WCO and WTO’s Le Vin Herbé: A Requiem For All Who Love

Once upon a time, there was a forbidden love between a man and a woman, not made by choice but by a love potion, irrevocable, inescapable, and embodying not only romantic love, but more, the union of two souls, not separable even by death.  It was a curse.  So was the love of Tristan and Iseut.  Wolf Trap Opera and Washington Concert Opera collaborated Saturday night to offer a visitation via a staged concert relating their tale.  As the performance began, the orchestra and conductor were on the right side of the stage.  The singers were seated behind music stands to the left.  The cast and orchestra were largely dressed in black; even Conductor Antony Walker forsook his tuxedo for black shirt and trousers.  To perform their role in a scene, the singers moved in front of the stands and returned to the chorus when finished.  The props were minimal, a bench, a cushion.  The music, always intense, thematic, medieval in tone, and occasionally atonal, gave a serious and reverential accounting of their story.  I thought I was going to an opera that evening, but I also found myself attending a service.

Le vin herbé begins. Photo by Angelina Namkung for Wolf Trap; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera and Wolf Trap Opera.

Composer Frank Martin based the libretto for Le vin herbé (The Love Potion) on Joseph Bédier’s book, “Roman de Tristan et Iseut”.  One finds many, many versions of this Celtic story assembled over the years, and there are slight variations in the names in different versions; Iseut is perhaps best known as Isolde.  The story used in Le vin herbé, but not the music, is similar to Richard Wagner’s opera, Tristan und Isolde.  Tristan was a trusted 12th century knight charged with escorting the Irish Princess Iseut to marry King Mark of Cornwall, but due to a servant’s error, he and Iseut drink a love potion (le vin herbé) mixed by Iseut’s mother and intended to seal the marriage between Iseut and King Mark.  Their infidelity causes much unhappiness and conflicts that eventually lead to their separation and deaths and spiritual reunion.  In Martin’s opera, Tristan and Iseut only fall in love after drinking the potion and it is a much shorter work than Wagner’s and not on as grand a scale; Martin’s is considered a medievalist Tristan with a small ensemble for an orchestra.  For me, Wagner’s seems to be more the telling of the story; Martin’s is more commemorating the story.

Seated are the lovers, Iseut played by Shannon Jennings and Tristan played by Ian Koziara, unable to resist the effect of the potion. Photo by Angelina Namkung for Wolf Trap; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera and Wolf Trap Opera.

Twelve singers served as a choir that provided narration for the story and provided actors in the scenes presented.  Nine of these emerging artists are alumni or currently members of Wolf Trap Opera’s training programs.  They were in character even as chorus members, playing concerned observers, always serious and respectful; I don’t think I saw a smile the entire evening prior to bows.  Tenor Ian Koziara as Tristan and soprano Shannon Jennings have stellar voices and sang beautifully, fully portraying the emotion of their characters in voice and demeanor.  The supporting cast also acquitted themselves well: mezzo-soprano Renée Rapier (Iseut’s mother), soprano Summer Hassan (Branghien), baritone Joshua Conyers (King Marc), bass Anthony Robin Schneider (Duke Hoël), tenor Frederick Ballentine (Kaherdin), mezzo-soprano Nicole Thomas (Iseut of the White Hands), and additional chorus members – soprano Megan Sill, contralto Leah Marie Heater, tenor Joshua Sanders, and bass Matthew Fleisher.

With the unhappy lovers in mortal repose, the chorus (front row, left to right: Meagan Sill, Summer Hassan, Nicole Thomas, Renée Rapier, and Leah Marie Heater; back row, left to right: Joshua Sanders, Frederkick Ballantine, Joshua Conyers, Anthony Robin Schneider, and Matthew Fleisher.) provides closing remarks. Photo by Angelina Namkung for Wolf Trap; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera and Wolf Trap Opera.

The orchestra, or chamber ensemble, led by Conductor and Artistic Director for Washington Concert Opera, Antony Walker, consisted of seven strings and a piano.  I liked and enjoyed the music very much, but it was a strange sort of liking.  Martin’s music has a hypnotic effect; I felt unable to look away as this sad and at times painful drama played out.  The music enhanced each narration and scene, but always seeming to convey the gravity of the tale unfolding.  With eight players it seemed perfectly balanced, and I typically long for a larger orchestra in almost every opera. The performance overall was a small gem.

Maestro Walker said he was unable to place a label on Le vin herbe in classical terms such as listing it as an opera or oratorio or chamber work. Mr. Martin called his work a “secular oratorio”.  I think it can be described as all those things, but for me, the term that fits most appropriately is requiem, or perhaps secular requiem. However, requiems are written for actual people.  You might ask if the story of Tristan and Iseut is true?  We don’t know with certainty if similar events actually took place in the 12th century or before.  However, as the chorus tells us, using Bédier’s words in the libretto, it is a tale told as support “for all who love, not for others.”   My conclusion – it is true for all who love, and Le vin herbé is their requiem. 

The Fan Experience: There was a second performance of Le vin herbé, a matinee the next day.  Having two of my favorite opera companies collaborate is welcomed, especially since we got a winter concert with the Wolf Trap and other young artists out of the deal. We also got to hear a work that otherwise might never have been available to us.  Pooling resources makes sense to me; I hope it is the first of many collaborations.  Having the orchestra on the stage was a definite advantage for the quality of the sound.  The small, cozy atmosphere of The Barns was particularly suitable for this production. 

Opera Lafayette’s Radamisto: Faithful Women, Great Music, and Spirited Dancing

Handel (centre) and King George I on the River Thames, 17 July 1717, by Edouard Hamman (1819–88); image in public domain, copied from Wikipedia.

The thought that hit me coming out of Opera Lafayette’s performance of Radamisto was Cosi fan tutte it’s not.  Vows mean something in Radamisto, at least if you are a woman.  Dorabella and Fiordiligi may struggle with sexual ambivalence in Cosi, but Zenobia and Polissena do not.  They are faithful and strong, and you mess with them at your own peril.  Radamisto is an Italian opera by composer George Frederic Handel and librettist Nicola Francesco Haym. It premiered in 1720 in the King’s Theater in London as Handel’s first opera produced by the Royal Academy of Music.  The opera received a dedication from Handel to King George I of England who had just reconciled with his son, the Prince of Wales.  Radamisto, ostensibly, has a theme of strife and reconciliation in a royal family, but like other operas by Handel, the story is mainly a vehicle for excellent singers to display their wares singing Handel’s beautiful arias.

Nicolas Poussin – Queen Zenobia Found on the Banks of the Araxes; image in public domain, copied from Wikipedia.

The plot engages one quickly, builds on the conflicts, but then ends with an unlikely redemption of a tyrant, an ending used by Handel to wrap things up while avoiding the bloodshed that most later composers more committed to the story would have indulged in.  The characters represent historical figures though their personalities and actions are altered. King Tiridate of Armenia is the bad guy, a tyrant possessed.  He has become infatuated with Zenobia, who is married to Prince Radamisto of Thrace.  It’s even more complicated – Tiridate has a wife, Polissena, who also happens to be the sister of Radamisto.  To make Zenobia his conquest, he invades Thrace, eventually capturing Zenobia, Radamisto, and Radamisto’s father, King Farasmane.  In his single-minded pursuit of Zenobia, Tiridate threatens and alienates all around him for most of the opera, including a early, painful pushing away of the faithful Polissena.  Near the end a revolt forces Tiridate to see the error of his ways.  His supporters, who subsequently form the opposition, are Faarte, the King’s sibling, who is also in love with Zenobia, and Tigrane, a general of Tiridate, who is in love with Polissena.  These latter two are eventually instrumental in the revolt against Tiridate, but get nowhere with the objects of their affections.  The story is packed with emotion for all the characters, but what stood out to me was the strong-willed character of Zenobia and Polissena.  Zenobia begs Radamisto to kill her rather than let her be taken by Tiridate, then calls him a coward because he failed to do so and attempts suicide by leaping into the Araxes River.  Polissena stands by her husband, even after he rejects her to pursue Zenobia, but eventually unleashes her fury when he threatens the killing of her family members.  One character after another sings beautiful arias expressing their feelings.  For the ending, Tiridate’s sudden change of heart is smartly downplayed by Opera Lafayette, making his fate unclear and keeping the focus on Radamisto’s and Zenobia’s triumphal reunion.

left: Caitlin Hulcup as Radamisto. right: Hagar Sharvit as Zenobia and Robin Yuloong Kim as Tiridate. Photos by Louis Forget; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

The music is wonderful.  The twenty-seven piece Opera Lafayette orchestra, playing on period instruments and led by Conductor, OL Founder, and Artistic Director Ryan Brown, delivers an authentic baroque experience.  Several arias were selectively deleted to keep the time, including two intermissions, under three hours, which may alarm purists, but seemed prudent to me.  In his pre-opera talk along with Director and Choreographer Seán Curran, Mr. Brown expressed the opinion that music of the eighteenth century had a natural connection to movement and dance, which was one reason why he was drawn to music of that era.  Radamisto closes each act with a short dance number.  Mr. Curran with six dancers from his company arranged the dances to be a blend of period and modern dance. I found that focusing on the dances, meant to be part of the story, provided spiritual renewal, with release from the preceding tension-causing arias.  In fact, I found myself wondering if performing this work in concert with even more dances included to suggest, rather than portray, the action might be a more effective way to present this opera.  The costumes by Amanda Shafran suggested a later, but unspecified era in Armenia, and aided drawing us into the drama.

left: Caitlin Hulcup as Radamisto and Dominique Labelle as Polissena. right: Alex Rosen as Farasmane. Photos by Louis Forget; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Each cast member was pleasing and distinctive in singing their arias.  The cast overall offered a gender mashup as Handel’s operas do, which in this case worked.  Playing the role of Radamisto was mezzo-soprano Caitlin Hulcup who managed to appear masculine enough.  I was especially touched by the beauty of her voice and the emotion it carried in an early act II aria bemoaning Zenobia’s apparent suicide.  Zenobia was portrayed by Hagar Sharvit who possesses a deeper mezzo-soprano sound that I relished all evening.  Polissena was sung by soprano Dominique Labelle, whose voice is lovely and carries a natural warmth.  Only the two kings were sung by men.  Tenor Robin Yujoong Kim was a menacing Tiridate with a satisfying tenor voice. Bass Alex Rosen demonstrated a powerful voice and presence in portraying the captured Farasmane, that promises greater things ahead for him.  Tigrane was originally played by a soprano in a pants role and Faarte was a male role played by a castrato.  Opera Lafayette dressed these characters in uniforms but allowed them to be female.  Soprano Véronique Filloux as Tigrane and soprano Nola Richardson as Faarte were both delights, offering both charm and beautiful voices.  The acting overall might have benefited from another rehearsal or two but grew more natural as the evening progressed.  This was a solid cast all around.

left: Nola Richardson portraying Faarte and Véronique Filloux portraying Tigrane. right: Dancers of the Seán Curran Dance Company perform with Zenobia and Radamisto onlooking. Photos by Louis Forget; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Back to not being a purist for a moment: It is, of course, a pleasure to be able to hear the beauty of a Handel opera performed essentially in it’s original form, but clearly the drama in Radamisto doesn’t work as well for modern audiences; I found that it affected me, but did not grip me.  I sometimes try to imagine what it was like to sit in an opera theater in the 1700s.  My senses would have not been dulled by thousands of hours of being bombarded by amplified music of many genres on radio, television, and in movies, played too loudly, and I would have been more closely connected to royal families and their dramas and the customs/mores of that era.  Several times during Tuesday night’s performance, the audience quietly laughed at lines and scenes that I suspect caused audiences long ago to gasp and hold their breath.  To those who want to see Handel operas in their original form, keep in mind that they were not created for us because we are not an audience with tastes and sensitivities molded by the 18th century. What was it like to hear a Handel opera when it was the new thing, nothing like had been done before.  Radamisto was a hit in its day, perhaps the Hamilton of its time, but it doesn’t quite rise to that level today because the audiences have changed, not the opera. Some adaptations to make the presentation more appealing to modern audiences are welcomed by me.  That we can still greatly enjoy the music and connect with the emotions being conveyed are a testament to Radamisto’s greatness, the singers’ talents, and Opera Lafayette’s wisdom in presenting it, using their own good judgment.

Photo of cast and dancers with Conductor Ryan Brown (front row, second from left), who is also Opera Lfayette’s Founder and Artistic Director, and Director and Choreographer Seán Curran (end of front row on right).

 The Fan Experience: Since Opera Lafayette moved their performances to the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater, tickets have become increasing more difficult to come by. Radamisto was sold out weeks in advance. Their next offering will be Alessandro Stradella’s La Susanna to be held in DC on April 21 and 22 with additional performances in NYC May 2-5. The additional performances should help with securing tickets, but I still recommend making your ticket purchases early.

WTO and WCO’s Le vin herbé: A collaboration initiated in the 12th century arrives Feb 9-10

La mort de Tristan et d'Yseut. Miniature du xve siècle. BnF. Public domain image from French Wikipedia.

Le vin herbé or Le Vin herbé or Le Vin Herbé - all are variations I have seen listed in a simple Google search.  One might think this French phrase would be translated as “the herb-infused wine”, but my search revealed translations of “the drugged wine”, “the spiked wine”, “a magic potion”, and “the love potion”.  Wolf Trap Opera and Washington Concert Opera go with that last one.  Regardless, I admit that I had never heard of Swiss composer Frank Martin’s Le vin herbé, before seeing this opera listed in the Washington Concert Opera and Wolf Trap Opera schedules.  But then, I’m still in my first decade of loving opera.  Several of the productions by WTO and WCO that I have attended the last few years were operas unfamiliar to me, some by famous composers whose better known works I had seen.  Yet, some of those performances of little known works rank among my best opera experiences in terms of entertainment value and artistic enrichment.  So, I tend not to be daunted by seeing an unfamiliar title in their schedules.  Instead, I look forward to seeing the performance.  Add having WTO and WCO work together to put forward a lesser known work, and my curiosity and motivation to attend get even greater. 

 Interested yet?  What if I add that the story is a version of the Tristan and Iseut legend.  In fact, it has been described as “a Tristan with a difference”.  Tristan… love potion…starting to make sense?  Composer Martin based his libretto on a book, Joseph Bédier’s “Roman de Tristan et Iseut”, itself a variation on the 12th century legend about the Cornish knight Tristan and the Irish princess Iseut, a story with a plot of adulterous love (Iseut was wed to King Mark) that has since been retold in countless variations, famously used by Richard Wagner in his great opera, Tristan und Isolde, and even more famous perhaps from Camelot (you know, Lancelot and Guinevere).  The temptation for opera fans will be to compare this modern telling with Wagner’s version.  However, Martin composed his opera in the late 1930s in Switzerland as Nazi aggression was mounting in Europe and had its first performance in 1941 at the beginning of WWII; according to one report, he chose Bedier’s version of the myth to distance himself from Wagner’s and from Wagner’s adulation by the Nazi’s.  Martin called his opera “a secular oratorio” and began it originally as a 30-min piece, later expanded.  It was after the war that it was first fully staged, but all of this really started in the 12th century.

Conductor Antony Walker. Photo by Don Lassell; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.

Le vin herbé is a chamber piece composed for 12 voices, seven strings, and piano.  The opera is viewed as a statement of Martin’s musical individuality, powerful in its conveyance of emotion.  The conductor for this performance is WCO’s Music Director Antony Walker, who conducted WTO’s The Touchstone in June 2017. The majority of the young artists who will be singing come from current and former members of Wolf Trap Opera training programs, including leads tenor Ian Koziara and soprano Shannon Jennings.  Mr. Koziara was a stand out in this past summer’s production of Idomeneo by WTO.  In the Post’s Anne Midgette review, she said he “sung with a striking beauty of tone” and called him a “wonderful young artist.”  Ms. Jennings who was previously a WTO Studio Artist is returning this year as a Filene Artist.  She will be singing the role of Michaela in Annapolis Opera’s upcoming production of Carmen on March 15, 17.

