Woman at Point Zero (LSO at St Luke’s, 13 July 2017)

To give you an idea of the environment of Old Street. Use it for whenever I mention Shoreditch as well 😉

As I was saying in an earlier post, I liked this very much indeed, but being other it wasn’t easy to write about. Also I’ve been sucked into the blackhole known as other interests these days and have generally neglected to put words on paper screen (what do you mean other interests? what can be more interesting than l’opera??? I know, I was shocked too. Sabotage!).

Anyway, a fitting return of Thursday’s Something Else. Let’s see what the blurb tells us:

In this special, one-evening concert, The Royal Opera joins forces with Shubbak Festival to showcase works by five composers from the Arab world. Shubbak is London’s major biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture, connecting London audiences with the best of Arab culture across visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, architecture and debate. This evening in two parts will share and celebrate short works by five composers, centring on the premiere of scenes from Bushra El-Turk’s new opera Woman at Point Zero.

Woman at Point Zero is based on the seminal novel by Egyptian author, feminist and doctor Nawal El Saadawi – an allegorical tale of historical female oppression in Egypt that questions what true freedom and empowerment can mean for women today. Preceding extracts of Woman at Point Zero are the UK premieres of chamber works by the four participants of The Royal Opera and Shubbak’s inaugural Arab Composer Residency programme: Amir ElSaffar (Iraq/US), Nadim Husni (Syria/Poland), Bahaa El-Ansary (Egypt) and Nabil Benabdeljalil (Morocco).

You can see how they separated the Baroque church skeleton from the music venue bit, complete with glass window, for that airy feel. The instruments were moved away for the opera scenes and the orchestra lined up to that panelling.

Though St Luke’s – an 18th century church converted into a musical venue – is located at Old Street and thus very convenient for yours truly and I got there with time to spare, I managed not to land a programme, being more focused on getting from point A to point B (seating) inside the venue, so that I could find a nice spot on the balcony to better view the stage. Thus I couldn’t tell which piece/composer came first, middle and last.

The pieces ranged from what a rather clueless Westerner (yours truly) would call Middle Eastern singing backed by a string quartet to some string shredding that would not look out of place in an extreme metal festival, via a piece that combined Polish folk singing and Middle Eastern instrumentation rather interestingly – so full circle. Unsurprisingly I felt serious kinship with the entirely instrumental string shredding – very fine work from the LSO violonist, whom I would nominate if I had the programme… – in spite of the heavy angst – or perhaps it was just simply very energetic.

After the interval we had the scenes from Woman at Point Zero, entirely orchestrated with an array of very good looking world music wind instruments and an accordion that sounded like no accordion I’ve ever heard. That was a very good thing, as if there is one instrument I can’t stand it’s that one¹.

The scenes were staged in a manner that reminded me of Sellars’ treatment of The Gospel According to the Other Mary – that is, movement was integral, staging minimal. Now seeing as how this shapes up to be chamber opera, that was ideal. The orchestra, made up of 6 musicians, was also called to move throughout the piece. I was highly impressed with how they managed to interact with the main character (The Woman) whilst playing without scores (especially the flautist). I’m compelled to add that I find myself a lot more responsive to this contemporary type of dance than to its classical counterpart. Maybe I should start the broadening of my ballet horizons via this.

At the beginning they were all lined up at the back of the stage, in hieratic poses. As The Woman starts to breath, the wind instruments help her find her voice, coming closer and closer and offering her a variety of primordial sounds. This is a feminist text so that was an excellent illustration of one’s emerging sense of self. It also harked back – I think – to the Ancient Egyptian Ka. I loved it. Soprano Merit Ariane Stephanos (one of the forces behind the inception of the project) did a mesmerising job with the title role.

The scenes continued like this, The Woman recounting the events of her life that built on her present condition, which seemed both desperate (death row) and keenly self aware. It’s a very typical story of Woman trying to find her place in a society that does not offer her much of a choice. What impresses is of course her inner strength and desire to better herself/discover her worth.

The “recit” part of the text is spoken (no Spechgesang) in English and sung in Arabic, so we have an interesting and quite seamless combination of Western and Arab. The recits are contemporary music in ethos whilst the singing seems written in traditional manner from around the world, which also helps illustrate the divergent forces that create the drama at hand.

To get a better idea, check it out here and read the blurb below the video as well, it’s got more info:

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1. Chalk it up to a childhood of inescapable moments like this. Worse than Verdi dirges and wounded bohemian with guitar combined? Quite possibly. ↩

Thursday’s Something Else on Monday (Paisiello)

Is this a comedy?

I actually listened to most of Nina, o sia La pazza per amore last Wednesday but then real life kept intruding. Anyway, it’s of its time and if you like that time chances are good you will like it. It’s sung by Bartoli, JK (you know you always wanted to hear him supported by… bagpipes) and Laszlo Polgar = the singing is good. By that and by their good quality choir you can also tell it’s from Zurich. That the recits are spoken (to good effect) is another sure sign. In fact there are recits but there is also spoken dialogue in the libretto.

Those of us who enjoy those knighly Tancredi/Ginevra di Scozia choruses have something else to rejoice by. They were also of this time (1789).

Those of us who find Paisiello occasionally ponderous have to sit through a few of Nina’s very (very) long ariosos, one of which reminds me of Sesto’s lament at the end of act I of Tito (and since Bartoli’s Sesto happened within memory it feels just like that – except Nina isn’t about to stab anyone, she’s merely hyperventilating over Lindoro (there’s always a Lindoro in Italian buffa)). Upon further investigation this turns out to be… an interpolated Mozart aria. As you do.

