|
|
Fanciulla
By Michael Van Duzer
In spite of the fact that Puccini's La Fanciulla del West was based on a popular American play of the time and had its premiere in New York, American audiences have never taken the opera completely to heart. Somehow its barroom brawls, copious gunshots, and chorus members singing "doo dah, doo dah day" seem, at best, inauthentic and, at worst, slightly silly. But American opera-goers might change their minds after seeing more rip-snortin', excitingly sung productions like the one that opened Los Angeles Opera's 17th season.
Puccini's gifts may not have included creating music that was idiomatically American, but there's no arguing with his dramatic and melodic genius. (One phrase from the love duet plays nightly in Phantom of the Opera companies around the world.) Fanciulla is also remarkable in that it finds Puccini experimenting with a Wagnerian model. His exploration of leit motif in this opera would gestate over the next few years and find full fruition in later masterpieces like Turandot.
Although protocol would dictate that a review of Fanciulla's singers should begin with Minnie, the erstwhile main character, any production featuring Placido Domingo as Dick Johnson must be allowed some leeway. To say Domingo owns the role or commands the stage may be clichés, but they are entirely appropriate in describing this operatic force of nature. In truth, some of the voice's youthful bloom is gone, but what we get in return is a mature artist at the top of his form, singing with the kind of nuance and thoughtful expression that can only come from a career in front of the public. Los Angeles audiences are truly blessed to see so much of this gifted performer. Catherine Malfitano's Minnie almost manages to make sense of the character's myriad contradictions. A virginal tomboy who handles her shotgun with ease and melts at her first kiss, Minnie proves that you can get a man with a gun. (She's actually got the whole town in love with her.) Malfitano's singing can be a little strained at the limits of her register, but she attacks the role with gusto and ultimately triumphs. As the third point in Puccini's Western triangle, Wolfgang Brendel holds his own with the other powerhouses and sings with an elegant insistence that makes us long to hear his Scarpia.
In smaller roles, Anthony Laciura proves why he's been indispensable to the Metropolitan Opera for two decades, and Suzanna Guzman nimbly purloins the stage for her brief time as the only other woman on the testosterone-drenched stage. Puccini's score provides a wealth of small but vital cameo roles that were beautifully handled by a mix of resident artists and old pros, bringing added luster to the evening, while William Vendice's well-chosen chorus found an appropriately virile sound.
In the pit, Simone Young accompanied the singers with sensitivity but never stinted in displaying the voluptuous colors and moods of the score. Michael Young's sets and costumes provided much the same sort of support by creating detailed gems of realistic frontier scenes. The direction by Elena Kalabakos based on Gian-Carlo del Monaco's original staging was adept and unobtrusive. Los Angeles Opera is off to great start this season.
La Fanciulla del West September 4-22, 2002 Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
www.losangelesopera.com
|
|
|
|
