Franco Alfano: Risurrezione
Anne Sophie Duprels (Katyusha, soprano), Matthew Vickers (Dimitri, tenor), Leon Kim (Simonson, baritone)
Francesco Lanzillotta / Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Dynamic)
(scroll down for English review)
Alfano就是那位在普契尼死後，替他完成《杜蘭朵》那位作曲家。但他並非無名小輩，這齣歌劇《復活》早在1904年首演，在往後50年演過約一千場。《復活》改編自托爾斯泰同名鉅著，四幕，但這個錄音也只是110分鐘，長度拿捏得很準。
我用一個有點不敬的比喻，這齣《復活》就好比一齣沒有金曲的普契尼歌劇。一方面看，你或會覺得即是不值得聽，但我較偏於另一角度，就是很易聽。雖然沒有showstopper式的詠嘆調，但管弦樂及歌唱都把情感氣氛描寫得很清楚，也就是情情塔塔。
簡述劇情，Katyusha（女高音）和貴族Dimitri（男高音）一見鍾情，當晚發生關係（第一幕）。Dimitri不知所踪，但Katyusha已珠胎暗結（第二幕）。Katyusha淪落風塵，但被誣陷下毒害人被收監，Dimitri找到監獄去和她相認，但Katyusha拒絕他的可憐（第三幕）。Dimitri令Katyusha得到特赦，但Katyusha最終選擇和政治犯Simonson（男中音）一起（第四幕）。
沒有一聽難忘的詠嘆調，卻有蕩氣迴腸的二重唱，尤其是第三幕及第四幕的後段。假如普契尼要讓賽，把他的知名詠嘆調都刪去，剩餘的部分未必有這齣《復活》那麼容易令人投入。
Franco Alfano, better known for his role in completing Turandot, is a respected opera composer himself. Risurrezione, based on Tolstoy’s Resurrection, was premiered in 1904 and had over 1000 performances in the next 50 years. This opera has four acts but only 110 minutes (in this recording) so it’s a very taut affair.
Fogive my bluntness but this opera is like a Puccini opera without the hits. I’m not belittling Alfano but I want to show that this opera is so easy to listen to. The orchestral and vocal writings are both evocative and you won’t miss the prevailing mood of romance.
A brief synopsis. Katyusha (soprano) falls in love with Prince Dimitri (tenor) and spends a night with him. Dimitri hasn’t meant it to be serious but Katyusha gets pregnant, then becomes a prostitute. Katyusha is wrongly convicted of poisoning a client. The remorseful Dimitri visits her in prison then obtains a pardon for her. Yet Katyusha refuses his love and chooses to marry Simonson (baritone), a political prisoner.
No memorable arias but the duets are rousing, especially in Acts 3 and 4. If Puccini was stripped of his fabulous arias his operas wouldn’t be better than this Risurrezione, in my opinion.