Triumphant ‘Turandot’ Opens Season in East Bay

By George Hernández and Eman Isadiar

The Festival Opera of Walnut Creek opened its 2009 season at the Lesher Center for the Arts with a strong, colorful and inspiring production of Puccini’s final opera Turandot, which continued through July 19. The principal roles of Turandot, Calaf and Liù were sung by soprano Othalie Graham, tenor Christopher Jackson and soprano Rebecca Sjöwall respectively, with Bryan Nies conducting the orchestra.

Closing scene from Festival Opera’s production of Turandot (Photo by Robert Shomler)

Much like its spice-laced tale of the royal courts of the Far East, the creation of the opera itself was fraught with drama and controversy.

Composer Giacomo Puccini had composed roughly three-quarters of the music when he was diagnosed with advanced throat cancer and died shortly thereafter. Knowing of his own impending death, Puccini asked that his colleague Riccardo Zandonai finish the opera. The composer’s dying wish, however, was boldly ignored by his editor and by his own family, who instead commissioned Franco Alfano to write the remaining music. This choice arguably left a conspicuous artistic scar in the final act of the opera.

The 1926 world premiere of Turandot was led by the legendary Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, who refused to include Alfano’s ending, and ordered the curtain lowered in the middle of Act 3 with the sounding of the final notes known to have been written by Puccini himself.

The story is taken from the Persian tale of "Turandokht" ("Damsel of the Orient”), which in translation became “Turandot.” It is the name of an irresistible Chinese princess, whose beauty is matched only by her cruelty and contempt toward men. According to custom, she must marry, but her intense hatred for men causes her to devise a disturbing plan to eliminate her suitors.

Any man requesting Turandot’s hand in marriage must offer the correct answer to each of three mind-boggling riddles. A wrong answer, however, does not simply mean refusal of the marriage proposal—it means death by execution.

In the opening act, the prince of Persia is slated for execution at dawn for failing to answer Turandot’s riddles. Now the deposed prince of Tartary, Calaf, who is traveling incognito, falls victim to Turandot’s charms and sounds the ceremonial gong, thereby presenting himself as her next suitor. He becomes aware that his blind father, the former Tartar king Timur, is also wandering the streets of Peking with his loyal maid, Liù.

Rebecca Sjöwall (Lìu), Kirk Eichelberger (Timur) and Christopher Jackson (Calaf) in Festival Opera’s Turandot (Photo by Robert Shomler)

Unbeknown to all until now, Liù has been secretly in love with Calaf for years, which explains why she has remained in his father’s service. After being reunited and hearing of Calaf’s intent to marry Turandot, the former king and his maid plead with Calaf not to risk his life for the princess, who has so far managed to have all of her suitors killed.

But Calaf persists and remains true to his heart. He answers all of the riddles with awe-inspiring wisdom. However, knowing that he has yet to earn Turandot’s love, he offers to be executed, but only if the princess is able to find out his name by morning.

This is when the frenzy begins. Turandot charges everyone serving the royal court with the single task of uncovering her mysterious suitor’s identity, or else all shall be killed.

Singing the part of Calaf, lyric tenor Christopher Jackson gave a remarkably sincere rendition of “Nessun dorma” (“None Shall Sleep”), which has become perhaps one of the most famous arias of all time. It describes the long night during which Calaf’s life hangs in the balance as Turandot’s subjects seek to reveal the Tartar prince’s name.

Against the odds, love prevails at last and Calaf melts through the ice of Turandot’s distrust, winning her affection with a tender kiss.

Appearing as the heartless Turandot, Othalie Graham brought much dramatic depth to a largely one-dimensional character. Graham’s subtlety of acting and powerful voice are two reasons behind the success of this production.

Rebecca Sjöwall gave a moving performance as the love-stricken Liù, the import of whose character is often raised above that of Turandot. Sjöwall reached her highest point in the aria “Signore, ascolta” (“Listen Master”) where she begs Calaf not to attempt to solve Turandot’s riddles, to which Jackson replies with an equally compelling “Non piangere più” (“No More Tears”).

Sadly, Liù gives her life while refusing to divulge Calaf’s name to Turandot.

Remarkably gifted Bass Kirk Eichelberger lent a kingly voice to Timur, while baritone Igor Vieira and tenors Adam Flowers and Michael Mendelssohn brought just the right touch of comic relief as high-ranking officials Ping, Pang and Pong. An invisible star of the show was James Toland, under whose direction the chorus came to life as the men, women and children of this exotic metropolis on the Silk Road.

Festival Opera’s Turandot was a highly professional production with striking sets and lighting that magically transformed every corner of the fairly small stage into the ancient land of legend.

While talent was in no short supply, the twin heroes of this production were stage director David Cox, for raising the acting of the cast to a level worthy of their voices, and conductor Bryan Nies, for his attentive and flawless orchestral accompaniment.

