'La Fanciulla Del West' is not one of Puccini's best operas (though not his weakest, although still interesting 'Edgar' would get my vote for that), the story is very slight with an overlong first act and the characters not always plausible.
It still has a tense Act 2 and when done right Act 3 is touching and evokes chills. Puccini's music is not continuously memorable and only Rance's "Minnie Della Mia Casa" and Johnson's "Ch'Ella Mi Creda", the latter being the most well-known part and a tenor favourite) stand out as arias, but it does have some absolutely beautiful moments with Puccini's distinctively lush and soaring sound shining through. 'La Fanciulla Del West' is mostly served very well on DVD, the 1963 Antoniella Stella, the 1982 Covent Garden and 1992 Met (the most visually beautiful, and while Sherrill Milnes is over the hill vocally his characterisation of Rance is interestingly complex and layered) productions faring best.
This production is not quite as good as those, but is definitely superior to the Eva-Maria Westbroek and later Nina Stemme (Jonas Kaufmann being the best thing about that) performances. It is a surprisingly good production, and it shouldn't have worked as Christof Loy has not always done much for me, there was the worry as to whether Nina Stemme would be suited for Minnie and the film-influenced setting could easily have swamped the drama and come over as gimmicky. But it did.
Sure it is not perfect. Act 1 of the opera is somewhat overlong, and sometimes feels it with not quite enough tension and a lot of set up and Ramirez/Dick Johnson's entrance is too casual. Also found the setting of Act 1 a little too spare and not quite having the evocativeness of the other two. But actually for a production directed by Loy, who has done some interesting productions but there have also been times where he does resort to bad taste and one is questioning whether he likes opera or not, this film-influenced take on 'La Fanciulla Del West' is very intriguing and is remarkably restrained for Loy, making one nostalgic for westerns.
The background projections, considering their dubious reputations when used in productions seen in recent years, should have been incongruous, gimmicky and pointless but was none of those things. They were used tastefully, looked good, were remarkably innovative, had a real cinematic edge and actually made the production values look more appealing. The costumes are also very nicely done. The staging doesn't resort to distaste and is not too static, with a rivetingly tense second act with an edge of your seat card scene concluding the act and a chilling and poignant denouement.
Musically, the production was near ideal. The orchestral playing is vibrant, powerful and intricate, particularly tremendous in Act 2, while the conducting brings out all the urgency and nuances needed for Puccini's score. The secondary roles are hardly neglected, with a particularly beautifully characterised Nick. Nina Stemme is much better here than in her later DVD performance, her voice lacks control at times and more Brunnhilde than Minnie (though she makes a very conscious effort to tone it down and bring different shades to the singing) and she is a little matronly.
However it is a powerful voice with nothing that indicated any over-taxing, that captures the dramatic elements as well as the intimate ones of the role. Dramatically she is a little too tough and could have played with more humour, but it is a commanding and charming performance all the same, making the most of especially Acts 2 and 3. Aleksandrs Antonenko sings with no strain and does sing with more musicianship and lyricism than when attacking heavier roles like Otello. He does also bring more dimension and complexity than usual to his acting. John Lundgren sounds great in the role of Jack Rance, and brings menace and vulnerability to the hardened sheriff role while making him much more than a standard villain.
Overall, a surprisingly good film-influenced 'La Fanciulla Del West'. 8/10 Bethany Cox
It still has a tense Act 2 and when done right Act 3 is touching and evokes chills. Puccini's music is not continuously memorable and only Rance's "Minnie Della Mia Casa" and Johnson's "Ch'Ella Mi Creda", the latter being the most well-known part and a tenor favourite) stand out as arias, but it does have some absolutely beautiful moments with Puccini's distinctively lush and soaring sound shining through. 'La Fanciulla Del West' is mostly served very well on DVD, the 1963 Antoniella Stella, the 1982 Covent Garden and 1992 Met (the most visually beautiful, and while Sherrill Milnes is over the hill vocally his characterisation of Rance is interestingly complex and layered) productions faring best.
This production is not quite as good as those, but is definitely superior to the Eva-Maria Westbroek and later Nina Stemme (Jonas Kaufmann being the best thing about that) performances. It is a surprisingly good production, and it shouldn't have worked as Christof Loy has not always done much for me, there was the worry as to whether Nina Stemme would be suited for Minnie and the film-influenced setting could easily have swamped the drama and come over as gimmicky. But it did.
Sure it is not perfect. Act 1 of the opera is somewhat overlong, and sometimes feels it with not quite enough tension and a lot of set up and Ramirez/Dick Johnson's entrance is too casual. Also found the setting of Act 1 a little too spare and not quite having the evocativeness of the other two. But actually for a production directed by Loy, who has done some interesting productions but there have also been times where he does resort to bad taste and one is questioning whether he likes opera or not, this film-influenced take on 'La Fanciulla Del West' is very intriguing and is remarkably restrained for Loy, making one nostalgic for westerns.
The background projections, considering their dubious reputations when used in productions seen in recent years, should have been incongruous, gimmicky and pointless but was none of those things. They were used tastefully, looked good, were remarkably innovative, had a real cinematic edge and actually made the production values look more appealing. The costumes are also very nicely done. The staging doesn't resort to distaste and is not too static, with a rivetingly tense second act with an edge of your seat card scene concluding the act and a chilling and poignant denouement.
Musically, the production was near ideal. The orchestral playing is vibrant, powerful and intricate, particularly tremendous in Act 2, while the conducting brings out all the urgency and nuances needed for Puccini's score. The secondary roles are hardly neglected, with a particularly beautifully characterised Nick. Nina Stemme is much better here than in her later DVD performance, her voice lacks control at times and more Brunnhilde than Minnie (though she makes a very conscious effort to tone it down and bring different shades to the singing) and she is a little matronly.
However it is a powerful voice with nothing that indicated any over-taxing, that captures the dramatic elements as well as the intimate ones of the role. Dramatically she is a little too tough and could have played with more humour, but it is a commanding and charming performance all the same, making the most of especially Acts 2 and 3. Aleksandrs Antonenko sings with no strain and does sing with more musicianship and lyricism than when attacking heavier roles like Otello. He does also bring more dimension and complexity than usual to his acting. John Lundgren sounds great in the role of Jack Rance, and brings menace and vulnerability to the hardened sheriff role while making him much more than a standard villain.
Overall, a surprisingly good film-influenced 'La Fanciulla Del West'. 8/10 Bethany Cox
