Prom 19: Puccini’s Il tabarro (30.07.22)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Saturday 30 July 2022 ON TV
Royal Albert Hall

Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Ottorino Respighi: Fountains of Rome
Giacomo Puccini: Il tabarro

George Gagnidze – Michele, a barge-owner (baritone)
Natalya Romaniw – Giorgetta, Michele’s wife (soprano)
Adam Smith – Luigi, a stevedore (tenor)
Annunziata Vestri – La Frugola, Talpa’s wife (mezzo-soprano)
Alasdair Elliott – 'Tinca,' a stevedore (tenor)
Simon Shibambu – 'Talpa,' a stevedore (bass)
Shengzhi Ren – Song Seller (tenor)
Laura Lolita Perešivana (soprano) & Ryan Vaughan Davies (tenor) – Two Lovers

Philharmonia Voices
Hallé
Sir Mark Elder (conductor)

Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé bring Puccini’s atmospheric Parisian tragedy Il Tabarro to the Proms – a score that swirls and throbs with the energy of the River Seine.
Natalya Romaniw stars as the unhappily married Giorgetta, whose affair is the catalyst for murder. Two orchestral favourites set the watery scene: Respighi’s Fountains of Rome – by turns glistening in the sunlight and swathed in dawn mist – and the irrepressible musical antics of Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Sir Mark Elder

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Another one to add to my listening list. Puccini was always at his best with a thoroughly depressing plot. Human misery seemed to inspire him.

[LHC]

This is the second time Il tabarro has been performed complete at the Proms. The first time was in 2008 with the other Manchester-based orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda.

The only other Puccini opera to be graced with a complete performance at the Proms is Gianni Schicchi, which was performed in 2004 (that year's Glyndebourne performance).

I wonder if its the barge setting that appeals to the Manchester orchestras given their proximity to the Ship Canal?

[Pulcinella]

This is the second time Il tabarro has been performed complete at the Proms. The first time was in 2008 with the other Manchester-based orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda.

The only other Puccini opera to be graced with a complete performance at the Proms is Gianni Schicchi, which was performed in 2004 (that year's Glyndebourne performance).

I wonder if its the barge setting that appeals to the Manchester orchestras given their proximity to the Ship Canal?

Released as a BBC MM CD: Volume 17, Number 8.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Tremendous account of Il Tabarro superbly conducted by Mark Elder. Lucio Gallo replaced George Gagnidze as Michele. He will be familiar from the Covent Garden production of Il Trittico - a magnificent performance. One of the best proms so far.

[ardcarp]

Look forward to hearing it after that recommendation, EH. I had to stop listening before Il Tabarro began, so some catch-up to do. But I thought the opener, l'apprenti sorcier, was somewhat wooden. I got no impression of a nifty naughty gamin, just a somewhat pedestrian reading with almost too much detail to the fore. (I'm usually a great admirer of Mark Elder.)

[Master Jacques]

Look forward to hearing it after that recommendation, EH. I had to stop listening before Il Tabarro began, so some catch-up to do. But I thought the opener, l'apprenti sorcier, was somewhat wooden. I got no impression of a nifty naughty gamin, just a somewhat pedestrian reading with almost too much detail to the fore. (I'm usually a great admirer of Mark Elder.)

The Dukas was just as dull and pedestrian in the hall, but everything improved hugely thereon in - Respighi's Fountains lapped and purled with wonderful fresh clarity, and (despite ludicrously dodgy surtitles) Il tabarro gripped superbly, with very fine singing from Romaniw, who filled the hall effortlessly with deep, creamy tone as Giorgetta. The spacial possibilities of the Hall were wonderfully used, with the various offstage happenings coming from all parts - the gallery, backstage and even behind 'Timber' Woods's bust.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Dukas was just as dull and pedestrian in the hall, but everything improved hugely thereon in - Respighi's Fountains lapped and purled with wonderful fresh clarity, and (despite ludicrously dodgy surtitles) Il tabarro gripped superbly, with very fine singing from Romaniw, who filled the hall effortlessly with deep, creamy tone as Giorgetta. The spacial possibilities of the Hall were wonderfully used, with the various offstage happenings coming from all parts - the gallery, backstage and even behind 'Timber' Woods's bust.

I see it’s on BBC Four tonight - I’ll definitely watch if only to follow the libretto slightly more closely. Listened last nigHt with the Ricordi vocal score which didn’t have an English translation - so relied on rusty Italian . I was helped by the uniformly excellent diction of the cast - the minor roles were so well taken. I thought the Luigi had a superbly virile voice. The last time I saw Il Trittico I bumped into the singer playing him in the interval before Suor Angelica which was slightly disconcerting - not surprisingly he wanted to see Jaho.
As you say Romaniw was very fine and the final non - love duet with Gallo heartbreaking - the bleakness of it . As Elder says it’s one of the best things Puccini ever did.Perhaps Gallo’s voice is tiring a bit but a great artist . The way Puccini inserts that brief exchange between the two Parisian lovers is a sort of bittersweet master stroke. The sound painting throughout is masterly. Without dredging up old discussions : composers of watery and doomed love sagas could learn a thing or two.

[BBMmk2]

I see it’s on BBC Four tonight - I’ll definitely watch if only to follow the libretto slightly more closely. Listened last nigHt with the Ricordi vocal score which didn’t have an English translation - so relied on rusty Italian . I was helped by the uniformly excellent diction of the cast - the minor roles were so well taken. I thought the Luigi had a superbly virile voice. The last time I saw Il Trittico I bumped into the singer paying him in the interval before Suor Angelica which was slightly disconcerting - not surprisingly he wanted to see Jaho.
As you say Romaniw was very fine and the final non - love duet with Gallo heartbreaking - the bleakness of it . As Elder says it’s one of the best things Puccini ever did.Perhaps Gallo’s voice is tiring a bit but a great artist . The way Puccini inserts that brief exchange between the two Parisian lovers is a sort of bittersweet master stroke. The sound painting throughout is masterly. Without dredging up old discussions : composers of watery and doomed love sagas could learn a thing or two.

I’ll be watching tonight. As well as I have had already listened to it o the radio.

[Master Jacques]

I’ll be watching tonight. As well as I have had already listened to it o the radio.

For anyone watching tonight, do take a special look at Alasdair Elliot's splendid Tinca - a model interpretation, with detailed response to text, theatrical aptness and knowing just how to project a small voice in a large hall, without ever 'bigging up' the role beyond its function in the whole. It was indeed a good evening!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Even better on telly than on radio .Gallo’s singing and acting completely gripping from start to finish .Natalia R a big star in the making. Adam Smith’s Luigi superb and Mark getting the maximum out of Puccini's wonderful score . What a wonderful night.

[ardcarp]

Really, really enjoyed it. It was a sort of through-composed piece (i.e no set numbers) and new to me. I think Mark Elder guided it magically well. And the voices...well just terrific. Thanks for the TV heads-up, EH. I might have missed it.

Shame about the two chatting with Petroc T...no valid insights that I could discern. Not to mention the obligatory Service.

I still thought The Sorcerer's Apprentice wooden though...it seemed even the players were at times hoping to move things on. So odd when their communication with Mark Elder is so sympathetic. Petroc's comment just after it was something along the lines of 'I wonder what his (Dukas's) view would be on seeing that.'

[gurnemanz]

Even better on telly than on radio .Gallo’s singing and acting completely gripping from start to finish .Natalia R a big star in the making. Adam Smith’s Luigi superb and Mark getting the maximum out of Puccini's wonderful score . What a wonderful night.

I agree. The smaller roles also came across vividly.

[Pulcinella]

Times review here:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/il-tabarro-review-puccinis-darkest-opera-glows-with-the-halle-rdqjt2rr7?shareToken=223d10028d3edd823cbd0920dde1a747

[LHC]

Really, really enjoyed it. It was a sort of through-composed piece (i.e no set numbers) and new to me. I think Mark Elder guided it magically well. And the voices...well just terrific. Thanks for the TV heads-up, EH. I might have missed it.

Shame about the two chatting with Petroc T...no valid insights that I could discern. Not to mention the obligatory Service.

I still thought The Sorcerer's Apprentice wooden though...it seemed even the players were at times hoping to move things on. So odd when their communication with Mark Elder is so sympathetic. Petroc's comment just after it was something along the lines of 'I wonder what his (Dukas's) view would be on seeing that.'

Agree with all of that. The performance of Il tabarro was riveting and superbly played and sung. Despite the surprisingly pedestrian Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the rest of the concert was very enjoyable.

I deliberately delayed watching the concert on BBC Four for about 20 minutes so I could fast forward through the inane comments from Petroc’s guests. I wonder who chooses these guests, and on what basis. At the beginning, one of them admitted this was the first concert she had attended since receiving a freebie as a guest during last year’s proms. Surely they can find guests who are more knowledgeable and engaging than the current batch.