Composer Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot (1926), based on an eponymous play by Carlo Gozzi, features librettists Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. The score for the last scene was unfinished at Puccini’s death and was completed by composer Franco Alfani. The fairy tale plot for Turandot is problematic in several ways and best viewed as though the story was introduced with the statement “In a place and time long ago that never existed”. Nonetheless, whether performed in concert as done by Maryland Lyric Opera this past weekend or as a fully staged Met Opera Zeffirelli spectacle, it is compelling opera with great music by a great composer. In this impressive return to the stage for the first time in two pandemic-restricted years, MDLO made a compelling case that theirs is still an opera company to be reckoned with. This production, marked by outstanding orchestral and choral performances, also introduced an exciting young soprano to the DC area. At Sunday afternoon’s performance in the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, I felt doubly rewarded.
Soprano Alexandra LoBianco as Turandot. Photo by Julian Thomas Photography; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.
Someone once jokingly told me that concert opera was crack cocaine for opera enthusiasts; I concur and am a huge fan. Let me explain. MDLO performs operas in concert with a large orchestra and chorus, on stage with the singers; the music is not emerging from a pit which often constrains the number of musicians that can be accommodated. The singers sing in character and the story gets told, but they have more freedom to focus on singing, without also having to worry about costume changes, placement on stage, and choreography. The focus and sound panorama that emerges can enhance the musical experience. The audience then can also focus on the music and singing. MDLO’s concert production of Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West in 2018 was one of my favorite opera performances of that year; I felt like I truly heard the music of that opera for the first time. Puccini scored Turandot for a large orchestra and a variety of instruments, including two alto saxophones, two harps, and a range of different percussion instruments; using two harps allowed a larger range of octaves to be covered at the same time. MDLO, under Maestro Louis Salemno’s leadership, went all out, seating 80 musicians on stage, plus a 12-person banda of horns in Strathmore’s “hockey balcony” high above and beside the orchestra, backed by a 79-person chorus. Conductor Salemno told me by phone that Puccini scored the opera for a banda of four trumpets and four trombones separated from the orchestra. He placed the players in his banda in Strathmore’s “hockey stick” balcony, but they could not see him well enough from there; he finally settled on having MDLO Associate Conductor Husan Park conduct the “hockey stick” banda, taking cues from the Maestro. He also revealed that because of Omicron’s emergence, for every rehearsal, MDLO required each person to be tested for COVID; there also had to be covers for all singers, musicians, and the conductor himself, about 200 people employed for this production, and all had to attend rehearsals; luckily, not one person tested positive. It all worked for this production. The first chords from the orchestra had the force to press me back into my seat. The heightened sound enhanced the intensity of the experience, especially in the most dramatic moments. Concert opera by MDLO ups the amperage, giving us opera’s orchestral and choral music on full power.
The Maryland Lyric Opera Orchestra under the experienced hand of Conductor Salemno consistently delivers excellent performances and did again with Turandot. Chorus Master Steven Gathman led the MDLO Chorus in an impressive, stand out performance. Both men are local treasures who deliver musical and choral artistry of the highest professional order. The playing, singing, and sound was magnificent! I should also add that for Turandot the singers did not stand in front of music stands to deliver their arias, but engaged to a degree in acting out scenes, using facial expressions and body language. Also, some solo singing was done at different places from the balconies. There were no costumes, though Ping, Pang, and Pong did wear the same red vests. Kudos to Visual Supervisor David Gately. Also, kudos to Lighting Designer Stuart Duke who controlled spotlighting and colored background lighting. The production overall was effectively done.
Morris Robinson (left) as Timur and Jonathon Burton (right) as Calàf. Photo by Julian Thomas Photography; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.
Turandot is a fairy tale about a queen in ancient Peking embittered by a prince’s savagery visited upon an ancestor. Hardened, she requires any suitor to answer three riddles to win her hand, and if they fail, it’s off with their heads. The thirteenth suitor has failed as the opera begins, with a blood thirsty chorus watching the Prince of Persia walk to his beheading. Prince Calàf arrives and unexpectedly meets his father Timur, the disposed Tartar king, aided by his loyal subject Liù, who is in love with his son. Caláf accepts Turandot’s challenge, even though ministers Ping, Pang, and Pong attempt to dissuade him and spare his life. Caláf correctly solves the riddles, but Turandot pleads not to marry him. Not wanting to force her to be his bride, he offers her a bargain – if she can discover his name before morning, he will give up both his pursuit of her and his life. Turandot threatens all the townspeople to discover his name, even torturing Liù to the point where she takes her own life. Maybe the most recognized opera tune of all time, “Nessun Dorma”, is sung, which means no one sleeps. Calàf offers one more sacrifice before winning Turandot’s heart in a climatic final scene.
