Robert Carsen's Alcina at Teatro Alla Scala

Canadian director Robert Carsen's decade-old production of Haendel's Alcina, to celebrate the 250th anniversary to Handel's death was dusted off from Opéra National de Paris (which also traveled to Chicago Lyric Opera in the Fall of 1999 and starred Natalie Dessay as Morgana and Renee Fleming as Alcina) but should have probably been kept under lock & key, left to gather mold. OC is on the record as being an ardent Robert Carsen fan & devotee, having seen half-a-dozen Carsen productions since her three years in Milan -- his Scala Candide was brilliant but hammy-handed, his Teatro Regio Torino Salome was earth-shattering in its emotional and artistic impact, his Wiener Staatsoper Manon Lescaut was kind of meeeh, his Scala Kát'a Kabanová was completely off-the-hook, and his Opernhaus Zürich Semele was elegance squared -- and OC's DVD of Carsen's Dialogue des Carmelites is a prized possession of a perfect -- yes, perfect -- staging, but the production we saw last night was Carsen in derivative form, action distilled to a meager slice of remembrance, static, tenuous shadows of his Semele without most of the wit or tongue-in-cheek social commentary that Carsen has perfected like a rebellious teenager. He is not Ingmar Bergman, thank goodness, and he shouldn't pretend to be -- he's usually not bashful about being an opera director.

Seen at Milan's Piermarini for the first time last night, la prima was dampened by two meager, tepid curtain calls, mercifully abbreviated to spare poor Patricia Petibon's Scala debut further scorn from the thorny logginonisti who hurled boos at her (in addition to a conflagration of booing at the end of Act I). 

Heavy cuts (at least half-a-dozen arias, the chorus -- Maestro Casoni's peerless chorus -- reduced to a much smaller role, no ballet, and Oberto chillingly mutilated) peppered this almost-4-hour (including scene changes) production. Carsen used the desaturated, ivory walls of a palace to cage-in the action (ripped off by Claus Guth for his 2006 Nozze, with mold added here and there, and that unwritten Cupid), doors that slid open to reveal a garden -- touchingly Rousseauian in its dashing greens. The furniture consisted of, like, four Chippendale chairs, and a wheeled dinner cart. Lights -- very beautifully designed, obviously -- can not always compensate for that kind of spareness.

Act I opened to the all-male chorus in various states of undress slumbering on the floor (we had full-on frank n' beans -- photo above NOT from la Scala but from the same production in 2004 at Opéra Garnier)...a Spencer Tunick opening move by chess master Carsen that made us hope for much better things to come. The director chose to make the corps literally into corpses, men-turned-zombies from Alcina's charms, the ghosts of her past, the Furies of love past, and we like to consider that a Sam Raimi/Evil Dead homage -- without putrefaction -- even if it wasn't. Although there was lots of nudity, there was no sensual, sexual energy. The production, on purpose, was cold and stripped of any eroticism by that big Canadian tease.

Petibon, whose thin voice -- with less than perfect coloratura -- is more viable in a tiny Baroque opera house environment or recording studio, and was swallowed in the crevasses of Scala despite possible ~audio enhancement~ [last night at a certain interval of the opera, there was the clear, unmistakeable high-pitched whining of classic audio feedback which was obviously amped from the Scala stage...we're dying with this one because clearly there was some sort of amplification audio system being used; we knew Berlin's Staatsoper already used electronic sound enhancement, we didn't know la Scala had followed through], struggled from the beginning of her Scala debut last night. Act II's "Ama, sospira" was a rough embark despite the ethereal violin solo, Petibon labored through the grueling aria, struggling to keep up with Maestro Antonini's speed, appearing almost as pained as she looked in her (not-so-high) heels and tight French-maid costume.

Petibon was too sporty, too distracted, and too frivolous to be effective -- she was following stage directions, O.K., but you need different acting skills to pull it off -- she probably couldn't. She hobbled around in kitten heels that could have been 8-inch stilettos considering the way she plodded across the stage. Opera Chic felt bad for Petibon, and we're still fans of the lovely redhead...this was simply the wrong production for her.

