| La Rondini - Puccini |
| Written by FrontRow, J.Kosman | |
| Friday, 10 October 2008 | |
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Living a pampered but stagnant existence with her current client Rambaldo, she finds her youthful dreams through the young student, Ruggero. At a time when the intrigue of her courtesan lifestyle is coming to a close, Magda is unable to release her past. Story: Joshua Kosman - SFC. The cast is headed by soprano Angela Gheorghiu, capturing the piece's knowing musical tone, and Nicolas Joël's production, walks the fine line between froth and sentimentality. The result makes what is probably the strongest possible case for "La Rondine." It's a piece that should certainly be done more frequently. "La Rondine" was Puccini's attempt to mimic some of the artistic sensibilities - and, no less crucially, the earning power - of the Viennese operetta tradition exemplified by Lehár and Johann Strauss. The score is sprinkled with waltz tunes, and the dramaturgy adopts an airy, cosmopolitan cynicism that is otherwise unknown among the Puccini's works. When we meet Magda, the flighty bird of the title, she is living in Parisian luxury as the kept woman of Rambaldo, a wealthy tycoon. Her entourage includes a facetious poet, Prunier, who seems to make ends meet by dispensing lighter-than-air ballads at the piano, and a trio of giggly girlfriends. Of course, like all such jaded sopranos (e.g., Violetta in "Traviata"), Magda both dreams of true love and brushes off the very notion. But love makes its appearance nonetheless, in the form of Ruggero, a naive young man from the country who is not "streetwise" and seems to know nothing about the ways of the big city. In particular, Ruggero doesn't understand that not every woman you meet in a Parisian nightclub is marriage material. In addition to these obvious "Traviata" reminiscences, "Fledermaus" rears its head in the form of a chambermaid, Lisette, who borrows her mistress' finery for surreptitious nights on the town. There are echoes, too, of the other Strauss, Richard, in the pervasive waltz rhythms out of "Der Rosenkavalier," and Puccini even throws in an explicit musical nod to his German colleague when one of the characters mentions Salome. But mostly, "La Rondine" is unmistakably Puccinian, with its lush, sweeping melodies accompanied by parallel harmonies, its precise system of character motifs (Puccini never conceived a heroine without giving her a musical tag phrase) and its vibrant, imaginative orchestral palette. Conductor Ion Marin led Wednesday's performance with a certain dry propulsiveness, but still left room for the score's more emotional moments. Ezio Frigerio's sets, with vast, gorgeously decorated interiors to represent the luxurious realms of Paris and Monte Carlo, beguiled the eye, as did Franca Squarciapino's 1920s-era costumes. Gheorghiu's performance in the signature role of Magda was worth the wait. Her tone was strong but tender, with an irresistible blend of earthiness and purity, and when she lofted the high notes of "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta," her breath control and flawless intonation seemed to make time stand still. Live by High Definition Satellite - The Regent Centre, Christchurch. See Event Calendar Photo Gallery
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La Rondine, written in 1917, is a bittersweet love story, told with a light touch unique to Puccini. The story's plot centres on the emptiness and tragedy found in the life of the opera's heroine, the courtesan Magda. As she approaches middle age in Paris during the 1880s, she tries to claim back her youthful years, when her ambitions yearned for that ideal love and a lifelong relationship. 
