Hara Kazuko: Crime and Punishment, 19th June 1999

 

Presented by the New National Theatre, Tokyo and the Nikikai Opera Foundation

 

Libretto by Maeda Jun. Sung in Japanese

 

New National Theatre Opera House

 

Hoshi Yoji (Rodion Raskolnikov (Rodya) ), Oshima Yoko (Sonya), Kano Satomi (Rodya's mother), Ohashi Yuri (Dunya), Sato Mitsumasa (Porfiry), Matsumoto Susumu (Svidrigailov), Oguri Junichi (Luzhin), Ota Naoki (Dmitry), Sugino Mami (Katerina), Nishi Keiko (Nastasya), Okubo Mitsuya (A voice of the Lord), Ozasa Kazunari (Marmaladov), Kuga Shigeki (Nicolai), Mimatsu Akihito (Mitika), Kurosawa Mika (Lizaveta), Hasegawa Mitsue (Amaria), Oki Taro (student), Miyamoto Yoshikazu ('a thick man'), Koda Shuichi, Shibata Keisuke, Miyamoto Toshikazu, Kawashima Naoyuki (policemen), Aoyagi Akira (young man), Shinoki Junichi (secretary), Suzuki Naoto (furrier), Omori Ryoichi (doctor), Sato Yoshiaki (accordionist)

 

The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, New National Theatre Chorus, Nikikai Chorus Group, Aiba Naoko (piano/celesta), Toyama Yuzo (conductor), Kato Tadashi (director), Shimakawa Toru (set designer)

 

 

Kazuko Hara, or Hara Kazuko as the programme gives her name this time, is a prolific composer. She has written 18 operas since 1978. All of them have been performed, one in Italy. Most of them have been on Japanese subjects such as Sansho Dayu, the story popularized by the classic 1954 film by Mizoguchi Kenji. However her second opera was about Sherlock Holmes! The librettist for that opera was the evidently talented MAEDA Jun, who after a hiatus of some 16 or 17 years, has collaborated again with Hara on her latest work.

 

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is not a subject to be taken up lightly, but this powerful, fascinating production of Hara Kazuko's new work did it full justice, perhaps with less emphasis on Christianity, more on redemption through love, than might have been the case with a European version. Lasting two acts and two and a half hours, the detailed, expressionistic production had an assured consistency of style that sustained the drama from beginning to end.

 

One basic set was used throughout, representing the courtyard and three inner walls of a three-floor tenement building with internal walkways and stairs leading to nine symmetrical doors. This arrangement facilitated a series of kaleidoscopic flashback re-enactments of the original crime, as committed by Raskolnikov and as parodied by nine axe-toting white lace petticoated Lolitas.

 

Though doubtless an expensive production, with a large cast of singers, dancers, actors and extras, dramatic effects were achieved with great economy of means. An enormous table was pushed on and off stage, used variously as a real table, a platform for action, and a means of separating the singers and distancing them from each other.

 

Crime and Punishment may have been the outstanding theatrical event of 1999 in Tokyo, but was it an opera? The prologue began with two actors establishing the action at the scene of the crime. No music at all was heard for several minutes. The musical accompaniment when it came, often seemed to be less than equal to the sophistication of the drama. The celesta was used for suspense and horror, violins for faith and love. Great chords reminiscent of early Richard Strauss marked dramatic moments, while character monologues owed something to Mussorgsky. Major emotional climaxes were marked by the male chorus singing (real?) Russian folksongs.

 

The main singers were all excellent. Hoshi Yoji, as Raskolnikov, was a tower of strength, on stage for almost the entire opera. Oshima Yoko as the prostitute, lover and redeemer Sonya, gave a powerful and committed performance despite the difficult and monotonously repetitive the musical line she was required to sing. Sato Mitsumasa also gave an impressive and deeply felt performance as Porfiry, the police detective.

 

This production deserves to be seen outside Japan. The New National Theatre will have recorded it. They should release a video or a DVD. One thing they'll need to change however is the synopsis. This is from the present one: "There in Haymarket square begin performance and song dedicated to the goddess of harvest . . . Rodya's mind sways between his creed (sic) and his deep-felt remorse . . . His now deceased mother appears as a gospeler and preaches him to be afraid of God. Sonya is now the sweetest mother to all prisoners . . .etc. etc."

 

[All names are given, as published, in normal Japanese order surnames first.]

 

Simon Holledge