SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Zemlinsky, Una tragedia florentina and Korngold, Violanta: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Colón. Conductor: Stefan Lano, Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. 15.10.2010. (JSJ)

Director: Hans Hollman

Sets/lighting: Enrique Bordolini

Costumes: Imme Möller

Chorus: Peter Burian

Cast – Una tragedia florentina:

Simone: James Johnson

Bianca: Deanne Meek

Guido Bardi: Evan Bowers

Cast – Violanta:

Simone: Wolfgang Schöne

Violanta: Eiko Senda

Alfonso: Evan Bowers

Giovanni: Enrique Folger

Bice: Mónica Philibert

Bárbara: Alejandra Malvino

Matteo: Osvaldo Peroni

Soldiers: Duilio Smiriglia, Norberto Marcos

Women: Marina Silva, Laura Domínguez

James Johnson (Simone) in Una tragedia florentina (Photo Teatro Colón)

Having missed two productions due to personal circumstances and been unsuccessful in securing one of the much sought after entradas for any of Daniel Barenboim’s Bicentenary concerts, it was good to be back in the Teatro Colón – this time for the unusual double bill of Zemlinsky’s Una tragedia florentina and Korngold’s Violanta. Both premieres in Argentina, these two one act dramas have rather more in common than is first apparent. They are both by Germans to stories set in Italy and they date from a similar period 1916/17. They are also both tragedies and both have characters named “Simone”. But there the similarity ends, with Zemlinsky’s music edgy and reminiscent of Strauss while Korngold’s is more sweeping, with grand Puccinian melodies.

Una tragedia florentina is adapted from an uncompleted work by Oscar Wilde, and tells of the unexpected return of the merchant Simone to his home to find his wife with a visitor Prince Guido Barti. With the opening music bringing to mind that of Der Rosenkavalier, this was further emphasised with the curtain opening on the lovers in the throes of passion. The work is very much dominated by Simone, who maintains an almost constant conversational monologue with Barti and his wife, with only occasional responses from them or other gaps. Bass-baritone James Johnson was very much up to the task, with firm line and appropriate vocal colouring, and one could feel the tension as the lovers waited for some reaction to the situation from Simone, uncertain of when and in what form it would come. Evan Bowers as Barti, and who also played the lover Alfonso in Violanta, was also excellent, with fine, even timbre, and Deanne Meek as Bianca was also noteworthy.

Evan Bowers (Alfonso) and Eiko Senda (Violanta) in Violanta (Photo Teatro Colón)

 

Violanta is set a century earlier in Venice on a carnival night, when Violanta puts in place a plan to avenge her sister’s suicide after being seduced by Alfonso, the illegitimate son of the Prince of Naples. But Violanta in turn is captivated by him and when her husband Simone enters and raises the knife to kill Alfonso as planned, she comes between them to receive the fatal blow herself. In this case the dominant personality is Violanta and it found a worthy protagonist in Eiko Senda, who has made a name for herself in Latin America but so far not outside. Her voice is full and rounded and she also acted well. Her husband Simone was played by bass-baritone Wolfgang Schöne, who also impressed. Other parts were taken by Enrique Folger (Giovanni), Mónica Philibert (Bice), Alejandra Malvino (Bárbara) and Osvaldo Peroni (Matteo), and all were well played with the right degree of vocal and visual effect.

As if to emphasise the similarities between the works, the same staging was used for both with minor alterations, but also varied by the lighting, although again in both there was a predominance of red, reflecting the blood that was to run. The dress was certainly not “period,” but it didn’t seem out of place, but the modern dance moves of the soldiers as they got into carnival spirit did.

Stefan Lano was an outstanding conductor who one felt had a special affinity for the works. The only objection was in the Zemlinksy when at times the orchestra could have better balanced the singer by being a little less loud. Mention must also be made of the chorus under its new director Peter Burian, who has had a distinguished career with choruses in Europe. It did not have a large part to play but it was done well.

Jonathan Spencer Jones