La Fancuilla del West (to give the opera its full title) or 'The Girl of the West' in English, is not the opera that springs most readily to mind when you think of Puccini - Tosca, Boheme and Turandot are probably better known by the general public and even if you don't know the opera you could probably reel off a few of the better known arias - tiny hands, fine days and brightly shining stars spring to mind. But arias from Fancuilla don't readily spring to mind. And that's a shame because even though the opera is more through-composed that Puccini's earlier works, there are still musical highlights - mainly for the tenor it has to be said.
Perhaps the 'Cowboys and Indians' American West setting is also off putting? But Puccini was always attracted to the exotic and what could be more exotic than a love story set in the American Wild West at the time of the Gold Rush? At least that's where the playwright David Belasco set his original story and where Puccini's librettists also set their story. Not where this production is set but more of that later.
The story itself is relatively simple, boy wanders into bar in a mining town, where he meets girl and they fall in love, despite interference from the local sheriff - your classic love triangle. However, what the girl doesn't know is that her new love is in fact the leader of a band of renegades who rob and steal from the local community. When she finds out, she throws him out, he is shot by the sheriff's posse but is hidden by Minnie (the girl). When he is found, still bleeding and wounded, by the sheriff, a high stakes poker game takes place - winner gets the bandit (Dick Johnson or Ramerrez). As you may guess, Minnie wins her bandit and gets to nurse him back to health.
But that's not the end, for as soon as he leaves the sanctuary of Minnie's cabin, he is set upon and captured and about to be strung up for his crimes (but not until he's sung a gorgeous aria naturally). Minnie rides in and puts a stop to all that nonsense, reminding the assorted miners of their basic humanity until they agree that they won't kill him. Minnie and Ramerrez ride off into the sunset together. An operatic happy ending? Possibly.
As might be expected, Vienna's new production has very little of the Wild West about it. Its still a mining community in the US, although given Jake Wallace's audio gig on cassette player, I'm guessing at some time in the 1960's. All of the miners are dressed in overalls so it loses a lot of cowboy theme and the Act 1 set consists of Minnie's diner surrounded by a steel container town. It actually works quite well providing you ignore some of the ambiguities that always happen when you update opera. The Act 1 plot basically consists of a lot of back story and set up until a) the soprano arrives and then b) the tenor arrives. So there are no 'big' tunes, but instead of that we get vivid orchestration and (hopefully) some fine work from the male comprimario singers.
Act 2 takes place in Minnie's cabin and its here that things get more interesting - both dramatically and musically. Minnie brushes up quite nicely for her new beau and they chatter about this and that and try to ignore their growing attraction - well Minnie tries to ignore, I think Dick is all for it. On dismissal of Minnie's house-help (here not played in Native American-Indian fashion, but is played pregnant), kissing and rolling around on the floor ensues. Well, if it was Jonas Kaufmann you would wouldn't you?
Alas, Dick/Ramerrez thinks better of it and tries to leave but is now stranded by a snow storm. Minnie (as you might suppose) is not entirely disturbed by this turn of events and they settle down for the night - in separate beds. Damn! This sweet interlude is only interrupted by the sheriff and his gang turning up on the hunt for Ramerrez - thus unmasking Dick Johnson and Ramerrez as one and the same. Minnie doesn't give him up to the sheriff at this point but seemingly cannot forgive him for being a lying, cheating bastard! You go girl. Personally I think he's just a mixed up guy needing the love of a good woman but that's just me.
All this changes however when he is shot and she is then willing to lie and cheat herself to keep him from the clutches of the sheriff. They play poker with Ramerrez as the prize. (I'd play!). Minnie cheats at cards and she gets to keep her man - for now at least.
Act 3 is short and sweet and basically consists of Dick/Ramerrez being captured, nearly hung out to dry and then Minnie riding to the rescue just in the nick of time.
Apart from updating and not so many cowboys (and no Indians), the story was played pretty much straight in this new production. Jonas Kaufmann looked very fetching in leather ensemble, Nina Stemme looked less so in unflattering dungarees and red hair. Her wardrobe did improve marginally for the second act but flattering it was not. Luckily both were in fine vocal form. This is not Ms Stemme's first stab at Minnie and the experience showed. Its a demanding role with very little pay-off in terms of having a belt it out aria - none here for the soprano alas. But in a succession of duets and quasi-conversations she embodied the character of the good-hearted innocent Minnie and why a man like Johnson/Ramerrez might have been attracted to her.
Jonas Kaufmann's role début as Dick Johnson once again illustrated his winning way with Italian opera but also his understanding of Puccinian line and phrasing. The high notes were ringing and his two allotted arias gorgeously sung and acted. As a first outing I thought it was good and I do hope he keeps it in his repertory to develop further.
Tomasz Konieczny played the sheriff Jack Rance as some sub-par Scarpia, a cardboard cut-out villain with very few redeeming features. That's not how I read the character in the opera but I presume that's how he was instructed to play it. Alas, the voice was also not pretty and sounded pretty strangulated and effortful in places.
The opera ends with Minnie and Dick climbing into a rainbow coloured balloon and sailing off to a new life. Why? Beats me. I'm sure there's some intelligent and deeply thought out reason by the director Marco Arturo Marelli, but nothing that had gone on previously pointed to this somewhat surreal exit. Or maybe he just likes coloured balloons.
But all in all this is a very enjoyable production and if you do get a chance to see it I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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