A Double Melodrama in Music and Vision 6 marzo

A Double Melodrama

GIUSEPPE PENNISI was at
Puccini's 'Manon Lescaut', performed
under difficult conditions in Rome

The new Manon Lescaut production was much awaited in Rome. It was the first time in nearly fifty years that the Teatro dell'Opera had produced its own Manon Lescaut, rather than borrowing it from other institutions. Riccardo Muti was to be in the pit; in the past, he has seldom conducted Puccini's operas (Manon Lescaut at La Scala in 1996 and Tosca in Philadelphia in 1991). His daughter, Chiara, was to be responsible for the stage direction and dramaturgy. (Stage sets were signed by Carlo Centolavigna, costumes by Alessandro Lai, and lighting by Vincent Longuemare.) The much acclaimed Anna Netrebko was to debut in Rome; the young Algerian tenor Yusif Eyvazov was to be her Des Grieux; two quite well known Italian singers — Giorgio Caoduro and Carlo Lepore — were to have the two other main roles, Lescaut and Geronte de Ravoir. Finally, the Head of State had announced that he himself and his retinue would be in the royal box. Thus, there were all the premises for a grand evening.

Unfortunately, only on the afternoon of the 27 February 2014 opening night, the audience learnt that the performance would not be staged as planned. Even though all the Manon Lescaut performances had been sold out for weeks, there had been threats of strikes. The Teatro dell'Opera has piled up 40 million euros of debt and runs a 5-10 million euro annual deficit. Thus it needs to undergo a major restructuring: the Government will provide badly needed money if the theatre will reduce staff (nearly five hundred) and increase productivity (presently some fifteen opera and ballet titles including the Summer open air season). There are several trade unions within the theatre. Some were in favor of the reorganization — also because almost all jobs would be saved. Some were dead against it. In the last few days, the different groups organized press conferences with opposing themes. The Mayor of Rome threatened to foreclose the foundation owning and operating the theatre. Eventually, the performance started. The President of the Republic and his retinue were in the central box. Every seat was filled. I was in row 14, seat No 25.

Anna Netrebko as Manon and Yusif Eyvazov as Des Grieux in Puccini's 'Manon Lescaut' at Rome's Teatro dell'Opera. Photo © 2014 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution

Manon Lescaut was Puccini's first major hit. In 1893, it meant a revolution, away from Verdi's melodrama towards twentieth century music drama. It also differs drastically from the treatment of the same subject by Auber and Massenet. Dramatically, an important feature is that the opera is loaded with erotic expression in both the situations and the score. This was, at the time, an important innovation since in Verdi's melodramas, erotic moments are few and far between. In addition, Puccini's orchestration is very rich and requires a large number of instrumentalists in the pit. Manon Lescaut also calls for special vocal abilities: a full soprano able to shift from a light lyric register (in the first act and the first part of the second act) to a highly dramatic register (the turning point is the duet 'Tu, tu amore tu') and a tenor with the capacity to keep the central register throughout the performance — the quality that made Enrico Caruso famous.

A scene from Puccini's 'Manon Lescaut' at Rome's Teatro dell'Opera. Photo © 2014 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution

Riccardo Muti offered a rather sophisticated reading of the score, with special emphasis on the different tints — from the joyful evocation of youth in Amiens to the tragic end in the Louisiana desert. However, in the second act he did not emphasize the upsurge of erotic feeling as much as I would have liked. Anna Netrebko was a superb Manon; her voice is thicker than it used to be. Now she can well compare with Callas and Scotto in the same role — just to mention two very well known interpreters of the opera. Her 'Sola, perduta, abbandonata' was a real masterpiece. Her Des Grieux was not up to her standards: Yusif Eyvazov has plenty of volume and a clear timbre but he had severe difficulties especially in the first act with his entry aria 'Donna non vidi mai'. It is fair to say that he improved as the performance went on. Giorgio Caoduro, Carlo Lepore and the vast number of singers in minor roles were good professionals.

Anna Netrebko in the title role of Puccini's 'Manon Lescaut' at Rome's Teatro dell'Opera. Photo © 2014 Silvia Lelli. Click on the image for higher resolution

And the staging? Highly traditional with limited care for acting. I dare say that Yusif Eyvazov and the mediocre staging might have been adversely affected by the tense industrial relations during rehearsals in several parts of the Teatro dell'Opera and its surrounding areas. The acting was quite poor, even though Anna Netrebko and Carlo Lepore did their utmost to fill the gaps of the others. The stage sets, the costumes and the lighting were so traditional as to seem dusty. In short, this was at a level not of a much awaited new production but of a repertory performance in a provincial theatre. The audience booed the staging, whilst Muti and Netrebko received ovations.

Copyright © 6 March 2014 Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy