MANON MANON MANON • TEATRO REGIO TORINO
★★★★☆☆
REVIEW MANON MANON MANON: A STROKE OF GENIUS IN TORINO
The Turin Opera has made a stroke of genius by performing Massenet, Puccini and Daniel Auber’s three different operatic versions of the tragic tale of Manon Lescault, side by side throughout October. All three works are staged by French director Arnoud Bernard, who largely succeeds with a consistent, conceptual approach to hold it all together.
Got to see this was invited to a weekend where the three operas were performed three days in a row. An exciting, in truth a little uneven, but also unconditionally interesting opera experience, which with its creative format could inspire theatre managers all over Europe.
Part 1 – Manon
The first stage of the Manon rocket was Massenet’s fine 1884 version, which is an example of French opera at its very best. The staging weaved in and out of alternating mega-projections of film clips from Brigitte Bardot’s 1960s film La Vérité, which contributed exceptionally strongly with its black and white aesthetic.
The show’s approach was to duplicate the film scenes live in a kind of fluid, transparent narrative that framed the tragedy in an exemplary way, along with Massenet’s gripping score that delivers on both romance and drama.
The staging was realized as a kind of courtroom drama with a row of observing judges on a brightly lit judge’s podium at the back, with an open space in front, where the action played out in flashbacks and flash forwards. A sophisticated and well-functioning concept that was a winner.
The soloists, the talented beautiful Russian soprano Ekatarina Bakanova (Manon) and the Brazilian tenor Atali Ayan (Des Grieux) were absolutely top class in this performance, which was broadcast live on Italian radio and TV with a large numbers of cameras in the theatre.
Massenet is not the quickest to unravel a plot. On the other hand, the emotions run deep and settle in the audience, not least in the poignant suicide finale that calls forth tears as Manon leaves this world in a transparent mix of swirling French auteur-style film clips, combined with live action around a hospital bed on the nude stage.
Quite simply an excellent operatic moment that deservedly received rapturous applause from an appreciative audience of experts as the Opera Europa organization held its three-day conference just this weekend with the Turin Opera hosting art, canapés and plenty of prosecco.
Part 2 – Manon
The second instalment of the three-times Manon was not quite as convincing as the first. Director Bernard continued his ethereal blend of black and white film aesthetics with narrative cuts on rear screens or semi-transparent curtains.
The 1893 Puccini version was illustrated with 1940s film noir sequences that seemed counterproductive and made the story more old-fashioned than was good. The first act took place in a gigantic waiting room in a railway station with beautiful choral pieces and skillfully staged mass choreography to Puccini’s lively music.
The soloists were a medium to disappointing acquaintance, with tenor Roberto Aronica in particular lacking charm in both scenic and tonal expression. Soprano Erika Grimaldi fared better and received several spontaneous applauses along the way.
The second act played out like a kind of film recording in a long meta-sequence with lots of whimsical, vaudeville-like ideas that were hard to make sense of.
During a stressful talk with director Bernard, who was more concerned with a technical problem, I inadvertently quoted one of film maker Jørgen Leths signature remarks –even today I have experienced something that I will only understand tomorrow.
In my eyes, a flexible characterization of the second act that did not go down well with the confident Frenchman.
The journey to America took place in helpless, low-tech film clips that ended in a strange desert walk in something that looked like the Sahara, but was probably supposed to be Louisiana.
The orchestra was magnificent, and Puccini’s unique quality was clearly recognizable. Including his special way of orchestrating, with clear melody lines in great extension, over which the soloists floated with their catchy, almost hit-like arias.
Del 3 – Manon
The third part of Torino’s Manon triptych was a festive operatic comedy by French composer Daniel Auber that time has completely outrun.
A wild ga-ga of coloratura singing that boomed and jangled, mass choreography and big choral movements with a chaotic array of performers, staged with film clips from the 30s and 20s, and so old-fashioned that there is probably a good reason why this opera has been forgotten.
A steam locomotive of confusion that pumped through a half-empty theatre and left most people untouched.
Soprano Marie-Eve Munger was very strong in her coloratura gymnastics and did her part to keep the performance afloat, but you soon had the feeling that you were watching the weak link of the Manon trio.
Towards the end, however, the music changed character, and director Bernard wisely turned down the buffoonery. In fact, we got a finale that ended up being gripping, set against a jungle backdrop instead of the usual desert tragedy.
Huge portraits of the title character of the three shows appeared on the back wall as images of the three sides of Manon that were presented over three days of performances.
Was Manon a free soul in a cage, a hapless victim of patriarchy, a proud feminist front fighter, or just a frivolous, fun-loving bitch? A very powerful and thought-provoking ending.
Overall, MMM was a great experience in its insistent, cinematic concept, in which some of the performances fit better than others.
In any case, the triple bill format is a powerful, campaignable device that allows the audience to indulge in a curated operatic flow, just as they do with Wagner’s Ring.
Mozart’s Da Ponte trilogy and Donizetti’s Tudor Trio are obvious, but there are many ways to slice that cake that could whet the appetite of a wide audience for opera.