© David Ruano
35 years after having last appeared at Liceu, Puccini's Trittico has returned to its stage. It has done so in a 2017 Munich Opera production directed by Lotte de Beer.
Achieving a visual and dramatic union in a single production of three titles as different as those that make up Il Trittico is not at all easy, the Dutch stage director half succeeds at it. De Beer takes death as a thread: in the first opera, a passionate thriller, there is a murder; in the second, a melodrama, we find the suicide of a desperate nun-mother; the third, a black comedy, begins with a natural death. Certainly death is a common denominator, but they are too different deaths and this common thread is dramatically inconsistent.
GIANNI SCHICCHI (© David Ruano)
Visually, the production, of very high technical demand, presents a very impressive scenography, the work of Bernhard Hammer: a narrowing tunnel made up of three parts. The center piece is mobile and rotates completely, like a clock. A huge expense, very showy, spectacular, but of very little dramatic significance. If one day the engine that turns the piece breaks down, the production would continue to work (or not work) exactly the same because the complex turn of the scenery dramatically has little relevance. Alex Brok's clever lighting and a certain abuse of smoke effects make the scenography even more visually powerful.
The highlight of this Trittico was the high musical result achieved. First of all, the very good musical direction by Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, who was making her debut at the Liceu, should be highlighted. Il Trittico, one of Puccini's last works, presents a complex orchestration, timbrically sophisticated, full of details. Mälkki directed with precision, with subtlety, keeping a close eye on the dynamics. She never fell into stridency and the result was optimal.
The voices that Liceu managed to gather for these three operas, which despite being short, have great vocal demands, were of a very high standard. As Giorgetta, the female protagonist of Il tabarro, we could count on the impressive voice of Lise Davidsen. The Norwegian soprano's vocal presence is overwhelming. Her voice has it all: body, high register, projection and beautiful timbre.
GIANNI SCHICCHI (© David Ruano)
Tenor Brandon Jovanovich, who made a good Luigi and Ambrogio Maestri, and who shortly after had to sing the leading role in the third opera, reserved his vocal resources a little but fulfilled the role of the jealous Michele perfectly.
In Suor Angelica it was possible to count on the participation in the main role of the Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho, perhaps the world's leading specialist in this character. Jaho, who already took part in the premiere of this production in Munich, offered an unforgettable interpretation due to the dramatic intensity and depth of the character. Daniela Barcellona was very good in the role of Zia Principessa. The performance of the choir was correct but not excellent.
In Gianni Schicchi, the most choral of the three operas, with many secondary characters, Ambrogio Maestri dominated the scene with a display of vocal and dramatic resources at the service of the histrionic central character that gives the work its title. Ruth Iniesta and Iván Ayón-Rivas, who had already participated in a secondary role in Il tabarro, were able to have more prominence in the roles of Lauretta and Rinuccio and Iniesta won applause when she sang the famous "O mio babbino caro". Daniela Barcellona also stepped in again, now in the role of Zita and Stefano Palatchi gave his resounding bass voice to the character of Simone.
Xavier Pujol
Barcelona, 27th November
Il Trittico by Giacomo Puccini.
Il tabarro. Ambrogio Maestri, baritone. Brandon Jovanovich, tenor. Lise Davidsen, soprano.
Suor Angelica. Ermonela Jaho, soprano. Daniela Barcellona, mezzo-soprano. María Luisa Corbacho, mezzo-soprano. Mireia Pintó, mezzo-soprano. Mercedes Gancedo, soprano.
Gianni Schicchi. Ambrogio Maestri, baritone. Ruth Iniesta, soprano. Iván Ayón-Rivas, tenor. Stefano Palatchi, bass.
Orchestra and Choir from Gran Teatre del Liceu. Conductor, Susanna Mälkki. Stage director, Lotte de Beer. Scenography, Bernhard Hammer. Costumes, Jorine Van Beek. Lighting, Alex Brok. Production by Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich). Gran Teatre del Liceu.
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