Is sensuous beauty enough to sustain an evening of opera? This is the question that several critics faced when reviewing Kaija Saariaho's L'Amour de loin, which made its fully staged premiere at the ENO on 3 July.
As often with new music, it is not the quality of musical interpretation that becomes the true object of criticism. Indeed, performances of singers and conductor alike were praised, albeit in the cursory way in which the press usually acknowledges unproblematic aspects of a performance. Conductor Edward Gardner received several approving nods, paying homage to his fine rendition of the music, which was 'beautifully realised' (Edward Seckerson for The Independent) and 'sensitively captured' (Richard Morrison for The Times).
The three lead singers were equally appreciated: 'there are fine central performances from Roderick Williams' purposeful Jaufre, Joan Rodgers' Clemence and Faith Sherman's Pilgrim' writes George Hall for The Stage. Different critics singled out their favourites: Andrew Clark for the Financial Times was impressed by Faith Sherman's Pilgrim ('a sensational European debut'), while Rupert Christiansen for The Telegraph concedes that 'Joan Rodgers is taxed by some of Clémence's music (especially a long final scene), but she sings with great musicality', and finds Roderick Williams' Jaufre 'impeccable'.
Yet, as always, disagreement arises when talking about the music and the staging. Everybody agreed that Kaija Saariaho's music is easy on the ear—'nobody who appreciates Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe or Debussy's La Mer will find the idiom forbidding' writes The Telegraph—but whether it is more than just pretty sonorities remains debatable. Some found the score uneventful: 'the problem with Saariaho's texturally exquisite score is its lack of variety' observes The Independent, and Andrew Clements from The Guardian echoes this view when he writes of 'luscious but static orchestral textures', as does Rupert Christiansen, who found the whole thing 'somewhat too relentlessly marshmallow'.
The simplicity of the plot—elaborated by Saariaho in conjunction with librettist Amin Maalouf—was blamed: The Independent bemoaned a 'fatal lack of drama', and The Guardian pointed its finger at the 'cardboard characters'. However, this aspect of simplicity found an ardent defender in the Financial Times' Andrew Clark, who wrote that 'as in all worthwhile operas, the story is simple but its subtext is rich'.
But perhaps the single aspect of the production to gain the largest share of the press' attention was the staging, particularly as the ENO had circus director Daniele Finzi Pasca come up with the visuals to accompany the music. Finzi Pasca clearly aimed to createworld of visual delights to match the lovelines of Saariaho. The dazzling beauty of the show left a mark on Andrew Clark, whose review is nothing short of glowing: 'this staging fuses them in a seamless skein of imagery and movement, achieving a sophistication UK opera rarely sees, partly because of its conservative taste but mainly for want of money'. It is difficult to weigh this enthusiasm against The Guardian's dismissal: Andrew Clements thought that 'Finzi Pasca's "physical theatre" is meaningless frou-frou, keeping Jean Rabasse's sets constantly on the move, accompanying each of the three protagonists with two acrobat doubles, who turn cartwheels while the singers get on with singing'.
The main disagreement has to do with whether Finzi Pasca's busy staging complements Saariaho's static score, or whether it attempts to 'create an atmosphere of fantasy that disguises the paucity of solid material in the piece' (The Stage).
This latter point of view is exemplified by The Times' account of the staging: 'when acrobats aren't whirling through the air, or shadow-puppet operatives cutely ingratiating themselves with the audience, he's constantly raising and lowering Jean Rabasse's Persian-style grilles, or sending vast sheets of muslin floating down from the circle, or fiddling with the lights, or projecting video of the sea'. Again, the Financial Times offers a different point of view entirely: 'What is so wonderful about Finzi Pasca's work' writes Andrew Clark, 'is that it opens up the poetic range of a score that has hitherto seemed overly static'.
It seems that together with the operatic plot classic question 'Is love better served by imagination or by fulfillment?', this production presents us with another controversial topic: 'Is sensuous beauty the means to the expression of emotion, or is it an obstacle?'
L'Amour de loin is on at the London Coliseum until 11 July.
Photo Credits: Johan Persson
Related articles:
Review of the production
Interview: Kaija Saariaho chats about her opera
Review: Così fan tutte at the ENO
News: ENO announces 2009-10 season
Have your say: discuss this article in our Forum.