Being the rabid opera fan I’m, I’m sure a lot of you gained’t even blink an eye fixed once I confess to having a cache of pictures of set designs, costume designs, and even set fashions (most cherished) from my favourite productions cloistered within the depths of my laptop computer for my occasional perusal. As soon as, throughout a harrowing laptop replace (keep in mind how horrible these was once?), once I thought all had been misplaced, my mom requested if I’d handle to recuperate my “Opera Porn assortment”. The reply, fortunately, was ‘sure’ and the nickname caught.
So think about my close to delirium when LA Opera introduced that our season-opening manufacturing of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly was being borrowed from Madrid and was designed by Ezio Frigerio with costumes by his spouse, and frequent collaborateur, Franca Squarciapino. I keep in mind vividly the telecast from The Met of Riccardo Zandonai’s Francesca di Rimini in 1984 — simply the set and costumes for Act I have been so unimaginably lavish it appeared like a mortal sin simply watching (I’ll pause briefly so you’ll be able to see what I did there). Their work was legendary, most particularly at La Scala with the good Giorgio Strehler and Luca Ronconi. Who cares that Maestro Frigerio handed in 2022, or that the Madrid manufacturing debuted in 2002, or that I’d hardly heard of any of the singers introduced – this was my first probability to see the Grasp’s work in individual and I used to be prepared.
I tip my hat to our Intendant Christopher Koelsch for really finding a manufacturing whose konzept was the making of a movie of Madama Butterfly whereas the opera itself is enjoying out on units on a soundstage surrounded by manufacturing crew within the 1930’s; nothing might be extra acceptable for our business city. By sheer coincidence, there was a movie product of Madame Butterfly within the 1930’s starring Sylvia Sidney and Cary Grantthat includes a few of Puccini’s rating as background. It’s a nightmare of yellow-face however is out there for the curious on YouTube.
After we entered the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, the curtain was up and the movie crew was busily getting ready the set, most of which was obscured, and we may see classic cameras on dollies to the perimeters in addition to all of the lighting within the rafters. They did really movie the motion on stage and challenge the black & white picture on the enlarged display screen above the proscenium with the supertitles beneath. The Second Assistant Digicam operator snapped the clapperboard and we have been off.
Our retiring Music Director, James Conlon (sure, I’m nonetheless bitter), tore into the rating with a fervor that was superb. All night lengthy you heard probably the most resplendent element from the LA Opera Orchestra, the fullness of the sound countered by a surprising transparency of the composer’s musical structure. The strings and horns have been particularly potent and the climax of the love duet introduced spontaneous applause earlier than the postlude, due in no small half to the standard and keenness of the enjoying (to not point out the singing, after all).
This may increasingly sound ridiculous however the arrival of Yamadori in Act II is one among my favourite moments on this embarrassingly lush rating and it was significantly effectively performed. The care taken in pacing Act III solely heightened the sense of pending desolation to come back. All night time lengthy it was truthfully like there was oil gushing from the pit it was so scandalously lovely. I actually don’t begrudge Maestro Conlon’s time within the solar, and he says he shall be again, however he shall be sorely missed.
Character tenor par excellence Rodell Aure Rosel made a welcome return as our Goro, in an element he clearly relishes. He’s the sort of performer that retains the wheels of any manufacturing he’s in working easily. He’s bought each little bit of stage trickery up his sleeve and isn’t afraid to make use of them when the chance presents itself. Even revisiting his greatest comedian bit at his curtain name to the delight of the viewers. His voice tasks clearly into the auditorium and his diction places the ‘p’ in exact. Bravo. We additionally had very robust help from Hungjin Sonand Wei Wu as Prince Yamadori and the Bonze, each of whom boomed in all the appropriate locations.
It was good to have Michael Sumuel because the Consul, Sharpless. His debut right here was within the Bach St. Matthew Ardour which he sang from the pit whereas the work was introduced as ballet. As Jesus, he solely had recitative to sing and though it was apparent he had a gorgeous bass-baritone, it was good to find his simple and charming stage demeanor. He was attentive in the course of the Act II interview with Butterfly when he tries unsuccessfully to interrupt the information to her concerning the standing of her marriage and provided simply the correct amount of recrimination in direction of the tenor within the final scene.
Hyona Kim gave us a fully spectacular Suzuki. To have a budding Amneris and Ortrud on this function would possibly appear to be overkill, however she sang all night time with a plangency and dramatic level that’s uncommon on this function. Whilst issues darkened within the final act in direction of the inevitable, she held a powerful middle for the viewers’s consideration — her “Piangerà tanto, tanto!” was actually overwhelming. She additionally did greater than her half in making the sighting of the ship and subsequent ‘Flower Duet’ very particular together with her joyousness. It’s a large, deliciously plummy mezzo which tasks with a stunning evenness throughout its vary. Positively an artist to keep watch over.
Our Lt. Pinkerton was the eagerly awaited native debut of Jonathan Tetelman and right here I’m afraid I’ve to mood my enthusiasm. He has a stunning tenor voice however it’s slender. It does blossom on the highest however not with out effort so it’s merely — albeit excitingly — loud with out being ringing. If he was singing with the sensitivity of a Schipa or Tagliavini it will be one factor, however his phrasing is unquestionably uneven at occasions. He’s undeniably good-looking and tall and positively shows confidence onstage, however sensitivity doesn’t appear to be his robust swimsuit. That mentioned, he’s younger and there’s actually room for development. He already has a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, so the potential is clear to anybody. Nonetheless in a forged of massive voices it put him at an apparent drawback.
Which brings us to our Butterfly: Ms. Karah Son. And right here I’m embarrassed to confess, regardless of her singing this function virtually in every single place (together with in San Francisco final yr) she was not on my radar as but. Her dedication to the function, each vocally and dramatically, was complete. Her well-known entrance was pretty, touching the precarious D-flat strongly however with a stunning diminuendo. She provided a touching preview of her interpretation within the poignant second that adopted the place she confessed to Pinkerton about her surrendering her personal faith for his. I can’t recall ever being as moved by that second earlier than as I used to be on Saturday night time.
It appears to me that there are two sorts of Butterflies. There are those who tempo themselves all through the night, giving a little bit right here, husbanding there, counting on the textual content at occasions in order to not spend an excessive amount of of the voice. Then, there’s the rarer breed who simply pour forth. Ms. Son undoubtedly falls within the latter class. She was unstinting and beneficiant together with her vocal presents all night lengthy and on the massive climaxes she would lean again (participating her again like the professional she is) and actually flood the theater with sound. It was doubtless the largest and most safe remaining B-flat to ‘Un bel di’ I’ve ever heard reside, for which she was effectively rewarded by the viewers. However I don’t wish to give the impression that she lacked nuance. Her’s is a finely judged efficiency with an infinite quantity of element and the voice is all the similar fabric from prime to backside. I may quibble and say I needed perhaps a little bit extra textual content portray however it will be churlish within the face of such an sincere and heartfelt characterization. She was actually enthralling within the remaining scene and continued to open the vocal floodgates in her remaining farewell to her son. My imaginative and prescient could have been barely blurry on the finish.
The viewers leapt to their ft the second the lights went out and I can’t recall the final time that occurred. I additionally seen in her bio later that not solely did she attend the Accademia at La Scala, however she was a protege of Mirella Freni, so there’s that.
The manufacturing, initially directed by Mario Gasoline and now handed over to Brenna Nook, was a blended bag. For a ‘cinematic’ take, it was surprisingly stage-bound. Scenically there was no illustration of the backyard and Mr. Frigiero’s unit set was a sequence of lavish art-deco columns, on an infinite (and whisper-quiet) turntable that resembled a really fancy Singapore resort of its period. It was then scrubbed of its loveliest components, and lighting, for the Act II destitution. There was a fully attractive visible finale to Act I, nonetheless, and Butterfly’s vigil was very effectively staged for optimum pathos.
Probably the most distinctive a part of the staging was that all the offstage bits, like Butterfly’s entrance and the buzzing refrain, have been carried out within the ‘soundstage’ off to the perimeters in full view of the viewers. This additionally made them way more audible for a change. We additionally bought to see the theatrical contraption that lightly rained down blossoms on the set from the flies, which held its personal particular attraction.
Nonetheless, there actually wasn’t loads of the precise Hollywood ‘manufacturing’ taking place in contrast to Christoph Loy’s Salzburg staging of Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten which carried out the entire opera as a recording session with all of the attendant backstage machinations of microphone placement, brokers, engineers, and forged conflicts. A little bit extra of that will have gone a great distance.
Ms. Squarciapino’s costumes have been nearly all rendered in black, white, and shades of grey, save for the three principals, it being a black & white movie, in any case. Ms. Son bought a stunning crimson and white kimono for her marriage ceremony with some fastidiously positioned rhinestones simply so we didn’t neglect the place we have been.
So, I got here for the units however stayed for the music making which was fairly superb. 5 extra performances stay via October thirteenth.
Photographs: Cory Weaver