It was at the end of Act I after Morgana's Tornami a vagheggiar that the Scala audience first voiced their disapproval. Roundly booed as the curtain went down, the boos fell onto an empty stage, but there was no doubt they were meant for Petibon, whose weak phrasing and underwhelming interpretation were an easy target for the *serious businessman* loggioni. Petibon's accuti were decent with her fluttering technique, but she lacked focus.

And in Tornami we have one of the very, very few truly outstanding monents in Carsen's staging -- Morgana serving dinner to an empty jacket -- those men, aren't they just empty suits? -- and dancing a little happy dance... The problem being that Nathalie Dessay (in a production that William Christie led beautifully as always) pulled it off with humor and her sweetness and vulnerability and gusto (see video below); Petibon couldn't.

Continue reading after the jump by clicking the link below...

Anja Harteros made a towering column of Alcina, poised and contained as a quiet bundle of simmering conflict, depicted as a strong man-eater in mesh dresses and ballet flats. The German soprano was slow to warm and frankly, we were a bit worried during Act I that the entire production was totally doomed, but Harteros came back full-throttle during the next two acts and gifted the audience with harrowing color and well-shaped passages.

For Morgana's maid, Oronte was depicted as a butler. We enjoyed Jeremy Ovenden's light touch as Oronte, and his "È un folle, è un vile affetto," was lovely. But Carsen's direction at its weakest point failed during the action between Morgana and Oronte. It was way too nuanced, distracting and overt. 

However, when Carsen's direction worked, it was indeed breathtaking. Alcina's "Ah,mio cor! Schernito sei!" was a gorgeous melange of direction and lighting (by Jean Kalman) where Harteros moves into the heavily shadowed corner of the room, eventually crumpling into a heap on the floor, barely discernible. She literally becomes a stain on the floor, this towering man-eater reduced to a shadow.

Ruggiero, sung by Monica Bacelli, was absolutely on point. She is a consummate professional, and always comes prepared, her pockets full of beautiful surprises to show us, happy kids in the audience -- she's always ready to awe us. We are still raving about her Sesto in Graham Vick's La Clemenza @ Teatro Regio di Torino...Team Bacelli 4 evar! Her Act II cemented it with "Mi lusinga il dolce affetto" that had us reeling with her sweet voice full of nuance.

The pared-down orchestra under maestro Giovanni Antonini mostly kept a fast pace (sometimes a bit too much for the singers) with his quicksilver pacing, but there was synchronization and light. Antonini got a large, healthy applause even from cranky loggione -- it appeared to Opera Chic to be a correct reading, but shorn of the genius of a William Christie, for example; and the cuts he opetd for are indeed quite brutal -- you have a chorus such as la Scala's, probably the august theater's only truly world-class section, together with the strings and primo ballerino Roberto Bolle, you use that chorus for every note written in the score. It's like being handed a Ferrari and using it to drive over to pasticceria for a few sweets, then park it back in the garage.

Opera Chic is always in favor -- in opera and in life -- of unleashing the monster. 

Comments

[Dearly]

That was a sick review. Well done. You are the one clear voice from the masses.

[Kevin Edmund Youkilis 4 MVP]

Baroque singers with small voices should be very leery of big houses.

[Les Mitchell]

I am positive that this production of "Alcina" is the same one we had in Chicago around eight or nine years ago. It starred Renee Fleming, Natalie Dessay and Rockwell Blake. I found it outrageous, but not nearly as outrageous as the Met's new production of "La Sonnambula". It is very obvious that the Eurotrash productions have found their way into the US. It's going to be the death of opera as we've known it. I'm almost being convinced that concert performances are the way to go for ANY operatic presentation during these economic times. The trashy productions cost money, people boo and get upset, as they rightfully did at the Met last week, and the stage "designer" has to be paid big bucks as well. I'm wondering what Callas, Tebaldi, Sutherland, or Caballe' would have done had they found that they had signed on to a production like these. I'm sure they'd walk ----- especially Callas ----- and with damn good reason.

