2024-01-08 10:30:10
Claudio Sgura (Sheriff Jack Rance) and Malin Bytröm (Minnie) in a momentous poker game. All photos: Vienna State Opera / MIchael Pöhn
VIENNA / State Opera: Revival of Giacomo Puccini’s LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST
17th performance in this production
January 7, 2024
By Manfred A. Schmid
In Puccini’s “Horse Opera” set in the Wild West The girl of the west (The Girl from the Golden West) there are no horses, but there are many gold diggers, a sheriff, a saloon landlady and a few dubious fellows, including the robber captain Ramerrez, who is wanted by the Wells Cargo company for various robberies and finally by the landlady Minnie who has fallen in love with him, is saved from death on the gallows at the last minute. Ramerrez, who introduced himself to the Californian gold mining town under the name Dick Johnson, vows to start a new life at his lover’s side. In the production by Marco Arturo Marelli, who – as is usual with the honorary member of the State Opera – is also responsible for the stage and lighting, the couple finally climbs into a hot air balloon that rises into the sky and leaves. A happy ending, like Puccini’s, can be seen in his comic one-act play Gianni Schicchi and the one that remained unfinished but was otherwise quite blood-soaked Turandot once off, is quite unusual: As is well known, nowhere does one die as beautifully as in the operas of the Italian from Lucca, with his veristic masterpieces Bohemia, Tosca, Manon Lescaut and Madama Butterfly shapes and dominates the schedule of opera houses around the world like no other.
The girl of the west is one of Giacomo Puccini’s operas, which are unfairly underestimated and unfortunately all too often neglected in everyday repertoire. It’s nice that this finely orchestrated and tense work, which has only had a measly 16 performances in the ten years since its Vienna premiere in 2013, under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst and with Nina Stemme and Jonas Kaufmann, is now back at the can be experienced on the stage of the State Opera. In the revival, Marelli’s characterization continues to prove to be just as masterful as the crowd scenes, brilliantly composed by Puccini and excellently realized by Marelli. And that despite the fact that Roberto Frontali was unavailable at short notice due to illness and at the last minute by his Italian compatriot who came to save the evening Claudio Sgura had to be replaced. The tall baritone, who has agreed to not only sing the role of the self-confident and authoritarian sheriff Jack Rance, but also play it – without prior rehearsal – will benefit from his experience in this role. Sgura has a good feel for the processes and is a more than impeccable stand-in for the character of the suspicious, jealous law enforcement officer who hopes in vain for Minnie’s favor.
Yonghoon Lee (Dick Johnson aka Ramerrez) and ensemble
Malin Byström is Minnie, the landlady who is adored, valued and loved by the residents of the fenced-in container settlement and welcomes her guests in her saloon „Polka” not only serves them in a friendly manner, but – as a teacher and advisor – also contributes to their edification and occasionally even reads them from the Bible. The role of the resolute and yet naive and innocent young woman who manages to keep the intrusive guys at bay and can count on their respect is not easy to take away from the Swedish soprano. But when she discovers love in the unexpected encounter with Dick Johnson/Ramerrez and becomes passionate regarding him, she seems much more authentic. In order to save him, she enters into a dangerous deal with the sheriff: in a poker game, she is the prize that awaits him if he wins, which she cleverly knows how to prevent. Pure tension in a constellation that is reminiscent of the Cavaradossi-Tosca-Scarpia love triangle.
Yonghoon Lee As Dick Johnson, ready to purify himself, he can only use his supple tenor in the hectic pace of the action in the third act, when he gets to the point and in the aria „Ch’ella mi credas“ When he makes his remorse and concern for Minnie’s future known, he really plays it out. A young man with a big voice, a spinto tenor with the potential to become a dramatic tenor: ideal conditions for a convincingly strong performance in this role.
Thirteen other roles are excellently cast from the ensemble and the opera studio. Worth mentioning, among others Carlos Osuna as reliable waiter Nick, Attila Mokus as gold diggers Sonora and Dan Paul Dumitrescu as Ashby, representative of Wells Cargo. Ilya Kazakov as Billy Jackrabbit and Daria Sushkova as Wowkle appear as a couple of Native Americans, once disrespectfully called “Redskins” in Hollywood westerns.
Also the Chor is musically in demand and comes on stage, just like the Bstage orchestra, also used scenically. As musical director at the podium State Opera Orchestra ensures Carlo Rizzian experienced opera conductor, especially in the Italian field, on his late house debut for a dramatic, always exciting implementation of the colorfully composed score, which – undistracted by arias – always keeps an eye on the excitingly advancing action.
A lot of applause that lasted longer than usual for a solid performance that enriched the everyday repertoire.
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