ENO's Turandot flamed, grilled and roasted

Turandot - English National Opera, 16 November 2009

Even the uniformly negative reviews didn't prepare me for the sheer amateurishness of Rupert Goold's new production.

Sure, the glossy Chinese gastropalace and its population of post-modern archetypes look good in pics. That's because the designs are imaginative and meticulously executed. Even if we’ve seen some of the ideas before – the last act’s tiled kitchen from Goold’s Macbeth, the animal masks and typeface projections from his Enron, to name a couple – they’re still original enough to constitute an aesthetic rather than a shortage of ideas.

The problem is they're nothing more than an artsy backdrop to some decidedly old-fashioned stand and deliver action. Goold is used to working with the likes of Michael Gambon and Patrick Stewart. Here he’s saddled with a genre of performers for whom acting skills are a helpful bonus, not than a job requirement. That’s not to say that this cast are bad actors, just that they’re typical singers, and they need more direction than they’ve received here to bring out their best. The principals are left pretty much to their own devices. Amanda Echalaz as Liù reprised the memorable drug-addled victim of her OHP Un ballo in maschera. Kirsten Blanck (Turandot) has clearly seen a few Siouxsie videos. Gwyn Hughes Jones (Calaf) just wanders round in his cheap mac like a lost tourist.

The individually-costumed and fussily-blocked chorus and the superfluous dancers are more of a distraction than a compensation. Perhaps he’s trying to say that even people who consider themselves individuals can become complicit in a murderous regime. Whatever. That’s a side dish – it’s not what Turandot is about. When it comes to telling the real story, what Goold serves up is a concert performance in cool frocks.

The only character Goold shows much interest in is one he's grafted on. 'The Writer' - presumably a reflection of Puccini - is an irritating silent witness and occasional participant. He scribbles away in a book until bloodily despatched at Turandot's command towards the end - not uncoincidentally, at the point Puccini stopped writing. His book is picked up by a pig-headed dancer who writes the last few pages. You couldn't offer a clearer opinion of Alfano’s completion than that, but did we really have to suffer the previous hour and half to get there? To most operagoers, whether they like Turandot or not, Puccini's failure to complete it is simply a footnote, but Goold's staging elevates it to the raison d'etre of the entire production.

Relief came only from a handful of sterling vocal performances in the central roles, chief among them Amanda Echalaz’s thrilling Liù.  Gwyn Hughes Jones offered a blank slate of a Calaf, unconvincing in his passion for the ice princess. At least he sang with some ardour and assurance. A more detailed portrayal would make him truly terrific in this part. Kirsten Blanck’s Turandot was heroically powerful, served up in a stern Marlene Dietrich accent with gale force top notes. Benedict Nelson’s Ping was the standout amongst the rest.

Edward Gardner hammered the score into submission as if he was repaying a grudge. It was a loud and dirty fight.

 

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Production photos: Catherine Ashmore
Curtain call photos: intermezzo.typepad.com

Comments

[Keith]

Without doubt one of the most wretched evenings I have ever spent in a theatre.

[Laurent]

I believe you mean “not coincidentally”, not “not uncoincidentally”…

[inter mezzo]

Merci Laurent, you are of course correct - updated :)

[Jill Jenkins]

I could have cheered when the bloodied writer died! There were too many over dressed, irritating characters which sought to detract from the wonderful music - in the end the singers and Puccini won - but only just!

[Hugh Kerr]

well I thought it was very good great theatre,good singing and much better than many tedious Turandots I have seen at the Garden!

[a mac]

Tempted out on a rainy night - by the offer of a free ticket. With an £6.50 Chinese buffet meal beforehand (everywhere else was full- honest) - setting the standard for the rest of the evening !

Fortified by 3 full plates - to be honest it (Turandot that is) was not as bad as I expected. With a few adjustments eg getting rid of the writer and the some of the pointless chorus costumes, it had the makings of a reasonable show.

Musically about as good as you can expect from ENO; I though the chorus very well drilled.

With a vast number of performances and no co-production (well not listed) they must have lost a wedge on this !

[Marion Morgan]

I cannot claim to be a great opera buff, but in my humble opinion, this was a truly exciting production.

I can see how purists would hate it, but surely even opera has to evolve to survive. Much of the criticism of the production has come from, I believe, a fear of the new in opera, and the misconception that this kind of staging will somehow 'dilute' it - or worse, 'dumb it down'. Mr Goold certainly is well known for his theatrical direction, but he is also an experienced opera director, from what I have read since going to see it last weekend. I have seen and enjoyed several of his theatre productions, in particular Macbeth. Michael Billington has written a fine blog about the apparent witch hunt, and the role of the new and brave in the performing arts. Have a read. Also, if having Mr Goold direct brought new faces to the performance, even out of curiosity, then we should praise ENO's choice of director.

I enjoy a traditional staging as much as the next person, but this was thrilling in it's challenges. I would certainly not call it amateurish. Am I alone in seeing the point of the writer? He gave the ending coherence and also added an element of biography to the opera, which I thought was very effective. The various endings are in themselves riddles and one of the artistically interesting challenges for the production team must be how best to bind the two sections together. This team's approach can be criticised or applauded, but at least it gave a narrative reasoning behind the last section.

The orchestra was outstanding - with wonderful nuance and sensitivity combined with the enormous sound which I, at least, look forward to. I felt Mr Gardner's interpretation of the score allowed his instrument to echo the personality of each character, and this was particulary evident in the passages from Liu. I disagree with you when you say it was a 'loud and dirty fight'. On this I can claim some knowledge, being a professional musician.

My only gripe with the performance was with the heavily accented voice of Turandot, but that was solved by the surtitles and the general feeling I had of total absorbtion.

One moment when I felt extreme irritation was not to do with something on the stage. It was overhearing a party of young boys, presumably brought by their schoolmaster. The master asked 'How are you bearing up?', to which one replied 'Well, it could be louder.'
I know families whose entire weekly food bill would be covered by the cost of his ticket. I felt like shaking him and telling him how lucky he was to be there.

The person I went with is, on the other hand, a great opera buff, having worked at the Garden for many years. They thoroughly enjoyed the performance and compared it most favourably to the productions they have seen before.

I am grateful for the opportunity to see opera, when there are so many who don't ever experience it. I felt lucky to be there and had quite forgotten the thrill of a live opera performance. I vowed then and there to go to more.

Thank you for having this blog to comment on - I have searched for one since hearing of the all round criticism of the production so I could have a 'public' say!

[Frank Ball]

I have just arrived home from the Dec 9th performance. My comments very much mirror Marion Morgan's. The production was very enthusiastically received by the audience; not much sign that I could see of people having to suffer for an hour and a half to get there. I don't understand the comment on Gardner hammering the score into submission.

The orchestra sounded really great. Marion's comments are spot on. For me this was an absorbing, involving and dramatic performance.

[W J Davies]

Best Turandot performance I've heard - by far the worst performance I've seen. How did they clone Cilla Black though?
How the hell did the Board swallow that when he presented it to them?