Ian Koziara, who will portray Tristan and Shannon Jennings who will portray Iseut la Blonde. Photos courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.

Because of my unfamiliarity with Le vin herbé, I submitted questions to Conductor Walker to ask more about the collaboration and the music.  He first responded, “This collaboration between WCO and WTO came about principally because I had a desire to present Le vin herbé, and thought that I could do this best in a co-production with WCO and WTO at The Barns of Wolf Trap, featuring young singers who had an association with WCO, WTO and Pittsburgh Opera (where I am Music Director, and where we have a Resident Artist program).  Luckily, WTO’s Kim Witman was very receptive too, and excited by the idea of such a co-production and by Le vin herbé itself. My association with Wolf Trap Opera goes back to 1997, where I conducted Mitradate Re di Ponto as my US debut!  It was this association with WTO that led to my being appointed Artistic Director & Conductor of Washington Concert Opera in 2002, as WCO knew my work through WTO! Thus, both WCO and WTO are very dear to me, and I am so thrilled that we are able to collaborate in this way.”

 Given that Le vin herbé is a modern work, I also asked Maestro Walker what we might expect of the music.  He responded, “Le vin herbé is so intimate and intense, so beautifully scored for the chamber ensemble and creates a sound-world that is both medieval and romantic, and quite accessible if you enjoy French music from the early 20th century like Debussy or Ravel. Is Le vin herbé an opera? Is it an oratorio? Is it a chamber work? How is it that one can hear Wagner and Debussy in the score and still be struck by Martin’s distinctly individual voice. I am unable to define Le vin herbé by any category or label that we generally use in classical music, and I think that this is partly what makes the work so compelling, fascinating, intense, and fresh.” 

Dear reader: I only asked for you.  I was not going to miss this one.

The Fan Experience: Two performances of Le vin herbé are scheduled, Saturday evening, February 9 and Sunday afternoon, February 10.  Click this link for tickets.  The Barns at Wolf Trap is one of my favorite venues – modest ticket prices, easy in, free parking, close up seating, food and drink available, ok to take drinks to your seat, easy exit after the performance.  What’s not to love? Many thanks to WCO staff and Maestro Walker for the responses to my questions.

“Mad Love: An Introduction to Opera”: Hello, I’m Vivien and I will Be Your Guide Today

Vivien Schweitzer, the author of “Mad Love” certainly has the credentials to serve as an opera guide.  First, she is a classical pianist with an intimate knowledge of music.  Second, she worked as a classical music and opera critic for the New York Times between 2006 to 2016, an experience that immersed her in opera and the New York opera scene, providing her access to many opera performers and insiders.  I recently took her book along on a vacation to Egypt.  For several of our days traveling about we didn’t have internet access.  To combat the anxiety borne of feeling disconnected, I used the time freed up to read.  Imagine that; I was reading a book again, not some item pulled from the internet.  In fact, I had been wanting to read Ms. Schweitzer’s book for a couple of months, but simply hadn’t found the time.  Now, I know why I had not found the time.  (Mental Note: screen time and book reading are inversely proportional). 

Photo by blog post author.

Ms. Schweitzer has written a gentle, flowing narrative that provides an overview of the origination and evolution of opera to the present day.  Amusing us with anecdotes about famous composers and performers, she leads us from room to room in the opera museum, commenting on specific operas, coupled with remarks how the changing times influenced those operas and other arts.  However, as I began reading the book, two reservations arose, one that dissipated as I got deeper into the text.  At first It seemed thin in substantive content, even for an introductory book.  You can garner most of the knowledge in the first half of the book with a few years of attending opera and reading the reviews.  The author has managed, however, to condense that knowledge into a relatively short volume and the cumulative impact of knowledge and insights to be gained pile up handsomely as you read more.  She manages to touch on most of the major points useful for newbies; these points will likely fill in some missing pieces for more experienced opera fans.  Plus, by moving fast, she makes it difficult to get bored.  This leads to my second caution that came up from reading the book, the one that remains: I think you will get more out of the book if you have seen at least a few of the more popular operas so that you can compare your thoughts and feelings about an opera or two you have seen with hers. 

Ms. Schweitzer’s comments on specific operas often includes insights into how the orchestration and individual instruments compliment or even control the mood of a scene.  The stories she tells are often placed in the context of the political and cultural changes taking place in each era, including how societies have attempted to control opera.  Most helpful to the opera newbie might be the explanation of opera terms such as bel canto and melismatic singing that arise with regularity throughout the text.  Pacing, voice types, as well as updating operas are all covered.  She also addresses topics often overlooked in opera guides, such as the role of the conductor and how his/her decisions influence the performance and how the translator’s skill in constructing translations of the librettos into English subtitles can affect how the performance is perceived.  What she does cover in detail is contemporary opera works, such as operas composed by Britten, Adams, Glass, Heggie, and others.  Her discussion provides an outstanding, easily digestible, introduction to modern opera.  She calls out some operas for missing the mark while praising others – some serious food for thought in that.  I’ve not seen anything similar; this section will likely even be of interest to the opera cognoscenti. 

Here is a Mental Note for you, if you are a newbie – all opera performances are not all the same, even if they are performances of the same opera.  Obviously, operas differ by composer and less obviously perhaps by the era in which they were written.  Different performances of the same opera can be hugely different also, depending on who is conducting, who is singing, and who is directing.  Much as a tour guide attempts to provide information needed to understand how the culture of a people developed, Ms. Schweitzer aims to provide her readers with “the fundamentals of the Western operatic tradition in a narrative context to show how composers have used different techniques and voices to create sung drama.”  Her goal is to give her readers a sense of how opera has changed over time and a basis for understanding the potential effects and impact of the choices that today’s conductors, singers, and directors make in the performances they bring forward.  She has largely succeeded, I think.  I’ve been a fan of opera for about seven years now and I found the book insightful and informative, especially in discussing modern works and interpretations.  The farther into “Mad Love” I got, the more pleased I felt at having taken the tour.

The Fan Experience:  Ms. Schweitzer has established a Spotify Playlist to complement the text, called “Mad Love: An Introduction to Opera”.  Also, “Mad Love” is an easy read of only 232 pages.  An added benefit - when the tour is over, no tips are required; which, after returning from a guide-driven vacation, is much appreciated pecuniary relief.

The Fan Experience of Attending Live Opera: The Agony and the Ecstasy

I love opera; however, I know opera can be a little intimidating for newbies and people who think they might like to give it a try (and honestly, for most of the rest of us too).  It is commonly seen as expensive and formal and the venues are most often in the middle of a metropolis with all the attendant traffic and parking issues.  Sometimes even knowing where you can see opera is an issue, much less where to park.  My blog can help with the where, and I include a ‘The Fan Experience’ section at the end of opera blog posts where I address such issues.  I offer some general comments below on attending-opera challenges, but here’s the thing, live opera is definitely worth it, sort of like trekking carefully through a few briars to get to a picnic, and no insect repellent is required, at least in the opera houses I visit. For me, the agony while not insignificant is minor, but the ecstasy is to be coveted. I read recently a comment by a famous opera director that someone watching live opera should have their senses intoxicated by the experience, and when the music is good, the singing is good, the dancing is good, the costumes are good, the scenery is good, and the story-telling is good, that happens. 

Moby Dick, 2018: Photo by David Bachman Photography; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.

I listen to radio and watch video recordings of opera all the time but let me re-emphasize:  Live opera is a different experience.  First of all, opera singers don’t wear microphones.  That’s one of the beauties of opera, what you hear comes directly from the singer’s vocal cords.  You might wonder how they do it, filling up a 2,000-seat arena with sound.  It’s difficult.  Opera is also visual, and when attended live, you get to choose what you focus on, not the video director, and there is frequently a lot going on.  Watching live is different in two other respects.  First, you are cloistered, so your attention is focused and intense, heightening the experience.  Second, you are responding individually but also in a group.  On an emotional level you are connecting with your fellow human beings; you will be able to feel it.  I compare the experience of recorded versus live opera with hearing your spouse say I love you over the phone versus saying it in person, both good, but two different experiences - make mine live. 

The Price: Live opera is expensive, with good reason (lots of singers, chorus members, dancers, costume designers and makers, directors, conductors, orchestra members, production staff members, theater managers, etc. that must be paid), but not much more so than other live events.  The best seats are expensive but good seats can usually be found for $50-100, sometimes cheaper, even in the major venues – have you checked the ticket prices at rock concerts and professional sporting events these days?  Also, companies offer discounts for season tickets or multi-performance packages, student discounts, and promotions (sign up for opera company mail lists/newsletters to learn about these).  I’ve not sat in a seat in any location where I didn’t enjoy the performance, so don’t eschew the cheap seats, though I avoid seats with restricted view.  The smaller companies usually offer lower prices to their events frequently using more regional singers and/or beginning artists/students, who are nonetheless excellent singers, and some are opera stars in the making.  I also recommend concert opera performances, which are a little less expensive, for the great sound.  Some of my peak opera experiences have been at small venues and at concert opera performances.

Left photo - Romeo et Juliette, 2018: Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera. Right photo - Sapho: Photo by Don Lassell; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.

The Dress Code: Opera is not as formal, or as much of a high society event, as it once was.  I see many casually attired patrons these days, particularly in the smaller venues, and we commoners make up a sizable percentage of opera attendees.  I usually wear a sport coat, not always a tie, and sometimes a sweater instead of a coat.  It is an occasion to dress up if you want to and many people do wear suits, and even the occasional tuxedo and evening dress for the romance (Nicholas Cage and Cher in “Moonstruck”), but others wear slacks, blouses, nice pullover shirts, the sort of crowd you’d see in a nice restaurant.  Be aware too that short grand operas are well over 2 hours with intermissions and can run up to five hours; so, make sure your finery allows you to breathe and relax. 

The Barber of Seville: Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

Opera etiquette and house rules: You may like to chat with a spouse or friend during performances, but for opera, your neighbors will definitely not be pleased.  Once upon a time, operas were raucous affairs, but not today.  (Unfortunately, I think) Opera performances now require church-like behavior; be quiet and be reverent.  Most people don’t want to be distracted or miss a note of the music, which I understand, but would trade for more fun.  Also, turn off the cell phone and don’t text during an opera; some companies are experimenting with allowing texting, and I like to hit Twitter and Facebook during the intermission.  And big taboo, no photos during the performance, with or without flash – house rules.  The photos in this report are from OperaGene blog reports and were provided by the sponsoring opera company; additional photo information can be found in the blog reports themselves. Finally, at the performers will come out and take bows at the end. If at all possible, stay and applaud until the final curtain falls. Part of their reward is to know that they have touched you, affected your life, that their efforts meant something to you.

Street Scene, 2018: Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera.

Where to sit: In my humble opinion, you can have the best view or the best sound, choose one.  For me, the closer, the better you can see the singers and what’s on stage up close.  The farther back and higher up, the better the sound.  And center is better than the sides for sound and viewing.  But really, the only seats that I avoid are those with restricted view, including those so close up that it’s difficult or impossible to see the supertitles (in English) overhead.  Many people prefer seats in the balconies, which are usually cheaper, and I think, offer superior sound.

Lucia di Lammermoor, 2018: Photo by Steve Pisano; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Bodily needs: Another aspect of opera length is a need to plan your bathroom breaks. Intermissions are usually about 20 minutes; you may have to choose between enjoying a martini and relieving your bladder.  Shorter operas are sometimes given without an intermission.  Check ahead.  Food is not welcome inside the auditoriums and typically only snacks are available during intermission.  When we visited Teatro di Liceu in Barcelona, food and drink was served in the hallways during intermission; lots of champagne and cheese and Iberian ham subs were being scarfed down.  I would really like to see a company experiment with casual Tuesdays, serving pizza slices and beer during a lengthened intermission.  Probably you will want to have dinner either before or possibly after the opera.  Some opera venues have in house restaurants, and some opera houses are allowing drinks inside the theater if you purchase a special spill-free cup.

Left photo - Cerere Placata, 2018: Photo by Russell Hirshorn; courtesy of Opera Lafayette. Right photo - Suor Angelica, 2018: Photo by Moonloop Photography; courtesy of Opera Delaware.

The Hassle: Can’t do much about the traffic and parking woes of big cities, but often public transportation is available.  I’ve found the subway to the Foggy Bottom Metro stop and taking the Kennedy Center’s own buses from there to be a cheap and efficient option in DC.  In Pittsburgh, I’ve stayed downtown within walking distance to the Benedum Center, and in Philadelphia, I stayed a little out of city center to get a cheaper hotel rate and take a taxi to the Academy of Music, cheaper than I expected.  On the couple of visits I typically make to the Met each year, we choose a hotel within walking distance; getting a taxi in Manhattan close to opera/theater performance times can be almost impossible.  Traveling out of town to attend opera is a very cool mini-vacation since you can also take in the restaurants and attractions in a different city.  There are also smaller companies with venues that sometimes have more accessible locations where parking is free or at least cheap.  Company websites usually have parking and access information; I often like to talk to the ticket office/guest services staff who can be very helpful in answering most of your questions, even making hotel and restaurant suggestions.  Getting there early enough to have dinner close by is a good strategy that can help take the sting out of commuting.  And always allow more time for commuting than you think you will need; traffic will have its way.  Finally, I recommend getting there early enough to hear the pre-opera talk that most companies offer today.  There is a good chance the knowledge and insights to be gained will increase your enjoyment of the performance.

Special needs: Opera venues offer special seating and help with access for those with special needs such as limited mobility.  Consult with the house staff ahead of time.

OK, getting up off the sofa and heading to the opera house is a hassle and requires effort, but getting to hear live opera is a big reward.  Opera live is different. It’s not that rare that I attend an opera performance, then go home and listen to a recording of that opera, only to be disappointed; it had so much more appeal hearing it live. The entertainment value of the experience is high, and sharing with your fellow man the sense of beauty that good opera commands is a bonding, humanizing experience.  It will be rare, if ever, you regret the expense or the effort – if your wife forces you to wear a tux, you might regret that, justifiably.   

From DC to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to Richmond: Where to See Opera in the Mid-Atlantic

Tickets are an opera fans best friend! Just planting a gift idea for some opera fan out there.  Someone at a party recently asked me where he could see live opera in DC.  There are more choices available than you might think.  Indeed, in the larger mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., we have many options for attending opera.  Below, I list twenty-six companies arranged by state.  The larger, more visible companies are Opera Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Opera, and Washington National Opera, as well as the Virginia Opera that performs in three Virginia cities.  However, there are also many small companies that present fully-staged operas, some serving a city or region and some that specialize in operas of a specific type.  There are also concert opera companies that focus on the music and the singing.  Some companies operate during the September to May opera season and a few perform in the summer months.  A few are devoted to presenting festivals.  And there are several with a primary mission for the education and/or training of students and new opera singers.  A surprising omission is that there is no longer a major fully-staged opera company operating in Baltimore; we keep hoping.

Seeing Wolf Trap Opera last in my listing causes me to emphasize that the listing order is not an expression of my preferences.  Readers of this blog will know that Wolf Trap Opera is among my favorites, and there is entertainment and artistic experiences to be had with all these companies.  Some of my peak opera experiences have been at the small venues and at concert opera performances.  And remember, opera tickets make great holiday gifts!!!

In Series: Opera & More, DC (inseries.org) - The InSeries focus is presenting innovative opera, intimate cabaret, and inspiring Latinx programming.  Information: 202-204-7763.

New York Opera Society, DC (newyorkoperasociety.com) - NYOS presents opera events with the goal of creating new audiences for opera at venues in the U.S. and abroad, frequently in DC, often free programs held at the Smithsonian. Information: email to admin@newyorkoperasociety.com.

Opera Lafayette, DC/NY (operalafayette.org) - OL offers a varied program at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater each season that may include fully-staged opera, concert opera, or concerts, and that may include dance; then that production moves to NYC for another performance.  Music is selected from less well-known works, primarily from the 18th century, and is played on period instruments.  Information: 202-546-9332.