[cacio]

Love your reviews!

Yes, much more nudity than in Chicago - it goes without saying.

It seems this production blows up the weight of Morgana, she should have a much smaller role than Alcina and even Ruggero. So this production makes sense if the Morgana nails the thing, as Dessay did. It also made sense there because Alcina was Fleming, who has a different type of voice (ie no Handel coloratura) but was really super in Ah mio core.

How was Bacelli's Verdi prati? Love that aria too!

cacio

[La Cieca]

Half a dozen arias were omitted, or were that many arias truncated to a single statement of the "A" section? I remember the Chicago Alcina as including all the arias (or maybe one of Oberto's was dropped?) but with some of the lesser pieces (e.g., Oronte's) trimmed.

I don't think I've ever heard in an opera house any chorus music but the opening "Questo è il cielo di contenti" and the finale "Dall'orror di notte cieca" with the little hornpipe coro that follows. (The Carsen omits the allegro section for a "tragic" finale, really the only big problem I had with what was otherwise a very chic staging.)

[ubi]

A gorgeous, engaging, coherent review. This Alcina sounded like a big hot mess. I can't wait to hear what the Italian music critics thought of it. Were there any reviews? Keep us posted Opera Chic. Your delicious morsels get better and better with each performance.

[El Cajon]

Was there a full moon on the night of the Milano prima?

[Francesca]

Wonderful review, OC! A very accurate account of what went down ieri sera. Along with that mic feedback, I believe I also heard some intonation problems from the orchestra. And just in general, I have Carsen's Capriccio dvd, which is a little unusual and kinda hard to follow, and also his Onegin dvd, which is fabulous. Spare, but very, very beautiful with effective lighting. I actually wish there was a dvd of his original Paris Alcina with the dream cast of Fleming, Graham, Dessay et al. As seen in the video above, the pirated bits and pieces of the opera generously shared by youtube users are tantalizing.

[Siobhan]

Great review, and thanks for the video of Dessay. WOW! I've watched it at least five times tonight.

[oronte]

interesting review but i feel Petitbon is being treated very unfairly .Is it because she is famous that people want to knock her down.....There is absolutely no amplification at La Scala for the singers.What you heard must have been the orchestral amplification which every theatre uses in order for the singers to hear the orchestra whilst on stage.This is vital especially when the staging is set so far up stage.

[Thomas]

I loved the production when it was premiered in Paris. Fleming was astoniching and committed. Graham was good (but did not equal Berganza), Dessay was too soubrette and not enough Haendelian (she then progreesed in the style but lost her high notes as revealed by La fille du regiment and La sonnambula). Thank you for your review.

[doktorlehat]

I saw the production in Chicago, too, with Fleming, Larmore, and Dessay, and that night will go down as the greatest live performance of opera I have ever experienced. The entire cast and crew was in brilliant form, especially Fleming, and the production I found fascinating and beautiful. It is a complex staging, however, and I can imagine that in subsequent revivals will probably lose the concentration that made it so special.

Morgana is a trickier sing than some people seem to think...

[val]

I agree Doktor. That was really huge at that time, both vocally and directing-wise. However since that time many of the details that made this particular Alcina by Carsen so wonderful were stolen by other directors and seeing that old Alcina today for the first time understandably disappointed OC.

You suppress the inovative elements to Carsen's staging, you replace Fleming and Dessay by two mediocre performers (on a given night. at least!), and what do you get at the end?

[Propertius]

Lively review, but I only partly agree. Like you I thought Bacelli superb and Petitbon dreadful, though why she was allowed to get away with her utterly tasteless ornamentation I do not know. I thought there were 4 singers who knew how to do Handel and two that didn't, Petitbon and the Alcina at my performance, Inga Kalna, who had a strong and beautiful voice but was quite unsuited to baroque music.
By contrast I thought the production thoughtful and worthwhile, not Eurotrash, not sensational in its use of nudity, but effectively translating Alcina into the terms of the pornotopian world in which we now live.