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cahnOkay, so, this opera is really kind of horrifyingly full of feminist fail. Not only does it fail Bechdel like whoa, but. Okay. Where do I even start? The frigid princess, Turandot, has declared that any prince wanting to marry her must answer three riddles, and if he doesn't answer correctly, he loses his head. This isn't so bad as a storyline (although kind of... unhealthy for all parties), but meanwhile, prince Calaf finds his long-lost father and a servant girl, Liu, who has stuck by him because Calaf once smiled at her. I am not making this up. Calaf is so in love with Turandot (because she is beautiful, which of course is the only important thing about a woman, and not (for example) whether she will cut your head off!... I think we can safely assume that Liu is not beautiful) that he will brave the riddle test.
It gets worse. I will pass over Liu and her completely predictable fate FOR LOVE (that being the only actual aspect of her personality), at no time during which does Calaf give her any sign of... well, anything. (Think Marius and Eponine, only way worse.) Way to have any self-respect at all, girl. And even worse than that, after Calaf answers the riddles correctly (the riddles are incredibly stupid, but that's another subject entirely.)... oh, I can't do it, here is the Wikipedia synopsis. "[Calaf] then takes her in his arms and kisses her in spite of her resistance... after he kisses her, she feels herself turning towards passion. " OH GIACOMO PUCCINI NO. (To be perfectly fair, the Wikipedia page points out that the overwhelming problematic-ness of this may have been the reason that Puccini did not actually finish the opera, so it's a little mean to criticize him for something that he wasn't actually putting out to the public Perhaps I should rag on Alfano, who finished the opera.)
Um. I kind of love it. Puccini is some kind of freaking genius, apparently, to get me to like this even through the failiness. (To be fair, a great deal of this has to do with it being in Italian so that I can block out what they're saying and just concentrate on the emotions. And some of this may be low expectations. Lucia di Lammermoor, for instance, has almost this much genderfail PLUS all the characters are seriously as dumb as rocks.) Also, the three ministers are awesome. Also great use of choruses. Also, Nessun Dorma! There is a reason this is THE aria standard. Also, Liu gets some seriously awesome music as long as you don't know what she's singing.
Decca is the gold standard and the one I'd recommend as a first recording (4/5). Pavarotti is a quite golden-voiced Calaf, Joan Sutherland is a beautiful Turandot, and Montserrat Caballe, to my ears, totally steals the show as Liu. (That silvery voice with those amazing pianissimos... wow.) The EMI recording (3+/5) has Jose Carreras as Calaf, whom I really like -- he's slightly subtler than Pavarotti -- and Caballe as Turandot, which... I don't think she's as suited for as she is for Liu, and not as good as Sutherland either, but she is perfectly adequate. And honestly the real reason I love this recording is Paul Plishka as Calaf's father -- he is simply amazing, even though it's a bit part.
But what I really want is for someone to write a fic, or for that matter, a book, that retells this in a less completely awful way. Perhaps Liu and Turandot could be friends! Perhaps Calaf could, I don't know, have fallen in love with her internet blog postings. I sort of feel like almost anything would be an improvement, here.
(Here I have to mention that Diana Wynne Jones, who wrote everything, wrote a story, "Little Dot," in the Firebirds anthology, that is a riff on Turandot, with cats. So there's that.)
It gets worse. I will pass over Liu and her completely predictable fate FOR LOVE (that being the only actual aspect of her personality), at no time during which does Calaf give her any sign of... well, anything. (Think Marius and Eponine, only way worse.) Way to have any self-respect at all, girl. And even worse than that, after Calaf answers the riddles correctly (the riddles are incredibly stupid, but that's another subject entirely.)... oh, I can't do it, here is the Wikipedia synopsis. "[Calaf] then takes her in his arms and kisses her in spite of her resistance... after he kisses her, she feels herself turning towards passion. " OH GIACOMO PUCCINI NO. (To be perfectly fair, the Wikipedia page points out that the overwhelming problematic-ness of this may have been the reason that Puccini did not actually finish the opera, so it's a little mean to criticize him for something that he wasn't actually putting out to the public Perhaps I should rag on Alfano, who finished the opera.)
Um. I kind of love it. Puccini is some kind of freaking genius, apparently, to get me to like this even through the failiness. (To be fair, a great deal of this has to do with it being in Italian so that I can block out what they're saying and just concentrate on the emotions. And some of this may be low expectations. Lucia di Lammermoor, for instance, has almost this much genderfail PLUS all the characters are seriously as dumb as rocks.) Also, the three ministers are awesome. Also great use of choruses. Also, Nessun Dorma! There is a reason this is THE aria standard. Also, Liu gets some seriously awesome music as long as you don't know what she's singing.
Decca is the gold standard and the one I'd recommend as a first recording (4/5). Pavarotti is a quite golden-voiced Calaf, Joan Sutherland is a beautiful Turandot, and Montserrat Caballe, to my ears, totally steals the show as Liu. (That silvery voice with those amazing pianissimos... wow.) The EMI recording (3+/5) has Jose Carreras as Calaf, whom I really like -- he's slightly subtler than Pavarotti -- and Caballe as Turandot, which... I don't think she's as suited for as she is for Liu, and not as good as Sutherland either, but she is perfectly adequate. And honestly the real reason I love this recording is Paul Plishka as Calaf's father -- he is simply amazing, even though it's a bit part.
But what I really want is for someone to write a fic, or for that matter, a book, that retells this in a less completely awful way. Perhaps Liu and Turandot could be friends! Perhaps Calaf could, I don't know, have fallen in love with her internet blog postings. I sort of feel like almost anything would be an improvement, here.
(Here I have to mention that Diana Wynne Jones, who wrote everything, wrote a story, "Little Dot," in the Firebirds anthology, that is a riff on Turandot, with cats. So there's that.)
no subject
Date: 2011-09-08 06:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-08 12:44 pm (UTC)And yeah, so, I recommend Turandot as music very much, even if you have to squint hard sideways to get past the story failings. Looking at the season list, I'd also recommend Don Giovanni and Magic Flute (though I have a strong, strong partiality to Mozart, and you also have to bear in mind that Magic Flute, although it is extremely lovable and fun, makes no sense), and Carmen, which to be fair I have not seen/listened to all the way through but is totally on my list :) Oh, and I've listened to Nixon in China but have no idea what I think of it...
no subject
Date: 2011-09-09 04:24 am (UTC)Come to San Francisco!Story failings? Opera isn't about story. It's about spectacle. Possibly also about emotion, catharsis and id vortex, which might explain Wagner. I'm asking my roommate to pick up a Turandot ticket for tomorrow night.
I live with an opera geek, so I will ask R. about the opera house and the best things to see. I'm very curious about Nixon in China, but I'm not sure that's the best place to start.
no subject
Date: 2011-09-09 04:56 am (UTC)Well... Opera should be about story! It's just usually... not :)