Arts Desk

The long intermission that shifts Act II to Act III, where Opolais waits motionless for her husbands’ return, sees no action on stage, and the opera may seem to drag. The audience have to depend on Luisotti’s waving arms and swaying body to gather some visual momentum. But the humming chorus is a gem in itself - it never fails to please Puccini fans whist preparing for the ultimate death scene.

Opolais triumphed on the opening night. She created an intense and emotional evening for many. As she sung Butterfly's heart breaking finale aria, Con onor muore , I was reminded of her last performance singing as the dying Manon in Sola, perduta, abbandonata. Towards the final act, many sniffles and fiddly tissues were heard from the audience. With an excellent choice of cast for the Royal Opera House’s 396th performance of Madam Butterfly, it was, perhaps, the most dramatic portrayal of Madam Pinkerton I had ever seen. 

(I had a distraught and upsetting experience at the finale. Luckily I didn’t get any tears on my pink Kimono, which, by the way, I was the only one wearing. sheesh!)
The production is showing until April 11th. Please have a look at the site as tickets are selling out fast.






Other Reviews:
Madam Butterfly at the Royal Albert Hall @LDNCARD - Currently showing (2015)
Relay Screening of Madam Butterfly by Opera Australia (2014)
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