2015.11.14

New production of Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro, “What The Gardener Saw” in KUMAMOTO

Michiyoshi Inoue, Conductor
Hideki Noda, Stage Director

Natale De Carolis, as Count Almaviva
Teodora Gheorghiu, as Countess Rosina Almaviva
Sara KOBAYASHI, as Susanna
Daisuke OYAMA, as Figaro
Maarten Engeltjes, as Cherubino
Kyoko MORIYAMA, as Marcellina
Hidekazu TSUMAYA, as Bartolo
Shuichi MAKIKAWA, as Basilio
Taiki MIURA, as Don Curzio
Erika Colon, as Barbarina
Mitsunori HIROKAWA, as Antonio

Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro

【Message】

Twenty-four hours passed since I wrote here, “I’ve been too tired to update the blog, please wait a bit”. I’m still fragile, but my desire to write came back.

The “Figaro” tour finished!

I’d never had such an immeasurable sense of accomplishment before. This feeling is more intense than that of the continuous complete Shostakovich cycle concerts.

As I was the one who proposed this “Figaro” project, I had no one whom I could complain to during the production and the tour. There was a time I asked myself if I should go through with the project, as it involves the knowledge and efforts of overwhelming number of people.

However, it was good that we did it! I feel positive to say that. Also, Mr. Noda fought to the end without running away.

When we made a toast at the closing party, which is the main reason why I lost my energy, Mr. Noda, holding a beer, gave us compliments with an expression typical of him: “Above my stomach is full of emotion!” (=My heart is full of emotion).
To my generation, this reminds us of “Full of Sunshine” (the Japanese title of the French movie with Alain Delon “Plein soleil” [Purple Noon]).

The timing was perfect to start this project, as at the time the Bunkacho (Agency for Cultural Affairs) was promoting co-production of cultural events between different halls and theaters. Supported by two “bulldozer” producers, Yoshiki Nakamura (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre) and Masayuki Yamada (Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa), I successfully toured ten areas and performed at fourteen venues in total, without any issues.

I think the fact that we cast a single person per role (including the “semi-invalid” conductor!), made it a bit like a tightrope act. It was a large burden on all the artists. Still, Mr. Noda and I struggled with each other to give birth to our “Figaro”. I’m proud that this fruit of our love left a great hope for the Japanese opera world’s future. Thank you so much, everyone. (Do I have to write down all the names of people whom I should give thanks to? In any case, I think the project was very tough for everyone, but they enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. They will remember it forever I’m sure.)

My comments about the performances……?
I could give a sort of endless review of everybody’s performances, but I’ll refrain as my own performances were not quite perfect as I would have liked.

We had the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra playing for “Figaro” in Kumamoto and Miyazaki.
This opera certainly made clear that much remains to be done (Mozart looks like a naked innocent angel, but, at the same time, he, as a true genius, left a group of works which pierce human truth. We cannot varnish over ourselves through his music.), though I believe it was also a pleasant experience for the musicians.

Full of sunshine!