THE TRIUMPH OF MUSIC in M&V 18 November 2017

THE TRIUMPH OF MUSIC

Giuseppe Pennisi

On 14 November, I was one of the seventy four music reviewers accredited by La Scala for the world premiere of Ti Vedo, Ti Sento, Mi Perdo by Salvatore Sciarrino. The opera is a joint commission of Milan Teatro alla Scala and Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden, where the same production is scheduled to be shown in May 2018. This magazine often discussed Sciarrino’s works, most recently on Music & Vision 8 November.

Ti vedo, Ti sento, Mi perdo can be misunderstood easily because it is set in baroque times and deals with the murder of a well-known composer, and womanizer, Alessandro Stradella – never on stage but always present in the dialogues and the arias. In my view, the centre of the two acts opera is different: it deals with the triumph of music over any other forms of artistic expression. In short, this is the same theme as Richard Strauss’ Capriccio. As in Capriccio, there a is woman (the ‘Cantatrice’, an excellent Laura Aikin) who has to choose whether to sing or not to sing a Stradella’s unfinished cantata’ after the news has arrived that the young composer had been murdered for a women’s affair. As in Capriccio there are two antagonists: the musician (the ‘Musico’, Charles Workman not in his best shape the night of the premiere) and the writer and poet (the ‘Letterato’, Otto Katzameier in very good vocal and acting conditions).

Of course, Sciarrino composing in 2017 is not Richard Strauss in 1942. Sciarrino has been away from any specific form of avant-garde and has developed his own specific and peculiar style based on declamation, Sprechgesang and spoken dialogues as well as arias and musical numbers such as duets, trios and concertato. In Ti Vedo, Ti Sento, Mi Perdo, there are also quotations and reminiscences from Stradella and other baroque music as well as from French twentieth century style (e.g. in the Intermezzo at the end of the first act.)

The young conductor Maxime Pascal, winner of the Salzburg 2014 competition and creator of his own successful ensemble Le Balcon, managed three orchestras well under his baton: a regular orchestra in the pit (providing a sophisticated carpet full of micro variations), a string quintet on stage and a nine elements chamber ensemble off stage). The quintet and the ensemble evocate baroque music.

The stage direction by Jűrgen Flimm and his usual group of collaborators (George Tsypin for the sets, Ursula Kudrna for the costumes, Olaf Freese for the lighting and Tiziana Colombo for the choreography) provide good acting and a lavish show. However, the ‘Musico’ and the ‘Letterato’ exceed somewhat in opera buffa style.

The American soprano Laura Aikin is superb in switching from acrobatic coloratura arias to declamation and Sprechgesang. I remember her as an astounding Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos some twenty years ago, as Lulu at La Scala and as the protagonist of Die Soldaten in Salzburg and La Scala. Very few sopranos excel in such a versatility.

Applauses and ovations even though some music reviewer expressed misgivings.