The Met seems to have only a couple of dozen operas in its standard repertory, so when it not staging something that will likely never return (eg, Philip Glass’ Akhnaten) it must repeat itself. Such repetition is especially noticeable on its HD telecasts. Today Franco Zeffirelli’s literal recreation of ancient Peking was the first of this season’s HD production. It was last on the big screen 10 years ago.
Puccini’s last opera has an unusual history at the Met. It was performed 27 times between November 1926 and January 1930. It then vanished until February of 1961. The reason for the opera’s reemergence was Birgit Nilsson, especially when she was paired with Franco Corelli. She dominated the title role like Caesar did Gaul. The opera then became a regular on the list of the world’s most performed operas. Today’s Met appearance was #331 by the company.
The story is an unusual one for Puccini. There’s no one in who can fully engage the audience’s empathy. The two principals are world class narcissists. Liu, the slave girl, is a stock operatic foil. The success of the show depends on a soprano with a battleship voice and a tenor who can not be blown away by her. The choral part is the most expansive Puccini ever wrote and the orchestral part needs a vigorous hand with the baton. If you remember Nilsson and Corelli in this work, nothing will ever be up to that standard. And today’s show while quite good didn’t reach the impossible level of Nilsson and Corelli..
Christine Goerke has a solid dramatic soprano and can portray Turandot with authority and skill; but she won’t blow the roof away. Yusif Eyvazov inevitably suffers from being married to Anna Netrebko. He’s not a spinto tenor even though he’s singing spinto roles at the Met. His voice is too light for Calaf and it has a gravelly sound. His high notes lack ping. Surprisingly, he was at his best with the opera’s biggest hit tune – Nessun dorma. Why Eyvazov replaced Roberto Aronica who was originally announced for the telecast of Turandot is not known to me.
Italian soprano Eleonora Buratto was convincing as Liu. She’s been singing light soprano roles up til now. But her sound suggests that she could move to heavier roles. At age 37 her best years are just ahead of her.
This coming January bass-baritone James Morris will mark 50 years of singing with the Met. At first he sang small roles. After a decade with the company he had moved to leading roles. He eventually became the dominant Wotan of his time. Remarkably, at 72 years his voice still sounds first rate. Today’s performance by Morris was his 1018th outing with the Met.
Ping, Pang, and Pong were well performed by Alexey Lavrov, Tony Stevenson, and Eduardo Valdes, respectively; but they remain a hindrance to the action. I think Puccini would have cut their parts extensively had he lived to finish the opera and had a chance to revise it.
The Met’s fine chorus was easily up to the challenge of their big part in this opera. They’ve done it so often that its firmly in their vocal chords. The Met’s new music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conducted this piece for the first time with the company. It was his first Puccini opera in New York. His reading was direct and, as near as I can tell from a remote movie theater, compelling and spot on. In summary as good a performance as one can expect without two superstars in the two main roles. Worth a trip to the movie house, but not a special one to New York.
A brief note on the How to Pronounce Turandot War. Angel Blue who made her first appearance as telecast host was hitting the final t in Turandot like a jackhammer. She was understandably a little nervous in her new role as host, but she was certain about that final t. The singers were less so. It was missing more than half the time Turandot’s name was sung. I’m told that no one pronounces it at La Scala. No one did on line at the Met in the 50s when all the standees were wondering when the Met would bring back the opera. Back then nobody worried about cultural appropriation. Puccini is opera’s all time champ in that department, which likely explains his extraordinary popularity.
Also, three deaths of artists associated with the Met. Franco Zeffirelli was 96, Jessye Norman was 74, and Marcello Giordani was only 56.
Metropolitan Opera House
October 12, 2019 Broadcast
TURANDOT
Giacomo Puccini/Franco Alfano-Giuseppe Adami/Renato Simoni
Turandot…………….Christine Goerke
Calàf……………….Yusif Eyvazov
Liù…………………Eleonora Buratto
Timur……………….James Morris
Ping………………..Alexey Lavrov
Pang………………..Tony Stevenson
Pong………………..Eduardo Valdes
Emperor Altoum……….Carlo Bosi
Mandarin…………….Javier Arrey
Maid………………..Maria D’Amato
Maid………………..Meredith Woodend
Prince of Persia……..Sasha Semin
Executioner………….Arthur Lazalde
Three Masks: Elliott Reiland, Amir Levy, Andrew Robinson
Temptresses: Natalia Alonso, Jennifer Cadden, Oriada Islami, Sarah Weber-Gallo
Conductor……………Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Production…………..Franco Zeffirelli
Set Designer…………Franco Zeffirelli
Costume Designer……..Anna Anni
Costume Designer……..Dada Saligeri
Lighting Designer…….Gil Wechsler
Choreography ………..Chiang Ching
Stage Director……….Paula Suozzi
Video Director……….Gary Halvorson