Washington Concert Opera, DC (concertopera.org) - WCO presents two operas in concert with a full orchestra each year, one in the Fall and one in the Spring in Lisner Auditorium of George Washington University.  This year they have added a February performance at The Barns at Wolf Trap in collaboration with Wolf Trap Opera.  Information: 202-364-5826. 

Washington National Opera, DC (kennedy-center.org/wno/index) - WNO offers fully-staged grand opera all season long at one of the venues in the Kennedy Center, usually the Opera House. They also offer the American Opera Initiative each January featuring a new one-hour opera and three new twenty-minute operas.  Information: 202-467-4600 or 800-444-1324.

Washington Opera Society, DC (washingtonoperasociety.org) - WOS is a a relative newcomer onto the opera landscape.  They present full operas/operettas, scenes, or concerts in local embassies throughout the season.  Information: 202-386-6008.

Urban Arias, DC (urbanarias.org/about/) - Urban Arias presents short, contemporary operas several times each year at either the Atlas Performing Arts Center or the Signature Theater. Information: email to info@urbanarias.org.

Opera Delaware, DE (operade.org) - Opera Delaware presents an opera festival with fully staged operas in the spring and other opera events during the year.  They frequently collaborate with Baltimore Concert Opera with BCO first presenting a work in concert, and then the same cast presenting the work fully staged at Opera Delaware.  Information: 302-658-8063.

Annapolis Opera, MD (annapolisopera.org) - AO presents fully staged operas during the season, frequently including a children’s opera, as well as concerts during the year, in the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.  Information: 410-267-8135.

Baltimore Concert Opera, MD (www.baltimoreconcertopera.com) – BCO presents operas in concert, both well-known and lesser-known works, during a season, with piano accompaniment, along with periodic events called Thirsty Thursdays, mixing arias with libations.  Performances are the small, cozy confines of the elegant Engineers Club. Some of their productions move up the road for fully-staged versions in collaboration with Opera Delaware.  Information: 443-445-0226

Belcantanti Opera, MD (belcantanti.com) – Belcantanti Opera presents fully-stage operas throughout the season, using primarily local singers in several venues in the Maryland suburbs of DC.  Information: 240-230-7372

Maryland Lyric Opera, MD (mdlo.org) - MDLO, still a relatively young company, presents operas, fully staged and in concert, as well as recitals and concerts in venues in the Maryland suburbs of DC, though its main mission is to provide training for young opera talent.  Information: 240-427-5568.

Maryland Opera Studio, MD (music.umd.edu/ensembles/opera) - Maryland Opera Studio in the School of Music at the University of Maryland presents operas, both new works and ones from the standard repertoire, and concerts, performed by students during the opera season. Information: 301-405-7794.

Peabody Conservatory, MD (peabody.jhu.edu/explore-peabody/community-engagement/opera-outreach/) – Through its “Opera Outreach” program, the Peabody Conservatory presents two staged opera offerings each season, utilizing upper-level students of the conservatory, currently the only fully-staged operas being performed in Baltimore.  Information: email to operaoutreach@jhu.edu. 

The Princeton Festival, NJ (princetonfestival.org) – As part of The Princeton Festival for Opera, Musical Theater, Jazz, and Chamber Music each June, a fully-staged opera is performed using professional opera singers.  Information: 609-759-0379.

Academy of Vocal Arts, PA (avaopera.org) - AVA is all about post-graduate training in opera, and as part of that training their students are guaranteed to participate in operas produced by AVA during the season; they also sponsor recitals, concerts and a prestigious bel canto singing competition.  They utilize several venues around Philadelphia, but operas are held in AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater.  Information: 215-735-1685.

Curtis Opera Theatre, PA (curtis.edu/performances/18-19-curtis-theatre-opera/) - Also in Philadelphia, the Curtis Opera Theatre is part of the Curtis Institute of Music, an undergraduate institution.  The Theatre puts on several fully-staged operas during the season using students as performers.  I like their slogan, “Come see our finest become their best”.  Information: 215-893-5252.

Opera Philadelphia, PA (www.operaphila.org) - OP offers fully-staged, grand opera all season long at the Academy of Music.  The last two years, OP has opened their seasons in September with exciting festivals offering several different opera events in a three-week period at different venues around town; the lineup for next season’s festival will be announced in late January.  Information: 215-732-8400. 

Pittsburgh Festival Opera, PA (pittsburghfestivalopera.org) - Think opera in the summer and not the Pittsburgh Opera.  PFO, a separate company, produces a summer festival of operas in Pittsburgh, as well as other opera events during the year.  The festival occurs in June/July; all operas, both new and old, are sung in English, reaching out to as wide an audience as possible.  Information: 412-621-1499.

Pittsburgh Opera, PA (www.pittsburghopera.org) - PO offers fully-staged, grand opera all season long at the historic Benedum Center, including the occasional premiere of a new work, as well as chamber works at smaller venues around town.  Information: 412-281-0912.

Charlottesville Opera, VA (charlottesvilleopera.org) - Charlottesville Opera, formerly Ash Lawn Opera, typically presents two fully-staged operas in the summer.  Information: 434-293-4500.

Opera in Williamsburg, VA (operainwilliamsburg.org) - Opera in Williamsburg, VA presents fully-staged opera and other events during the season.  Information: email to info@operainwilliamsburg.org.

Opera Roanoke, VA (operaroanoke.org) - Opera Roanoke presents several fully-staged operas during the opera season.  Information: 540-345-2550.

Victory Hall Opera, VA (victoryhallopera.org) - a troupe of 12 professional opera singers form the core of VHC with goal of “bringing thrilling opera theater to new audiences in Charlottesville, VA”. They perform in small, intimate venues around Charlottesville, VA. Information: 434-227-9978.

Virginia Opera, VA (vaopera.org) - VA Opera is a regional opera company. They offer fully-staged grand opera all season utilizing venues in three cities in Virginia.  Each opera has its first run with three performances in Norfolk, followed by two in Fairfax, and finishing with two in Richmond on successive weeks.  The different venues have different ticket offices and policies.  I am proud to be able to say that I have seen a VA Opera performance in each of the cities.  Norfolk information: 866-673-7282; Fairfax information: 703-993-8888; and Richmond information: 866-673-7282.

Wolf Trap Opera, VA (www.wolftrap.org/opera) – WTO, in Vienna, VA, primarily offers events in the summer, including two fully-staged operas at The Barns, a small venue, and one at the Filene Center, an open-air amphitheater.  Young professionals around the U.S. compete each year to spend the summer at Wolf Trap honing their skills and performing in these operas/events.  This year they have added a February performance at The Barns in collaboration with Washington Concert Opera.  Information: 703-255-1900.

The information telephone lines for smaller companies may not be regularly staffed, or they may be for a parent organization; best to start with the websites.  I likely have overlooked some companies in the mid-Atlantic that are off my radar.  If you know of one that is active that I have not included, please let me know, and I will add them to the list.

Holiday Gift Idea: Books For Your Opera Lover and the Newbie, Too

Gabriel de Saint-Aubin’s 1761 painting of a performance of Armide; image in public domain, copied from Wikipedia.

Many opera fans just want to enjoy opera, not study it. Fair enough, but I find that learning more about opera increases my enjoyment of it, and I look forward to discovering new books about opera. Personally, I have found that a good way to build an opera book library is by visiting used book sales.  Still, there is something satisfying and even exciting about getting a new and current book as a gift.  So, even though I have a stack of unread books awaiting me already, I have asked Santa for several new ones this year that caught my eye.  I point these out below as well as mentioning a couple of opera reference books to consider and links to additional book suggestions in articles on the internet, in no particular order.  One of the books below might be a treat for an opera fan on your gift list.

Current and Topical:

The Kirkus reviews I highlight are short and more descriptive than critical, to give you a better idea of the scope of the books. 

“Mad Love: An Introduction to Opera” by Vivien Schweitzer; Basic Books, 2018, 288 pages – Ms. Schweitzer is a concert pianist and served as a classical music and opera critic for the NY Times from 2006-2016.  She provides a light, easy-read tour of opera from its beginning, circa 1600, to present day that is targeted to opera newbies.  Helpful for picking up the lingo and understanding how opera has evolved. *Kirkus Review

“Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York Opera and the Future of Opera in America” by Heidi Waleson; Metropolitan Books, 2018, 281 pages – Ms. Waleson has reviewed opera for the Wall Street Journal for 25 years.  Her book provides a deep dive into the history the illustrious New York City Opera which operated as the lower cost rival to the Metropolitan Opera from 1943 to 2013 and that came to be known as “the People’s Opera”; the company was revived in 2016.  Ms. Waleson also examines the lessons from the company’s history for current opera companies. *Kirkus Review

“The Indispensable Composers: A Personal Guide” by Anthony Tommasini; Penguin Press, 2018, 496 pages – It was a very good year for books from New York music critics, .  Mr. Tommasini is the Chief Classical Music Critic of the NY Times; he has authored two other books and has performed professionally as a pianist.  He is most likely the author of any opera reviews you encounter in the NY Times.  He has tackled the subject of greatness in this tome and I, for one, want to know what he has to say about it.  He provides stories and insights about the great composers, including more recent ones. *Kirkus Review 

“Toscanini: Musician of Conscience” by Harvey Sachs; Liveright, 2017, 944 pages – Mr. Sachs is on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music; he is the author of several books and a long list of articles for major U.S. periodicals.  He has written an extensive biography of the great conductor, Arturo Toscanini, who had a major influence on classical music in the twentieth century and was an opponent of the rise of Fascism in Italy.  It was recommended to me by a cardiologist who is an opera fan, so I assume it is good for your heart.  He insists he could not put it down; I assume except for emergencies.  The critical reviews uniformly call this book an outstanding biography.  *Kirkus Reviews

“Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music, and Family” by Daniel Bergner; Lee Boudreaux Books - Little, Brown and Company, 2016, 320 pages – Mr. Bergner is the author of several books, both fiction and non-fiction, and a frequent contributor to major U.S. publications.  This is the story of Ryan Speedo Green who overcame a background of poverty, child abuse, and incarceration to become a singer (bass-baritone) performing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera.  It reveals how he overcame a brutal background and the challenges by opera singers of color today to rise above it all.  *Kirkus Review

Reference Books –

“The New Penguin Opera Guide” edited by Amanda Holden; Penguin Books, 2001, 1168 pages – This is my personal favorite opera reference book; I’ve even written a blog report about it.  Ms. Holden is a highly regarded author and translator in the field of opera.  The Guide, arranged by composer, includes more than 100 contributors covering over 800 composers and 1500 operas (including operettas).  It is usually the first place I check to read a synopsis of an opera I’m not familiar with and to get insights into why it is important.  Like all reference books, it only covers contemporary works up to close to the time the book was written. 

The Grove Book of Operas, Second Edition edited by Stanley Sadie and Laura Macy; Oxford University Press, 2005, 740 pages - I picked this one up recently at the Arlington County Library book sale for less than one-third of the going rate on Amazon, a good find. Similar in concept and types of information to the Penguin reference book, but using different contributors and arranged by opera in alphabetical order. Like all the books I’ve collected on opera, I find some new bits of information and insights not encountered in my other books.

“The New Pocket Kobbé’s Opera Book” by Earl of Harwood; Ebury Press, 2018, 544 pages – This just appeared in September and is on my Christmas wish list.  It is based upon what many readers consider the essential opera reference, “The New Kobbé’s Opera Book” published in 1997.  I haven’t been able to find a lot of information on this updated and likely shortened edition as a pocket version, so check it out carefully before buying; the 1997 edition may still be preferable.  A British Earl writing an opera book?  There might be a story here for a future blog report. 

Selected Articles With More Book Suggestions –

I am familiar with most of the books on these lists. Some that I’ve found especially interesting and helpful beginning my opera journey include “Opera for Dummies” by David Pogue and Scott Speck (don’t laugh; this helped get me started, “Opera 101” by Fred Plotkin (still a good starting point for newbies), and “A History of Opera” by Carolyn Abbate (scholarly and interesting history). I selected the articles below because they mention books I either know or that seem like they might be worthwhile reads, at least worth checking out further.

The Best Books About or Featuring the Opera (Fiction and Non-Fiction) 

Five Books to Ignite an Opera Obsession 

The Five Best Books on Opera 

Best Opera Books

I’m hoping the listings above will provide you with some gift ideas. If you know of any recent good opera books I’ve missed, let me know.  There is still time for me to get in touch with Santa!

Washington Concert Opera’s Sapho: Team WCO Pulls Out a Win for Gounod

If you will allow me a sports analogy, watching a Washington Concert Opera performance is like watching the New England Patriots play football, the best coached team in professional sports in my opinion.  Every player is a competent professional with some stars in the mix, but the key is that every player does their job and does it well.  On Sunday night for the American professional premiere of Sapho, every WCO player did their job, did it well, and team WCO pulled out a win for composer Charles Gounod.

Gounod had the gift.  I’ve seen his Faust and Romeo and Juliet, his only two operas that get performed with any regularity.  Like Mozart, Verdi, and Wagner and only a few others, Gounod had the gift.  But the gifted don’t always produce a great work (the Patriots don’t always win).  Even the great ones have duds.  Over a couple of years of attending WCO productions, I have developed confidence in WCO’s Artistic Director and Conductor Antony Walker’s acumen at selecting lesser-known, but worthy operas, and an excellent cast of singers to present the work in concert.  Sapho turns out to be another find.  I’m not even sure that this opera couldn’t work as a fully-staged version.  It has important, timeless themes and the music is marvelous; with the right singers, I’d go see it. 

Addison Marlor as Phaon, Brian Vu as Alcée, Kate Lindsey as Sapho, and Musa Ngqungwana as Pythéas. Photo by Don Lassell; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.

Sapho (1851), the opera, is a fictionalized story about the real poetess, Sappho, whose poems about love and sex became classics. She was born on the Greek Island of Lesbos around 600 BC, the time and place of this story. Her name has become associated with lesbianism; however, like so many aspects of her life, her actual sexual orientation is not known with certainty, and that is not part of this story.  However, themes of love and sex and honor are the sustaining elements of the drama.  In the plot by Gounod and librettist Émile Augier, a love triangle between Sapho, Phaon, and courtesan Glycère, is enmeshed with an uprising against the authoritarian ruler of Lesbos, Pittacus. The action begins at the Olympic Games where Sapho competes for the poetry prize where the poems are sung (yes, poetry competition at the Olympic games; I told you this was fiction - not that singing opera couldn’t be an Olympic event).   Phaon has been struggling with his new love of Sapho and his remaining attraction to the alluring Glycère. Sapho wins both competitions.  She defeats Alcée, who is attempting to incite the uprising against Pittacus; he sings about justice and liberty, and she sings about love.  Phaon, who has become involved in the insurrection, chooses Sapho because of the purity of her heart and soul.  Glycère goes on the offensive against her rival and proves willing to fight for Phaon; she plies useful information from his friend Pythéas using a sexual bribe, then resorts to guile and deceit to coerce Sapho into giving up Phaon in order to save his life, gloating in her victory over Sapho.  Sapho declares that even in defeat, she’d rather be her than Glycère. She relinquishes Phaon to spare him but cannot bear life without him and leaps from a cliff into the sea.     

Amina Edris as Glycère and Kate Lindsey as Sapho. Photo by Don Lassell; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.

