Italians on 'Arshin Mal Alan' musical comedy

The plot could not be more simple: the younger generation rebels against the traditions of the older generation by deciding to break the rule of arranged marriages by which couples must not know each other prior to marriage.

Using various disguises and tricks the liberal values so dear to the composer get the better of the country's patriarchal tradition, all with a very happy ending.

The music is evidently oriental and a far cry from oriental/western stereotypes, although the score did envisage an orchestra in addition to western techniques of orchestration, with the exception of the use of a tar, a sort of long-necked lute. The instrumental fabric is straightforward and simple, and the young instrumentalists – occasionally struggling with unusual rhythms – provided a fresh and bright rendition. The same goes for the cosmopolitan ensemble of the singers.

Despite technical limitations, one can not help but marvel at a Pole, Japanese and African-American woman singing a terzetto in an Azeri tongue. The slapstick added to the lightness and vitality that this opera conveys.

It is an opera that a western public really ought to know, and its universal themes of love and happiness will doubtless find supporters in many other parts of the world.

By Juri Giannini

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