The Chinese artist and activist is trying his hand at an opera for the first time. He lands a veritable coup.
The whole world is a stage: Scene from Ai Weiwei’s production of the opera “Turandot” by Giacomo Puccini at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
His operatic career spans exactly two appearances: a first, tiny one, in 1987 at the New York Met as an extra in a production of «Turandot» by Franco Zeffirelli, when he needed money to survive; and a second, big one, now in Rome as a director, set designer, costume designer and video artist all in one, also with Puccini’s “Turandot”. A “one shot” is what Ai Weiwei am Teatro dell’Opera di Roma brought to the stage, a performance with no prospect of repetition.
At least that’s how the Chinese conceptual artist let himself be heard in the media, when he was asked if there would be more opera productions by him. No, “Turandot” in the style of Ai Weiwei should remain a one-off event, one (almost) without a past and without a future. In his homeland, 65-year-old Ai Weiwei was imprisoned and then under house arrest for speaking critically of the prevailing politics. He has not previously been associated with the world of opera.
However, it fits surprisingly well for a man who is at home in many genres as an artist, whether as a sculptor, curator or filmmaker. In his “Turandot” production, he brings everything and much more together.
Uncertain fate: Liù (Francesca Dotto) leads the dethroned Tatar king Timur (Antonio Di Matteo). You are on the run.
Two levels at the same time
The ruins of a city can be made out on the stage, with towers and holes, the central part rotates, is assembled and disassembled – in keeping with Rome, which presents itself to the visitor in a very similar way with its open ruins.
Behind this traditional backdrop, in which the court and the people at the Chinese imperial court in long robes are grouped together to form impressive images, there is a second level: the one with video sequences that show images with current references: scenes from the Hong Kong protest movement, those from Wuhan during of the pandemic, of war zones, refugees, highways, Chinese megacities. In short: film excerpts like from a news program of our time.
Actually, Ai Weiwei’s “Turandot” production should have come on stage in Rome in 2020, but Corona turned all plans upside down. The two-year break allowed the production to mature like a wine, the artist said. Is that the reason why the performance gets under your skin so much? Barely. Rather, it is the density of events at this time, above all the Ukraine war, that lets us see everything in a different light.
Acclaimed Ukrainian conductor
Suddenly the major themes of this opera, love, violence, war and peace, have a whole new urgency. In the case of Ai Weiwei’s production, it is reinforced by the fact that for the first time the young Ukrainian Oksana Lyniv stands, whose dark dress is adorned with a ribbon in the national colors of her homeland. When she presents herself to the audience at the end of the evening, applause erupts.
And so one witnesses a spectacle that is far removed from the idea of the opera as a place of retreat. No wandering of the mind, no indulgence, no bliss, not even when the heavenly aria “Nessun dorma” sounds – none of this occurs in this performance. Rather, the evening turns into a single effort, one that is of course worthwhile and forces you to think. After two and a half hours you leave the place of performance somewhat exhausted.
Even in the realm of the fairytale Turandot, people apparently don’t think much of permissiveness.
In the shadow of Milan and Naples
In this way, to a certain extent through the cunning of the times, Rome came to a spectacular event that suddenly recalls its opera house on the international stage. The local opera traditionally suffers from the fact that artistically it is always overshadowed by La Scala in Milan and the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. Sometimes they try to make up for this with big names. In 2016 fashion designer Valentino, the American director and Oscar winner, succeeded To bring Sofia Coppola to Rome for a highly acclaimed production of Verdi’s “La Traviata”.. The summer performances in the Caracalla Baths are also spectacular.
In the past, however, the Römer Oper primarily gave rise to financial concerns and strikes. In 2014, Riccardo Muti threw in the towel in exasperation because, given the constant unrest, he felt unable to work successfully and with concentration on the house. In Rome, Muti at least has the title of honorary conductor for life.
Now the opera on the Viminal, one of the seven classical hills of Rome, has once again achieved a real artistic coup, benefiting from global political developments. According to a spokesman, the investments, Ai Weiwei’s commitment and the long wait have paid off: all “Turandot” evenings were sold out, and a total of around 120,000 spectators are said to have seen the spectacle.