This truly was an outstanding cast headed by Richmond native, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey.  Ms. Lindsey is also gifted, and her extraordinary voice and professionalism were on full display in her portrayal of Sapho.  Several times she hit the wow level on my ‘response to the singer’ scale.  Always talented, she seems to have grown much more confident and self-assured than when I saw her in Washington National Opera’s Dead Man Walking.  The surprise Sunday night was that she was matched in fire and determination by soprano Amina Edris playing Glycère.  Ms. Edris has a voice that is to love.  She sang beautifully and the confrontations between her Glycère and Ms. Lindsey’s Sapho as they fought over Phaon were exciting to behold.  The three principal male singers were also standouts.  Tenor Addison Marler as Phaon displayed an exquisite voice.  Baritone Brian Vu as Alcée was strong and clear in portraying an insurgent.  Finally, base-baritone Musa Ngqungwana added his strong voice and excellent singing to the mix as Pythéas.  It was fun to see Mr. Ngqungwana again.  I saw him earlier this year in Pittsburgh Opera’s Moby Dick, where he played Queequeg and made an impression as somewhat to watch.  I would welcome the opportunity to hear any of these singers again.  The music was also a star in this performance. Maestro Walker makes it musically engaging, but also visually interesting as well with his animated orchestrations.  The music was beautiful, so listenable with its melodies and harmonies, ably aided by the chorus under the direction of Chorus Master David Hanlon. 

Sapho cast with WCO Artistic Director and Conductor Antony Walker in center. Photo by Don Lassell; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.

This was Gounod’s first opera.  There is an interesting backstory to this opera and to Gounod’s artistic development that was related in the pre-opera talk and an excellent earlier WCO Opera Gems lecture by Peter Russell, WCO co-founder and head of Vocal Arts DC.  A superstar performer and celebrity of her day, Pauline Viardot, took an interest in Gounod.  Ms. Viardot seems to have been a combination of Rene Fleming and Oprah Winfrey, with extraordinary musical ability and extraordinary clout.  She made it possible for him to secure Augier as librettist and have it performed at the Paris Opera when completed, with of course, Ms. Viardot singing the lead role.  It was rumored that her relationship with Gounod was more than professional and more than friendship.  The choice of the classical setting with a virtuous heroine was in reaction to the excesses of Parisian grand operas in vogue at the time; also Augier was a staunch moralist, and it offered Ms. Viardot a plum role.  Perhaps at least in part due to its veering away from opera currently in vogue, Sapho was not very successful at the time and has been little performed since, though even in its day, the professional critics liked it and recognized that Gounod had the gift.  Mr. Russell made the point that the popularity of operas seems to wax or wane in response to the tenor of the times, noting that Romeo and Juliet is now overtaking Faust in popularity.  Perhaps we will see more productions of Gounod’s Sapho.

In the two years I have been attending their performances, Washington Concert Opera has provided some of my peak opera experiences.  You can add Sapho to that list.  And just so you know, I am not a New England Patriots fan.

The Fan Experience: Attendance for Sapho seemed to me to be very strong, maybe in response to the appearance of Washington favorite, Kate Lindsey, or just maybe, the secret is getting out about concert opera.  In two short years, I have become something of a concert opera junkie.  I just find that the sound with the orchestra on the stage is superior to when it is sequestered in the pit; it also permits a larger orchestra and chorus to be used, and I love getting to hear reclaimed gems that way.  WCO’s next offering will be a new venture for them.  They are partnering with Wolf Trap Opera to perform Frank Martin’s Le Vin Herbé at the Barns of Wolf Trap on February 9 and 10. The Barns is one of my favorite places to hear opera. It is a small, cozy venue that puts you close to the singers. Food is available and drinks can be taken to your seat. Parking is plentiful and free, and it is easy in, easy out.

Baltimore Concert Opera’s L’Amico Fritz: Mixed Success With A Vault Opera

Logo courtesy of the Baltimore Concert Opera.

I wonder if “vault opera” is a term, because Baltimore Concert Opera moved away from the standard opera repertoire to pull one out of the history vault for performance as their second offering of the current season.  Personally, I love it when they do this.  It is so refreshing to get to experience an opera for the first time, even if it is not a new opera.  About a two dozen opera standards get performed almost continuously around the world, but there are thousands of operas that have been written and performed, many quite good, that rarely if ever reach the stage.  Suppose we only got to see remakes of the same twenty-five movies over and over again.  L’amico Fritz (1891) by composer Pietro Mascagni and librettist Nicola Diaspuro (based on the 1864 book “L’ami Fritz” by Émile Erckmann and Pierre-Alexandre Chatrian) was Mascagni’s second opera, and while it enjoyed a measure of success in its day, it has been little performed in the years since. 

Concert opera companies have an advantage when it comes to vault operas because they don’t have to endure the expense of mounting a fully-staged opera and then risking weak box office sales for a lesser-known work.  They also can resurrect works like L’amico Fritz, where the music is good but is wed to a weak or problematic libretto.  Presenting lesser-known works with something to offer is part of BCO’s mission and performs a valuable service to its opera fans.  Regarding L’Amico Fritz, the great Giuseppe Verdi is reported to have called it the worst libretto he had ever seen; kinda harsh, but that’s the rap on L’amico Fritz.  It’s not that the story for L’amico Fritz is bad. In fact, it is an amusing, light-hearted love story.  As a movie in the 1950s with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly playing the leads and directed by Billy Wilder, it would probably have been very successful film, but it doesn’t meet the needs of grand opera.  Probably one critic nailed it when he said that Mascagni, though responsive to the audiences of his era, “too readily mistook emotion for deep feeling”.  Maybe there is a lesson there; in regard to the question of which is more important in opera, the music or the words, the answer is both.

Pietro Mascagni, photo in public domain in Library of Congress; accessed from Wikipedia.

Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) lived, shall we say, an interesting life; he was reportedly both egotistical and an opportunist and who eventually overplayed his hand.  He was what we call today a one-hit wonder.  L’amico Fritz was his second opera.  His first was Cavalleria Rusticana, an opera that became an instant smash hit.  It was soon being played in opera houses around the world and even today, it is one of the repertoire’s most popular.  It is also one of the operas of that period that ushered in the Italian verismo style of opera, focusing on the hardships and heartaches of everyday people.  Though L’amico Fritz was successful, it was not the great follow on opera that people expected.  One could say that Mascagni shot himself in the foot.  He deliberately picked a light story to focus attention on his music because he was peeved at criticism that Rusticana’s popularity was propelled by the libretto.  He also abandoned the verismo style for this opera, moving the music back to a more bel canto style.  This inability to match his early success plagued him his entire life, though he could always say that he had produced a great one.  A few other anecdotes about his interesting life: Cavalleria Rusticana won an opera competition that launched his composing career when his wife submitted that score instead of a lesser one he intended to submit; early in his development he attended the Milan Conservatory but was kicked out without graduating for not doing his work; later in his career, he managed to succeed the legendary Toscanini as director of music at La Scala; finally his support of Mussolini and fascism caused him to fall out of favor, and he died penniless in a small hotel in Rome.  There must have been a movie about this guy; anybody know of one?

The plot of L’amico Fritz revolves around a wealthy landowner in Italy named Fritz.  He is being lobbied by his friend Rabbi David to provide a dowry for a young couple in the village who are to be wed.  Fritz can’t understand why anyone would choose to be married, but David tells Fritz that he will be wed one day, and Fritz wagers a parcel of land that he won’t.  Then, in walks Suzel, the attractive young daughter of a local farmer.  They are smitten with each other, but Fritz is not yet willing to accept or reveal his true feelings.  Finally, the threat of her father pushing her to marry someone else causes them to express their love for each other and plan to marry.  David wins the bet and gives the land to Suzel as a wedding gift.  Presumably, they all live happily ever after.  Mascagni probably should have revisited them a few years into their marriage; there might have been a verismo opportunity.  Oh wait, that was what Cavalleria Rusticana was about; looks like he also made the mistake of getting the cart before the horse.

Victoria Cannizzo as Suzel and William Davenport as Fritz. Photo by Britt Olsen-Ecker; courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

All that said though, it was a treat to hear the music from this opera for the first time, and it became clear why BCO chose it.  Even beyond its famous ‘Cherry Duet”, it displays many pleasing melodies and several beautiful arias.  We were also treated to two excellent violin solos by Sarah Hedlund, concertmaster for the Occasional Symphony in Baltimore.  Kudos to Conductor Giovanni Reggioli for helping to bring this opera forward.  Best all, as usual for BCO performances, was the opportunity to hear an excellent cast of singers, and to get to experience them in the warm and cozy confines of the Engineers Club Ballroom!  Tenor William Davenport who played Fritz was a standout.  I thought his voice and singing were simply beautiful and very natural.  If I closed my eyes listening to him, I could easily imagine I was in an opera house in Italy.  It took me awhile to start enjoying soprano Victoria Cannizzo as Suzel.  Initially, I thought her voice was rather dramatic and powerful to portray Suzel, but I was won over and found delight with her arias in Acts II and III.  Baritone Eric McKeever stood out portraying David as did mezzo-soprano Kate Jackman portraying Fritz’s gypsy friend Beppe.  Kylena Parks as a servant was featured only briefly, but made an impression; let’s hope BCO brings her back.  Tenor Wesley Morgan and bass Cody Muller served admirably as Fritz’s friends.  I also enjoyed the chorus; kudos to Chorus Master James Harp.

Now we get to the verismo part of this blog report, what I didn’t care for.  I have mixed feelings about only having piano accompaniment for this opera (I understand the BCO focus is the singing and this has not been an issue for me in other BCO productions).  Since hearing this performance, I have listened to a recording of L’amico Fritz with Gavazzeni conducting and Pavarotti and Freni as Fritz and Suzel – well worth a listen, available for streaming on Amazon Music and Apple Music.  Mascagni’s music is beautiful and relies heavily on violins played softly to express the emotion.  I’m not sure how well this translates to simple piano accompaniment.  Part of my difficulty is that pianist Justina Lee, I thought, played with a heavy hand, as though she were trying to make up for the lack of an orchestra.  Many of the arias are quite tender and needed more finesse and delicacy in the playing, at least according to my ears.  I would have enjoyed it more with a gentler approach. By the way, Mascagani made a recording of L’amico Fritz with the RAI National Symphony and Chorus conducted by himself in 1942; I haven’t found a source for that one just yet.

For me, L’amico Fritz offered many treats, though I didn’t enjoy all aspects.  However, the BCO experience is always worth it overall.  Getting to hear professional opera singers singing up close and personal in such pleasant surroundings is not to be passed up.  Neither is getting to hear excellent music you are not likely to hear anywhere else. If you get a chance, give L’amico Fritz a chance; you will be rewarded.

The Fan Experience: The Garrett-Jacobs Mansion which houses the Engineers Club, BCO’s venue, is worth a visit by itself.  Dinner in the club can be arranged in advance.  Paid parking is available and valet parking is usually available on Sunday performances.  So far, I have always been able to find free street parking; you just have to be careful to read the street signs and warnings.  Next up for BCO is a Thirsty Thursday offering “Velvety Voices and Cozy Cocktails” on January 31.  They begin again with a complete opera on March 1 and 3 with Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman.  These events are always fun and quite a bargain for a date night outing.

Washington National Opera’s Silent Night: An Opera Christmas Classic

I had been waiting for this opera, thirsting for it actually.  It is the only one on WNO’s schedule this season that I haven’t seen before, more than once.  Even though it has been performed every year since it premiered in 2011 and won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for music, I was willing to accept that it probably wouldn’t be as great as La Traviata or Tosca just to get to hear something new, something born of our time.  I discovered Saturday night that it deserves its popularity.  I also discovered that I needed Silent Night for another reason, for the same reason every year I go back to “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life”.  In our highly divided and polarized time especially, I need to be reminded of the possibility and joy of simple human goodness in all of us, goodness that awaits the opportunity to come out.

The fog of war enshrouds the Scottish troops. Photo by Teresa Wood; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

Based on real events, Silent Night tells the story of a 1914 Christmas Eve ceasefire that emerged between groups of Scottish, French, and German soldiers on the Western Front in World War I.  This unofficial pause in hostilities lasted approximately 24 hours, not a truce negotiated by countries or generals but by combatants facing each other.  They had been at war for six months in the harsh conditions of trench warfare with high casualties and deaths from both enemy fire and disease.  They had expected the war would be brief but starting to grow weary, realizing they would not be returning home soon.  They were fighting in a trench line that ran north south the length of Europe; the homes they longed to return to weren’t that far away. The opposing lines were so close that the soldiers on different sides could hear and see glimpses of each other.  The deadly area between the trenches was known as “no man’s land”.  Before the hostilities ceased in 1918, approximately ten million combatants had died and many more civilians; the casualties were especially high because the strategy and tactics of close encounter warfare had not caught up with the ability of modern weaponry and technology to kill and because of the crowded and unsanitary conditions in the trenches. 

This fictional version of real events was first presented in the 2005 movie “Joyeux Noel”.  The Minnesota Opera commissioned Kevin Puts to compose the score and Mark Campbell to write the libretto for a new opera adapted from the film.  It was Mr. Puts’ first opera and became a Pulitzer Prize winner.  Mr. Campbell was already an experienced librettist; he and Mr. Puts have since produced two additional operas together (Elizabeth Cree and The Manchurian Candidate).

Lt. Audebert played by Michael Adams, Lt. Horstmayer played by Alexsey Bogdanov, and Lt. Gordon played by Norman Garrett negotiating the truce. Photo by Teresa Wood; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

Historians still debate the reasons governments and leaders chose to engage in this war and allow it to go on for so long.  Silent Night presents personal stories of the men doing the fighting - the Scottish brothers William and Jonathan Dale, with William killed in battle causing Jonathan to vow revenge; two opera singers, Anna Sørensen and Nikolaus Sprink, in love and separated by war attempting to reunite, and French Lieutenant Audebert, longing for his wife and the child born while he is at war.  These stories are woven into the narrative of the ceasefire.  Told this way, the drama comes to life, and the important themes are revealed.  Being so close to the enemy in the opposing trenches caused the men to sense the humanity of their opponents and feel a connection with them and become less willing to shoot each other; the generals and higher level field commanders were outraged when they received reports of the ceasefires.  Being close enough to the characters on the stage to see and hear their personal stories pulls you into a connection with them.  I found Silent Night to be deeply affecting.

The truce begins for the men in three trenches. Photo by Teresa Wood; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

The opera begins and ends displaying a large World War I monument behind a scrim while the names of those soldiers who died scrolled down the scrim.  In between, a clever set shows the three groups of soldiers in their trenches stacked one upon another.  That arrangement makes it easy to see group and individual actions and interactions with all in view at once with few scene changes.  After the opera begins with a scene in a German opera house where the outbreak of war is announced, we see different characters and groups being recruited to fight the war.  The reasons for joining are the same for soldiers on both sides, to protect their families and countries and to do their duty.  We see nothing of the political issues that caused their leaders to push them into combat.  Soon a horrific battle scene occurs.  The action takes place behind a scrim that added mood-enhancing images to the scene (but was also somewhat distracting).  The carnage was perhaps tame by modern standards, but I agree with WNO’s decision to warn parents that the opera is best for those 12 years old or older.  After the battle subsides, the exhausted and dispirited soldiers need a break.  The head officers of each group, French Lt. Audebert, German Lt. Horstmayer, and Scottish Lt. Gordon, bravely carry white flags into no man’s land to meet, agreeing to a brief truce on Christmas Eve with its call for ‘Peace on Earth’.  An evening Christmas mass is given, and the soldiers begin to enjoy their differences in culture and see themselves in their presumed enemies. 

