Perelà,
Uomo di fumo, an opera in ten
chapters, is Dusapin’s fourth opera. In each of his earlier
operas (Romeo & Juliette [1985/8], Medeamaterial
[1990] and To be Sung [1992/3]), Dusapin tackles
widely different issues. Each of them attempts a solution to
the problem of contemporary opera. So, Romeo & Juliette,
in two parts of fairly equal length articulated around a pivotal
orchestral section (La Révolution, in memory of Giacinto
Scelsi), explores the complex relationship between its multi-lingual
libretto and music, while dealing with a number of present-day
concerns (available on Accord 201162). Medeamaterial
(available on Harmonia Mundi HMC 905215), a setting of a libretto
in German by Heiner Müller, is essentially a long monologue
for one voice and baroque orchestra; it was originally written
to be staged with Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. To
Be Sung (available on Harmonia Mundi MFA 216026)
is an abstract, ritualistic opera for three voices and seven
instruments without any real dramatic action.
With
Perelà, Uomo di fumo, Dusapin has written a somewhat
more traditional grand opera; compared to its predecessors.
At the time of writing, he has completed his fifth opera The
Last Night (A Story of Faustus) to be premiered in 2006
by the Berliner Staatsoper, and is working on his sixth essay
in the genre.
Compared
to Dusapin’s earlier operatic works, Perelà is
relatively straightforward. The libretto (in Italian) is drawn
from Aldo Palazzeschi’s “futurist novel” Il Codice Perelà
and tells a fairly direct story involving a number of clearly
delineated characters. As such, it strictly follows Palazzeschi’s
linear narration, albeit dropping a number of asides and re-ordering
some short sequences in order to tighten the narration. Actually,
Dusapin dropped six chapters in all out of the sixteen chapters
that make up Palazzeschi’s novel. Aldo Palazzeschi (pseudonym
of Aldo Giuliani) wrote his “futurist novel” between 1908 and
1910. It was published in 1911 and has since then acquired a
cult status. It centres around a Christ-like figure (Perelà)
come from “up there” to live among men and eventually returning
“up there”. Although Palazzeschi emphasises the Christ-like
nature of Perelà, particularly so in later revisions of his
novel, he describes the work as a fable; which it really is.
There is nevertheless a major difference between Christ and
Perelà: the latter actually says very little and makes no attempt
at proselytising. He stands, an outsider, witnessing the behaviour
of the town’s people and their leaders, be they the Queen, the
King, the archbishop, the banker or the philosopher. He never
exerts influence on their behaviour. In this, however, he is
not entirely successful: Alloro finally commits suicide in order
to emulate Perelà, and Oliva di Bellonda (“a woman who cannot
love”) finally falls in love with Perelà and even offers to
defend him at the Court of Justice, but with no result, except
for making herself ridiculous. Perelà’s “otherness” (he was
born out of smoke, in a black womb) makes him an object of curiosity
and admiration. As a consequence of the esteem in which he is
held by everyone, the King even asks him to write the New Code
(Il Codice), about which we are told nothing. All would thus
be well, were it not for the suicide by fire of Alloro, the
King’s old butler, who from the beginning dreams of emulating
Perelà. From then on, Perelà’s fate takes another dramatic turn:
he is brought to court for having caused Alloro’s suicide, is
sentenced to prison: you cannot condemn a man of smoke to death.
He is incarcerated in a small cell built on top of Mount Calleio (read “Golgotha”) from where he eventually escapes
by disintegrating into thin air. His boots (i.e. an oblique
allusion to the Holy Shroud) are the only reminder of his presence
on earth.
A
number of characters regularly appear during the opera, albeit
fleetingly in some cases, although only a few of them may be
said to be important. Among them there is the Queen, Oliva di
Bellonda who is actually an important character in the opera;
the most complex character in the novel and in the opera also.
Alloro’s daughter is given an extraordinary, histrionic Mad
Scene when she accuses Perelà of having led her father to suicide.
As befits characters from a fable, most of them are caricatures:
the archbishop (sung by a falsetto and accompanied by organ)
who keeps repeating the same “moral” clichés whatever the situation,
the philosopher who has actually no real philosophic doctrine
at all, and the banker whose only aim is to make money, no matter
how (“With smoke, one can make the best speculations in the
world”). As already hinted at, some characters are also momentarily
accompanied by a particular instrument, e.g. the Queen whose
scene with Perelà is “coloured” by the harpsichord, the archbishop
by the organ. The voices, too, have been carefully chosen, e.g.
coloratura (Alloro’s daughter), mezzo-soprano (Oliva di Bellonda),
falsetto (archbishop). The chorus’s part is also very important,
particularly during the mob scenes and the ball. The orchestral
forces are large, including piano, harpsichord, organ and an
on-stage band, the latter in the ball scene.
Musically
speaking, Perelà is a synthesis of Dusapin’s music-making
to date. His remarkable dramatic feeling clearly evident in
his orchestral music and concertos and his chamber works, makes
him an ideal composer for the stage. From this point of view,
Perelà brilliantly succeeds. Dusapin holds one’s
attention from first to last in a masterly way, mainly thanks
to the remarkable invention displayed throughout. This piece
never outstays its welcome, although it needs repeated hearings
to make its point to the full. It is a complex work, musically
and emotionally and fully repays repeated hearings. It is well
worth the effort, and I for one firmly believe that Perelà
is one of the most important and most successful recent operas.
This
recording was made live during performances in Montpellier, but you would hardly notice it, were it not for some not unduly intrusive
stage noises. The cast seems to me a strong one. Everyone sings
with complete commitment and with assurance. As already mentioned,
some parts (Oliva di Bellonda and Alloro’s daughter) are taxing,
and so are some of the smaller parts (the archbishop’s one is
particularly demanding). The Montpellier orchestra rise to the occasion
and play with communicative energy throughout, so that Dusapin’s
strongly expressive music comes off in the best possible way.
Clearly, this is a major release of a major work of our time;
and I hope that opera houses will not be long in staging Perelà
.
Hubert
Culot
