Tokyo Performances

Tokyo Opera's Forza

I attended the opening of “La Forza del Destino” at the New National Theater Opera House in Tokyo on March 15. I usually attend performances of later composers, but I thought this might be interesting. It wasn’t.

As so often happens, the Tokyo Opera seems to spend its money on the production and not on the singers. And, as also often happens, the production was slightly wacky, very overblown, and sensational without being very thoughtful.

The production designer, Emilio Sagi, decided to set the action during the Spanish Civil War, which I admit isn’t in itself too off the wall. But, Leonora still has to seek refuge in a monastery, and the clerical facets of the story are pretty important – and how that fit into the Spanish Civil War escaped me.

It all fell apart in the 3rd act which seemed to take place in a giant dormitory – presumably a hospital. At the end of the act we had Preziosilla singing her “Glory to War” ditty with partisans waving both flags and giant hula hoops. What?? Rather disturbing for the patients wouldn’t one think.

The crowd scenes at the Tokyo Opera are always very distracting. The extras seem to feel that they each must adopt a distinct persona; and the results usually entail a lot of mincing around, pantomimed chatter, and face pulling. This was no exception.

But the worst false note of the evening was having Fra Melitone play his part for laughs – the Spanish Civil War and starving civilians are so jolly, after all.

The singing was mediocre. Christopher Robertson as Don Carlo was probably the highlight vocally of the evening, but nothing to write home about. Robert Dean Smith as Don Alvaro, Anna Shafajinskaia as Leonora, and Jyrki Korhonen as Padre Guardiano were adequate but certainly not stellar. Akemi Sakamoto as Preziosilla was actually quite miscast, and she earned a boo from one audience member during the curtain calls.

When I think back to the Tokyo Opera productions I’ve seen over the past years, I seem to have been rarely satisfied by the singing – serviceable but not first rate – and the productions – sensational for sensationalism’s sake. But, the orchestra always saves the evening, and this night was no exception. The Tokyo Symphony under Michiyoshi Inoue was, as always excellent. But, at $250 a ticket, I expect the whole package.

Photos can be seen at http://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/frecord/opera/2005%7E2006/forza/forza.html

posted by Larry Wells @ 11:52 AM