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OPERA: Wozzeck reviewed
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American soprano Janice Baird is exceptional in the Teatro dell'Opera's Wozzeck. |
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The 2007-2008 season of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has opened most promisingly with a new production of Alban Berg’s masterpiece, Wozzeck, first put on in Berlin in 1925, and now regarded as one of the greatest musical creations of the 20th century. In it the composer stresses his profound sympathy for the dregs of society, the ‘hero’, Wozzeck, being a squalid individual and the ‘heroine’ not much better -– not at all the usual stuff of opera. The action portrays the unexpected and potentially violent repercussions inherent in the most ordinary everyday happenings, and is expressed in very powerful music, often of an extraordinary beauty and lyricism.
Production, scenes and costumes are by Giancarlo del Monaco. The work presents problems, in that it consists of three acts divided into 15 scenes, which necessitate ingenuity if speed and rhythm are to be maintained. Del Monaco’s solution is the use of an unchanging set, a rather grey and bleak space, in keeping with the squalidness of the action, in which the performers emerge from a series of trapdoors all over the floor, leaving the audience to imagine exactly what each trapdoor represents. Even the lake into which Wozzeck eventually submerges himself is one of the trapdoors. It is not attractive, but does ensure that the plot unfolds rapidly and without interruption, the whole work being performed without any sort of break. Costumes are plain.
There are many fine aspects to this production, firstly the conducting, by Gianluigi Gelmetti, who does a very excellent job indeed with the subtle and elaborate score. The singing of protagonist Wozzeck, the English baritone Jacek Jan Strauch, was pretty good, as was his acting. However, the Marie of the American soprano, Janice Baird, was truly exceptional. Her voice is strong, even and highly dramatic, perfect for this role, her acting of the highest standard and her physical presence most alluring. Of the other roles, Kristjan Johannsson as the Drum-major was delightfully coarse, and all the others more than adequately covered.
Wozzeck is repeated on 23 and 24 Oct, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 1, tel. 06481601, www.operaroma.it.
www.john-fort.com
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