Opera review: L.A. Opera premieres 'Il Postino'

The “Ring” has rung. The company coffers are wrung dry. And Los Angeles Opera entered into its 25th season Thursday night with the postman at the door of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Happily, though, “Il Postino” delivered good news. Daniel Catán’s lyrical new opera provides pleasurable contrast from the late spring and early summer heavy Wagner extravaganza.

Based on the popular sentimental Italian film -- with a few political nods to Antonio Skármeta’s wise, wry Chilean novel on which the movie was based -- “Il Postino” had been victim of Wagner’s resource-devouring tetralogy. But the fact that the premiere of the new opera, originally announced for last season, had to be postponed probably turned out for the good.

Unlike the typical opera premiere, this opening night did not seem a rush job. A confident cast, conductor and company had the luxury of a year to absorb a new work. The opera was written for two star tenors: Plácido Domingo as the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and Rolando Villazón as Mario, the young postman who befriends him. Villazón pulled out when he underwent surgery on his vocal cords in April 2009, but the “Postino” postponement left a reasonable amount of time for finding a replacement and for Charles Castronovo to learn a starring role.

The “Ring” may have taught L.A. Opera a thing or two about production problem solving as well. “Il Postino” receives a tasteful, even luminous, staging on what appears to be the cheap. That is something rare for this company, where bargain basement tends to look it.

Catán’s fourth opera is not intended to surprise. No doubt most of the audience will know his opera’s source and feel comfortable with the tonal, Puccini-infused lyricism of his score. The composer from Mexico who lives and teaches in Southern California and who wrote his own libretto, follows the 1994 film closely if not slavishly. Unlike the novel, which takes place in Chile in the early ‘70s at the end of Neruda’s life, the movie moves the story to a fictitious Italian island 20 years earlier, during the Chilean poet’s exile. Catán, however, restores a small taste of the politics, sex and Skármeta’s wonderful dry humor, as well as Neruda’s poetry, that the banal film left out.

There remains, however, the peculiarity of this somewhat Italian opera being written in Spanish. Plus Domingo (who at 69 would be the right age for the older Neruda of Skármeta’s novel) is meant to portray a somewhat younger Neruda.

Even so, Domingo has never had a role better tailored for him. From Neruda’s tender opening love scene with his topless wife, Matilde, to his stylish ‘50s costumes to his father-knows-best warm humor (Domingo happens to be a gifted comic actor), everything about “Il Postino” seems intended to put the famed tenor in his comfort zone. He typically now needs time for his warm up, and Catán eases him vocally into the part. Domingo may too easily fall into overwrought melodrama in an aria about the political situation in Chile, but his beaming avuncular compassion, especially in his relationship with Mario, is pretty hard to resist.

Neruda is a part made for music. A prolific poet, the real Neruda provided the composer with all the lyrics he might ever hope for to use as texts for arias. But Mario -- a tongue-tied slacker who discovers through Neruda the power of poetry in seducing the sultry beauty Beatrice -- is more problematic. While the character grows more passionate, his music from the start is already full of longings he can’t yet express.

Scenes are many and short, and director Ron Daniels works on a simple stage with only a platform on which to create Neruda’s living room, garden, a café, the sea. The stage floor is decorated with handsome tiles, they and the stylish costumes are by Riccardo Hernandez. Careful projections -- ocean, demonstrations in Chile, the moon, a starry sky for lovers – by Philip Bussmann carefully evoke atmosphere without overpowering. Jennifer Tipton’s lighting, with little more than a strip of neon or a perfectly placed spot, makes the stage seem a place where poetry might come to life.

Catán writes winningly for women, and Cristina Gallardo-Domâs (Matilde) and Amanda Squitieri (Beatrice) are the seductive yet grounded counterparts of their men, both in luscious voice. But even Nancy Fabiola Herrera as Beatrice’s aunt, Donna Rosa, is not without an inner layer of knowing sweetness.

Vladimir Chernov is a bit of luxury casting as Giorgio, the communist head of the two-man post office. José Adán Pérez is the right-wing politician Di Cosimo, whose heavy-handed campaign tactics threaten to destroy the fishing village.

The ending, unfortunately, is sappy – to say more would mean spoiling the plot. But Grant Gershon, L.A. Opera’s associate conductor, controls the damage. And he does a lot more than that.

