This season, Met Opera has a new production of Rigoletto and I went yesterday for its season premier. Met is famous for Enrico Caruso’s version of Rigoletto where he played the Duke of Mantua. In this season, Met introduces a new conductor Friedrich Haider and Juan Pons plays the Jester and Joseph Calleja has his debute as the Duke. As usual, the splendid night at Met always makes me nervous. However, I am luck enough to have two queers as my neighbors and their non-stopping talking made the intermissions bearable. Yesterday New Jersey court just announced same-sex couple would enjoy the same right as hetero-sex couple, and CNN took it as breaking news. This was certainly a side point.
I had some ideas about the storyline and the program notes gave detailed description of the production of the original opera. The story by Verdi was adopted from Victor Hugo’s play. As it was suggested, Verdi was more of a humanistic in nature while Hugo openly criticized the class structure. So Verdi’s adaptation changed the location and names of the play, but kept the major storyline and the core theme of the play—the curse upon the jester, who was cold and cruel outside but very compassionate inside.
According to wikipedia:
“ Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851. According to Opera America, Rigoletto is now North America's ninth most performed opera.”
A hit from start, Rigoletto was a tragedy full of tension. The double role of Rigoletto as a loving father and as a “fool” in the court gradually leads to his ruins. The Duke is portrayed as a womanizer who never takes women or love seriously. However, in the very process of pursuing Gilda, Rigoletto’s beautiful daughter, he finds his real compassion. Once he finds Gilda is abducted from Rigoletto’s house, he regrets he lose the only chance in his life that might have convert him into a honest man for love. Ekaterina Siurina gave a wonderful performance as Gilda, the innocent mind full of love. The structure of the play is simple, a story of a dishonored father who seeks just revenge but fails. However, Verdi and Piave (who wrote the libretto) refused to give their figures a simple identity but rather put them into dilemma—who were both victims and criminals. Rigoletto participated the Duke’s conspiracy of wooing other women and his own daughter was disgraced by the Duke. The Duke could have the chance to start a meaningful life because of his love for Gilda, however, he gave it up for his lust for her body. Gilda was guilty of blind love for the Duke and was suffered when she observed the Duke seduced Maddalena.
The trick of the play is not only the curse of Count Monterone whose daughter the Duke had dishonoured, but also the issue of identity. Gilda constantly asked her father about the real family name and history of her family, about her mother, and who her father really was. Rigoletto refused to answer and could not answer. He was suffering because of his fate as a humpback and a ruthless entertainer in Duke’s court. He was a man without name. The Duke who disguised himself before Gilda was also a man without real identity. He flirted and chased the skirts without knowing his own purpose. His love was shallow and superficial because his love was without a cause.
In the end of the play, Gilda decided to sacrificed herself for the life of the Duke, her lover. Rigoletto could not bear the pain of losing his daughter and lamented “the curse!” by her body. I can not help thinking about another movie, Immortality, directed by Po-Chih Leong. In the film, Jude Law played a ruthless vampire who took women’s love and life. He falled in love with Anna and he believed her perfect love for him would save him from the fate of vampire. The most touching scene for me was the morning after they get up, Steven (jude law) started a portrait for Anne with one hand and wrote a love poetry for her with other hand. Nevertheless, when the moment of truth came, Steven decided to kill Anne to save his own life. Anne refused to sacrifice herself for his sake and she tried to kill herself rather than being killed by Steven. Steven gave it up in the end and died in his own chamber. Before he died, he finally found peace in his mind and he did not have to worry about how to survive anymore. In his last breathe, he found the pleasure of letting go.
Gilda and Anne make different choice and the men they loved are evil. Maybe it is because the time is changed and our values change as well. Will you choose to play Gilda or Anne when you meet your evil man?
2006年10月27日星期五
Gilda or Anna
This season, Met Opera has a new production of Rigoletto and I went yesterday for its season premier. Met is famous for Enrico Caruso’s version of Rigoletto where he played the Duke of Mantua. In this season, Met introduces a new conductor Friedrich Haider and Juan Pons plays the Jester and Joseph Calleja has his debute as the Duke. As usual, the splendid night at Met always makes me nervous. However, I am luck enough to have two queers as my neighbors and their non-stopping talking made the intermissions bearable. Yesterday New Jersey court just announced same-sex couple would enjoy the same right as hetero-sex couple, and CNN took it as breaking news. This was certainly a side point.
I had some ideas about the storyline and the program notes gave detailed description of the production of the original opera. The story by Verdi was adopted from Victor Hugo’s play. As it was suggested, Verdi was more of a humanistic in nature while Hugo openly criticized the class structure. So Verdi’s adaptation changed the location and names of the play, but kept the major storyline and the core theme of the play—the curse upon the jester, who was cold and cruel outside but very compassionate inside.
According to wikipedia:
“ Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851. According to Opera America, Rigoletto is now North America's ninth most performed opera.”
A hit from start, Rigoletto was a tragedy full of tension. The double role of Rigoletto as a loving father and as a “fool” in the court gradually leads to his ruins. The Duke is portrayed as a womanizer who never takes women or love seriously. However, in the very process of pursuing Gilda, Rigoletto’s beautiful daughter, he finds his real compassion. Once he finds Gilda is abducted from Rigoletto’s house, he regrets he lose the only chance in his life that might have convert him into a honest man for love. Ekaterina Siurina gave a wonderful performance as Gilda, the innocent mind full of love. The structure of the play is simple, a story of a dishonored father who seeks just revenge but fails. However, Verdi and Piave (who wrote the libretto) refused to give their figures a simple identity but rather put them into dilemma—who were both victims and criminals. Rigoletto participated the Duke’s conspiracy of wooing other women and his own daughter was disgraced by the Duke. The Duke could have the chance to start a meaningful life because of his love for Gilda, however, he gave it up for his lust for her body. Gilda was guilty of blind love for the Duke and was suffered when she observed the Duke seduced Maddalena.
The trick of the play is not only the curse of Count Monterone whose daughter the Duke had dishonoured, but also the issue of identity. Gilda constantly asked her father about the real family name and history of her family, about her mother, and who her father really was. Rigoletto refused to answer and could not answer. He was suffering because of his fate as a humpback and a ruthless entertainer in Duke’s court. He was a man without name. The Duke who disguised himself before Gilda was also a man without real identity. He flirted and chased the skirts without knowing his own purpose. His love was shallow and superficial because his love was without a cause.
In the end of the play, Gilda decided to sacrificed herself for the life of the Duke, her lover. Rigoletto could not bear the pain of losing his daughter and lamented “the curse!” by her body. I can not help thinking about another movie, Immortality, directed by Po-Chih Leong. In the film, Jude Law played a ruthless vampire who took women’s love and life. He falled in love with Anna and he believed her perfect love for him would save him from the fate of vampire. The most touching scene for me was the morning after they get up, Steven (jude law) started a portrait for Anne with one hand and wrote a love poetry for her with other hand. Nevertheless, when the moment of truth came, Steven decided to kill Anne to save his own life. Anne refused to sacrifice herself for his sake and she tried to kill herself rather than being killed by Steven. Steven gave it up in the end and died in his own chamber. Before he died, he finally found peace in his mind and he did not have to worry about how to survive anymore. In his last breathe, he found the pleasure of letting go.
Gilda and Anne make different choice and the men they loved are evil. Maybe it is because the time is changed and our values change as well. Will you choose to play Gilda or Anne when you meet your evil man?
订阅：
博文评论 (Atom)
没有评论:
发表评论