James Karas
KALÎLA WA DIMNA
By Maneim Adwan (muisc) and Fady Jomar and Catherine Verlaguet (libretto)
Theâtre de Jeu de Paume, Aix-en-Provence
Theâtre de Jeu de Paume, Aix-en-Provence
July
1 to July 17, 2016
Conductor Zied
Zouari
Director Olivier
Letellier
Set Designers Eric Charbeau et
Philippe Casaban
Costumes Nathalie Prats
Kalîla Ranine
Chaar
Dimna Moneim
Adwan
The King Mohamed Jebali
The Queen Mother Reem Talhami
Chatraba Jean
Chahid
Violin Zied
Zouari
Cello Yassir Bousselam
Clarinet Selahattin
Kabaci
Qanun Abdulsamet
Çelikel
Percussion Wassim Halal
***** (out of 5)
Kalîla wa Dimna is an
opera in French and Arabic by Moneim Adwan that was commissioned by the
Aix-en-Provence Festival and received its world premiere on July1 2016. Now
count how many “firsts” there are in the last sentence.
The “firsts” are irrelevant, of
course, and what counts is that this is a delightful opera that tells a
compelling story, has wonderful music and receives a splendid production in the
tiny Jeu de Paume theatre in Aix directed expertly by Olivier Letellier.
The story or series of stories
have their roots in India some twenty-four hundred years ago. Fady Jomar and
Catherine Verlaguet have based their libretto on an 8th century
translation of the stories by the Persian Ibn al-Muqaffa.
In a mythical kingdom, Dimna becomes a counselor of the king and attempts
to use the relationship for personal gain. His sister Kalîla senses the dangers
of his actions and tries to dissuade him but to no avail.
But there is trouble in the kingdom in the guise of a poet called
Chatraba who is very popular with the people and sings to them about their
sufferings and injustice. Dimna brings Chatraba to the king and a friendship develops
between the two men. Dimna is determined to bring an end to it.
Kalîla and the King’s mother try to warn Chatraba about Dimna’s
machinations by telling him the fable of the wolf, the crow, the jackal and the
camel. Dimna lies to the king about
Chatraba and in the end the poet is put to death. The King finally opens his
eyes and there is a promise of justice. The opera ends as it began with a
beautiful song of freedom.
This story is told in Arabic with the beautiful narrative power of Kalîla
(Ranine Chaar) and the five characters sing a variety of songs in Arabic. Many of
the songs have the flavour of ballads accompanied by the beautiful melodies
played by the five musicians. We hear the mellow sound of the clarinet
especially in its lower range, the deep sound of the cello, and the rich chords
of the violin. There is also a quanun, a stringed instrument related to the
zither that produces a wealth of splendid music.
Kalîla wa Dimna (2016 © Patrick
Berger / Artcomart)
Understandably, all the songs and music have an Arabic flavour that is
melodic, expressive and splendid. There are long arching phrases, plaintive
sounds and angry expressions that the singers, especially Chaar, handle with
ease. There is protest – if you kill a poet, he will come back a thousand times
– and a push towards justice. If Dimna is guilty of something, he should be
arrested and tried rather than summarily executed like Chatraba.
All the characters are dressed in modern clothes. The Queen Mother and
Kalîla wear long dresses but the costumes do not suggest anything exotic. The
set consists of white stands that are simple and functional.
The production lasts an hour and a half and it is the most delightful
ninety minutes to be had almost anywhere.
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