BaL 21.10.17 - Puccini: Il Tabarro

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Building a Library on Puccini's opera Il Tabarro with Anna Picard. Tabarro is the first in Puccini's triptych of one-act operas, Il Trittico. Set on a barge on the Seine, it is a sordid tale of lust and revenge among the tinkers and stevedores of early-20th century Paris. And out of this grim world Puccini's passionate music pulsates with hope and passion.

Available versions:

Choir and Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, Gerd Albrecht
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Bruno Bartoletti
Chorus & Orchestra of the Opera House, Rome, Vincenzo Bellezza
Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala Milan, Riccardo Chailly
Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Gaetano Delogu
New Symphony Orchestra, Edward Downes (DVD)
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Lamberto Gardelli
Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Gianandrea Gavazzeni (DVD)
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rolf Kleinert
John Alldis Choir, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, James Levine (DVD)
Vienna State Opera, Wilhelm Loibner
New Philharmonia Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Royal Opera Chorus & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano DVD/Blu-Ray
Maria Guleghina, Neil Shicoff, Carlo Guelfi, London Symphony Orchestra, Antonio Pappano
Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Giuseppe Patanè
Orchester der Bayerischen Staatsoper, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Hessian Radio Orchestra, Kurt Schröder

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Apologies for the late arrival for this one. I've been away from home for two weeks, with only a phone with fast-disappearing data credit.

[Cockney Sparrow]

As ever, thanks for all your efforts on these threads.

I'll enjoy this BAL - I like the piece - even though the plot is....melodramatic. I'm a little familiar with it - I once sang chorus in a non-professional production of "Il Trittico" (Well, I had a minor part in "Gianni Schicci". And was offstage chorus in Suor Angelica)

[underthecountertenor]

Pappano all the way for me. I have his LSO Trittico on CD and his ROH Trittico (with a shattering Suor Angelica) on Blu-Ray. Don't feel the need for another, but I will of course listen carefully to what Anna Picard has to tell us.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Pappano all the way for me. I have his LSO Trittico on CD and his ROH Trittico (with a shattering Suor Angelica) on Blu-Ray. Don't feel the need for another, but I will of course listen carefully to what Anna Picard has to tell us.

I've seen the production live twice, Pappano/ROH. Cannot disagree, my only regret is that Terfel wasn't on the DVD - I thought he played the perfect Gianni Schicchi - cigarette hanging off his lips, vigorously acted, obviously on the make from the first moment on the stage. Once I've seen a role acted so perfectly (in my eyes, of course) others tend to pale in comparison. (as in Domingo=Otello, Halfvarson= Grand Inquisitor, etc).

[underthecountertenor]

I've seen the production live twice, Pappano/ROH. Cannot disagree, my only regret is that Terfel wasn't on the DVD - I thought he played the perfect Gianni Schicchi - cigarette hanging off his lips, vigorously acted, obviously on the make from the first moment on the stage. Once I've seen a role acted so perfectly (in my eyes, of course) others tend to pale in comparison. (as in Domingo=Otello, Halfvarson= Grand Inquisitor, etc).

[Cockney Sparrow]

I do miss the Intermezzo blog - production photos and opinions here:

http://intermezzo.typepad.com/intermezzo/2011/09/il-trittico.html

[BBMmk2]

This is new to me, so I be interested.

[Pulcinella]

Are there really two LSO/Pappano versions, Alpie?

I remember quite enjoying the TV broadcast, but not really enough to want to add to my collection.
I see that I have a BBC MM cover CD version of a Proms performance, under Noseda; I have no memory of it, so might be encouraged to listen if I warm to the work more after the BaL (but it has the BBC Singers as the chorus; I wonder if I ever even got round to playing it!).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Are there really two LSO/Pappano versions, Alpie?

I may be wrong, but it appears that there are two, with slightly differing casts. I'll check again.

[Barbirollians]

Have snapped up a second-hand copy of the Pappano /LSO for £7 this morning on Amazon . The Gramophone review of the set says that the Philharmonia were the orchestra in Suor Angelica.

[Master Jacques]

Anna Picard's essay on Il tabarro was disappointingly dull, for this least dull of all operas. It wasn't so much a comparative review, more (in gaming parlance) a linear plot walkthrough. She played no comparative passages to let us hear differences in interpretation. She said little about different singing qualities, and less about recording ambience. She said nothing as to which versions did or did not include the alternative aria for Michele as an appendix (which is rather important, as this is a short opera).

Picard is an academic rather than a natural broadcaster, which is not her fault; but she conveyed little about the piece or the comparative merits of the recordings. If you are playing an extract, the least you have to do is point listeners towards what to listen out for (i.e. why you are playing that particular highlight/lowlight). This was not up to standard: I thought Andrew Macgregor's sotto voce comment at the end ("Doesn't she tell the story well?") revealed that he was thinking some of the same thoughts, concerning what his reviewer had not done!

[BBMmk2]

Not as bad review I thought. It certainly drew me in. What drama, as this is the first time I knew this opera even existed!!!

[Master Jacques]

Not as bad review I thought. It certainly drew me in. What drama, as this is the first time I knew this opera even existed!!!

It has claims to be Puccini's masterpiece, at least his most perfect; and I'm very glad to hear that Picard's review perhaps led you to explore it further.

I suppose for anyone who didn't know the plot, this was useful (though narrated in a dry manner) as Mr Macgregor indicated. For those who do know it, this review was disappointingly thin and superficial, offering no new insights and a few new prejudices (such as her assertion that the casting had to be "age appropriate", as if it were some kind of TV sit com.)

No. Any good broadcaster's art is to "square the circle" by offering newcomers such as yourself a way in, without boring listeners who do have a knowledge of the work, and value Record Review for revealing differing aspects of performances, in depth. This Picard dismally failed to do, except by offering a brief summary line half way through.

Considering she was given longer to talk about it than the whole piece takes in performance, I fear this was not up to scratch.

[gradus]

Not knowing the opera I enjoyed the review and I thought the music extraordinary even by Puccini's standards - that scream at the end was unnerving. Fabulous piece but just as well it is balanced by the other two one-acters, otherwise a very gloomy night at the opera.