Saariaho:
La passion de Simone
Dawn
Upshaw (soprano), Dominque
Blanc (speaker), Michael
Schumacher (dancer), London
Voices, City of Birmingham
Orchestra, Peter Sellars
(director), Robert Spano
(conductor), Amin Maalouf
(libretto), Barbican Hall,
London 10.07.2007 (AO)
There
is no way anyone could fault
the intention of this opera
without being churlish,
so high minded is its intention.
There’s so much here that
makes it "beyond"
criticism because it’s dominated
by the saint like image
of Simone Weil who removes
herself from the world,
refusing to engage in the
sort of trivialities the
rest of us are concerned
with, like survival. Weil
apotheosized herself, her
death a blazing entry into
Valhalla, casting contradiction
into the shadows. To their
credit, Saariaho, Malouf
and Sellars do present a
more balanced approach,
but it’s hard to escape
the basic nihilism. What’s
the point of anything, if,
as Weil tells us (in the
voice over) if "nothing
exists that’s worthy of
love". This isn’t Gandhian
effacement of ego. As the
libretto (based on the comments
of others, including Weil’s
sister) responds, "You
never knew how to say "we"".
But this isn’t about philosophy;
it’s about how the opera
draws from this an aura
of profundity that ordinary
discussion can’t touch.
The
orchestra takes central
place on stage, the acting
confined to a small box
above the players – suitably
claustrophobic and elevated.
Sellars gets right to the
essentials: the drama here
is in the music and in Weil’s
mind. Distraction would
dilute the impact. Dawn
Upshaw carries the entire
opera on her own: she’s
the only singer throughout,
and the fact that it works
at all is a tribute to her
personality and skill. Saariaho
wrote this specifically
for Upshaw’s voice, using
its distinctive strength.
Upshaw’s sensible and sensitive
delivery makes the role
seem grounded in reality,
a very effective counterpoint
to the other-worldly musings
being quoted from off stage.
Upshaw is supported by the
dancer Michael Schumacher,
who flits in and out of
the shadows. I’m not sure
what he symbolizes but it’s
a very expressive role,
though he doesn’t speak.
Sometimes he and Upshaw
mimic each others’ movements,
sometimes he literally holds
her up, such as when she’s
referring to Weil being
"crucified". Again,
his muscular, animal magnetism
works as a plot device,
because it adds a great
deal to the ideas behind
this extremely cerebral
work.
I’m
much less convinced about
the frequent allusions to
Christianity. The reason
why the bible makes a big
thing about Christ feeling
forsaken on the cross is
because even in extremis,
God hasn’t forsaken him
at all. The punchline left
out here is that Jesus dies
acknowledging God. There’s
a lot of pseudo-Christian
rhetoric in this opera;
even the opera’s title is
a direct reference to Christ’s
passion. However, since
so many western composers
borrow not very accurately
from other cultures, it’s
probably fair enough that
a western religion gets
the same treatment.
The
music, however, is far more
convincing. Saariaho feels
deeply about the plot, but
her music redeems its fundamental
inconsistencies. Blank out
the words, (though you shouldn’t)
and you have an intoxicating
feast of chromatic colour.
It’s so vivid and beautiful
that, consciously or not,
it undermines Weil’s ideas
that life is polluting,
unworthy "bestiality".
Saariaho even manages to
incorporate into her music
some of Weil’s other ideas,
such as the dichotomy between
gravity and grace: gravity
comes in the dark undercurrents
of the brass and winds,
for example, and grace in
the diaphanous, glistening
textures of her writing
for strings and percussion.
There’s lots of her distinctive
exoticism in the gamelan-like
passages for marimba, bells
and harp. There are some
pretentious moments, such
as over-long silences between
the sections, and passages
pushing the same point too
long, but on balance, it’s
the music that makes this
opera. No wonder Sellars
wisely put the orchestra
on display!
No
doubt ‘The Passion of Simone’
will be a huge hit and earn
a permanent place in the
repertoire. It’s more concentrated
and focused than ‘L’amour
de loin, and its subject
matter almost guarantees
a devoted audience. It’s
an experience, definitely,
but I’m not sure it gives
the long term satisfaction
of Shadowtime, built
around Benjamin’s suicide
in the same period. Ferneyhough,
who was Saariaho’s teacher,
diverged from Benjamin’s
story to create something
quite new, but The Passion
of Simone remains bound
to its origins.
Anne
Ozorio
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