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Thus has (an opera by Mozart) never been done before in Estonia
Toomas Siitan/ Sirp
30.10.2009
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Since the 19th century there has been a clichéd attitude that the last joint work of Mozart and his most brilliant librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, the opera buffa Così fan tutte ossia La scuola degli amanti (Thus Do All Women, or The School For Lovers), is a coarse story that would not merit much attention if it were not for Mozart’s great music.
Indeed, I have heard several musicians express that opinion, and I am delighted that the superficial moralizing approach to this story began to crumble at the end of last century and there is a growing recognition for this work as a unique and layered psychological drama. The three operas by Mozart and Da Ponte (the earlier ones being The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni) can be regarded as the highest peak of musical theatre (take it easy, Wagnerians!), and of the three, Così has undeservingly received less attention.
At the same time, of the three texts written by Da Ponte, only Così fan tutte is completely original, and there is reason to consider its literary value and dramatic brilliance as standing above the other two. For a director, Così fan tutte is perhaps a tougher challenge than any other of Mozart’s operas – namely because of its apparent simplicity. The young British director Walter Sutcliffe (b. 1976) has met the challenge masterfully, bringing onto the stage of Estonian National Opera a piece of the most genuine musical theatre only rarely seen in this neck of the woods. Sutcliffe’s “old-fashioned” style (as per his own words) is increasingly gaining topicality in contemporary theatre. It is rather the modern tricks, in an attempt to make old dramatic texts passable for today’s audience whether they like it or not – time shifts that introduce pronouncedly modern characters into classic stories, added plot twists that “enrich” the original text, attempts to modify the opera genre itself – that are beginning to go out of fashion. Few directors have managed to maintain sensitivity to the original text, its details and layers of meaning while using these surface techniques. What is fascinating about Sutcliffe’s traditional approach is the complete confidence in the text and its timeless quality – “updating” a work does in fact show a lack of this confidence. Sutcliffe’s masterpiece proceeds from his treatment of the libretto – that is the starting point of any opera. Da Ponte’s witty text is not only heard by the audience (in the ideal world that would be elementary when it comes to vocal music!) but also seen due to the spot-on performance by the singers. The rigorous enactment of the text also provides a foundation for striking musical solutions.
The intensity of the director’s classical manner of storytelling holds the audience in a tight grip, leaving no slumberous gaps in the extremely sizable show. At the same time Sutcliffe has kept the mise en scène charmingly simple, always maintaining the focus on the musically active character. Even when he on a rare occasion makes a silent character active, he does not thereby create distracting information pollution (so tedious and common in opera) but uses it to provide a clear – and often ironic – comment on the text heard at the same time. In Lorenzo Da Ponte’s comedy, in keeping with the spirit of the Enlightenment, the dialectic of opposites is at first schematic – the game leader, the old philosopher Don Alfonso, has subjected everything to the almost geometric order of masculine logic. However, the clear binary oppositions (masculine-feminine, natural-cultivated, high-low, comic-tragic) become ambivalent and vague in the second act, and frivolous comedy tightens into a psychological drama where play and reality intermingle. The director has managed to make this dynamic clearly visible, and the singers’ acting/singing highlights it in their portrayals.
The show is highly enjoyable also in visual terms – the set employs the satirical painting style and specific pictures of William Hogarth (1697–1764) that relate very well to the themes and style of Così. While the opening scene in the coffee parlour with its charming spatiality balances on the border of overwhelming imagery, the stage designer Liina Keevallik and light designer Neeme Jõe have managed to create a magically beautiful stage for the entire opera. Designers often try to visually expand the skimpy stage of Estonian National Opera, thereby increasing the contrast between the grandiose look and shabby acoustics of the theatre. The dignified and intimate set of Così, however, which rather makes the stage look smaller, provides a pleasant chamber environment for Mozart’s music. The stage design takes the story of Così inside Hogarth’s pictures – this is especially emphasized by the clever figure of picture frame which zooms the picture plane into a size appropriate for the subject matter. With that, a “play within a play” effect characteristic of classical comedy which serves to obscure the boundaries of reality – also present in the plot of Così – is skilfully created.
