patrikpen: Truly Powerful in Music and Vision 29 marzo

domenica 12 maggio 2013

Truly Powerful in Music and Vision 29 marzo

Truly Powerful

GIUSEPPE PENNISI experiences
Ravenna's first performance of
Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia'

In Italy, more than elsewhere, the centenary of Benjamin Britten's birth is overshadowed by the Verdi and Wagner bicentenaries. Verdi is seen as one of the few 'national' composers and Wagner as his German counterpart in the nineteenth century national unification movements. Thus, it is mightily important that three theatres have joined forces to produce one of Britten's most interesting works: The Rape of Lucretia. They are the Ravenna Teatro Alighieri (where I saw the performance on 22 March 2013), the Reggio Emilia Teatro Pavarotti (where the opera will be performed in April) and the Teatro del Maggio Musical Fiorentino (where several performances are programmed in the latter part of May).

It is not an entirely new production, but the updating of a staging which toured several Italian theatres in 1999-2000. The Rape of Lucretia was conceived by Britten in 1944-46 as a commission by the Glyndebourne Festival. Britten had two main thoughts: a) the war as absolute violence and as most atrocious violence if exercised against women; b) the need to develop a new form of opera theatre which would have the features of traditional opera but would not be expensive to stage, and could easily travel from town to town.

Joshua Bloom as Collatinus in Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia' in Ravenna. Photo © 2013 Maurizio Montanari

The plot, based on a French play, and drawn in turn from Roman history, is a two act, four scene 'morality play'. In circa 500 BC, the Etruscan Tarquinius is ruling Rome; his son, Tarquinius Jr, considers the city as 'his whore' and, with a trick, enters the home of Rome's most virtuous wife (Lucretia) and forcibly rapes her. Even though she is forgiven by her husband (Collatinus) when made aware of the events, Lucretia stabs herself. The choruses promise eternal life and redemption.

John Daszak (male chorus), Julianne Young (Lucretia), Jacques Imbrailo (Tarquinius) and Philip Smith (Junius) in Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia' in Ravenna. Photo © 2013 Maurizio Montanari. Click on the image for higher resolution

The Rape of Lucretia is a full opera (with recitative, arioso, arias, concertato and symphonic interludes to help changes of scene), not a 'chamber opera', but with very economical means: twelve soloists in the pit, eight singers, of whom two (a tenor and a soprano) are the choruses. It is one of the few Britten operas with a female singer in the central role (an alto as Lucretia).

Gabriella Sborgi (Bianca), Julianne Young (Lucretia) and Laura Catrani (Lucia) in Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia' in Ravenna. Photo © 2013 Maurizio Montanari

The staging by Roberto Abbado (sets and costumes are by Gianni Carluccio; videos by Luca Scarzella) is based on a two-tiered set and projections that bring the horror of war and violence to modern times. The singers all have perfect English diction so that each and every word can be understood. All of them have high standards. Especially remarkable were Julianne Young (Lucretia), John Daszak (Male Chorus), Cristina Zavalloni (Female Chorus), Joshua Bloom (Collatinus) and Jacques Imbrailo (Tarquinius).

_John Daszak (male chorus), Julianne Young (Lucretia) and Jacques Imbrailo (Tarquinius) in Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia' in Ravenna. Photo © 2013 Maurizio Montanari. Click on the image for higher resolution

The musical direction by Jonathan Webb and the soloists from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra made the performance a truly powerful experience. The voices are never covered, the interludes have the sound of a grand orchestra in full formation and, in the epilogue, the mourning passacaglia is gently transformed into a serene melody to words that refer directly to Christian as well universal values of 'love' and 'tragedy'.

Julianne Young (Lucretia) and Jacques Imbrailo (Tarquinius) in Britten's 'The Rape of Lucretia' in Ravenna. Photo © 2013 Maurizio Montanari

This was the first performance of The Rape of Lucretia in Ravenna, to an audience mostly used to Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini and Puccini. Thus there were a few empty seats in the auditorium and a few unsold boxes. Nonetheless, the audience reacted with enthusiasm.