There’s nothing quite like the splendor of the Met, yet I didn’t know what to expect of the opera. I was hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. Despite Alexandra’s prep for us, I wasn’t sure what to expect; I only expected big and impressive and perhaps slightly controversial. And I think that to that extent, it delivered.
My absolute favorite aspect of the opera was the music. Having experience as both a solo violin player and a violinist in a huge orchestra, I was captivated and swept up by the music. The orchestra was fantastic, and the music fit the mood and plot so well. It’s grand and expansive but also detailed. I enjoyed the Asian influences in certain themes or parts of the score. In particular, one of Turandot’s themes (I think it was her theme) started out sounding exactly like a very famous Chinese folk song, Mo Li Hua. I couldn’t get the actual melody out of my head every time it started playing, but I’m glad he included such a well-known Chinese melody into the opera.
I also really enjoyed the sets. Just as Alexandra told us, they were really all-out, and I chuckled a bit when people clapped the first time the curtains rose on the Imperial Palace interior. The costumes and sets were definitely gorgeous. You could almost feel their grandeur, even from our seats near the top.
But I was rather unimpressed by the plot. I’ll give it to him that it was written a while back, and Alexandra had prepared me a little bit, but it just bothered me the entire time the way Romeo and Juliet does. I really only liked Liu and didn’t find the other story lines very compelling. There were so many cliches, and so much of it was just too dramatic or just treated the female characters terribly. I think the cast did a great job with their given character arcs, but only Liu really stood out to me. Not only were her vocals powerful, but I think she captured her character’s emotions best. I found it ridiculous that Calaf just stood by when she confessed her love and said she was willing to die. And Turandot’s character just grated at me but particularly how she just “thawed” (as I believe they put it) at the end. It seemed too forced and fake. Just like with Romeo and Juliet, there was no love, and the idea that either of the two women were for Calaf to win or possess is just terrible on every level. In some ways, I almost wish I hadn’t read along with most of the lyrics because I probably would have enjoyed it more without reading them and had just listened to the singing.
While on the subject of the vocals, again, Liu was my favorite by far, but I was impressed by Calaf’s as well. Of course, there’s the famous solo that was made famous by Pavarotti that I hummed along to. I do think his microphone was turned a bit low at parts so that the orchestra totally overwhelmed his voice, at least for us sitting up so high. I thought Turandot was great but not as impressive as I was expecting. I’m not sure if it was because it was the actress’ debut or because I just kept comparing her with Liu.
The last bit is the controversial bit that Alexandra mentioned briefly. Obviously, as an Asian, I waited until after the performance to discuss the Chinese aspects but I definitely couldn’t not think about it. The unnecessary satirization of aspects of the culture is disappointing, regardless of the time the opera was created. From the fact that almost every time we saw the every day people they were hunched or huddled or just cowering or bowing to the scenes where they were crawling around looking like monkeys to the role of the Three Masks and Ping/Pang/Pong to the improper use of the fans at times (although I will admit I loved the little acrobatic bit at the very beginning of the opera) to the obvious stereotypes to the names that were most not very Chinese at all and to everything else in between, I was just really upset by the portrayal of Chinese people and our culture. Yes, I enjoyed the obvious Asian influences in the sets and the score, and at least there’s an opera set in China at all, but regardless. And I know that Alexandra briefly mentioned it, but a few of us were talking about the actors portraying the characters after the performance. On the one hand, I can understand that there may not be many professional Asian opera singers that could do any of the roles justice (and I am glad there was at least one Chinese singer), and I don’t mind them dressing up as Chinese (though grossly stereotyped and sometimes done incorrectly) because I understand the need to look Chinese, but on the other hand, it is still upsetting to see such little representation. I’m curious about how many Asians were involved in the dancing, particularly in the Imperial Palace, as opposed to other races/ethnicities. The choreography wasn’t so difficult that they couldn’t have gotten professional Chinese dancers to do those portions, and I don’t think they were singing at all. It could have been that the majority of them were in fact Asian, but it was hard to tell from where we were sitting. I just hope representation was much better there.
I’d say that overall, I enjoyed the opera, but there were disappointing aspects, though nothing I shouldn’t have expected given Alexandra’s preparation for us and having read the libretto and the other background information. I still love the music, and that was definitely the strongest aspect in my opinion. There were strong performances throughout and by many of the main characters at some point during the performance. I think this fell somewhere either between “will you still love me tomorrow?” and “The View from Nowhere” or just slightly behind “The View from Nowhere” in the context of all our performances this semester.
(I realize this review might be a little scattered in thought, but I had many thoughts that could have gone together. I hope that overall it was easy to understand and that I wasn’t too repetitive.)
Jessica Sun
I agree with Jessica. Turandot while beautiful in its sets and musical score, is a controversial opera. I was glad when Alexandra spoke with us in class about the opera genre as well at Turnadot specifically. I had the opportunity to sit next to Alexandra during the performance and speak with her during the intermissions about aspects of the show.
The musical score of Turnadot is a beautiful piece of art in itself. As Jessica mentioned, the folk melody “Mo-li-hua”
was included in the music. During further research I found that in addition to “Mo-li-hua”, two other traditional Chinese melodies, including the national anthem, were used within the score. Puccini used his music to carry the plot of the show; using emotionally driven melodies and specific instrumental groups for different characters and scenes. I agree with Jessica that there were sections of the score that held Asian influences which helped to tie the show together. Like Jessica and many other classmates, my favorite performer was the woman who played Liu. Her voice was beautiful and she portrayed her role exceptionally.
The sets and costuming of Turnadot were extravagant. The intricate set pieces for the scenes were created each for a specific reason. The opening set design created a gloomy and mysterious aura to the Opera. It had many different walkways and levels that created a sense of chaos that supplemented the music and vocals. The Palace set used a main wheel like floor pattern which was utilized by having characters move within the spokes and around the outer rim throughout the scene. The Palace Garden in the Third Act included a main center platform on which most of the action took place with platforms and walkways upstage in the background. Each costume was intricate including a variety of detailing. Although our seats were far away from the stage the costumes and sets were remarkable. When using the binoculars, I was even more amazed by the pieces.
To speak about the controversial aspects of the show is an interesting feat; to which I commend Jessica for speaking so eloquently . The original story of Turnadot was taken from a collection of Persian stories titled “The Book of One Thousand and One Days”. It was translated into French in 1722 where it became more well known. It was then taken by playwrights and later performed on stage. This is a time where there was no such thing as political correctness and a conversation on cultural stereotyping. The opera was first performed in April of 1926; still a society very different then ours today. Because this Opera, along with many other operas written around this time, show blatant signs of stereotyping and ridiculing of cultures foreign to Europe. The question isn’t whether or not Turnadot and many other pieces from that time have racial biases and misportrayed cultures but rather what can we do about it. Changing the piece of art to conform to current societal view may damage the work, however getting rid of the opera all together because it is offensive to Chinese culture does not seem like a viable option. What is there to do.
All in all, this was one of my two favorite performances this semester, along with Alessandro Sciarroni’s “Folk-s”. The beautiful costumes and sets helped to attract my eyes to the performance while the score kept the audience on the edge of their seats with anticipation. While the plot was not the greatest, compared to those of other operas, Turnadot’s is closer to the top. I am grateful that Macaulay requires all Arts in NYC students to see an opera during the semester because it is an amazing experience.