Indeed, the original, no longer extant,
version of this work was approximately six hours in length. Even in the
severely truncated revised version, Mefistofele has always proven
itself to be a serious work, with a libretto that (like Busoni’s
Doktor Faust) has some real literary merit. Unfortunately, following
the reigning spirit of Regieoper in Europe, director Miguel Del Monaco
and set designer Carlo Centolavigna have all but denuded this great opera of
its serious intent.
Opting for a 20th-century setting (which in and of itself is not a problem),
the “creative” team behind this production has missed the central
point of Boito’s (and by extension, Goethe’s) drama, namely, the
age-old Platonic opposition of the real and the ideal, in this case,
represented by the Margherita/Elena (Helen of Troy) duality. While the
ever-reliable Dimitra Theodossiou is afforded the opportunity to continue the
tradition of performing both roles, the intention behind this appears to be
economic rather than dramatic.
Act I is set in Frankfurt during Easter Sunday, but it is in the Germany of
the 1920s, not during Martin Luther’s time. This is at best a
questionable tactic because the seemingly peaceful interregnum of the Weimar
Republic had such terrible consequences in the following decades. Overloading
the already heavily-laden symbolism of the Faust legend with the tragedy of
modern German history helps to obscure Faust’s personal dilemma. Adding
to the incoherence of the staging, Del Monaco then proves not to have the
courage of his convictions by at least being consistent with the historical
implications of his staging of Act I, and sets Act IV, the Night of the
Classical Sabbath, in Las Vegas. Helen of Troy is reduced to being a showgirl
in a tawdry stage show and her attendant Nymphs reminded me of the June Taylor
Dancers who used to open the Jackie Gleason TV Show of the 1960s with overhead
shots featuring kaleidoscopic choreography.
The ultimate consequence of this staging of Mefistofele is that the
characters of Faust and Margherita/Elena are reduced to mere appendages of
Mefistofele’s mercurial personality. One of the problems with this opera
has always been the overshadowing of Faust and Margherita by Mefistofele. Del
Monaco’s staging has exacerbated tenfold this dramatic disparity.
The one saving grace of this production is Ferruccio Furlanetto’s
Mefistofele. His performance incorporates a spectacular bass voice with
animated acting. The acting, at times, may appear to be a bit over the top, but
it is forgivable given the imbecility of the staging. Indeed,
Furlanetto’s performance helps to divert attention away from the visual
and back to the musical, and for that we must be grateful.
To be charitable to the performers, I thought that the singers and orchestra
performed rather well, but at times it was difficult to gauge this accurately
since this DVD suffers from very poor balance. Even allowing for the recording
difficulties inherent in a live performance, there is really no excuse in this
day and age for a professionally recorded DVD to have such poor audio
quality.
This DVD will have appeal mostly to fans of Ferruccio Furlanetto. My advice
is to turn off the video and listen to the voice.
William E. Grim
image=http://www.operatoday.com/Dynamic_33581.gif
image_description=Arrigo Boito, Mefistofele
product=yes
product_title=Arrigo Boito, Mefistofele
product_by=Mefistofele: Ferruccio Furlanetto; Faust: Giuseppe Filianoti; Margherita/Elena: Dimitra Theodossiou; Marta: Sonia Zaramella; Wagner/Nereo: Mimmo Ghegghi; Pantalis: Monica Minarelli. Stefano Ranzani conducting. Stage Director: Giancarlo Del Monaco. Live performance at Teatro Massimo, Palermo, January 2008.
product_id=Dynamic 33581 [2DVDs]
price=$48.49
product_url=http://astore.amazon.com/operatoday-20/detail/B001C4ZBQG