Austria Salieri, Kublai Khan: Soloists, Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Les Talens Lyriques / Christophe Rousset (conductor). MuseumsQuartier, Halle E, Vienna, 5.4.2024. (CR)

Manufacturing:
Director – Martin G Berger
Set – Sarah-Katharina Karl
Costumes – Alexander Djurkov Hotter
Lighting – Karl Wiedemann
Video design – Roman Rehor
Dramaturgy – Philipp Amelungsen and Christian Schröder

Solid:
Kublai – Carlo Lepore
Lipi – Lauranne Oliva
Timur – Alasdair Kent
Alzima – Marie Lys
Posega – Leon Košavić
Orcano – Fabio Capitanucci
Bozzone – Giorgio Caoduor
Memma – Ana Quintans
Salieri – Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz
Kublai-Kugeln – Máté Rácz and Monica Sandulescu

Typically evidently Antonio Salieri seems as a personality onstage extra typically than his operas themselves are introduced. Lengthy earlier than Peter Schaffer’s ubiquitous Amadeus (in each its stage and movie variations) there was Pushkin’s play Mozart and Salieri which spawned Rimsky Korsakov’s opera of the identical identify. On this newly tailored, irreverent model of Cublai, Gran Kan de’ Tartari (because it was initially titled) sung right here in Italian in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier, Salieri no less than will get to star in his personal opera, even when he’s, once more, considerably within the shadow of Mozart.

The comedian opera was composed in 1787, however by no means carried out within the composer’s lifetime. It’s set on the courtroom of Kublai Khan (for sure it bears little relation to any actual historical past) at a time when the ruler seeks to cement relations with neighbouring powers and lengthen his empire, by marrying his son Lipi to Alzima, a Bengali princess. Within the common vogue of an opera buffa issues don’t go to plan, as she is already in love with Kublai’s nephew, Timur, who was despatched to deliver her to the courtroom in Cathay (China). Lipi, who has been considerably remoted from the world and introduced up by his tutor Posega, reveals little interest in ladies. Amongst varied different intrigues and mishaps, all comes proper when Timur is allowed to marry Alzima and he turns into the inheritor as a substitute, permitting Lipi to pursue his personal pursuits. Though set within the far East, the state of affairs was understood to be a satire upon the workings of Western courts, and particularly that of Russia. When Joseph II unexpectedly cast an alliance with that nation in 1787 to wage a conflict towards the Ottoman Turks, the opera needed to be withdrawn in order not offend diplomatic sensibilities.

That truth is said through the course of the overture, and so what might in any other case have been a straight realisation of the work, as if it have been in 1787, is abruptly halted as Salieri explains the dangerous information. Inside what’s claimed to be the premiere of the unique Italian model of the opera (nonetheless introduced), a brand new state of affairs by Martin G Berger and Philipp Amelungsen has been created additionally receiving its first outing. The end result, as staged and directed right here by Berger, is Kublai Khan. It has the composer as an extra talking half, performed right here by Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz with stoical resilience, and largely jettisons the opera’s recitatives by substituting its personal dialogue.

The idea of this adaptation is that Salieri is taken forwards to 2022 when the opera can lastly be staged, and its themes and Orientalist assumptions are made to evolve extra with twenty-first century sensibilities. The title character turns into ‘Schorsch’ Kublai, a descendant of Kublai, who’s the top of a confectionery agency which makes praline chocolate balls (anybody remotely aware of Vienna will recognise the reference to the well-known Mozartkugeln or Mozart balls). For the agency’s a centesimal anniversary he has the concept of placing on a manufacturing of the opera about his ancestor wherein Salieri then successfully turns into the impresario. That metatheatrical body is intertwined with the state of affairs of the opera itself wherein the plan to marry Lipi to Alzima is linked with the agency’s intention to develop its enterprise empire by taking up the latter’s firm.

Set in early 2022, proceedings are thwarted once more with the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, inflicting Salieri to replicate that censorship surrounding geopolitics involving Russia shouldn’t derail the manufacturing for a second time nor ought to it’s deemed inappropriate to interact with humour at such a time, as we want comedy and nonsense to say the issues that dictators received’t enable or don’t see in a humorous method. Flexibility within the train of energy (like a real Enlightenment rule and never a mediaeval warlord) is praised within the ceding of energy by Kublai to not his son, Lipi, however sideways to his nephew as a substitute. Variety is well known by having Lipi’s disinterest in ladies defined right here by the truth that he’s homosexual and besotted together with his tutor Posega, prompting a lot romping round in bondage gear and sending up the pure middle- and upper-class assumptions about how sons ought to be introduced up to be able to uphold household respectability. And cultural conventions are additionally satirised by preserving Kublai’s command that beards are shaven off to emulate the style of eighteenth-century European society – however within the course of, little question casting a swipe on the present-day prevalence of hirsute appearances amongst youthful males.

Salieri additionally claims that, within the narrative, ladies deliver a couple of revolution. Though it’s true that opera buffa typically activates the intelligent ruses of its feminine characters to dupe overbearing or incompetent males, right here the brand new dialogue doesn’t promote the function of the ladies and, as Alzima observes in a single aria, occasions are being directed with out her say within the matter. That could be a small oversight in an in any other case energetic, and sometimes camp presentation of the unique opera. The visible hilarity of the entire thing is rounded off (pun supposed) by Máté Rácz and Monica Sandulescu as two extras, dressed up as enormous golden ‘Kublai-Kugeln’ who totter round in a surreal parody of the type of dances that usually ornamented eighteenth-century opera.

The musical performances maintain the manufacturing’s vitality, led by Carlo Lepore because the usually boisterous bass buffoon because the title character. Within the trouser function of Lipi, Lauranne Oliva sings with flowery ease, making the half primarily a soubrette (regardless of by no means shedding ‘their’ beard in transgender ambiguity). Leon Košavić is Posega – extra a homosexual mentor for Lipi, than his tutor – and regardless of the incompetence the character is accused of, sings with an unphased ebullience. Fabio Capitanucci is the grasp of ceremonies Orcano, whose music he imbues with a sure flamboyant bluster and comedian fury, making the half similar to Osmin of Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

Marie Lys is in agency management of the coloratura given to Alzima, having a notably risky aria in Act II to which she brings one thing of the ripeness of tone and fluency of Edita Gruberová in her vocal roulades. Alasdair Kent is equally spectacular as her lover Timur, whose music is nearly as florid, definitely in its frequent excessive notes which Kent hits firmly together with his clearly audible expertise in Rossini’s tenor roles. Bozzone and Memma correspond to the buffa roles of scheming servants; right here they plot the takeover of Kublai’s firm (within the unique it was the throne) utilizing Timur because the means to try this. Giorgio Caoduro and Ana Quintans take the elements with sly humour, not drawing undue consideration to themselves.

Christophe Rousset offers a strong rendering of the Overture with Les Talens Lyriques, uncooked trumpets and timpani calling consideration to the work’s festive character. However throughout the opera itself the ensemble accompanies discreetly and transparently, with some stunning obbligati for solo oboe, and a pair of clarinets respectively in a few memorable arias. Elsewhere there’s some finely blended woodwind enjoying which places the listener in thoughts of Mozart, even when the vocal writing isn’t as distinguished as his. The Arnold Schoenberg Choir are at all times resounding, including one other strand of color and ebullience. The manufacturing isn’t one for purists – there was some predictable booing amidst the applause! – however for everybody else the slapstick enjoyable and spectacle of this adaptation presents a high-spirited means into an opera whose political satire would most likely now appear distant and inconsequential.

Curtis Rogers