The opera singers, Anna Sørensen played by Raquel González and Nikolaus Spinks played by Alexander McKissick. Photo by Teresa Wood; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

Silent Night is presented in the Eisenhower Theater rather than the much larger Opera House (2364 seats versus 1164).  The reason given is that the smaller venue allows for a more intimate and effective presentation.  I suspect WNO artistic director Francesca Zambello also believed sales for a contemporary opera would be less, though in fact Silent Night is almost a sell out for all seven performances.  She also chose to use current and recent graduates of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program for the large cast required without bringing in more prominent and seasoned singers.  If that is the deal for getting more new opera into the Kennedy Center, I’ll take that deal any day, and obviously so will a lot of other opera fans. These talented young artists are remarkably good at acting and singing, and as a group were quite believable, conveying the emotional intensity of this story very well. Kudos to Washington National Opera for bringing us a quality contemporary opera.

left: Jonathan Dale played by Arnold Livingston Geis is consoled by Father Palmer played by Kenneth Kellogg. right: Ponchel played by Christian Bowers trims the hair of Lt. Audebert played by Michael Adams. Photos by Teresa Wood; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

I will single out a handful of singers for special mention, but I am grateful to them all for telling this story so well.  The young lovers and opera singers, Anna and Nikolaus, were played by soprano Raquel Gonzalez and tenor Alexander McKissick.  Ms. Gonzalez is a beautiful fit for the role; her voice is especially luminous in singing for the mass.  I have enjoyed Mr. McKissick’s singing in several productions around town and he performed admirably as a soldier torn between love and duty.  Baritone Michael Adams as Audebert, baritone Norman Garrett as Gordon, and baritone Aleksey Bogdanov as Horstmayer gave strong, touching performances as leaders torn between their call to duty and their sense of humanity.  Other noteworthy performances were given by tenor Arnold Livingston Geis as Jonathan Dale, bass Kenneth Kellogg as Father Palmer, and baritone Christian Bowers who portrayed Audebert’s aide de camp Ponchel. 

The director for this production is Tomer Zvulun, General and Artistic Director of the Atlanta Opera.  He has a special attachment to this opera because of his military background and his familiarity with the chaos of battle; he has directed Silent Night previously, including the original production by the Wexford Festival Opera.  Kudos to him for effective story telling.  The conductor is Nicole Paiement who also conducted the recent WNO performance of Candide and who has a specialty in conducting new opera.  One unique aspect of this production was the program statement that this production used a reorchestration by Jacques Desjardins.  The conductor’s program notes explains that this orchestration involved using combinations of instruments to effectively replace a different instrument, allowing the orchestra to be downsized for smaller venues.  Composer Puts was consulted along the way and the final score was approved by him.  I enjoyed the music and the supporting male chorus, which changed in style to reflect the different nationalities, languages, and scenes being presented, and was all original; no traditional Christmas music is employed, but it does feature a bagpipe for the Scots. 

Scottish Father Palmer played by Kenneth Kellogg conducts mass for all the soldiers. Photo by Teresa Wood; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

Silent NIght is about serious stuff, but not just about the horror of war.  The drama on display reminds us that we are all human beings and that we and our enemies cherish the same things, our livelihoods, our families, and our honor.  Challenging us to remember that will perhaps make us less likely to harm our fellow man.  Perhaps the far too subliminal message to be gained from this opera is the flip-side of its theme - when men on battlefields become merely distant targets that can be hit with drones and modern long-range weaponry, the killing becomes easier and more acceptable.  Silent Night brings us these important Christmas messages and just may take its place alongside other Christmas classics that we know and love. 

Silent Night is an opera and should be judged on its merit as a work of art. I enjoyed the evening and was affected by the work. It’s a good opera with a message to be embraced wholeheartedly and well worth seeing.  It was heartening to see the representatives of countries who participated in the war coming to the stage in the curtain call in memoriam to the men and women who fought in WWI and as an affirmation of this story of Peace.

The Fan Experience: There are six more performances of Silent Night on November 14, 17, 18, 20, 23, and 25.  Only a limited number of seats remain.  I thought the Eisenhower Theater was fine for this production. Colin Brush gave a rapid-fire, but highly detailed and informative pre-opera talk starting one hour before the performance - recommended. Free opera Talk Backs with selected artists take place immediately after the performance. This may be one opera where the closer you sit, the more involved in the drama you may feel and the more empathy for the characters you may develop, if I’ve learned my lesson right.  I now wish to see the movie, “Joyeux Noel”; it is available for streaming on Amazon.

Virginia Opera’s Don Giovanni: Provocative and Funny

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed and Lorenzo da Ponte wrote the libretto for Don Giovanni in 1787, turning the Don Juan story into an opera that spoke directly to the social order of their own time and into a classic allegory for the ages, entertaining, provocative, and forever puzzling.  Don Giovanni, a wealthy aristocrat in 18th century Spain uses his looks, charm, and power in constant pursuit of sexual conquest.  The story begins with one gone wrong.  He, wearing a mask, is being chased by Donna Anna as he flees from her chambers where he has forced himself upon her; her elderly father comes to her defense and is killed in a sword fight.  Over the next day, Giovanni, traveling with his aide and enabler, Leporello, comes upon a previous conquest, Donna Elvira, whom he abandoned and who now pursues him for revenge (but in truth wants him back); then he encounters a young country girl, Zerlina, who he tries to seduce on her wedding day and who initially agrees; and later he comes face to face with a graveyard statue that talks, and whom Don Giovanni invites to dinner.  The dinner goes badly, and the Don is escorted to Hell all the while refusing to repent.  Whew! Any questions?  I still have many.

Tobias Greenhalgh as Don Giovanni and Zachary Altman as Leporello. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera

I left the theater entertained and thinking more about what I had seen.  The set could serve for a Shakespearean play with shifting courtyard walls and balconies.  It’s just me, but I have one complaint – the large mural of amorphous flower petals(?) that covers the rear of the stage was distracting at best and the torn petal in the middle kept grabbing my attention from the players; the shifting color of its lighting did not work for me and seemed to be a lost opportunity for something more creative.  I make too much of it; the tale is well told.  The directorial flourishes we typically see in a Groag production were there: a wedding cart easily shifts our minds to what is occurring in that scene and its overhead rim serves as a frame for several of the singers; as Zerlina reclaims Masseto with her sweet love, they are light-heartedly drawn from the stage; as Donna Anna kneels, singing an aria against the graveyard gates, lighting hitting the gates appear to frame her in angel wings (what did that mean?); and many more.  She also keeps the action moving with smooth transitions between scenes.  There was only a minor glitch with the supertitles.  Perhaps her finest accomplishment in this Giovanni, and it is major, is that she delivers the humor.  Mozart and Da Ponte meant it to be funny in dealing with a serious subject, and on Friday night the audience frequently erupted or tittered with bemused laughter.

left: Nathan Stark as the Commendatore fatally wounded by Don Giovanni (Tobias Greehhalgh). right: Stephen Carroll as Don Ottavio agrees to Donna Anna’s (Rachelle Durkin) request for him to avenge her father. Photos by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera

Conductor Adam Turner led a 38-piece Virginia Opera Orchestra in delivering Mozart’s outstanding score in fine fashion.  It is to the credit of the singer/actors on stage that I didn’t give over my focus to this most pleasurable music.  A largely young and talented cast of singers bring the characters to life.  Baritone Tobias Greenhalgh does an excellent job as Giovanni, bounding from charm to meanness as things went his way or did not.  His voice is pleasing, and he sings quite well, but his voice was sometimes too soft and easily over ridden by the orchestra, particularly in singing the faster passages.  Overall, his was a very good performance but could benefit from just a little more power and better projection.  This contrasted with Zachary Altman who played his sidekick, Leporello; he has a deep baritone with impressive power and projection that he used to what sounded like perfection.  His portrayal of Leporello was my favorite performance of the night, perhaps a little too slapstick at times, but ingratiating none the less.

left: Leporello (Zachary Altman) shows Donna Elvira (Sarah Larsen) Giovanni’s catalog of conquests. right: Don Giovanni (Tobias Greenhalgh) seducing Zerlina (Melissa Bonetti) on her wedding day. Photos by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera

The trio of sopranos were also an impressive group.  Soprano Rachelle Durkin played the perplexing Donna Anna with gravitas and a strong vocal performance.  Her betrothed, Don Ottavio, was played by tenor Stephen Carroll, who sang well but was playing against type – as he appeared on stage, I’d pick him out as the rakish Giovanni in a police lineup, not the passive Ottavio.  Mezzo-soprano Sarah Larsen played the contorted Donna Elvira with pain and soft fire, gaining my sympathy with her heartfelt arias.  Her mezzo has a lot of vocal color, another standout performance.  Mezzo-soprano Melissa Bonetti proved to be a delight as Zerlina in a breakout role for her.  To me, she managed to sound more soubrette than mezzo and plays Zerlina with coquettish charm.   In supporting roles, baritone Evan Bravos is a believable Massetto, Zerlina’s betrothed, and bass Nathan Stark is a powerful, imposing Commendatore, Donna Anna’s father, at least as the graveyard Stone Guest.

The wedding day scene with Masetto (Evan Bravos) and Zerlina (Melissa Bonetti) seated in the cart. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera

Director Lillian Groag has stated that this is Mozart’s and Da Ponte’s version of Don Giovanni and yet at the very beginning, she stacks the deck.  I still believe Donna Anna’s story: she allowed Giovanni into her bed chamber thinking it was her fiancé, Don Ottavio, and he forced himself upon her; realizing her mistake, she fought him off and he fled; she pursued him to keep her unknown assailant from getting away.  Director Lillian Groag, however, raises questions.  Did Anna really think a masked nobleman entering her chamber late at night would be her earnest, reflective fiancé?  Did her reasons for bravely pursuing him to find out his identify perhaps include wanting to know who had fired her passion?  Did her reasons for delaying her marriage include a lack of passion in her relationship with her fiancé.  Personally, I can accept Donna Anna’s answers to these questions, but then Ms. Groag plants evidence not provided by Mozart or Da Ponte.  As the opening overture winds down, Don Giovanni appears, and in darkness a woman comes out onto a balcony and drops a rose to the ground.  He picks it up and climbs the trellis, entering the chamber above.  Methinks this is also Lillian Groag’s Don Giovanni.

Don Giovanni (Tobias Greenhalgh) surprises Donna Elvira (Sarah Larsen) and Donna Anna (Rachelle Durkin) with flowers at the same time. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera

Don Giovanni is a great opera, but it also points to what I feel is missed opportunities in opera today – too little focus on producing operas that show human relationships in today’s terms.  Mozart spoke to the social order and customs and mores of his day, a time with with kings and queens and noblemen.  The themes are certainly still relevant, but do millennials identify with those times?  A young woman seated behind me exclaimed as intermission began, “Those women (referring to Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and Zerlina). They’re idiots!”  Do the young women of today not identify with these three characters?  I don’t know and where are today’s operas that might enlighten us?  Imagine Don Juan as a star quarterback at a major university today.  Joe Namath once bragged about the hundreds of coeds that he bedded while at the University of Alabama and basketball great Wilt Chamberlain put his number in the thousands.  Don’t you think such a story would bring millennials to the opera, not just because it is sensational, but because it is more clearly relevant to their lives today? No opera for that?  Too sensational maybe? Mozart and Da Ponte had to battle censors. I think it’s unfortunate.  Don Giovanni’s message about the disruptive effect of eros on our lives is worthy of exploring in modern terms. I will further contend that only the power of opera can do that theme justice. 

The ghost of the Commendatore (Nathan Stark) offers Don Giovanni (Tobias Greenhalgh) one last chance to repent. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera

As I left the theater Friday night, I swear I heard a sound of crying coming from somewhere in the Harrison Opera House.  I think it was Donna Elvira and she was whimpering, “The human heart – it’s a bitch!”

Virginia Opera’s Don Giovanni - Go see it.  Go see it because it is a great opera, maybe the greatest.  Go see it because you want to hear some of Mozart’s best music.  Go see it because you want to laugh.  Go see it because you want to demonstrate how cultured you are.  Go see it because you want to get into arguments with your spouse and friends and me.  Perhaps, go see it because it is the best telling of the Don Juan story and there is nothing like it out there today!

The Fan Experience:  Don Giovanni plays once more in Norfolk on November 6, then moves to Fairfax for performances on November 10, 11, before finishing in Richmond on 16, 18. 

As always the pre-opera talk 45 minutes before the opera by Dr. Glenn Winters, VA Opera’s Community Outreach and Musical Director, is informative and entertaining; in fact, I have never seen him so passionate as he was about Don Giovanni.  Also check out his blog reports on Don Giovanni.  And as always it was standing room only; get there early. 

The Harrison Opera House in Norfolk. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera.

My visit to the Harrison Opera House allowed me to complete the Virginia Opera hat trick.  I have seen performances in the George Mason University’s Center for the Arts at Fairfax, the Dominion Arts Center in Richmond, and the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk.  Maybe some time I will compare them in a blog post.  I will say that I liked the Harrison as a moderate size opera house with modern décor, ample parking, and easy in/easy out.  I also hope to go back when I can spend some time exploring Norfolk and environs. 

Opera Lafayette’s Cerere Placata: Those Crazy Rich Neapolitans

Opera Lafayette is DC’s portal to 18th century musical gems that have largely disappeared from view over the ensuing centuries.  From a century that included Bach, Beethoven, Donizetti, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Rossini, and Schubert, among others, it is difficult to get noticed and played today.  Many excellent musical works from that period lay dormant.  Cerere Placata (1772) by composer Niccoló Jommelli and librettist Michele Sarcone certainly qualifies.  Ryan Brown, founder, artistic director, violinist, and conductor of OL since its inception, has made discovering these compositions and their performance on period instruments OL’s mission and his life’s work.  Until Sunday night, he had never turned over the reins of the orchestra to another conductor.  Flutist Charles Brink, who has served in the OL orchestra and has an interest in music history used four of the five existing copies of Niccoló Jommelli’s score to painstakingly construct what he believes to be the most authentic version of Cerere Placata. Mr. Brown worked with Mr. Brink on this project and allowed him to conduct Cerere, its first performance since its original presentation 246 years ago. 

Portait of Niccoló Jommelli and a bust of him on the walls of Opera Garnier, Paris. Photos in public domain and copied from Wikipedia.

So, let’s go back to Naples in 1772.  This is now the major center of music in the 18th century; at that time it was known as the “conservatory of Europe”.  There were three schools of music operating in Naples that took in boys between the ages of eight and twelve for a ten-year period of full-time study.  Many of the major composers resided or studied there and the opera house, Teatro di San Carlo, was renown across Europe.  Nicoló Jommelli was born outside of Naples and returned there for the last years of his life as perhaps the most celebrated composer of his time; he died two years after completing Cerere.  His legacy has been one of influence over the music and composers of that period, including a young Mozart. 

It was customary in those days for major events to be celebrated and commemorated with a new musical composition, referred to as a festa teatrale, a music drama performed in concert.  Cerere Placata was commissioned to celebrate the birth and baptism of Princess Maria Teresia di Borbone, daughter of the King and Queen of Naples and Sicily, and who was destined to become the first Empress of Austria through marriage.  Well, those crazy Neapolitans knew how to throw a party for such an occasion, especially enriched by Spain’s King Charles III who sent an emissary to help organize and spare no expense for this extravaganza.  They partied for weeks and everything had to be first rate.  They got the best composer (Jommelli) to create the festa teatrale and the best singers and dancers to perform it; four of the soloists were the top singers in Europe at the time.  We were told at the pre-performance talk that the original opera had 18 rehearsals and the accompanying ballet had 38.  Any of today’s stage directors around the world would be drooling, and company budget managers would be taking tranquilizers.

left: Jennifer Casey-Cabot as Cerere. right: Laetitia Grimaldi as Proserpina. Photos by Russell Hirshorn; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

A distinguished physician and epidemiologist, Michele Sarcone was selected to write the libretto.  Sarcone would not go on to be a famous librettist, but his medical work would become important in the field of immunizations.  He developed a drama based on the popular story of Persephone’s abduction by Hades, but veered significantly away to suit the politics and the requirements of the occasion, and of course, used the Italian names relating to Roman gods (who correspond to a similar set of Greek gods).  Proserpina and Titano (King of Spain) have eloped since her Mother Cerere, Queen of Sicily, refused to give permission for them to marry.  Cerere believes her daughter was abducted and in her rage vows to have any foreigners who enter Sicilian territory killed.  The young lovers wash up on shore in a storm, fearful of encountering the angry Queen.  We hear a lot from Cerere about being torn between rage and love; from Proserpina and Titano about their love for each other and fear of mom’s revenge; from Cerere’s counselor Alfeo about not acting too harshly; and from the high priest about proper order where Cerere is the law – live with it or die with it.  Just when we thought the couple was done for, the lights shine for Giove (Jupiter) in the back of the auditorium. He swoops in to proclaim that the couple about to be put to death is favored by the gods and destined to produce heirs that will become great rulers, including Maria Teresia.  Mom does one of the all time great about faces and is delighted = grandkids!  I make light of it, but the emotions being expressed up to that point were affecting and the tension until the ending, which comes across as comical today, was palpable.  The opera was given in concert form, but even so, the players are in character and must move around as well as off and back on stage, and use gestures to add to the drama; kudos to stage manager Paul Peers for making this effective.

left: Stephanie Houtzeel as Titano. right: Thomas Michael Allen as Alfeo. Photos by Russell Hirshorn; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

I have grown to think of OL productions as part PBS special and part pure entertainment.  For me, Part I of Cerere Placata was mainly PBS special.  I watched and listened out of interest at hearing something new and mostly pleasurable overall, but to this untrained ear, early it didn’t always sound quite right, can’t put my finger on it; maybe it was just unfamiliar music to me.  However, Part II provides an impressive aria smackdown, and it got good, real good.  I would go see Part II again.  The music was more interesting and the playing smoother.  Perhaps the 26-piece orchestra and Conductor Brink were hitting their stride.  I especially liked the oboes in some of the arias, one especially mirroring a lovely aria by Proserpina.  And as each singer took their turn delivering an aria, my internal picking of whom was best kept changing.  I would also go to hear this cast of singers again.  It was synchronicity that I just read a definition of “accompanied recitative” the other day, whereby the orchestra instead of a single instrument such as a piano or harpsichord accompanies the recitative; it can add to the dramatic impact of the text.  Jommelli was a master of this form and it was effectively employed in Cerere.

