Ai Weiwei’s Turandot
(Italy/USA, 78 min. )
Dir. Maxim Derevianko
Programme: Artscapes
This film about the challenges in the making of a new production of Puccini’s acclaimed unfinished opera Turandot begins with a typically philosophical statement by artist Ai Weiwei: “Everything is art; everything is politics.” That may not be true in everyone’s life, but it certainly is correct when considering what happened while this opera went through a lengthy and difficult gestation process. Ai Weiwei’s Turandot might have been merely a well-made behind-the-scenes doc on the making of an opera if other factors hadn’t intervened.
The revolutionary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, famous for his photographed middle finger salutes protesting anti-democratic symbols such as Tiananmen Square, and the creation of thousands of backpacks in memory of the deaths of tens of thousands of school children in the Sichuan earthquake, was asked in 2018 to create his version of Turandot. Two years later, he was already being filmed at Rome’s iconic Teatro dell’ Opera working on the production with his friend, the choreographer Chiang Ching, a talented veteran crew and the tenor Michael Fabiano singing in the heroic part of Calaf. But 2020 turned out to be a fraught time due to the sudden outbreak of COVID-19. When the production and the filming resumed in 2022, the original conductor had been replaced with the gifted young Ukrainian Oksana Lyniv—and the production sprang to life, after a nearly five year creation process.
Director and co-scriptwriter Maxim Derevianko, who comes to the film with a family history in opera and performance, concentrates on the shifting of Ai Weiwei’s visual and narrative motifs from a sympathetic look at refugees (which would include Chiang Ching and the acclaimed artist himself) to a consideration of survivors of a pandemic to a bombastic treatment of warfare, particularly the one taking place in Ukraine, which breaks out mere days after Lyniv arrives for the job. Ai Weiwei’s videos became more and more central to the opera, lending an avant-garde feel to the production. Puccini’s piece, which has always contrasted love with violence and the sensual power of authoritarianism, is given a truly a modern interpretation due to Ai Weiwei.
The film benefits from the complete cooperation of Ai Weiwei and Chiang Ching, whose old friendship and worldwide accomplishments form the doc’s fabric. Adding to the mix are scenes with brilliant set and costume designers who add so much to the production—and add a lively backstage atmosphere to the proceedings. Best of all is the presence of Lyniv, whose artistry and fervent connection to the cast and orchestra is a wonder to observe. Her concern about Ukraine adds to the personal nature of the opera.
The film benefits from one of the finest male arias in the opera canon: Nessun Dorma. Beautifully sung by Fabiano, accompanied by expressive shots of the production, it makes for a powerful ending. Ai Weiwei’s Turandot takes us on a somewhat meandering journey, but it comes to a brilliant conclusion, one that all should enjoy.
