OPERA REVIEW : Scaled-Down ‘Turandot’ in Palm Desert

PALM DESERT —  When the curtain rose on Opera Pacific’s run-out version of Puccini’s “Turandot” Wednesday at the Bob Hope Cultural Center, you could think you were seeing a mirage.

In addition to a new Calaf, a new Liu and a new conductor, there was different scenery from that seen at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

As it turned out, necessity had proved a blessing.

With 1,130 seats, a shallow stage and, to judge from this production, unsophisticated lighting equipment, the McCallum Theatre could not accommodate the large and oppressively tacky decors by Allen Charles Klein used in Costa Mesa. Hence, courtesy of Arizona Opera Company, came the smaller, realistic, pleasing and rational sets designed by Peter Wolf.

Claudia Zahn was drafted to adapt Matthew Lata’s busy staging to the cramped space, and she was able to keep much of it intact, though it could look overwrought in that house. Perhaps out of necessity too, she over-relied upon symmetrical groupings at each side of the stage, resulting in some curious, composer-unintended antiphonal effects.

She had to maneuver fewer chorus members and fewer children; only two flag-wavers and two temptresses, and a Ping, Pang and Pong who never got to don their ornate court costumes. Still, in the Riddle Scene, the stage looked sparser than it needed to. At least, we got to see the Icy Princess in the first act; gone was that infernal plastic bubble in which, apparently, she resides in the other production.

Although the official word was that the orchestra was the same size as that heard in Costa Mesa, a roster count showed that the orchestra had been pared by six musicians, principally string players. But it still made a mighty din, if not a suave sound in the small, tubby hall.

Michael Carson, who had trained the chorus, conducted with depressing respect for the sluggish tempos laid down in Costa Mesa by Louis Salemno, but also with a degree of lyricism and sweep. He had, however, problems in coordination between the stage and pit--the chorus could sound fractured, ragged and unbalanced, for instance--and he could be very indulgent of the tenor’s penchant for drawn-out tempos.

Ealynn Voss repeated her triumphant portrayal of Turandot. Opposite her as Calaf was Giorgio Tieppo, who had originally been announced to sing the role with her last week at the Performing Arts Center.

He made a mixed impression. He possesses a bright, fresh, powerful tenor that has a tendency to become hooded in the upper range. Still, he has no need to fear the high-C competition and he did not shy away from such challenges, often with ringing results.

Dramatically, however, he made his wooden predecessor seem the pitch of ardor and involvement. Perhaps he had not had enough stage rehearsal at the McCallum Theatre; perhaps he had enough on his mind just to sing the role. But he often seemed to be marking time and, astonishingly, actually looked bored during the torture of Liu.

Katherine Luna made a dignified, strong, somewhat spunky Liu and sang with a creamy, rich soprano. She could float pianissimos, but she did not plumb the text and, oddly, did not break any hearts.