Laetitia Grimaldi as Proserpina and Stephanie Houtzeel as Titano. Photo by Russell Hirshorn; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Cerere’s rage and threats were played to perfection by soprano Jennifer Casey-Cabot; I wouldn’t want her angry with me.  Some of her runs could easily expose any singing flaws and every note was spot on, a very impressive performance.  Her daughter Proserpina was played by soprano Laetitia Grimaldi who brought a colorful voice and spark to her role.  These two were very convincing as a mother-daughter pair in conflict.  Ms. Grimaldi also had a very lovely duet with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Houtzeel who played Titano;  Proserpina says she will kill herself if he is put to death and Titano tries to persuade her not to.  Ms. Houtzeel has a warm, velvety voice and an assured stage presence that made her a stand out; her arias might have been my favorite.  Her acting had a Shakespearian quality; she could play both Lady and Lord Macbeth!  And not to be overlooked in the outstanding category was lyric tenor Thomas Michael Allen who played Alfeo trying to reason with Cerere.  Hearing his beautiful voice and singing, I had the feeling of wanting to hear him sing in the Messiah.  Soprano Arianna Zukerman who played the high priest has a powerful voice and used it to bring authority to her role.  Tenor Patrick Kilbride who played Giove sang well, I think.  Actually, his appearance on stage was a surprise and was short, and he moved about the aisles and stage much like a Las Vegas showman pushing his singing into the background, but it was a happy, if rollicking, finish.

In a curtain call for Cerere Placata’s first performance in 246 years, at center, Conductor Charles Brink holds up his copy of Jommelli’s score. Photo by Russell Hirshorn; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.

Opera Lafayette has a loyal fan base and are now coming close to, if not, selling out the Terrace Theater.  Personally, I no longer ponder whether I want to attend an OL performance or not; I just go.  Their productions are as authentic as you can get.  They often include dance as part of their performances.  I wish some of the ballet had been included on Sunday night.  However, as it was, the opera ran three hours.  Throw in a ballet and you are pushing into Wagnerian territory.  As I said, those crazy rich Neapolitans knew how to party, by Giove!

The Fan Experience: Opera Lafayette has two more productions this season: Handel’s Radamisto on February 5 and Stradela’s La Susanna on April 21, 22. I typically recommend that opera goers attend the pre-performance talks for information and insights that will increase their enjoyment of the opera, but I especially recommend them for Opera Lafayette productions because the works will most likely be so unfamiliar to you.  On Sunday night, Director Ryan Brown, Conductor Charles Brink, and Dr. Anthony DelDonna (professor of musicology at Georgetown University and author of “Eighteenth-Century Opera”) held a fascinating group discussion as the pre-performance talk.  Some of the information in this blog report was gleaned from their comments.

Director Lillian Groag Talks about Don Giovanni: Hers Will Be Mozart’s Version

The great composers, Rossini, Gounod, and Wagner suggested Don Giovanni as the greatest opera ever written; many critics, musicologists, and opera buffs agree.  Thus, it is performed hundreds of times each year across the globe.  Many of these productions will be new or modified versions where the director puts their spin on this oft-told tale of an 18th century Don Juan.  New productions may change the time period, the costumes, the setting, the text, the language, the story line, even sexual orientations of the characters, giving emphasis to a particular view of the story.  In one of the more famous modernized productions, directed by Peter Sellars and broadcast by PBS in 1991, Giovanni is a street-wise thug in South Bronx and Donna Anna has a drug problem; early on, instead of telling her, “Foolish woman! Your screams are in vain,” Giovanni tells her, “Shut up, bitch.”  A different perspective, no?  Rossini, Gounod, and Wagner were not around to see that version, or the various ways their own operas have been modernized; I would love to see their reactions if they did.

Lillian Groag, Director of Virginia Opera’s production of Don Giovanni, which runs November 2-18. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.

We can discuss the merits of updating old works another time, and there are merits.  For now, let’s talk about Virginia Opera’s Don Giovanni (1787, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte).  This will not be my first, or second, Don Giovanni, but I am excited about seeing it again for two reasons.  First, presenting the Don Juan story in the #MeToo era makes it extremely timely, as does its first use of the element of horror in opera, so prevalent in today’s movies and TV shows.  Second, the Director for this production, Lillian Groag, is gifted.  Ms. Groag, in addition to other activities, has directed productions for VA Opera for twenty-five years; she previously directed their 2010 production of Don Giovanni, which I did not see.  Ones directed by her that I have seen have made me a fan.  Her recent La Fanciulla del West was excellent and her Turandot was spectacular.  The reviews of the 2010 production were glowing, described as “powerful and bracing under Lillian Groag’s assured direction”.  I was very curious what Director Groag thought of Don Giovanni today and she graciously agreed to speak with me.

Mozart/Da Ponte’s Don Giovanni is perhaps its most famous telling of the Don Juan story.  A wealthy aristocrat in 18th century Spain uses his looks, charm, and power in constant pursuit of sexual conquest.  He is sensationally successful, but the story begins with one gone wrong.  He, wearing a mask, is being chased by Donna Anna as he flees from her chambers where he has forced himself upon her; her elderly father, the Commendatore, comes to her defense and is killed in a sword fight.  Over the next day or so, Giovanni, traveling with Leporello, his enabling mercenary, comes upon a previous conquest, Donna Elvira, whom he abandoned and is now pursuing him for revenge (he later seduces her maid); encounters a young country girl, Zerlina, who he tries to seduce on her wedding day; and comes face to face with a graveyard statue that talks, and whom Don Giovanni invites to dinner.  The dinner goes badly, and the Don is escorted to Hell all the while refusing to repent.  The funny thing about Don Giovanni, the opera, is that it is also a comedy.  Da Ponte labeled it a “dramma giocoso” or “jocular play”; Mozart called it an opera buffa. It’s actually quite funny, except for when it isn’t.

Pre-production cast photo: Tobias Greenhalgh as Don Giovanni and Rachelle Durkin as Donna Anna. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.cast

One might ask then what is Don Giovanni really about?  Is it just an unhinged master/bumbling side kick comedy team wandering from calamity to calamity?  Even prior to Don Giovanni, Don Juan was presented as a Commedia Dell’Arte play with its set of comedic characters, but such theater was not just for laughs.  It’s comedy arose by mirroring human foibles, and the Mozart/Da Ponte team also used this approach as a little sugar to help the medicine go down and see ourselves as we are.  Mozart had a twinke in his eye and Da Ponte was a bit of a Casanova himself.  They approached the opera with levity and forbearance, yet were direct in dealing with its serious elements.

Pre-production cast photo: Sarah Larsen as Donna Elvira and Tobias Greenhalgh as Don Giovanni. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.cast

Director Groag sees the comedy in Don Giovanni as essential.  Otherwise the audience will be weary of what is essentially a CBS 60 Minutes news exposé going on too long.  She also thinks it is necessary to deliver palatably their critical message for audiences to ponder.  She points out that Giovanni is not a real person.  She views him as Dionysus incarnate.  As he makes clear in the opera, he lives for wine, women, and song and little else, undeterred and unabashed.  What human would invite a ghost to dinner and refuse to repent his ways as he walked with him to the underworld?  This reveals the driving force for the opera – Don Giovanni knows what makes him feel alive; he laughs at your rules and he will not be broken. 

Don’t you envy that just a bit?  His victims are in various ways complicit in their downfall or at least suspect.  Donna Elvira wants to be married to Don Giovanni more than she wants revenge; she hopes to change him.  Zerlina in the face of flattery and authority succumbs readily.  Donna Anna intrigues me; we can’t know the entirety of what happened in her bedroom with Giovanni.  When I read the libretto, I bought her story, but Director Groag raises questions even about her – she accepts a masked nobleman into her bed chamber in the middle of the night thinking it was her mild-mannered fiancé, Don Ottavio, who could see her anytime?  Really? Ms. Groag also turns her microscope on Leporello, Giovanni’s aide.  Leporello is constantly complaining about his boss’s misdeeds and threatening to quit, but for a few gold doubloons, he stays.  Know any people in the news today that sound like that?  The motivations of these characters have been the subject of debates for over two centuries now, a testament to the greatness of this work.

Human beings are wont to both behave and stray, wanting the acceptance and protection of the group and wanting to freely run in the flow that makes us feel most alive.  The Mozart/Da Ponte team was expert at bringing complex human beings to life on the stage.  Even Don Giovanni is part human being, that part of us that loves flattery and wine, women, and song, and longs for the freedom to pursue them without restraint, which brings us to what I think is Director Groag’s view of the central element of the opera, the power of eros to disrupt our will to be civilized, to conform to societal norms.  The moral path follows along the edge of a cliff with Sirens calling below.  What has changed for Director Groag since her 2010 Don Giovanni is the clarity with which she now sees the message that Mozart and Da Ponte bring to us, and therefore, she believes even more strongly that it must be presented as Mozart and Da Ponte wrote it, word for word.

Pre-production cast photo: Sarah Larsen as Donna Elvira, Zachary Altman as Leporello, Rachelle Durkin as Donna Anna, and Tobias Greenhalgh as Don Giovanni. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of Virginia Opera.

Not that the earlier and present productions will be exactly the same.  A major difference is that the singers are different.  Giovanni requires two excellent baritones (Don Giovanni and Leporello), a tenor (Don Octavio), and three sopranos (Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and Zerlina) capable of both acting and singing music that is not easy to sing.  Director Groag says that every new singer brings their own interpretation to a role and thus each production has its own feel.  She is excited to be working with this cast of singers.  There will also be some minor changes; the costumes for logistical reasons will be 17th century rather than 18th century, which should be transparent to non-experts in costume design. 

I asked the Director what she hoped audiences would remember about Lillian Groag’s Don Giovanni.  She says she hopes the audience will depart feeling that they have been entertained.  She further points out that “this entertainment is not about nothing.  It is not an intellectual exercise either; it is a reactive experience.”  So, she hopes the attendees will be entertained and later over coffee or wine, or maybe lunch the next day, they will think about what one or more of the characters did and ask themselves, what’s going on here?  That would be satisfying.

I haven’t mentioned the music.  I assume you know that Mozart wrote this at the height of his musical powers and that it doesn’t get any better than this.  Director Groag has worked on a daily basis during rehearsals with Conductor Adam Turner in syncing the action and emotions with the music.  That is reason enough to go see Don Giovanni, and if you haven’t seen it before, this is the one to see first, the one that Mozart and Da Ponte intended.

The Fan Experience: Don Giovanni plays in Norfolk on November 2, 4, and 6; in Fairfax on November 10 and 11, and in Richmond on November 16 and 18.  Ticket prices range from $17 to $120; for tickets click on this link, but be aware that the different venues will have different prices and policies (discounts and student tickets, for example).  In general, the best sound quality will be in the middle of the theater, not on the sides or too upfront or way in the back.  However, I have sat in all locations in the Fairfax venue and they are all good, so don’t be afraid of the cheap seats if you can’t afford center orchestra. Live opera is great from any seat that doesn’t have restricted view (for cheap seats check with the box office on this point).  Also, if you are able to purchase your tickets at the box office you can save significant change on fees.  Performances are in Italian and have supertitles in English. 

Finally, Dr. Glenn Winters, Virginia Opera's Musical Outreach Musical Director, provides informative and entertaining pre-opera talks forty-five minutes before showtime; they and his several blog reports leading up to each opera are worthwhile aids to enhance your enjoyment of the opera - the pre-opera talks are frequently standing room only, so get there early.

Virginia Opera’s Street Scene: It Looks Just Like Us

Virginia Opera’s Street Scene provides a trip back into time and points to a future that did not happen as yet, though it allows us to live with the hope that it may still.  As I walked back to my car on Sunday afternoon, I felt a strange mix of nostalgia and unease.  It felt like I had sat down, flipping through an album of old photographs, remembering people and events, some good and some not so good – a forgotten, once cherished friend, an alcoholic uncle, an aunt with loose morals, a mother killed - while at the same time, an ethereal DJ played a mash up of songs going as far back as the pages I turned.  And as I put the album down, got up, and walked away, I wasn’t sure if I was walking in the past, the present, or the future, or a dream; all of the characters that had walked out on the stage had blended with those in my real life.  If you want affecting drama, this is it.

Children playing a game in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera.

Street Scene begins with its only set and it’s a fine one, the facade of a brick and stone tenement in 1940s New York City and the sidewalk and street in front carrying local traffic and passersby and residents hanging about.  In the course of a day, compressed into a two-and-a-half-hour opera, we meet and are touched by the lives of over thirty men, women, and children.  The set and costumes give this period piece just the right feel. Kudos to David Hartwell for the original scenic design for Center City Opera and to Aaron Chvatal for the original costume designs for Brevard Music Center.  And special kudos to Director Dorothy Danner who, as the action begins, brings it all to life in a most effective and engaging way with each vignette flowing seamlessly into the next; well done! 

left: Maureen McKay as Rose Maurrant. right: Jill Gardner as Anna Maurant. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera.

While many stories are told, the opera’s focus is on the Maurrant family where the mother Anna (soprano Jill Gardner), out of quiet desperation for affection, has begun an affair with the milkman (ask your grandparents who those were), a scandal to the gossipy neighbors who live in the large tenement building alongside her.  Her husband Frank (bass Zachary James), an embittered, threatening man comes home early to find his wife with her lover and dispatches both of them.  Their teenage daughter Rose (Maureen Mckay), is emotionally involved with Sam Kaplan (David Blalock), a young man in the tenement, but works for a boss trying to make her a conquest, with behavior that would get him fired today, we hope.  As a result of the turmoil of her parent’s and her own lives, she makes an insightful decision about marriage and her future to close the show.  Street Scene not only engages personal longings, but social issues as well, a fact that may have limited it popularity.  We are presented with Sam’s dad Abraham (Alan Fischer), who vehemently spouts socialist rhetoric on issues still confronting us today.

left: Zachary James as Frank Maurrant and Jill Gardner as Anna. right: Peter Kendall Clark as Harry Easter, Rose’s boss, and Maureen McKay as Rose. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera.

Composer Kurt Weill’s music in Street Scene is a blend of musical genres, show tunes, jazz, blues, and doing the heavy lifting, opera.  If you like forties/fifties musicals, you should like this opera.  When it premiered on Broadway, it ran for 148 straight performances.  Played by the Virginia Opera Orchestra, led by Conductor Adam Turner (also now Artistic Director), the music jitters and bugs its way and puts us in the mood for the ups and downs of the lives being witnessed, paving the way for the emotionally intense arias connecting us to the unfolding drama.  Ensemble pieces provide some fun and lighten the mood, such as an ode to ice cream, a stand out song and dance number “Moon-Faced, Starry-Eyed” by dancers/singers Ahnastasia Albert and David Michael Bevis, and a delightful children’s number “Catch Me If You Can”, infused with the sting of class conscientiousness.  In recent times, Street Scene has been adopted by opera companies; I have been listening to the album by the original Broadway cast.  The music is really good, and I find myself surprised this work has not been revived on Broadway. 

left: Benjamin Werley as Lippo Fiorentino singing about ice cream. right: Song and dance by David Michael Bevis as Dick McGann and Ahnastasia Albert as Mae Jones. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera.

I will single out just a few of the players for comment, but I emphasize that the cast was uniformly excellent and contributed to cohesive storytelling through their acting and singing.  Here are a few personal favorites that stand out in memory:

Soprano Jill Gardner delivers again for VA Opera, with a moving and emotionally sung portrayal of Anna Maurant;  I loved her aria “Somehow I Could Never Believe”.

Soprano Maureen McKay moves easily between musical theater and opera in a convincing portrayal of Rose Maurrant; she seems a natural for musical theater.

Baritone Trevor Neal who plays the janitor had a voice that wrapped itself around the stage and a poignant song, “I Got a Marble and a Star”.

Baritone Peter Kendall Clark plays the despicable boss and yet has such stage presence and sings so well that I almost liked him.

Mezzo-soprano Margaret Gawrysiak as the nosy neighbor Emma Jones handles this role so believably that she almost goes unnoticed; she shouldn’t be.

Soprano Brooke Nicole Jones as the young Jennie who just got a scholarship represents the promise of youth; her colorful voice singing “ Wrapped in a Ribbon and Tied in a Bow” made me want to hear more of her.

Talin Nalbandian who pays Nursemaid #1 in a minor role reveals a lovely mezzo-soprano voice that I want to hear more of also.

left: Rose (Maureen McKay) holds her mothers hand as she is taken away. right: Rose (Maureen McKay) gives her decision to Sam (David Blalock). Photo by Ben Schill Photography; courtesy of the Virginia Opera.

Street Scene is not without issues, I think.  Both the plot and musical development are somewhat dated at this point.  The inventiveness and universal elements shine through but the fashion and references are out of date.  Some of the stereotypes, such as the Italian Mr. Fiorentino (tenor Benjamin Werley), are over the top for today.  Frank Maurrant’s character is so one-sided he simply becomes a villain, not at all a sympathetic character, making his closing aria “I Loved Her Too” impossible to believe.  The musical genres mostly line up separately; I wish composer Weill had not died so young; perhaps he would have further developed their integration. My son had an interesting perspective on the plot development.  He would have finished off Ms. Maurrant in Act I to make room for greater development of the Rose character in Act II.  He wanted to know how Rose’s beautiful insight that you ought to belong to yourself played out.

Poet and librettist Langston Hughes used Elmer Rice’s eponymous play to give us a look at ourselves in 1946 so we might overcome our circumstances.  Kurt Weill meant this to be something new, a fusion of opera and musical theater, an American form of opera (see my blog report on Virginia Opera’s new season for more background). Neither the opera nor the drama seems to have had the influence that we might have wanted.  The personal, social, and political issues unveiled still remain in some form.  New opera is still searching for its direction, and if this team were writing this today and how I wish they were, the only new human element might be disillusionment that the same problems remain, as Mr. Hughes puts it, ‘between the cries of being born and the moans of dying’.  Finally, what about Rose?  Did she manage to belong to herself?

Street Scene is a find. I love the traditional great operas, but I would also like to see more contemporary verismo operas that present people today as they are, that I can more easily relate to, not Greek gods and medieval nobility, and that offer new musical approaches.  With such a large cast, this could not have been an inexpensive opera to mount.  Kudos to Virginia Opera for their vision and courage to bring to Virginia audiences important works that are outside the traditional repertoire.

The Fan Experience: There are two more performances of Street Scene, on Friday evening, October 12 and Sunday afernoon, October 14 in Richmond; use this link for tickets.  I recommend that you arrive for the pre-opera talk 45 min before the opera by Dr. Glenn Winters, VA Opera’s Musical Outreach Director, and read his series of blog reports on the opera.  He compares Street Scene to other operas and points out the musical homage that Kurt Weill makes to other composers, and gives you hints on things to listen for; his insights into the music and the drama will add to your enjoyment of the performance.

Washington National Opera’s La Traviata: Breathing New Life Into Violetta

WNO began a two-week run on Saturday night of its new production of La Traviata by composer Giuseppe Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave.  This opera, this season alone, is scheduled for 459 performances across the globe; it has been performed since 1853. It is fair to ask why do we the opera going public keep going to see this opera, and thereby cause opera companies to keep putting it on their schedules?  It looked like a full house on Saturday night. Admittedly, it is a great story taken from the play La Dame aux Camélias (1852) written by Alexandre Dumas fils (son of the famous author, Alexandre Dumas pére – think The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo).  The play was inspired by the life of a real-life Parisian courtesan, Marie Duplessis, who died of consumption and with whom Dumas, the son, had had a non-exclusive liaison that lasted a little under a year.  La Traviata is said to be Verdi’s most realistic opera.  

The party begins with Violetta (Venera Gimadieva) the center of attention. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of the Washington Natonal Opera.

Italian opera authority David Kimbell has stated that La Traviata is based on “a single moral idea – that of an ideal of love which survives all man’s attempts to exploit and corrupt it.”  Violetta is a beautiful Parisian courtesan in the 18th century who has chosen a life of pleasure, quite successfully so, while sacrificing her reputation in polite society.  She is in fact a well-paid sex worker in her early twenties, but she is also brilliant, graceful, and charming, qualities that cause her to be adored by those in polite society who come out at night.  She is well aware of the costs of her chosen path (la traviata translates as one who has gone astray, i.e., a fallen woman), but she prefers this life to the pain and weariness that the world lavishes on those who choose more acceptable professions.  She has developed consumption, almost always fatal in that era.  At one of the salon parties she meets Alfredo Germont, a young man from a respectable, well-to-do family.  He has fallen in love with her and his words stir a secret desire within her to love and be loved.  They live happily together for a short time in the country side before Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, appears to plead in private with her to release his son to allow Alfredo to live a respectable life and allow his sister to marry into a respectable family.  Violetta, at great personal suffering, summons the will to do the honorable thing, and in the only way possible, by returning to her former life.  Alfredo, who believes her act, angrily insults her in public before departing with his father.  Later, the father, stricken by guilt, confesses to Alfredo, and the lovers are reunited, moments before she dies.

left: Joshua Guerrero as Alfredo Germont and Venera Gimadieva as Violetta. right: Venera Gimadieva as Violetta and Lucas Meachem as Giorgio Germont. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of the Washington National Opera.

Terrific stuff, but how many times do you want to hear the same great story?  Honestly, I attended WNO’s new production of La Traviata on Saturday night largely because that is what was showing.  The chance to hear Verdi’s music and its incomparable arias sung by a cast of highly-regarded singers made my decision more palatable.  I was also curious to see what this new production by Director Francesca Zambello would be like; she is also WNO’s artistic director. 

There were two stars to the evening: as anticipated, soprano Venera Gimadieva, making her first U.S. appearance, and Ms. Zambello, who breathed new life into this oft told tale.  The opera very much lives or dies based upon how convincing and compelling the soprano who plays Violetta can be, and Ms. Gimadieva gave us an excellent performance.  I was not sure this was going to be the case early in Act I, but by the close of the first act, the warmth and beauty of her voice was in full radiance.  It is worth going to see and hear her Violetta.  On the other hand, I personally did not care for tenor Joshua Guerrero’s portrayal of Alfredo, neither singing nor acting; he was not convincing or compelling to me (in fairness, both my wife and son thought he was a good Alfredo).  I had mixed feelings about Lucas Meachem who plays Germont, the father.  He has a commanding baritone voice to go along with a commanding stage presence.  His portrayal of Germont senior was convincing, though stoic, perhaps to a fault.  I thought he shone best in his scenes with his son as more human, rather than with Violetta.  Several of the minor roles were well played by current or former Domingo-Cafritz young artists, including mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel as salon proprietor Flora, tenor Arnold Livingston Geis as Gaston, Alfredo’s friend, soprano Alexandra Shiner as nurse Annina, and bass Timothy Bruno as Dr. Grenvil.  The orchestra led by Conductor Renato Palumbo must have played well considering how much I enjoyed the arias.  However, when I focused on the orchestra, it seemed to vary between almost disappearing and then charging in like the calvary; it seemed uneven to me.  The chorus under the direction of Chorus Master Steven Gathman added enjoyment to the evening, especially when singing in smaller groupings and using softer tones.

left: Arnold Livingston Geis as Gastone and Deborah Nansteel as Flora partying. right: Spanish dancers enliven the party. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of the Washington National Opera.

The other star of the night was Director Francesca Zambello.  There are features of her new production to take issue with, but on the whole, this was WNO’s turn at making opera fun by giving the audience something fresh and different, visually arresting.  For me, it did not succeed as well at fully drawing me into the drama, but did well enough.  The focus seemed to be on the show, the costumes, the sets, the lighting, and the dancing.  All were, in fact, stunning.  The nineteenth century costumes were beautiful, the sets were eye pleasing with a depth and perspective supported by lighting effects that made the scenery both attractive and convincing.  The dancers in colorful costumes showed enthusiasm and fire; though, while delightful, the dance number leading off Act II seemed gratuitous.  Kudos to Costume Designer Jess Goldstein, Set Designer Peter Davidson, Lighting Designer Mark McCollough, and Choreographer Parker Esse.  Ms. Zambello began with the ending with Violetta in a hospital bed as Verdi’s overture played; the overture is sad for about thirty seconds and then becomes more lively dissociating from the action on stage.  This was saved somewhat by Violetta bouncing out of bed revealing her party dress and off she went, though that did not seem like someone gravely ill.  There was another such moment at the opera’s close when Violetta imitates Tosca, but hey, adding something unexpected to refresh this opera is not a bad thing.  The symbolism of having Germont entertain himself with birds in a cage and then pluck petals from a flower as he pleaded with Violetta were double edged as changes tend to be; they made him seem unconcerned with Violetta’s feelings, but then it was harder to believe his conversion in the end.  Overall, staging got an A from me for making something old new.

Alfredo (Joshua Guerrero) comforts Violetta (Venera Gimadieva) in her final moments. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of the Washington National Opera.

So, why do we keep going back to La Traviata?  We keep going back to our favorite restaurant for our favorite dish for both the pleasure and the nourishment.  La Traviata pleases, especially in sparkling productions such as this one, but what does it nourish?  I often try to put into words what the arts give us that keeps us going back, even for the same thing, and I consistently feel I come up short.  I recently read this quote by Ned Rorem, “If music could be translated into human speech, it would no longer need to exist.”  Maybe, this is the case for the arts in general.  As one of my favorite comedians says, “I can’t tell you why, I just know it’s true.”

The Fan Experience: Future performances by the Gimadieva-Guerrero-Meachem cast will be on Oct 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21.  The Jacqueline Echols – Mario Chang – Michael Chioidi cast will perform on Oct 14, 20.  There will be one performance on Oct 19 by the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists.  Tickets can be accessed here.

My son and I took the Silver Line Metro to Foggy Bottom and walked to the Kennedy Center.  It took about 8 min to walk.  The red Kennedy Center shuttle bus waiting at the metro stop left the station after we did and it beat us there by about 3 minutes. As we were speeding down the middle of I-66 on the subway, I felt sympathy for the folks in the cars fighting the congestion.

Met Opera’s Live HD in Cinemas Broadcasts Begin Saturday: Ten Operas in New Season

The Metropolitan Opera, whose 2018-2019 season runs from September 24 through May 11, will initiate their series of broadcasts into movie theaters, around the U.S. and abroad, on Saturday, October 6.  There are ten operas that will be broadcast live in the new season.  My impression is that this series is quite popular in the Washington DC area, in no small measure due to the Met’s imprimatur; my wife and I typically make a homage to Lincoln Center in NYC at least once or twice a year.  In my area, the good reserved cinema seats sell out months in advance for the “live” broadcasts that occur simultaneously with the performance.  An bonus attraction for the In Cinemas broadcasts is the interviews during intermission with performers and staff for the opera, and insights given into the inner workings of the Met.  Also appealing is that the dress is very casual, and popcorn is allowed in the theaters. 

I keep harping on one point, so here it is one more time: though I personally enjoy attending the In Cinemas broadcasts, they do not match the experience of attending the live event itself.  Nothing compares to being there, even without the popcorn.

Season preview video from Youtube.

Met live HD in Cinemas lineup for the 2018-2019 season:

·       Aida: Oct 6 (live), 10 (re-broadcast)

·       Samson and Dalila: Oct 20 (live), 24 (re-broadcast)

·       La Fanciulla del West: Oct 27 (live), 31 (re-broadcast)

·       Marnie: Nov 10 (live), 14 (re-broadcast)

·       La Traviata: Dec 15 (live), 19 (re-broadcast)

·       Adriana Lecouvreur: Jan 12 (live) 16 (re-broadcast)

·       Carmen: Feb 2 (live), 6 (re-broadcast)

·       La Fille du Regiment: Mar 2 (live), 6 (re-broadcast)

·       Die Walkure: Mar 30 (live), 3 (re-broadcast)

·       Dialogues des Carmelites: May 11 (live), 15 (re-broadcast)

Some things to know: Showtimes are Saturdays at noon, 12:30 pm, or 12:55 pm – check when you buy your ticket.  The re-broadcast (termed an “encore”) of each opera typically takes place on the following Wednesday; these are not as popular as the live broadcasts on Saturdays, so good seats usually continue to be available closer to performance time, often the day of.  Individual theaters may have overriding policies as to when tickets for specific showings can be purchased; check with your local theater.  Each opera listed on the Met in Cinemas website includes a Find Theater button that will lead to a site where you can enter your city/state address and see theaters in your area (note: I have found that entering your zipcode does not work).  Wikipedia provides a history of this program. Tickets are in the in the $20-25 range, with discounts for children and seniors.  To select a performance and buy tickets, click here.

Intermissions are a little tricky. When intermission begins don’t head for the restrooms just yet; the performer and staff interviews come next. After the interviews, there is a 15-20 minute intermission when you can leave for the restrooms and refill your soda without missing anything.

What interests me that's coming up: In general, the Met holds lord over most other opera companies in the U.S. for two reasons: first, resources and the size of the venue; nobody can do spectacles like the Met.  Secondly, the Met imprimatur signifies that if you perform at the Met then you have made it in the opera world; so, the Met can attract the best singers, musicians, and creative staff, not that they always do. 

The Met has done a good job of picking out the operas on their 2018-2019 schedule that I would most like to see this year for live HD in Cinemas broadcasta; here are a few reasons:

Anna Netrebko – possibly the reigning top diva in the world, she appears in Aida and Adriana Lecouvreur.  Aida is one of Verdi’s greats, and this is Netrebko’s first time in the role (note: Sondra Radanovsky, also a stand out diva, rotates in the role with Anna for the other live performances at the Met; always check to see if an opera you want to attend has your preferred cast on the date you wish to go).  I have not seen Adriana Lecouvreur before and read that it is not a great opera, but is a great star vehicle; in this opera Anna is paired with tenor favorite Piotr Beczala.

Samson and Dalila and La Fanciulla del West I have seen recently, and my opinion of both these operas has risen quite high.  With Samson you get Elina Garanča and Robert Alagna, top rated talent (read Anne Midgette’s review here).  With La Fanciulla you get a chance to hear top tenor Jonas Kaufmann, who hasn’t been around in awhile, and focus on the beautiful Puccini music.

