Il Trittico
Puccini’s IL TRITTICO has a fairly spotty history of performance in the country--at least, in its complete form. Comprised of three unrelated one-act operas, individual pieces are often excerpted and paired with another one-act. The choice is usually the comic masterpiece GIANNI SCHICCHI. A full production of TRITTICO is quite demanding, requiring three distinct sets and, as the operas are vocally challenging and vastly different in style, there is very little chance of double-casting the lead roles. This means that any production of the three operas together is an expensive proposition and most companies settle on reviving one of the warhorses like BUTTERFLY or BOHEME.
Los Angeles Opera decided to take the plunge and produce a new TRITTICO production to open their season and, if the companion production of Howard Shore’s THE FLY, was a disappointment, TRITTICO was an unqualified triumph. Two directors, known mostly for film, shared the directing assignments—William Friedkin and, making his operatic debut, Woody Allen. Friedkin (who helmed a wonderful SCHICCHI a few seasons ago), now tackled the other two operas, while Allen revisited his purely comic roots to energize GIANNI SCHICCHI.
IL TABARRO is possibly the least known of the three and finds Puccini in a verismo mood. Like PAGLIACCI , his former rival (they worked on simultaneous versions of BOHEME) Leoncavallo’s masterpiece, TABARRO is a short, brutal slice of life featuring an unfaithful wife, her jealous husband and the inevitable tragedy that ensues. Friedkin’s direction, aided in no small part by Santo Loquasto’s vivid sets, emphasized the real emotions in the melodrama. Mark Delavan was a towering Michele; both scary and sad. His adulterous wife was drawn with depth and sympathy by Anja Kampe while her lover seemed extraordinarily heroic and intelligent when sung by a commanding Salvatore Licitra. The smaller roles were crafted with equal care but special mention must be made of Tichina Vaughn’s rich-voiced and feisty Frugola.
SUOR ANGELICA is probably the most problematic of the three. Critical opinion suggests that the lack of male voices, the peaceful convent setting, the shame over illegitimacy and the final miracle are hard for a cynical modern audience to buy into. Friedkin disproved this by trusting Puccini’s dramatic sense and approaching the piece without condescension. The simplicity of this vision brought Angelica’s plight to life and made the opera seem fresh. Sondra Radvonosky was a compelling and poignantly sung Angelica while a regal Larissa Diadkova proved appropriately cold and unforgiving as the Princess, Angelica’s aunt.
GIANNI SCHICCHI is deservedly the most popular of the operas and, though placed in Mediaeval Florence, its tale of greedy families works in any time period. Woody Allen has conceived the opera as one of those over-the-top, black and white Italian comedies from the Early Sixties and it works beautifully. This is a true ensemble work and each character is a richly detailed part of the tapestry. Still, Schicchi is given a particularly sharp and spirited performance by veteran singer, Thomas Allen. The young lovers, sung by Samir Pirgu and Laura Tatulescu, were nicely animated and believably in love. Ms Tatulescu was indisposed on the night I attended but she proved she wields a knife with the best of them and managed numerous laughs on her “O mio babbino caro.” Jill Grove was a formidable Zita while Andrea Silvestrelli’s Simone was delightfully egocentric.
James Conlon brought passion and brilliance to Puccini’s music from the pit. He saw to it that each opera was given its stylistic due and proved an invaluable addition to this memorable production.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion September 6 – 26, 2008
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