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(FOLHAPRESS) – The São Paulo Municipal Theater finally presented the first two operas of the year. The lyrical season indeed began with the revival of “O Guarani” and the circus-style reading of “Don Giovanni”, but, so terrible, the performances could not even meet the standards that have always distinguished opera art. However, this is not the case with the double bill currently on stage, consisting of “Le Villi”, or the fairies, by the Italian Giacomo Puccini, and the Latin American premiere of “Friedenstag”, or Day of Peace, by the German Richard Strauss.
The works were well performed, with singers appropriate to their respective roles. The issue is another one. It becomes incomprehensible the choice of the Municipal’s management to have a dialogue between two operas that have nothing in common. It seems that the stage director of the performances, André Heller-Lopes, had a Sisyphean task to justify convergences between “Le Villi” and “Friedenstag”. Despite his efforts, a conceptual flaw remains, as a symptom of the dramatic and musical distance between the titles.
According to the program, Heller-Lopes set “Le Villi” in the early years of the 20th century, as a prelude to Strauss’s opera, whose creation was set against the background of World War II. The director was inspired by the films “Metropolis” by Fritz Lang and “Modern Times” by Charlie Chaplin, creating a setting similar to a factory office, with the large chorus representing the working mass. On stage, there is an atmosphere of farewell, as if a ship were about to depart at any moment, separating workers from their families.
It happens that “Le Villi,” premiered in 1884, refers to the willis, beings from Slovak mythology representing the vengeful spirits of brides who died before marriage. Nothing more romantic than that. In this sense, moving the action to modern times removes the ghostly mysticism that gives grace to Puccini’s first opera.
However, the choreography developed around tables, transformed into forests and coffins, has sophistication, as it reinforces the status of opera-ballet, as indicated by the composer, and dialogues with the tradition of the willis in romantic ballet, especially the gestures of “Giselle”.
Signed by Ferdinando Fontana, the libretto of “Le Villi” tells the story of Anna, portrayed in the premiere by soprano Gabriella Pace, who, abandoned by Roberto, played by tenor Eric Herrero, wastes away until death, but then returns to haunt him, along with other willis. The baritone Rodrigo Esteves stands out in the role of Guglielmo, Anna’s father, as well as the Lírico Municipal Choir and the Municipal Symphony Orchestra, now conducted by Priscila Bomfim, which also performed correctly in the second opera.
The context of the creation of “Friedenstag,” premiered in 1938, is as complex as its vocal writing. During the Nazi years, Stefan Zweig, author of “Brazil, Land of the Future,” presented a draft of the libretto to Strauss, who worked on the music. As a Jew, Zweig’s collaboration with the composer, who had previously held the position of musical director of the Reich, became unfeasible, and today the libretto is attributed to Joseph Gregor.
With “Friedenstag,” Zweig and Strauss expressed the desire for peace, setting the libretto in a fortress during the final moments of the Thirty Years’ War. While people complain about hunger, a Piedmontese messenger, another role by Herrero, describes what peace is in a song. The Commander, portrayed by baritone Leonardo Neiva, resists the idea of ending the conflict, but is eventually convinced by his wife, Maria, played by Japanese soprano Eiko Senda, to choose peace.
The setting is smart and suits the action of the show, which made great use of the powerful voices of Neiva and Senda, perhaps the only performing singer in the Brazilian scene capable of interpreting the role. Even in Europe, this work by Strauss is rarely staged. Therefore, it is an important fact that the premiere in Latin America takes place in São Paulo. It’s a pity that the professionalism must last only briefly at the Municipal.
PEACE DAY E LE VILLI
Rating Very good
When Until Sun. (27)
Where São Paulo Municipal Theater – pça. Ramos de Azevedo s/n
Price R $ 33 to R $ 210
Free Classification
Authorship Giacomo Puccini and Ferdinando Fontana; Richard Strauss, Joseph Gregor and Stefan Zweig
List with Gabriella Pace, Eric Herrero, Leonardo Neiva and Eiko Senda
Direction André Heller-Lopes and Priscila Bonfim
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