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Fiona Maddocks's rating
, La Fanciulla del West makes impact
By
Fiona Maddocks
17 Sep 2008
We expect the West to be wild but perhaps not as hairily so as in the opening act of Puccini’s Gold Rush opera, La Fanciulla del West.
The chorus of homesick miners sounded in need of a good hiding, sheriff Jack Rance (Silvano Carroli), discovered a brief penchant for atonality and all kinds of slips and slides occurred in the orchestra.
Whatever had unsettled everyone at the start, however, was soon resolved, and under the urgent, impassioned baton of Antonio Pappano, this hot‑blooded opera was revealed in all its glinting colours.
Piero Faggioni’s heavily naturalistic staging, designed by Kenneth Adam, was first seen in 1977. Three decades on, Faggioni has returned to direct its eighth revival, with Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek as Minnie, the get-your-gun heroine of the title, and Argentinian tenor Jose Cura as her bandit lover, Dick Johnson.
After the intimate intensity of Grange Park’s Fanciulla this summer, this all felt rather wide open, with Minnie’s log cabin the size of a Manhattan loft.
But still the impact was fierce. Westbroek, outstanding as the ROH’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, has a mighty vocal and physical presence, ideal for this golden-hearted bar-keeper, mother superior and general purpose pin-up girl. Jose Cura showed some unevenness of tone and intonation. But when the upper register lets rip, the old heroic magic returns.
Based on David Belasco’s Girl of the Golden West, Puccini’s story of redemption wasn’t fashionable for decades. Now the opera for many of us ranks among his best. Even Webern, Puccini’s musical opposite, praised it for its lack of kitsch. I wouldn’t go that far: the mawkish scene in which Minnie teaches Bible stories takes some beating.
But for the turbulent, aurally arresting scoring and the overpowering key moments we can, as usual, forgive Puccini anything.
Until 29 September (020 7304 4000).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (4)
An engaging, even gripping, production. The sage cognoscenti who wish to dazzle the average opera buff with their knowledge should spare their barbs for worthier targets.
- David Oliva, Libreville, Gabon, 01/10/2008 13:13
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If you want to make a thing about verismo, it's hard to come up with an opera that doesn't have a risible or improbable plot. This was a great evening, spoilt only by the interval length, great fun, heartfelt emotion and sentimentality, some splendid orchestral playing and fine singing - the one thing that you can't have in Fanciulla is Bohème style flowery lyricism -the vocal approach has to be rather coarse grained. The whole concept of the wildwest and its portrayal in westerns is a sentimental myth -something that Puccini was readily able to embrace.
- Robert, Gorleston on Sea, Norfolk., 24/09/2008 15:32
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Couldn't disagree more re the opera (only a curmudgeon could think it risible) and only someone who thought so would find Cura's performance slovenly. In fact, this is a forward looking opera what provides a wonderful, complex mix of a traditional love story with loads of modern color. While true Carroli may have been a miscast, the role of Jack Rance is not an easy one to pull off (last time around, as I remember, the baritone fell somewhat short as well) and Minnie seems nearly impossible to cast but the opera is visceral and heartfelt and, especially in the Act II poker scene, heartstopping.
As for Cura, I found him absolutely convincing as the bandito, with macho swagger disguising a sensitive soul looking for redemption. His voice may not suit all but in the right role (and this one is one of those) he is outstanding. He carries the opera, vocally and physically. I'm delighted to have been in town for the opening night and am convinced enough that I'm going back again....
- Kitty Graytok, Boerne, Texas, 18/09/2008 10:00
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Oh, dear. This revival of what has come to be regarded as a classic Covent Garden production fell rather flat. Pappano's hard-driven performance generated energy but also consistently over-loud playing from the orchestra and a certain amount of rather raw sound, resulting in the protagonists fighting to be heard, and the bit-players and chorus often all but inaudible. Silvano Carroli as Jack Rance revealed a now rather threadbare voice which sounded strained. Eva-Maria Westbroek produced some gleaming high notes, but did not convince as Minnie, the bar owner, and Jose Cura's vocal delivery seemed to me to be somewhat slovenly. Only at moments of high drama when he had to sing out did he remind me of the tenor he once was. The smaller roles were, generally, well-taken. But the biggest problem of all was the opera. The plot, whatever its verismo appeal early last century, is now risible in the light of successive wild west films, and the redemptive ending, when Minnie sweet talks the lynch mob out of stringing up Ramirez is, quite simply, totally unbelievable. Curiosity value only, I fear.
- Alex Liddell, Bicester, GB, 17/09/2008 11:17
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