The mature operas of Mozart are, in musical terms, ensemble compositions without “small” roles, and they cannot be supported by individual star singers alone. In an unexpectedly rigorous accord with classical rules, Così fan tutte is designed for six soloists, three pairs ordered hierarchically. It is worth noting that by musical and dramaturgical standards the best matched pairs are those formed in the course of the game that started with the bet. The roles of Fiordiligi and Ferrando are prima donna and primo uomo in the classical weight class, covering the most beloved and most demanding arias of their respective voice types. Aile Asszonyi, who has already proven her particular suitability for the major roles of classicistic opera, gives a wonderful portrayal of Fiordiligi and lifts the great rondo of the 2nd act (Per pietà, ben mio, perdona) into the high point of the show. Fernando’s tone palette is particularly rich in this opera, ranging from the most delicate lyric in the aria of the 1st act, Un’aura amorosa, (which has been regarded as one of the most intimate instances of Mozart’s self-expression) to the extreme dramatics in the duet scene of the 2nd act, ending with the “breakdown” of Fiordiligi. Oliver Kuusik carries this dream role of a young tenor wonderfully, both in terms of vocal technique and acting. The other pair, Dorabella and Guglielmo, is musically somewhat less challenging. Mozart does not let them outshine the first pair, the libretto, however, provides excellent opportunities for character acting. In contrast to the pairs of young lovers, the third pair – the old philosopher Don Alfonso and the maid Despina – consists of polar opposites in terms of gender, position and age, while they both nevertheless carry the same “game leader” function in the story. The opposition between genders, already scandalously sharp in the opera, seems in their case almost schematic, and many are probably disturbed by the masculine bias of the story’s outcome. (May they find consolation in the fact that usually it is older men who are fooled in such comedies.)
This firework of characters is brought on the stage of Estonian National Opera by a very solid ensemble. Helen Lokuta and Rauno Elp (Dorabella and Guglielmo) are in an excellent vocal shape, also giving one their best performances when it comes to acting. In the roles of Mart Lauri (Don Alfonso) and particularly Kristina Vähi (Despina), the acting element is even stronger (in the past, those roles were typically given to singing actors), and also in this respect the director must be congratulated on his excellent casting choices. The real challenge that comes with classical opera buffo is the recitatives: dull interpretation of text and rigorous following of the score have been a common issue, also the accompanying harpsichord has posed a problem for earlier renditions. It is regrettable that often most of the text carrying the story of an opera sounds painfully boring for the audience, a patience which then has to be rewarded with an aria or ensemble. However, the cast of Così fan tutte makes the recitatives come alive – their vivid delivery is no longer entrapped by the score. The natural melody of speech and perfect emphases make for the (well learned) craft of this art, what is however even more important is the pace and rhythm established in cooperation with the director, keeping the whole show alive and the viewers always on the edge of their seats. Also the support of a harpsichord-player capable of improvisation is essential: the stylishly lavish harpsichord of Ivo Sillamaa provided the singers with support of richness and accuracy not long ago virtually unimaginable here.
The opera scores of Mozart are extremely layered, the orchestra often expanding the meaning of the text. Starting from the overture (which in my opinion is mature Mozart’s most straightforward) the orchestra plays with exceptional activeness and vividness (concert-master Andrus Haav). Arvo Volmer, the musical director of the show, is able to keep this manner alive until the very end, even though a lot of attention is dedicated to coordinating the teamwork between the stage and the orchestra, as can be expected during a premiere. The old natural trumpets (Priit Aimla, Taavi Kuntu) add some period feel to the orchestra – this small but effective trick crowns the sound of the orchestra beautifully and is now becoming a standard when performing the compositions of the Viennese Classics. The orchestra also copes very well with the extravagances slipped in the score of Così by Mozart, perhaps the most notable being the French horn solos testing the limits of that instrument in Fiordiligi’s great aria of the 2nd act (Rait Erikson, Igor Rootsi).
And finally also the choir (choirmaster Heli Jürgenson), which has discovered a solid and full sound, forms a no less important part of this beautiful ensemble. Musical theatre is an amalgamation of quite a few different arts and is truly effective only when they do not overshadow but highlight each other. That is the case in Mozart’s operas from the Vienna period, even though many find that the brilliant composer has taken the centre stage in them. I am confident in my opinion, however, because it is seldom that one can hear a musical performance of an opera by Mozart that is entirely convincing in the progression of its internal rhythm and in its perception of whole. I believe that such a performance can only arise from the cooperation between an extremely talented director and a conductor with a good understanding of drama. In Estonian National Opera this has now become reality – an accomplishment that is nothing sort of magnificent.
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© Rahvusooper Estonia 2010
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