Dido and Aeneas, 1 December 2001

 

R's Art Court, Tokyo

 

Cast: Yukie Tamura (Dido), Tetsuya Ohi (Aeneas), Yukiko Sugishita/ Junko Saruyama (Belinda), Keiji Onishi (sailor), Kaoru Konishi (second woman), Miyuki Nagasawa (Sorceress), Masako Nishi (first enchantress), Mikako Hirose (second enchantress), Naoko Kojima (cembalo), NBA Ballet, Asso Opera Orchestra, Hideki Miyazato (conductor), Jo Kizawa (director)

 

 

Shin-Okubo is one of the few areas of Tokyo that reminds you of Asia. A variety of Malaysian, Korean, Filipino and Indonesian immigrants fill the streets with their cooking smells. So it's a surprise to find a production of Dido and Aeneas down one of the narrow, dark side streets.

 

Asso Opera is an artistic collective, formed in January 2001, to encourage the involvement of young people in opera. They are an imaginative, avant-garde company with New York connections, however this production was placed firmly in the milieu of contemporary Tokyo.

 

Dido and Aeneas does not require a complex set and hence was ideal for this intimate setting. The opera was originally designed to be performed by young gentlewoman at Josias Priest's boarding school in Chelsea around 1689. Interesting to think how they would have reacted to Japanese high school girls in the Triumphing dance.

 

This opera, associated with great singers such as Flagstad, Janet Baker etc, relies heavily on the lead role particularly in the final anguished aria. In this production Dido was well portrayed by Yukie Tamura. Her lover Aeneas, Tetsuya Ohi had the finest diction of the cast. Belinda played by Junko Saruyama had an ethereal voice emanating from a very slight body. The leathered sorceress was played with real venom by Kaoru Koisji. An equally young orchestra maintained a good balance between the demands of Baroque formalism and pushing the rhythms forward for a young Tokyo audience.

 

After the production I spoke to the Director, Jo Kizawa:

 

Guy Perring: Why did you choose Purcell's Dido and Aeneas?

 

JO KIZAWA: I was looking for an opera to direct with drama, dance and chorus, particularly chorus. I also choose this opera because it is in English.

 

Perring: You used elements of contemporary Japan (for example one duet was conducted using mobile phones), Was this to give the story contemporary relevance?

 

KIZAWA: Exactly. I wanted to use some props that were from our daily life. My idea was that these could be connected to ancient Gods on the stage.

 

Perring: How have Japanese audiences reacted to this style of opera?

 

KIZAWA: As you know, Dido and Aeneas is a sort of a minor work even in the opera world. Some people say Baroque music makes the audience bored, but many people came to our performance because this opera can rarely be seen.

 

Perring: Was the casting easy?What special skills do singers need to tackle Purcell?

 

KIZAWA: It was really hard to find good singers . . . I selected singers careful about the diction of English, especially the pronunciation of consonant and plosive sounds. They also practiced pantomime. I was not really concerned about Purcell's original views in my stage direction. The cembalist has been studying the composer all her life!

 

Perring: I found the prologue interesting, can you tell me about this?

 

KIZAWA: I used a play by Charles Gildon written in 1700, because the original prologue of Dido and Aeneas was too mythological for my production. Gildon adapted from it Measure for Measure by Shakespeare, this evoked my sympathy because I am also an adapter. I extracted Mars and Peace for my prologue.

 

[With thanks to Keiko Toishi for translating]

 

Guy Perring