Unfinished Business

Puccini-TURANDOT: Francesca Paoletti, Lu Ziling; Vitaly Kovalchuk, Emmanuele Paolino, Xiangyu Wan/Augusta University, University of South Carolina and USC-Aiken choruses/Augusta Symphony Orchestra/Oyku Yanik, cond.; A production of the Verdi Conservatory of Milan (heard February 7).

Opera is a relative stranger to Augusta, Georgia. True, Catherine Malfitano essayed Violetta here, roughly 50 years ago, and Augusta University mounted The Magic Flute, a year back. But the operatic art rarely alights in this quiet city. Thus it was a surprise that the cryptically titled "Turandot Project" would choose Augusta for its launch. What was initially billed as a dress rehearsal was upgraded to "1st performance" status and played to a select audience on February 7—with a repeat scheduled for that very evening. Egad!

The unnamed impresario for this Turandot prefaced the performance with a circuitous speech about "the four Turandots." Three were the initial, unfinished draft (which was what was performed), the long Franco Alfano completion and the shorter, most familiar one. The "fourth Turandot" was left unspoken but one may safely presume it is Luciano Berio completion. An artists' manager who attended the world premiere of the Berio version, in Salzburg, described it to me succinctly and perfectly as "intellectual bullshit." It has not endured.

The exigencies of a touring show and the confines of Augusta's Miller Theater meant that the action was curtailed to the apron of the stage, with the chorus (which entered wearing widow's veils) at the very back. The soloists were, for the most part, costumed in Olde Cathay attire, and moved in stylized fashion. Directors Livia Lanno and Stefania Giorgia Butti directed traffic sensibly but gave the cast considerable byplay with long ribbons, presumably betokening their intertwined destinies, which didn't add anything.

A revisionist touch had Calaf, that arrogant bastard, writhing in remorseful agony during the Act II recital of Lou-Ling's sad fate. But this was, by and large, a traditional Turandot, without projected titles but with giant slides of ancient Peking to convey settings. Makeup and costuming were largely apt. Exceptions were the overdone visages of Emperor Altoum and Timur, which verged on Kabuki and only underscored the singers' juniority.

The Augusta Symphony coped ably with an unfamiliar work but the small chorus was badly outgunned by a full-strength orchestra. The Miller, incidentally, proved a good fit for Puccini's percussion-heavy orchestration, as the battery is especially "live" in that venue. Conductor Oyku Yanik led with aplomb and a firm hand, especially when the performance threatened to come unglued altogether during the Act I vignette of Turandot's handmaids. But she seemed to have her plate full with chorus and orchestra, and ensemble with the soloists (placed behind her) could be dicey.

In this and other respects, the matinée was not unlike what one might expect at a provincial Italian house—and that isn't meant as a knock. Vitaly Kovalchuk (Calaf) is a tenore robusto of the old school, with big B-flats and an unsubtle manner. His voice has clearly been rode hard and put away wet, and it seems inconceivable that he would sing two Calafs in the space of seven hours. The mind boggles.

Fortunately, no such rigors awaited the female protagonists. Francesca Paoletti's ice princess was intelligently sung and played, even if one wanted broader phrasing for "In questa reggia." Like Dame Eva Turner, she evidently believes in keeping the voice well forward ("like knives" as Dame Gwyneth Jones, Turner's protegé would say), with a cutting edge that was neither unpleasant nor lacking in femininity. I've certainly heard worse Turandots playing the international circuit.

Liu is a can't miss-role and Lu Ziling rose to the occasion. Appealing in every respect, she offered the afternoon's best vocalism, round of tone and riding on the breath. She went from strength to strength, making "Tu che di gel sei cinta" both the de facto and actual (remember, no final scene was played) climax of the performance. More, please.

Young Xiangyu Wan (Timur) needs to "express" less and concentrate on legato far more. His lines tended to be a series of breathy huffs, while Daniel Sanchini quavered earnestly as Altoum. The masks were capable, although dominated timbrally and histrionically by Bohyn Seo's Pong. Giovanni Baraldi's Mandarin could plausibly be promoted to Timur (and perhaps should have been). I apologize to any artist whose name has been misspelled: The program leaflet was in tiny, illegible type.

Georgia hasn't seen the last of Turandot this year. Atlanta Opera presents it in May, with Angela Meade in the title part. Your turn, big city.