domenica 17 luglio 2016

A Difficult Score in Music and Vision 7 May



A Difficult Score
The new critical edition of
Puccini's 'La Fanciulla del West',
reviewed by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

There was a rather special world premiere at La Scala on 3 May: a well known opera, Puccini's La Fanciulla del West in its recently published critical edition. M&V has often reviewed La Fanciulla del West, especially on the occasion of the centenary of its opening ('Eyes Tight Shut', 22 July 2010 and 'A Marvellous Job', 29 December 2010).
The world premiere took place in the huge Metropolitan Opera House in West 34th Street, New York on 10 December 1910. The theatre was packed; critics had come from all over the USA and, by transatlantic liners, from Europe (including some from very distant Australia). Arturo Toscanini was in the pit; Enrico Caruso, Emmy Destinn and Pasquale Amato sang the leads. Giacomo Puccini, alone in his box, surveyed the scene. That is, until the end of Act I, when the composer and cast appeared on stage for fourteen curtain calls. Similar pandemonium broke out at the end of the other two acts. The opera had been commissioned by the Met from one of the most famous composers of the time. In turn, Puccini (and the authors of the libretto, Guelfo Civinni and Carlo Zangarini) had molded it to the great vocal capabilities of the three protagonists as well as of the fifteen singers in minor roles and to the ability of the Met orchestra. The opera itself was based on a very successful American play on Broadway: David Belasco's The Girl from the Golden West. Nonetheless, the opera as performed in 1910 had been altered by Arturo Toscanini — a real tyrant. Since then, the 'reference version' has been the 10 December 1910 version, viz Puccini as revised by Toscanini. A new critical edition reveals that the modifications are essentially: a) the cancellation of a duettino between the protagonist, Minnie, and a young Indian; b) a cut of some one hundred bars in the first act during the infighting among the miners; and c) a simplification of the orchestration. This last is the most important alteration of Puccini's own writing.
Barbara Haveman as Minnie and the miners in Act I of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano
Barbara Haveman as Minnie and the miners in Act I of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano. Click on the image for higher resolution
La Scala's project to present La Fanciulla del West just as Puccini had composed it had to be modified at the last minute, however, because the main singer, Eva-Maria Westbroek had very bad flu. She was replaced by Barbara Haveman, who had sung the role in Frankfurt — only a few sopranos have it in their repertory. She had to debut at La Scala without rehearsing and not being familiar with the quite peculiar house acoustics. Thus, the duettino could not be included in the 3 May performance I attended, but the miners brawl was as written by Puccini, and the composer's original orchestration was maintained.
Barbara Haveman as Minnie and Claudio Sgura as Jack in Act II of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano
Barbara Haveman as Minnie and Claudio Sgura as Jack in Act II of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano. Click on the image for higher resolution
The stage direction is entrusted to Robert Carsen and his frequent team of collaborators (Luis Carvalho for sets, Petra Reinhardt for costumes and Peter van Praet for lighting). The action, taking into account Puccini's interest in the seventh art, ie cinema, is in rigorous black and white but includes a vision of the Californian red desert in the first act. During the orchestral introduction, there is the projection of a silent Western movie taking place in a movie theatre; then the theatre auditorium becomes Minnie's tavern. In the final scene, the forest where Dick is about to be hanged is transformed into the outside entrance to the movie theatre, with Minnie in Hollywood star attire and Dick dressed as Clark Gable. Some of the upper tier audience made it clear they did not appreciate this.
Roberto Aronica as Dick and Barbara Haveman as Minnie in Act II of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano
Roberto Aronica as Dick and Barbara Haveman as Minnie in Act II of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano. Click on the image for higher resolution
On the musical front, Riccardo Chailly, a Puccini fan, and the orchestra showed the modernity and the intricacies of a very difficult score. As underlined in a recent review of the 1918 opera Il Trittico ('In Two Parts', 21 April 2016), in La Fanciulla del West, Puccini was already far away from verismo (where he is often classified) and travelling towards the second Viennese school and expressionism. Chailly was so enthusiastic, however, that in the final part of the first act, he did not keep the right balance between pit and stage, and covered the voices.
Claudio Sgura as Jack and the miners in Act III of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano
Claudio Sgura as Jack and the miners in Act III of 'La Fanciulla del West' at La Scala. Photo © 2016 Brescia e Amisano. Click on the image for higher resolution
As for the singers, the fifteen minor roles were absolutely excellent. Barbara Haveman was very brave in saving the performance; she has a Wagnerian voice but exceeded in vibrato. Roberto Aronica was the good and generous tenor one expects in Dick's role. Claudio Sgura was an effective sheriff.
There was warm applause but no ovation, and a few boos at the staging.
Copyright © 7 May 2016 Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy
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