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<\/p>\n\u00a9Rikimaru Hotta<\/p>\n
Having had my belongings confiscated at the entrance, I stepped bare-handed into the darkness of an abandoned-looking warehouse, where a strange machine was emitting a sound. Half-naked men used ropes to descend from the ceiling high above us and, accompanied by the thunder of a rock band, got on a large cart, doused each other with water, scattered white powder around themselves, bit into cow entrails and threw them around, all while moving up, down and from one side to the other. The onlookers, having given no chairs to sit on, were left staring at the pandemonium, unable to escape even if they had wanted to. If was one of them, witnessing La Fura dels Baus\u2019s performance of \u201cSuz\/O\/Suz\u201d in Yokohama in 1989. \u00c0lex Oll\u00e9, the director of \u201cTurandot\u201d, was there too \u2013 as one of the half-naked men. Although seemingly a product of a very specific moment, this supremely festive performance was not just about chaos. Its theme of \u201cviolence and fraternity\u201d was put together cleverly and expressed in a manner that had a physical impact on the onlookers, who were enticed to move together with the performers.<\/p>\n
But what about Oll\u00e9\u2019s take on \u201cTurandot\u201d? While the somewhat dirty masses of commoners, who also function as a choir, hark back to 30 years ago, the production itself is extremely refined; the \u201cbarbaric\u201d touch is gone. Still, I sensed a strong desire to reinterpret the traditional \u201cTurandot\u201d \u2013 to once again make \u201cviolence and fraternity\u201d its motif.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u00a9Rikimaru Hotta<\/p>\n
In Oll\u00e9\u2019s version, the stage is gray, prison-like \u2013 a space far removed from the splendor of the Chinese imperial court as described in the libretto. On the walls, which enclose the stage on three sides, hang staircases and handrails like barbed wire. Down on the floor, surrounded, like prisoners, stand the gray-clad commoners. From the center of the ceiling hangs a massive rectangular structure, which casts a blinding light onto the ground beneath it. This futuristic, sci-fi-like object moves up and down solemnly, as if it was a spaceship about to land or take off. It is the heavenly place where Turandot and the Emperor live, and expresses both the Empire\u2019s strength and, through its unrealistic symbolism, the sublimity of Heaven.<\/p>\n
Alfons Flores\u2019s set design uses this giant apparatus, which descends as if seeking to crush the people underneath it, to strictly separate heaven and earth from each other, thereby highlighting the oppressive power of the Empire over its subjects in brilliant fashion. The costumes produce an equally vivid contrast, with the commoners\u2019 dirty, gray clothing set against the pure white garb worn by Turandot and the rest of the court. Oll\u00e9 has worked with the same team for years now, and its shows \u2013 the equipment, lighting, costumes and other elements all come together to form an exquisite whole.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u00a9Rikimaru Hotta<\/p>\n
The cold Princess Turandot is courted by many suitors, but will only marry the one who can answer three riddles \u2013 failure to solve any of them will see the unworthy suitor beheaded. While all other prospective grooms lose their heads, Prince Calaf \u2013 exiled from his home country \u2013 is up to the task, and his love eventually wins over Turandot\u2019s heart. This is the story of \u201cTurandot\u201d as we all know it; Calaf never doubts it was his kiss that lit the flame of love within Turandot.<\/p>\n
But Calaf is after more than just love. At the end of the last act, with the people praising Turandot\u2019s father, Oll\u00e9 departs from the libretto by choosing not to have the Emperor appear. The people\u2019s adoration is thus directed toward Calaf, the future ruler \u2013 indicating that Calaf is aware of the immense power he is to be granted through marriage. As large number of flower petals fall from heaven and the crowds chant their congratulations, the beaming Calaf holds Turandot\u2019s hand; in this one blessed moment, the prodigal prince has made both beauty and power his own. However, his arrogant joy is crushed immediately after this, only seconds before the curtain falls. Oll\u00e9\u2019s finale is poignant, eye-opening, and brilliant.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/_sys2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/4-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u00a9Rikimaru Hotta<\/p>\n
The traumatic experience of her ancestor \u2013 a princess who was taken away, raped and killed by a man \u2013 is purified and carried within Turandot, whose thirst for revenge drives her to kill the men who hope to marry her. Oll\u00e9 takes this aspect beyond the realm of fantasy in the ending, in which Li\u00f9\u2019s suicide opens Turandot\u2019s eyes to love. Departing from the classic interpretation, he uses the princess to express a fierce anger toward machismo, thereby presenting his take on a modern-day issue.<\/p>\n
People around the world struggling under oppression, children killed in conflicts between great powers, the #MeToo movement, indignities faced by women \u2013 hearing about these things on a daily basis makes you want to stop listening. Men can be so utterly unaware of the sad results of their selfish desires. Turandot puts up fierce resistance against Calaf\u2019s machismo. Oll\u00e9\u2019s superb direction mixes the sweet and beautiful tunes of Puccini \u2013 a genial melody-maker \u2013 with the bitterness of reality. Make no mistake: from now on, all renditions of \u201cTurandot\u201d will have to ponder how to approach the ending conjured up by \u00c0lex Oll\u00e9.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Translated by Ilmari Saarinen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a9Rikimaru Hotta Having had my belongings confiscated at the entrance, I stepped bare-handed into the darkness […]","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":3736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[103,150],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3735"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3758,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3735\/revisions\/3758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realtokyo.co.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}