He brings out the rich instrumental colors of Catán’s score. He lets the lyricism flow as from a rich source. He lovingly supports voices. He keeps the opera moving. He makes the wedding scene, the liveliest in the opera, sparkle. He ingratiatingly integrates the bits of beguiling ‘50s pop music that Catán peppers throughout the work. Catán and the company are lucky to have him.

-- Mark Swed

“Il Postino,” Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave. Wed., Oct. 5 and Oct 16, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 2 and Oct. 9, 2:00 p.m. $20 - $270. (213) 972-8001 or www.laopera.com. Running time: 2 hours, 52 minutes.

Top photo: Plácido Domingo as Pablo Nerudo in Daniel Catán’s "Il Postino." Bottom photo: Charles Castronovo as Mario. Photographs by Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.

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Comments

[fan of Wagner's Works]

"There remains, however, the peculiarity of this somewhat Italian opera being written in Spanish."

Il Postino is Italian in the same sense that Carmen is Spanish. It does not necessarily mean that the language of the opera must be the language of the setting. The decision to have the opera in Spanish was carefully thought out and is likely the result of a combination of the composer/librettist's (Catan of course) familiarity with the language and the fact that it allows bits of Neruda's poetry to be presented without awkward translations. Anyway, why not? Spanish seems to have many of the same advantages as Italian when sung. It contains only pure vowels and eschews the complex consonant combinations that make opera sung in languages such as English, for instance, problematic. I think that it actually works rather well. And, there is the added benefit that one can actually make out the words being sung, something that is often near impossible in English opera.

[Johnny Walker]

Mark - any comments on Castronovo's performance? He is, afterall....the principal role in the opera. Do you have any comments on his performance??

Very much surprised you FAILED to discuss this....

Thanks
JW

[Dianne Bates]

I loved the tango scene with the talented accordion player, Nick Ariondo. I wish there was more of him in the opera.

[J. Barrett]

This review of "Il Postino" failed to mention the performance of Il Postino, the postman: Charles Castronovo. This talented young tenor is onstage and singing for most of the work. We attended the dress rehearsal and found Castronovo's performance wonderful--even though Placido Domingo, suffering from a cold, was not singing during the dress rehearsal. I look forward to hearing Domingo and Castronovo together when we have our ticketed performance in a couple of weeks. But not to review Castronovo's performance on opening night? A shocking omission. Readers deserve an explanation.

[Enjoyed it but wanted more]

My wife and I attended the premiere and we enjoyed it. But I found it incomplete, in a sense. Why don't contemporary opera composers mix in any arias? Are they afraid of being compared with Andrew Lloyd Webber...and found wanting? Would it be so lightweight to be able to leave the theater humming a tune or two? The score clearly did have "Puccini-infused lyricism," but Puccini knew how to write arias as well as recitative.

[Wolfy]

Mark Swed is really the worst person to review operas -- ANY opera. He has not a whiff of understanding of the vocal arts. All he does is engaging in boring self-indulging prose about the production, as if the singers didn't exist.

[Lidia Gamulin]

"Regarding the IL POSTINO review by Mark Swed, it is difficult to predict what a critic may be thinking when he or she is reviewing a particular event, in this case, an opera. As for my personal experience in seeing the opera, and being from Argentina, I felt that Nick Ariondo 's fabulous accordion artistry with Placido Domingo during the wedding scene was one of the highlights of the opera, although there was no mention made in reference to the accordion or the performer. It's as if this musician never performed in the opera which I find very interesting."

[SUZANNE KAUFMAN]

I read your review of Il Postino twice, being certain I had missed
your review of Charles Castronovo. Amazingly it was nowhere to be found.

What kind of a reviewer leaves out comments on one of the major
characters. You also gave short shrift to all the other singers.

You seemed to feel that sets, lighting, the costumes etc are more important You were reviewing OPERA not THEATRE.

I think those of us who were outraged deserve an explanation from you.

[Dale Noble]

no mention was made of the very fine male chorus - they added both color and
a fine sound to the production. And I too echo that the accordion player was
too short and very outstanding!

Dale Noble

[Patricia]

I loved the opera, but it was a bit dishonest.

The libretto imbues Neruda with this warm generous all-embracing humanity.

But the fact is, he was one of the very last Western leftists to disavow Stalin.

And he refused to criticize the Soviet government for their imprisonment of writers whose crimes were nothing more than writing fiction that the government didn't like.

It amazes me that artists of today can be so supportive to a man who failed to support other artists in his own time.

[JMC]

Another write-up...this one actually references Castronovo's performance.

http://familycircle.typepad.com