The ariosos are actually rather interesting but did I mention long? Ok, Nina has a point, because the entire opera is based on her denial of the fact that Lindoro is, in fact, dead. These days we wouldn’t be laughing at situations like these, so the question is, is this really a comedy in 2016?

…only Lindoro is not dead after all. Yes, dear reader, we’re meant to (?) laugh at this poor woman’s breakdown only to find out that her lover, whom she (thought she?) saw being killed, is alive after all. Relieved laughter ensues. But we get to hear a lyric singer get all dramatic within their fach’s comfortable limitations so not all is lost.

Thursday’s Something Else (Busoni)

I haven’t had one of these in a while but (having just revisited Ariadne auf Naxos) I thought it would be fun to try another early 20th century opera. Here comes Busoni’s Doktor Faustus. Well, success! Opernhaus Zurich puts on a good production as usual, and we have the chance of a lot of lower lying male singing (though Mephistopheles himself is a tenor). People in the comments section keep wondering why don’t we hear this one more often and they are right, it’s very listenable, regardless of one’s interest in Faustian pacts (mine is middling).

Thursday’s Something Else (Tannhäuser)

In light of a split decision to go see Tannhäuser I thought it would be wise to listen to the opera before I committed to its 3hrs+. Well, wouldn’t you know, it was highly bearable. In fact some parts were very pleasant indeed (often when there was no singing, but that wasn’t unpleasant either; at least most of the time).

On the other hand I can’t say I’ve been turned into a Wagner aficionado. But we’ll talks again after I actually see it.

Thursday’s Something Else (Chausson)

Today mum employed her tried and true method of shutting up noisy neighbours in the garden: classical music/opera. I was busy in that room (kitchen¹) with my blocked ear so I caught a bit of the wailing on TV (with my good ear). Lo and behold, it was Graham Vick’s Roi Arthus production from last month, the same one that got a beating in the Guardian on grounds of being too obscure for pajamas and sofas. Now that I saw a bit here’s what I thought:

• the music was less interesting than I imagined (lots of Romantic angst, the kind that makes me question if I like opera in the first place)
• the singing shouting in tune was fine; my impression – one eared as I currently am – was that they (Koch and Alagna) did all they could with what they had – in every sesne of the word
• mostly it was Lancelot and Genevieve making out/being angsty together on the sofa, which was nice (the former); their music rather run of the mill
• I liked the garish sofa atop its “field of flowers” (also known as deep green and yellow carpet)
• there was also a field of tall grass and flowers as such for the lovers to frolic in and I liked that as well, Koch and Alagna had good chemistry; conveying Lancelot and Genevieve as modern couple felt natural
• people in modern dress fighting with broadswords did not faze me and I’m surprised they fazed anyone who’s been paying attention to the news in the past few years; pretty decent stage swordfighting skills, too

In conclusion: what an overreaction from Martin Kettle!

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1. mum watches Mezzo TV in the kitchen ↩

Friday’s Something Else (Shostakovich)

A while ago I came across Gogol’s The Inspector-general and found it hilarious. Seeing as how I’m currently visiting mum and her house is a repository of world literature, I set out to read some more Gogol. Those who have read it/seen the opera know what a strangely amusing story The Nose is. So I once again braved Shostakovich’s take on it, hoping I’d cope better now that I know and like the story.

I think the music fits the spirit of the work to a t but… well, it’s really hard going. 4 minutes in there’s a high soprano inducing decibel violence on her character’s good for nothing husband, the unskilled “Figaro” who most likely dislocated the nose in the first place. I don’t know who’s more punished, him or me. There are reasons to skip ahead to the moments where Kovalyov meets his nose in church or when the nose returns to him in its original form (no more high sopranos) but I don’t know that I can sit through it in one go… A good case for words before the music – here’s a link to the text.

Sunday’s Something Else (Rautavaara)

Back to contemporary opera, this time Rautavaara’s Rasputin. Title character’s entrance aria shoots for hypnotic and then there are the beautiful lyrics about the handsome wild lands of Siberia with which he “heals” the Tsarevich. I like Matti Salminen’s acting a lot and there’s something alluring about his singing. It’s rather pleasant; grand opera for the 21st century perhaps.

Thursday’s Something Else (2nd Poulenc)

La voix humaine isn’t the first Poulenc I’ve talked about in this series, though it might be the first I heard. Upon first encounter I found it frightening, perhaps more so than Schoenberg’s Erwartung. I wasn’t necessary eager to give it another go. But since I am going to see it live in 10 days I thought it might be best for my own sanity to get reacquainted. Turns out I’ve matured a bit taste-wise and it wasn’t such a harrowing experience as before. It felt mostly bearable if overwrought. I don’t know that I’ve felt low enough before to actually get what the woman is going through. Thus I thought a bit of intellectual help from the woman it was written for would stir me in the right direction:

Weekend’s Something Else (La forza del destino)

This week’s effort is a bit different; not the work of a composer I don’t know, not even I work I don’t know. Rather, a work I’m not very familiar with.

I’d heard Forza once before a few years ago because I liked the bombastic title and I was very familiar with the overture. It didn’t leave a lasting impression. But seeing as how I seem destined to see this in the near future, I thought I’d familiarise myself with it before standing for 3 hours for the sake of sampling Bayerische Staatsoper at long last (yay!).

Thursday’s Something Else (Janáček)

Today I thought I’d go for a bit of Janáček – From the House of the Dead. There’s nothing wrong with it, just not the most exciting writing for the voice. If it were a symphony I’d think “the orchestration is so vivid, it’d make a great opera” 😉 In conclusion, I’d go see it, as it could prove more exciting that way.