Stay tuned for Gounod’s Faust, which will open on August 8 and will continue through August 16. For tickets, call (925) 944-9610 or visit www.festivalopera.com .

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George Hernández teaches voice and piano in Walnut Creek. Eman Isadiar teaches piano at the Peninsula Conservatory and writes about music in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lyric Opera’s New 'Rigoletto' Set in Prohibition Era

By Eman Isadiar

Once again, San Francisco Lyric Opera brings us an operatic masterpiece with an intriguing creative twist. A brand new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto will be on stage at Fort Mason’s Cowell Theatre from April 17 through 26, this time transplanted to the urban landscape of Prohibition Era U.S. from the original sixteenth century setting in northern Italy.

Baritone David Cox appears in the title role in SF Lyric Opera's Rigoletto set in Prohibition Era U.S. (Photo courtesy of SF Lyric Opera)

“What makes the story compelling is the twisted nature of the characters against the backdrop of a worn-down society,” says artistic director Barnaby Palmer. He adds, “The 1930s urban setting tends to accentuate the diseased elements at the core of the opera.”

Composer Giuseppe Verdi and his librettist Francesco Piave seem to have fought—and won—an uphill battle with Rigoletto. Based on a work by Victor Hugo titled “Le roi s’amuse” (“The King’s Leisures”), the opera originally portrayed a French king and his many amorous adventures, which was apparently too indecent a topic for the censors of the time. In order to avoid any possible controversy, Verdi and Piave changed the king’s character to an Italian duke of a long-extinct domain.

The story’s main theme is revenge gone awry. The men whose wives and daughters were seduced and dishonored by the Duke form an alliance headed by a certain Count Monterone. However, the Duke’s advisor and confidant—a physically deformed man nicknamed “Rigoletto” (Funny Guy)—has the Count arrested and thrown in jail.

Soprano Rebecca Sjöwall sings the role of Gilda in SF Lyric Opera's new Rigoletto (Photo courtesy of SF Lyric Opera)

Contrary to his own repulsive appearance, Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda is a very attractive young woman, whom he keeps hidden from the world. She is allowed to leave the house only to attend mass, which, as fate would have it, is where she is spotted by the Duke. Unaware that she is Rigoletto’s daughter, the Duke manages to charm her using a false name.

Count Monterone’s men abduct Gilda, believing her to be Rigoletto’s mistress. Rigoletto demands that Gilda be returned to him and, to everyone’s utter surprise, divulges that she is in fact his daughter. Rigoletto’s madness reaches fever pitch as he hires an assassin to kill the Duke, whom he holds responsible for Gilda’s lovesick condition.

Shortly thereafter, the assassin delivers to Rigoletto a sack he claims to contain the dead Duke’s body. As Rigoletto weighs down the sack with rocks before throwing it into the lake, he hears the Duke’s voice in the distance singing one of opera’s best known arias “La donna è mobile” (“How Fickle is Womankind”). Perplexed, he opens the sack and discovers Gilda, who—still barely alive—proclaims she is glad to have exchanged her own life for that of the her beloved Duke as she draws her final breath.

Gifted Hungarian stage director Attila Béres is credited with this production’s daring originality, which also marks his début with the San Francisco Lyric Opera. Currently the main director at Budapest’s Operetta Theater, Mr. Béres has directed an impressive list of operas during his remarkable tenures at the National Theater in Pécs and at Gardonyi Géza Theater in Eger, Hungary.

Artistic director Barnaby Palmer notes that, in addition to Rigoletto’s bold staging, the principal roles are sung by an especially talented cast with outstanding acting skills. These include award-winning soprano Rebecca Sjöwall appearing as Gilda, accomplished Mexican tenor Jesús León as the Duke, and leading baritone David Cox in the title role.

As always, Barnaby Palmer will conduct the orchestra in what promises to be another memorable production of San Francisco Lyric Opera. Mr. Palmer has served as the company’s artistic director since 2002, and is also a professor of Opera History and Music Theory at the Academy of Art.

He points out that opera in a small, intimate setting is qualitatively different from a large opera house production. “San Francisco Lyric Opera,” he says, “aims to offer a unique, close-up experience where the spectator feels directly engaged in the story.” In addition, Mr. Palmer points out that San Francisco Lyric Opera is especially in favor of using modern technology for productions that are more relevant to today’s audiences.

San Francisco Lyric Opera hopes to raise future generations of opera supporters by offering free admission to children 12 and under, and reserving 10 percent of its seating capacity at every performance for the San Francisco Unified School District.

For tickets to the upcoming production of Rigoletto, visit http://www.sflyricopera.org or call (800) 919-8088.

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Eman Isadiar teaches piano at the Peninsula Conservatory and writes about music in the San Francisco Bay Area.