This tale is intended to show the power of love, especially the redemptive power of love, certainly a worthy theme, and Puccini engages our senses as completely as possible to make that message as effectively as possible. In concert versions, we lose the heightened impact of the colorful and exotic visuals (re Mr. Zefferilli’s ostentatious productions), but we get enhanced singing and music as a reward. Because there are not supernatural elements in Turandot, it is tempting to hold it to real life logic, such that Caláf stretches credulity when he falls heads over heels in love given Turandot’s actions. However, fairy-tales can get rather far out. Philip Glass’s The Juniper Tree has a murdered child reborn as a singing bird. I’ve decided that grappling with the inconsistencies of this story is to be avoided. I recommend that you not try to apply human reason to the story or its characters. They simply serve its overarching purpose, the moral of the story, like in any good fairy tale, and besides, it’s opera. Leave it at that, and take home the important message. If you do, you will be in for a terrific experience.
(left to right) Nicole Heaston as Liù, Morris Robinson as Timur, and Jonathan Burton as Calàf. Photo by Julian Thomas Photography; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.
MDLO assembled an impressive cast for Turandot, to tell this story and deliver this message. I am familiar with most of the cast. Many had worked with MDLO or trained with MDLO before, but I had not previously heard dramatic soprano Alexandra LoBianco who played Turandot. I learned from Conductor Salemno that while he routinely auditions singers for roles, he accepted her for the role without hearing her, based largely on the recommendation of his former mentor and friend, John DeMain, Music Director for the Madison Symphony and Opera. Mr. Demain told him that not only could she sing with the force that Turandot requires, she would also impress him with her “beautiful pianissimos” (singing with full voice but softly). Good call, Maestros DeMain and Salemno. Seattle Opera has been aware of Ms. LoBianco’s talent for some time and will feature her again in October as Isolde in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde – a clear indication of their regard for her. The beauty of her voice and singing, and the emotionality she brings to a role are stunning. She even managed to bring an element of tenderness to the ice queen, Turandot. I will take the liberty as a die-hard opera fan to predict that Alexandra LoBianco is an emerging star soprano, after being held back by almost two years of pandemic opera cancellations. I certainly want to see her again. I bet Seattle would be a fine place for an October vacation; get your tickets early. Kudos to MDLO for introducing the DC area to this impressive talent.
Tenor Jonathan Burton performs regularly with the top opera companies across the country and has previously appeared in MDLO productions. He was a constant, effective Calàf, the successful suitor for Turandot, and his sterling “Nessan Dorma” drew a well-deserved round of applause. Soprano Nicole Heaston, whom I have not heard previously although she has a strong performance record in the major opera houses, proved to be an ideal Liù. She displayed tender vulnerability along with her bright, shimmering soprano voice. Ms. Heaston earned an ovation with her very first aria; she was clearly a crowd favorite. It says something about the quality of a cast when noted bass Morris Robinson plays the relatively minor role of Timur (kudos to MDLO for attracting top notch singers). He not only brings that impressive voice to the role, but also a profound ability to communicate with gestures that he employed dramatically in this concert version. Government ministers Ping, Pang, and Pong are the most likeable characters in the opera, trying to dissuade the suitor, providing comic relief, and singing a sentimental ode to their homes. These roles were very well sung by baritone Javier Arrey, tenor Joseph Michael Brent, and tenor Yi Li. Also adding to the performance was tenor Maurico Miranda in dual roles as the Emperor Altoum and the Prince of Persia, and base-baritone Hunter Enoch as the Mandarin.
Turandot was another impressive production by Maryland Lyric Opera, a company committed to bringing opera to the DC/suburban Maryland area. Hopefully, as the Maestro stated, COVID continues to diminish, and they can get back in the swing of things!
The Fan Experience: MDLO gave performances of Turandot on February 25 and 27 in the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, MD. The performances were sung in Italian with supertitles in English on a wide screen above the backstage balcony. The Music Center is an excellent venue for concert opera, with a charming décor and impressive acoustics. Ticket prices for MDLO performances are modest, and students can purchase tickets for $10; the company has a strong commitment to music education in their community.
The next MDLO production will be Verdi’s Don Carlo, also performed in concert at the Music Center on May 13, 15. Maestro Salemno told me that Don Carlo is his favorite opera, still recalling the first time he heard it. It will include its own banda. MDLO had a strong audience turn out for Turandot; you can lock in your seats now at this link.