Germany Puccini, Turandot: Soloists and Chorus, Extra chorus and Children’s chorus of Stadttheater Bremerhaven, Philharmonic Orchestra Bremerhaven / Davide Perniceni (conductor). Stadttheater Bremerhaven, 10.10.2024. (DM-D)
Production:
Director and Stage design – Philip Westerbarkei
Costume design – Tassilo Tesche
Lighting design – Thomas Güldenberg
Dramaturgy – Markus Tatzig
Chorus directors – Mario Orlando El Fakih Hernández, Edward Mauritius Münch
Cast:
Turandot – Agnes Selma Weiland
Calaf – Thomas Paul
Liù – Victoria Kunze
Timur – Ulrich Burdack
Ping / The Mandarin – Marcin Hutek
Pang – Andrew Irwin
Pong – Ido Beit Halachmi
Emperor Altoum – Jan Kristof Schliep
In November 2022, Philip Westerbarkei directed and created the set design for Stadttheater Bremerhaven’s production of Macbeth, with costumes designed by Tassilo Tesche. This production was nominated for the German Theatre Prize ‘Der Faust’ in 2023. No surprise then that the theatre asked the successful team to return for a new production of Turandot.
They set the production in the 1920s, with Art Deco curtains for a stage on the stage, and a green velvet sofa stretching across its full width. Tesche’s costumes were predominantly in dark tones, some of the members of the chorus and Timur wore face masks. The lighting by Thomas Güldenberg fitted in well with the set and costumes by emphasising darker atmospheres and moods. Both Turandot and Liù were drug addicts, injecting themselves occasionally. Perhaps the entire plot of the opera was in fact Turandot’s hallucination: the curtain opened to the ‘Nessun Dorma’ theme being played on a piano backstage, while Turandot injected herself and after that lay back on her pillows, followed by the first chords of the opera’s overture. Turandot mingled with her subjects, both personally distant and physically close. Ping, Pang and Pong were characters as if from La Cage aux Folles. The Emperor Altoum wore a simple military uniform and used a walking stick. Numerous further details could be listed that would have triggered associations within the spectators and made sense within the chosen narrative. Although certainly not a conventional interpretation and scenic rendering of the opera, it was consistent within itself and at least not too much in contradiction to the original plot and score.
General music director Marc Niemann had been in charge of rehearsals, conducted the first few performances and thus moulded the musical interpretation. On this occasion, First Kapellmeister Davide Perniceni had been given the task of conducting the performance, as is the habit in German opera houses, for more junior members of the team to gain further professional experience (in addition to being fully in charge of productions in their own right through the rehearsal process all the way to the opening night). Perniceni was obviously keenly aware of the specific acoustics of the Bremerhaven Stadttheater, where sound carries particularly well. Hence, he was able to maintain good balance of volume, not easy given Puccini’s emphasis on brass and percussion that could quickly become too loud and simply noisy. Here it never did. This allowed for the soloist singers’ voices to float with the orchestra rather than singers having to engage in a constant battle against the orchestra to be just about heard, as can be the case even in larger opera houses. It also allowed the chorus to sing rather than shout. The chorus was very well prepared by the outgoing and the incoming chorus directors, Mario Orlando El Fakih Hernández, and Edward Mauritius Münch, respectively.
Thomas Paul did much more than merely justice to the demanding role of Calaf. He did not have to save his voice for ‘Nessun Dorma’, nor was it exhausted after it. Right from the start Paul clearly relished singing every single note to perfection with a wide range of volume and expression at his command. The voice sounded fresh and strong, metallic and well-focused, with effortlessly reached top notes which he was able to hold for as long as he chose, not having to compromise because he ran out of breath or strength and stamina. Watch out for this singer on the international stage!
Agnes Selma Weiland is developing her repertory to include Sieglinde and other major female roles in Wagner operas. Here, she gave her role debut as Turandot. Overall, it was an accomplished performance and a promising debut. The voice was bright and powerful in the upper and lower registers, with some apparent unease in between, leading to the voice sounding thinner. Occasionally, her exposed high notes were slightly below pitch. Victoria Kunze as Liú impressed, as ever, through her acting skills, her uncompromising involvement with her character. She took a moment to warm up to the rhythms of Puccini’s music. Once there, her voice was suitably agile, secure across the registers and with ringing top notes. Ulrich Burdack as Timur benefitted from the care with which Perniceni conducted his music with and not against him, allowing the subtleties of the role to come to the fore much more than in the case of a bass with a louder voice winning his struggle against the orchestra. Burdack’s phrasing was subtle, the nuances detailed and moving. Marcin Hutek (Ping/The Mandarin) and Andrew Irwin (Pang) are developing their voices gradually and steadily within the protective environment of the Bremerhaven company. They gave their characters considerable individual profile both through their acting and singing. Visiting artists Ido Beit Halachmi (Pong) and Jan Kristof Schliep (Altoum) fitted in well with the company.
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe