Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
None But The Lonely Heart (2021)
Tchaikovsky Songs Staged by Christof Loy
Olesya Golovneva (soprano)
Kelsey Lauritano (mezzo)
Andrea Carè (tenor)
Valdislav Sulimsky (baritone)
Mikołaj Trąbka (baritone)
Mariusz Kłubczuk; Nikolai Petersen (piano)Members of the Frankfurter Opern-Und Museumsorchester
rec. live, 24-26 February 2021, Opera House, Frankfurt, Germany
Naxos NBD0181V Blu-ray [111]
Christof Loy is a stage director with imagination and perceptiveness who has won me over in past productions of Königskinder (review), Christmas Eve (review) and Euryanthe (review). Therefore it is with regret that I have to give him a failing grade on this unfortunate attempt to make a staged narrative out of the song repertoire by Tchaikovsky. Perhaps Mr Loy requires the confines of a fully complete work in order to come up with the kind of illuminating productions that I have admired from him in the past. His concept of trying to create a back story which would link these pieces simply falls flat, at least to this reviewer.
This production came about because of the ongoing issues in staging opera during the pandemic closures. The Frankfurt opera had planned a production of Giordano’s Fedora which had to be cancelled. Loy was left with a rather elegant period set which he wanted to find some other use for so he decided to brave pulling together the romances of Tchaikovsky : a series of monologues on the pain and pleasures of love (primarily focusing on the painful side). The songs of Tchaikovsky are quite beautiful on their own and work perfectly well in recital programs. In trying to link them together with a group of principals who are attempting to emote these songs visually and physically in a staged setting becomes extremely tedious, getting through this program becomes an act of endurance for the viewer. There is far too much stalking about on the part of the singers who are actively engaged in producing a plethora of soulfully anguished expressions and body language; all in glorious high definition. Viewing this one feels as if one was observing a psychiatric group therapy session, with the pianist acting as the therapist.
While the production is hard to get through, the singing of the principals is definitely something worth encountering. The singers are all of the newer generation and most of the names I had not come across before.
Leading the pack is the resonant baritone of Vladislav Sulimsky. He possesses a solid tonal core throughout his range and he shades Tchaikovsky’s music by colouring his voice expressively. A second baritone, Mikołaj Trąbka, is a slender, young man with a lighter, sunnier voice than Sulimsky. I could see him doing well as Pelleas, Silvio and possibly even Billy Budd before much time has passed.
Andrea Carè is an attractive looking tenor with a budding dramatic voice. Sometimes here he pushes his voice a little too much causing it to take on a hectoring quality in his uppermost range. He would do well to avoid this in future if he wants to have a long career. As it is he shows great promise.
Another artist of promise is the soprano Olesya Golovneva who even manages to sing while dancing en pointe. Her voice is a pleasing lyric soprano with hints of dark colours and the suggestion of greater reserves of power. Her upper range spins out confidently without a trace of unsteadiness. I look forward to hearing more from her before too long.
The singer who impresses me the most is the mezzo Kelsey Lauritano, a dark-haired beauty with a mezzo that is sweet and penetrating. At this stage in her career she has a highly disciplined upper range that is almost soprano-like. She would be an ideal interpreter of several of Rossini’s roles that were written for Isabella Colbran, Elena in La Donna del Lago for example. She was at her finest in a passionate reading of the song “I Won’t Say Anything to You”. This is a major talent who should be carefully nurtured so that we may see some great things come from her.
The two pianists are excellent as are the orchestra players who deliver a Sextet from Souvenirs de Florence. Unfortunately we don’t get to see them, and nothing much happens onstage for the almost 11 minutes of their performance.
The sound of this release is superb, as one expects from anything that is recorded in the sonic splendour of the Frankfurt Opera House. The picture quality leaves nothing to be desired either. Overall I think that there is a great soundtrack here and when I take this out again at some point I will content myself with just listening to it rather than trying to sit through viewing it again. Perhaps Naxos will release a CD only version of this, as they often have done with their videos in the past.
Mike Parr
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Details
Staging – Christof Loy
Sets and Costumes: Herbert Murauer
Lighting: Olaf Winter
Video: Ruth Stofer
Choreographer: Andreas Heise
Dramaturge: Maximillian Enderle
Film Director: Michael Byer
Sung in Russian with subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese
Picture: 1080i/16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen;
Sound: LPCM Stereo/ DTS-MA 5.1;
Region code: A, B, C
