Rimsky-Korsakov’s Le
Coq d’Or is most widely known from
the composer’s colourful suite based
on the music for his tragic-comic, fantasy
opera, completed in 1907 and premiered
in Moscow in 1909. It was inspired,
in part, by events in the Russian-Japanese
War of1904 but its political overtones,
unflattering to Russia, were softened
by the censors. This Paris production
is therefore quite apposite in that
it is staged by an all-Japanese creative
team headed by Ennosuke Ichikawa who
first brought such fabulous costumes
to the stage of the San Francisco Opera
House in 1984. The costumes, incredibly
ornate and colourful, become more and
more complex and fantastical as the
opera proceeds until they reach their
perigee in the wedding procession of
Act III. The sets are minimal and functional
and mainly contrived around a stage-wide
staircase. The Queen of Shemakha’s tent,
for instance, as seen in Act II, is
viewed incomplete, only two imposing,
somewhat mysterious and oddly threatening
towers of material are glimpse over
the horizon of those stairs. Suddenly
the tent is whisked skywards to reveal
the commanding figure of the Queen dressed
like a rose-coloured butterfly, commanding
yet alluring, surrounded by subservient
maidens and small trees in full blossom.
The lighting is moody and subdued.
The part of the Astrologer
is written for an unusual voice, a tenor-altino,
although it can be entrusted to a lyric
tenor possessing a strong falsetto
because the part is written in the extremely
high register. Barry Banks, in the role,
is spot-on, bringing just the right
note of flamboyant but hysterical menace
to the part. The Astrologer acts as
Prologue and Epilogue to the opera and
it is he who gives the Golden Cockerel
to King Dodon to warn him of invading
armies, allowing him to sleep in peace,
but in the end assuring his nemesis.
After losing his two
sons in the wars, Dodon ventures out
to battle himself only to find himself
facing the enigmatic Queen of Shemakha.
She wastes no time in seducing him and
utterly humiliating him. Olga Trifonova
in the role loses acting opportunities
to show just how much she despises Dodon.
Her first top note and several others
are insecure but the middle and lower
registers of her tessitura are quite
lovely. On the other hand, in this scene,
Albert Schagidullin shows himself to
be a very subdued and idiotic Dodon
and his oaken bass voice expressively
supple. Yuri Maria Saenz as The Golden
Cockerel has a somewhat thankless and
repetitive part that calls for a strong
soprano voice. She projects her edgy
tense call most sturdily.
A very colourful production
of Rimsky-Korsakov’s tragic-comic opera.
Fun. Recommended.
Ian Lace
Chorus of the Mariinsky theatre, St Petersburg
TDK
DVD Video DV-OPLCO [108.00] 
