Turandot is the last virgin at the Semperoper
An exceptionally staged Puccini opera opens the Semperoper’s new season. There was standing applause.
4 Min.
Captivates you immediately: Elisabeth Teige as Princess Turandot. © Semperoper/Ludwig Olah
By Jens Daniel Schubert
The story of an ice-cold princess from fairy-tale China is told as a human dystopia with clear references to “The Hunger Games”. The first premiere of the new season at the Semperoper with Puccini’s “Turandot” was unusual, charming and visually powerful. She was convincing thanks to a rousing musical interpretation and impressive visualization, which go hand in hand with the initially seemingly strange dramaturgical approach. Almost a quarter of an hour of standing applause showed that the concept was a success.
Searchlights in the auditorium. Loudspeaker announcements invite you to the “Turandot Games”. Sentry and a delinquent on stage. Image panels and a running time display make it clear that the last virgin, Turandot, is the only hope for the world. No other woman can have children anymore. If Turandot, who refuses marriage, does not give in, humanity will die out. The clock is running. There is bread and circuses until the expected doom. Deadly Games. Turandot Games.
Turandot lives in her small terrarium
The arena is prepared. The spectators from the different districts take their seats in the stands. The theater hall (District 2) is part of the audience backdrop. Whether rich or poor, shabby or spruced up: everyone is eagerly waiting for the next victim. The cameras, the moderator, the team companions are always there. The stage design, with playing areas that shift to different levels, is sparse but effectively lit. The camera’s live images can be seen on various projection surfaces. Close-ups, relationships, backgrounds. At first it’s a sensory overload that’s hard to follow as a viewer.
Turandot lives in her small terrarium under the arena. There are a few plants, green lawn, a bit of nature. She is withdrawn from the hustle and bustle that is happening around her. She’s not just an unfeeling, cold person. In her aria it is illustrated and brought home by the camera: her refusal and the serial deaths of the applicants are revenge for the structural abuse that men have inflicted on women throughout human history.
In the “Hunger Games” cosmos
Her opponent, Kalaf, is more than a romantic fool who pushes the lover Liu aside for some distant ideal. His willingness to die has an almost messianic dimension. After solving the riddles, he had the opportunity to subdue the last virgin using male violence. The fact that he is now giving Turandot a chance is not due to a momentary emotion. Kalaf’s belief in love is a program, vision and hope for a human future.
“Turandot” at the Semperoper builds an ultimate dystopia in order to solve it optimistically. Love has the power to move hearts and therefore the world. Great theater, great cinema for a simple, hopeful insight. The production is by Marie-Eve Signeyrole. With her team, led by co-director Heiko Hentschel, supported by video and camera, she manages to effectively stage the characters. Fabian Teigné designed the scope, Yashi designed the diverse costumes, some of which quoted fashion from the Hunger Games films.
All of this only worked because it fit exactly into the superbly interpreted music. Scenic ideas and actions follow musical impulses. The scene and the music play into each other’s hands. You can see the director’s film experience.
Calaf believes in love
Ivan Repusic is the musical director. The state orchestra, state opera choir plus children’s and symphony choir provide the sonorous basis for the dramatic event. Sound spectrums are developed in a differentiated manner, the percussion drives the drama, and the melody has space to unfold.
The choir is led very precisely in individual performance and as a choreographed audience. The entire ensemble of soloists is brilliant.
Yonghoon Lee shines as Kalaf with a radiant, seemingly effortless tenor. He is convincing as a determined, hopeful warrior who believes in love. Touching in her acting and singing, Elbenita Kajtazi finds everyone’s hearts as Liu. Only the Turandot and Calaf can escape this. Elisabeth Teige is a Turandot with an enormous creative palette. She masters the task, which is unusual for an opera singer, of mirroring every emotion in the close-up of her face, which her fantastic singing makes audible.
Everyone can decide for themselves how conclusive the dramaturgical connection to the Panem cosmos is. “Turandot” succeeded in putting a global, existential problem on stage. It’s hopeful that things will turn out well.
Again on: October 11th and 14th as well as November 13th, 18th, 22nd and 25th; card phone 0351 4911705
2023-10-08 23:00:50
#Turandot #virgin #Semperoper
