La Fanciulla del West
The final performance of “La Fanciulla del West” at Tokyo’s New National Theater was a musical treat but a theatrical mystery.
Ably conducted by Ulf Schirmer, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra provided eloquent support for a cast which included Stephanie Friede as Minnie, Lucio Gallo as Rance and Atila B. Kiss (what an excellent name) as Dick Johnson. Ms Friede replaced Carol Vaness who, according to a news bulletin from the opera house, was “unable to perform due to her physical condition”. I wonder what that means. In any event, Ms Friede reminded me of a young Tebaldi, and she brought lyricism and drama to the vocal demands of the role. Mr. Gallo sang beautifully, and Mr. Kiss, with the exception of a couple tentative moments in the highest register, carried off his role with distinction. Remaining roles were performed by Japanese singers who were entirely adequate but unmemorable. Wowkle, surely Puccini’s most bizarre creation, did utter several eloquent “Ughs.”
As is often the case at Tokyo Opera, the production itself threatened to overshadow the music. The director, Adreas Homoki, and the scenery designer, Frank Philipp Schlössmann, removed the setting from the Old West to a present day urban environment in which immigrant street people representing every ethnic group imaginable pushed shopping carts around an enclosure walled off by sky-high stacks of cardboard cartons. Is it a Wal-Mart warehouse?
In the opening scene, the ballad of longing was performed by a boom-box while Jim, clearly demented by his experience as a homeless immigrant, stared off-vacantly and slack-jawed. The accompanying chorus at that point sang so well that I was quite moved.
Enter Minnie in an orange jump suit. At first I thought she might be portraying a social worker. But alas, she actually ran a cart selling whiskey and cigarettes. She was able to produce a Bible from the cart for her lesson, so one was left to speculate what else she might be able to supply. Enter Rance, a black suited tough cop. Enter Dick Johnson, in blue jeans and flannel shirt.
So, if Johnson is a thief, exactly what is he supposed to be capable of stealing from the homeless? Further speculation about the production led me to wonder if it was an allegory of some sort in which Johnson represented the USA with the international community eager for its destruction. Then it would be hard to explain how Minnie could convince them to forgo this opportunity simply because she loves him. Of course, this ties in nicely with my favorite line in the opera, “L’amore e un’altra causa” – love’s a different matter.
I don’t object to reworkings of operas, but I do not enjoy being distracted from the music by trying to determine the meaning of what I’m seeing. This happens often in Tokyo: last year’s “Forza” set in the Spanish Civil War, a recent lunatic Ring Cycle, an even more recent “Daphne” with classic mythological trappings amidst which a quintet of modern dancers flung themselves around the stage.
This is one of my favorite Puccini operas and it’s not performed enough – the last time I saw it was in San Francisco in the late 70’s with Placido Domingo and Carol Neblett. That the music was able to prevail despite the idiosyncrasies of the production attest to the music’s value. Stage photos from the production can be found at http://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/index.html
As the curtain came down, along with the obligatory ass in the audience who has to scream “Bravi” before the conductor has had a chance to bring his arms down, I was left in an elevated state, by the music and by the singing. I can only speculate about what surprises next month’s “Der Rosenkavalier” will bring – perhaps it will be set in the Old West.
Erika Colon
In marked contrast to my experience at NHK Hall two nights ago, I attended today a recital which was all that it should have been. A ravishing young soprano, Erika Colon, sang a variety of pieces in a beautiful, clear, bright voice.
She opened with a sensational “Oh Had I Jubal’s Lyre” and continued unabated through works in French, Latin, German, Italian, and Japanese. Highlights included Dowland’s “Come Again” and “Sakurayokocho” by Yoshinayo Nakata. But each of the pieces, from Gounod’s “Ave Maria” through Mozart’s “Ave Verum” to Satie’s “La Diva de l’Empire” displayed excellent intonation and a variety of expressive techniques. I am more interested in newer music, and I thoroughly enjoyed three short pieces of Marie Scibor with lyrics by Paul Claudel. Likewise I was moved by an “Ave Maria” composed by the artist’s father Eric Colon in honor of the Burned Virgin of Nagasaki.
Miss Colon was admirably accompanied by Kanako Tsutsumi, and the venue was perfect – a recital hall on the Sacred Heart University campus with three huge windows behind the artists looking out on to a garden with a blooming cherry tree on a pleasant Spring Sunday afternoon.
Miss Colon will be going to London to study at the Royal Academy, and I look forward to following her career, especially as she matures into more edgy repertoire. She seems to have a particular affinity for French music which I hope she pursues.
NHK Symphony: Brahms and Strauss
I usually enjoy attending the NHK Symphony at NHK Hall. It's the one performance venue in Tokyo I can go to spontaneously and get a 1500 yen last-minute balcony ticket - where the sound is the best in the hall. So, I was looking forward to hearing one of my favorite pieces, Richard Strauss' "Four Last Songs" sung by noted soprana Anna Tomowa-Sintow.
The concert opened with Brahms' giant yawn "The Tragic Overture". I heard this 13 minute piece a couple years ago as a concert-opener as well, and I wonder why the programming cannot be more imaginative. There are certainly scores (pardon the pun) of openers out there that are less ponderous.
The conductor, Matthias Bamert, is well-noted, according to Wikipedia, but he had the ability to put me to sleep in the middle of that brief work.
Then the diva strode on stage. I have become sensitive to age issues recently, so I should be the last person to say that she is past her prime. According to Wikipedia she is 66 - a site unreliable for artists' birthdates. And she really shouldn't be performing any longer. She has had a fine career, and is featured in a recording of Kornghold's "Das Wunder der Heliane" that is one of my very favorites. But, she started off ragged and swooping in the first song. There were both sharp and grainy edges to her voice. It just seemed like a struggle. The second song, my favorite, came off a little better - but it sure wasn't Schwartzkopf or Price of Fleming or Hendricks or Te Kanawa or Norman. In the third she seemed to disagree with the conductor on the tempo. And, in the fourth, she acutually produced some beautiful phrases. Unfortunately, maestro Bamert conducted as if he were still conducting Brahms. The orchestra, as always, played valiantly, and the concertmaster's solos were stunning.
The second half of the concert was to be Schönberg's orchestration of Brahms' Piano Quartet op. 25. Although I was intrigued to hear something that I was unfamiliar with, I couldn't bring myself to be further disappointed, so I left.
The applause at the end of the Strauss was tepid and polite. And as with most Japanese audiences, at least three ovations are the bare minimum. That was enough to permit Ms Tomowa-Sintow to grant an encore, but I was out of the hall by the middle of an atrocious "Zueignung."
Some artists know when it's time to retire, and they do so gracefully with impeccable timing: Price, for one. Others hang on to the bitter end, to everyone's embarrassment: Pavarotti, Caballe, as examples.
The only good news of the evening was a brochure promising a complete cycle of the Shostakovich symphonies in the fall.
