Review by Natalia Dantas © dibartolocritic—
Catania, October 12, 2016
The great work again on stage in Catania at Teatro massimo Bellini for the continuation of the Opera and Ballet season 2016. It is indented in the theater of Sada after summer and a standard saved from driving rain on Greek-Roman Theatre and the return is filed at a work demanding in every aspect: Turandot by Giacomo Puccini. A somewhat ambitious return, to tell the truth, since Puccini's masterpiece requires a set of proven depth.
Driving always appreciable orchestra del teatro, the M° Antonio Pirolliexperienced and attentive, which appeared following moment by moment the organic well reinforced, perhaps exceeding at times overwhelming dynamics of brasses and stumbling in the whims of Chinese gongs in barcaccia, but always trying to follow the interpreters not to surpass them, holding out their support with care at all times.
Interpreters who had a great weight of responsibility to keep the shoulders, also moving in a preparation of ’ Association Arena Sferisterio of Macerata Opera Festival, for directed by Massimo Gasparon, sets and costumes by Pier Luigi Pizzi, and illuminated by lights infused with colourism of net Vincent R.
Has proven this one of those cases where the staging affects performance of interpreters, if the Director is not attentive to their needs. The scenes of Lace they were structured in steps, looming over the proscenium and populated by the choir, which filled it entirely. The positioning of the masses so far in front of the proscenium, instead of correctly exploiting the depth of the stage, did not help the choral structure, directed by Ross Craigmile, which, often lacking subtlety in modulation and colors, poured out excess volume into the stalls. As too often happens, the voices, especially the female ones, are not entirely well blended. In the first act in particular, in this work the choir is the protagonist as much as the main performers: this should be taken into account.
As for the aforementioned main interpreters, in the title role l ’ American soprano experience Susan Neves, by the many languages spoken, but by the now tired and forced sung voice in this role. The role of the princess is tremendously difficult, you know and, trying to avoid recalling some of Dimitrova's 70s wonders, one would expect an interpreter capable of reaching and holding the harsh and at times even notes. violent of an improbable texture. Neves showed great good will, but she could only emit sounds almost shouted in the most inaccessible highs, making a character that moreover, scenically, was not very convincing.
And if, on returning to the voice of Neves, some ancient sweetness that there had been in the stamp and in setting the character's spirit, the same screeched wish we find in Liu icy and hard vocally Rosanna Savoie. Potentially suitable for the role from the vocal point of view, the Campania soprano still has to file the character, both from the point of view of certain sound harshness, far from the ductility and softness indispensable for Liù who also has considerable yarns to cope with, both from the point of view of interpetation. Nobody likes the sweetened Liù, but the Liù warriors perhaps exceed a little’ with respect to the intentions of the author: "Liu poem" finishes the scene of his death. And the definition encompasses the entire character, even vocal point of view.
A soothing rediscovered the voice of Sungkyu Parkoften sacrificed in roles that fit his vocal style, lacking in serious in nature and in the higher notes. In the part of Calaf the standard Korean did, thankfully, put aside the recent Greek-Roman theatre that Pollione norm. His voice does not Excel in quality, but for once he has been seen "in part" and this has benefited strongly in the whole of his performance.
Imposing stature but not for hieratic presence, even voice, the Timur by Andrea Chambers.
Ping Pong and Pang punctual, well blended, despite some lack of projection: Gaur, Mouthpiece and Puglia they have shown themselves to be correct but far from enthusiastic; the same happened for the supporting actors. We would have liked in Changa a Emperor Altoum more "Imperial", but did not depend only on the quality of her voice: the staging and costumes, not pleasing nor particularly cared, they were given due weight, as it gave even to Princess Turandot.
Was in fact a Chinese princess dressed in Renaissance style, without an ornament that emphasized the kingship, a simplification that has not been corrected streamlining trappings (often abused), but important stage deprivation of attributes.
A note directing curiosity addressed to Gasparon, rather than to the interpreter: the number three with the hand, in Chinese gestures, it is obtained by closing the thumb and forefinger, instead of, as we Westerners do, ring and little fingers. The riddles are threeThus, Princess, but…the Chinese!
In making appear Turandot staged at the helm of the children's Chorus, the graceful Gaudeamusigitur Concentus directed by Nitin Parmarthe Director gave her maybe a touch of humanity, but has focused attention on the heroine's poignant and scenographic usually appear, you would be still enclosed in a cocoon of callous cruelty, loose only in the finale of Alfano.
And, speaking of this ending and the performance of the performers in this, which is the decidedly more sonorous part of the work, the direction of Pizzi taken up by Gasparon, taking into account the limited vocal projection of the two protagonists, combined with a weaving of strength and of fierce competition with the orchestral sounds (with all the psalms of Puccini's notes ending in Alfanian glory), he could have facilitated their task by placing them not at the top of the steps, but in a lower position and closer to the proscenium.
Proscenium on which, instead, for the entire performance of the show, a questionable goddess Kali of Indian memory, which, with the two statues high up on the backdrop, borrowed from the eighteenth-century Chinese House in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, in Germany, made the exoticism of the whole almost rococo and therefore very vague and "chinoiserie", when instead the location of the story is placed “in the time of Fables”, as the booklet says, but firmly located in Beijing.
However pleasant evening as a whole crowd pleaser, enjoyment, in any case, a masterpiece, which is staged with great result from viewers for its reputation and which was also favored by the staging of a production in line with tradition.
© Natalia Dantas – operaeopera.com
Photos © James Orlando