Nico Muhly’s Marnie – okay, I’m just curious and it has Isabel Leonard and is based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Dialogues des Carmelites – This opera by Francis Poulenc has an unusual opera structure.  The story of nuns committing martyrdom sounds depressing, but again it has Ms. Leonard.

La Fille du Regiment – I can do Pretty Yende.  I also am anxious to hear tenor Javier Camarena who has been getting rave reviews.  A knee operation caused me to miss this one in DC.

Get your seats early.  Better yet, go see these jewels in the perfect setting, the Big Apple!

Washington National Opera’s 2018-2019 Season: It’s Here, Something For Everyone

If football has geared up and baseball is headed into the playoffs, it can only mean that opera season is upon us, and for Washingtonians, it means WNO’s first offering is about to raise the curtain.  Verdi’s La Traviata kicks off on Saturday for an eleven-performance run over two weeks, rotating two professional casts and a single performance with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists.  Contemporary opera fans will not have to wait long: Silent Night starts in early November. Kids will get a turn in December with The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me.  This mix of old and new will continue in January when the new works commissioned by the American Opera Initiative are presented, including the hour-long chamber opera, Taking Up Serpents. Then we have trips to Russia (Eugene Onegin), France (Faust), and a return to Italy (Tosca) to finish out the season.

WNO Season 2018-2019

La Traviata (1853) – Oct 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21

Silent Night (2011) - Nov 10, 14, 17, 18, 20, 23, 25

The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me (2013) – Dec 14, 15, 16

Taking Up Serpents (American Opera Initiative, 2019) – Jan 11, 13

Three New 20-Min Operas (American Opera Initiative, 2019) – Jan 12

Eugene Onegin (1879) - Mar 9, 17, 20, 23, 25, 29

Faust (1859) - Mar 16, 18, 22, 24, 27, 30

Tosca (1900) - May 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 25

Jacqueline Echols as Violetta and Joshua Guerrero as Alfredo. Photo by Cade Martin; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

La Traviata: La Traviatas are all about the sumptuous music and Violetta, the secretly ill courtesan who lives for pleasure until she falls in love and must make a heart wrenching choice (composer Giuseppe Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave).  Upfront, WNO gives us the choice of three Violettas. Rotating in the role will be Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva, American soprano Jacqueline Echols, and Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Marlen Nahhas.  You can see this as a dilemma, having to choose just one, or as an opportunity to see all three.  I will be giving first priority to Ms. Gimadieva because this will be her first U.S. appearance and she comes with rave reviews from Europe and Russia; she was also named by opera authority Fred Plotkin as one of the 40 under 40 opera singers to watch.  However, I can also give a strong endorsement to Ms. Echols whom I have seen in several minor roles that I praised in OperaGene blog reports, and this might be the breakout performance that propels her to stardom.  I am not yet familiar with Ms. Nahhas, but seeing the performances by young stars-in-the-making has its own special excitement.  The guys all have impressive CVs and add appeal, and they might also factor into which performance you decide to see.  Also adding luster to this La Traviata is that it will be a new production, directed by WNO’s Artistic Director Francesco Zambello with new set designs and turn-of-the century Paris costumes.  One of Ms. Zambello’s themes during her tenure at WNO has been to use color and art in WNO’s productions to increase their visual appeal (see the OperaGene reports on WNO’s Aida and Madame Butterfly). 

Production photo for Silent Night. Photo by Jeff Roffman for the Atlanta Opera; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

Silent Night: Coming up in November is the opera I anticipate will be the highlight of the season for me as a fan of new opera.  Silent Night by composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell tells the World War I story of a ceasefire initiated by trench soldiers of different nationalities to honor Christmas Eve; it is based on the film “Joyeux Noel”.  Mr. Puts won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Silent Night.  It has been regularly produced in the U.S. since its premiere in 2011, including productions in five cities this season.  The Puts/Campbell team worked together on two other operas, Manchurian Candidate and Elizabeth Cree; I am a fan of Cree which premiered at last year’s O18 Festival Opera Philadelphia.  The cast will be headed by Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists and recent graduates, bass Kevin Kellogg, tenor Alexander McKissick, and soprano Raquel Gonzalez.  I recently heard Mr. Kellogg’s strong bass voice in Maryland Lyric Opera’s La Fanciulla del West and Mr. McKissick’s impressive tenor voice as Romeo in Wolf Trap Opera’s excellent production of Romeo and Juliette. Contrasting with the beauty of the music is the ugliness of war. Depiction of warfare in the trenches has caused WNO to caution that this opera is appropriate for ages 12 and above, even though the scene is short, bloodless, and is obscured behind a scrim; better to err on the side of caution.

The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me: December is the holiday season and parents are always on the lookout for something festive to do with their kids.  WNO has an excellent option for you.  The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me presents a fable based on animals contending to lead Mary and Joseph to Bethelem and is based on a book of the same name by Jeanette Winterson with lyrics by poet J.D. McClatchy and music by Jeanine Tesori. Composer Tesori wrote music for “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “Shrek the Musical”, and has five Tony Award nominations. Directed by Francesca Zambello who has been involved with this opera from the beginning, the cast will principally be from The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists and the Washington Children’s Chorus.  Washington Post critic Anne Midgette provides an informative overview of this work as first presented in 2013. One immediate caution: kid’s operas at the Kennedy Center tend to sell out; get your tickets early. 

AOI: January belongs to the American Opera Initiative, WNO’s program to provide support and collaborative opportunities to emerging composers and librettists for the advancement of contemporary American opera.  On Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, a one-hour opera is premiered, and on Saturday evening three new 20-min operas are presented in two different performances, all using cast members from the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist program.  This year’s one-hour opera has composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Jerre Dye.  The story revolves around a daughter’s return home to the deep South when her father, a fire and brimstone preacher, is bitten by one of the snakes he handles.  I grew up in Georgia and its hard to say which scares me more, snakes or fire and brimstone preachers. You can read the bios for this talented team here: Ms. Sankaram; Mr. Dye.

Stock photo of Eugene Onegin. Photo by Todd Rosenberg; courtesy of Washington National Opera.

Eugene Onegin: The rest of the new year will be allotted to the traditional greats, beginning with Eugene Onegin by composer and librettist Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky based on the novel by Alexander Pushkin.  Tatiana is a young woman reared in the country who falls in love with a more mature, more sophisticated man, Eugene Onegin, and declares her love in a letter to him.  She is rejected, but as time passes the tables start to turn.  One of our favorite opera experiences for my wife and I was hearing Anna Nebtrebko sing Tatiana at the Metropolitan Opera.  WNO is bringing in talented Russian singers for the lead roles of Tatiana (soprano Anna Nechaeva), Onegin (baritone Igo Golovatenko), and Lensky (tenor Alexey Dolgov).  Tchaikovsky’s music is lush and lovely and Onegin has a central theme and melody that will stick in your head for a very long time. 

Faust: Faust with composer Charles Gounod and librettists Jules Barbier and Michael Carré has perhaps the best known story in the world - Dr. Faust sells his soul to the Devil to have his youth restored - and some of the most recognizable music in the repertoire.  Soprano Erin Wall who will play Marguerite is a highly sought after opera performer and concert artist.  Marco Puente (Faust), Raymond Aceto (Mephistopheles) and Joshua Hopkins (Valentin) have all earned stellar reputations.  WNO’s production was originated by Ms. Zambello with the Houston Grand Opera and uses a “storybook aesthetic”.

Tosca: Tosca’s librettists are Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.  The composer is…pause…let’s all bow, and repeat “we are not worthy several times” to…Giacomo Puccini!  I recently heard Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West played by an 80-piece orchestra on stage and now have an even greater respect his music.  And Tosca has some of his best.  It also has a dynamite tale of lust, power, critical miscues, a surprise plot twist or two, and a villain (Scarpia) that you can really sink your teeth into, and you will want to.  WNO will also do this one with rotating casts, but all performances will be anchored by renown base-baritone Alan Held as Scarpia, especially well-known to DC audiences; in many ways, this is Scarpia’s opera.  This year Mr. Held is serving his second stint as Artist in Residence for the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. 

The Fan Experience: Individual tickets are available for all performances at this time, though tickets for the The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me and American Opera Initiative already have limited availability.  For La Traviata and Tosca, be sure to select the date when the cast you wish to hear is performing. If you are interested in buying tickets to more than one opera, check with the box office at 202-467-4600 to see if subscriptions are still possible for two or more operas ; with subscriptions, you may be eligible parking discounts and/or other benefits, such as the ability to change your ticket to an alternate performance date.  Also remember that the Kennedy Center uses dynamic pricing which means that if certain performances are in high demand they may raise the prices for the remaining tickets closer to the performance.  Generally all operas will have a pre-opera talk by a local expert and some performances will have after opera Talk Backs with members of the cast and creative staff; check the WNO webpage for the opera of interest for exact times and dates.

Parking is available in the Kennedy Center Garage for $23, currently with discounts of $3 for pre-paid reservations. Traffic in the area near performance times is typically highly congested and can cause significant delays.  You can save wear and tear on your nerves by taking the subway to Foggy Bottom Metro stop and then the red KC bus parked right outside the station; it runs every fifteen minutes.

Please note that Silent Night carries the following statement: “This performance is recommended for audience members age 12 and up.”

O18’s Brenda di Lammermoor or is it Laurent di Lammermoor?

Lucia di Lammermoors are often best known for the sopranos who played the role of Lucia, and thus, the famous mad scene.  I have suggested that it might be helpful to just name each production of this very popular opera for the soprano.  In this case, Brenda Rae plays Lucia, so to aid our memories why not simply call it Brenda di Lammermoor.  Think how much easier it would be to remember which Opera Philadelphia Lucia that you saw or to find articles in Google on this production if it was so named.  However, my plan hit a bump with this production.  There are two prominent stars for this presentation.  As I will discuss more, Director Laurent Pelly’s fingerprints are all over this edition.  This one should also have an alias, Laurent di Lammermoor.

Lucia played by Brenda Rae. Photo by Steven Pisano; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

If you don’t know the story already, Lucia falls in love with and pledges herself to Edgardo from a rival family. Edgardo is the arch enemy of her brother Enrico who now heads her family.  Enrico desperately needs her to marry Lord Arturo to save the family from ruin.  With deception and pressure, he forces Lucia into the marriage.  Edgardo, who has been on travel, finds out and believes his betrothed has deceived him.  Under the strain, Lucia becomes unhinged and, well, lots of bad things happen.  The composer is Gaetano Donizetti and the librettist is Salvatore Cammarano.  This singing is bel canto and the music is a crowd pleaser.  However, key to your response to this opera is how you feel about Lucia. 

l: Lucia (Brenda Rae) has been summoned by Enrico (Troy Cook). r: Edgardo (Michael Spyres) and Lucia (Brenda Rae) sing of their love. Photos by Steven Pisano; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

My wife and I attended Friday night’s opening performance after attending Thursday night’s opening of Sky on Swings, the first of O18 Festival productions.  With Sky, Opera Philadelphia pushed into contemporary opera, facing a current topic head on.  With Lucia, they probe opera’s boundaries more modestly by giving us a classic opera in a new dress and new shoes and new accouterments. What you make of that might very well depend on whether you have seen Lucia before, especially a version you are fond of.  This was my wife’s first, and she became immersed in the story and enjoyed it.  I have seen Lucia a couple of times before, and while I enjoyed this OP performance, I viewed it more like I was going to see what Christmas decorations Saks has in its windows this year.  So even for the marvelous Ms. Rae who sings beautifully and played the mad scene to the hilt, I was not emotionally involved, but simply looking on as though I was watching an Olympic diving competition (I gave her a 9.0; I’m easy).  Too bad really, because seeing Lucia should be a highly visceral experience.

l: Raimondo (Christian Van Horn) instructs Lucia (Brenda Rae) to marry Arturo. r: Arturo (Andrew Owens) is greeted by Enrico (Troy Cook). Photos by Kelly & Massa; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

There is lots of other good stuff in this production as well as the mad scene.  Opera Philadelphia brought in the singers to match the reputation of the in-demand director, Mr. Pelly.  As stated already, Ms. Rae is certainly worth seeing and hearing; her ability to sing naturally while standing, sitting, or lying prostate is amazing.  Personally, I loved all the voices and liked the singing very much.  Tenor Michael Spyres was a fine Edgardo and baritone Troy Clark was an edgy, self-interested Enrico that you could easily dislike.  I find the role of the chaplain Raimondo to be one of the more interesting; it’s never quite clear whose side he is on, stability I suppose.  Christian Van Horn who plays him has a stage-commanding bass-baritone voice; he recently won the 2018 Richard Tucker award.  I was also impressed with Andrew Owens in the relatively small role of Arturo; he has a beautiful tenor voice that I’d love to hear more of. So, if for no other reason, go to hear this excellent group of singers in a great opera.

l: Arturo (Andrew Owens) and Enrico (Troy Cook) look on as Lucia (Brenda Rae) signs the wedding contract held by Raimondo (Christian Van Horn). r: Edgardo (Michael Spyres) arrives and denounces Lucia (Brenda Rae). Photos by Steven Paisano; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Another good thing about this opera (and I’m not including the music) is getting to see it through modern European eyes.  This Lucia is a collaborative effort between Opera Philadelphia and Wiener Staatsoper and will play next in Vienna. This production isn’t wild like some European productions, but it does have a chic style that I associate with Europe.  It’s also clever.  A snow-covered hill on stage has to be worked around all evening and manages to provide the staircase that Lucia is supposed to enter for the mad scene.  The walls of estate are see-through screens.  The lighting plays with our emotions using colors and shadings and plays with our eyes using perspective to make a mansion appear at different distances in the background.  There are a few surprises I won’t disclose.  It’s all very fun to watch.

But it never really engaged me in the drama, and I was looking forward to that.  Mr. Pelly and Ms. Rae have turned Lucia into a basket case from the get-go, starting with the death of her mother.  Enrico was blinded by his desperate situation and did not see her breaking down, but I wondered why Edgardo does not see this and back off.  The Lucias I have seen before were initially stable women who were pushed too far; the psychotic break comes as a bit of a shock.  I wanted to call a doctor for Ms. Rae’s Lucia within a few minutes of seeing her contort on stage.  And then when she went mad, I wondered where she found the strength to strike back.  I know everyone wants to put their stamp on a performance but I’d like to see Ms. Rae again as a more traditional Lucia.

Lucia (Brenda Rae) has gone completely mad. Photo by Kelly & Massa; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Ah yes, the music.  Conductor Corrado Rovaris has gotten high marks in the professional reviews I’ve read (see listings in sidebar), but I was found the performance to be unremarkable.  The sound seemed thin and for me seemed mostly reactive to the emotional turmoil on stage, not really a player in the opera.  Perhaps I need to give it another listen, and I offer a few caveats to my view.  It may take awhile before I am satisfied with the small to modest-sized opera orchestras in the pits after hearing Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West played by an eighty-piece orchestra on stage.  Also, balance my remarks with my wife’s opinion that the music was fine and did support the story.  We also have to give Mr. Rovaris some points for being a Donizetti enthusiast.  He was born in Bergamo, Italy which is Donizetti’s hometown and returns there every year to lead a program honoring him on Donizetti’s birthday.  So, I undoubtedly got a genuine Donizetti, if not the sound I like.

The Fan Experience: There are two more performances: September 28 and 30.  The auditorium in the Academy of Music has been renovated; the new seats are comfy and give more legroom.  We had good center orchestra (Parquet) seats, but our view was partially blocked by tall heads in front of us, just the luck of the draw.  The front row seats in the Parquet Circle and Balcony looked pretty appealing.  For Swings, we stayed in the Klimpton Palomar and for Lucia the Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites; my wife had free nights coming at both.  We had a spacious room at the Palomar which is well appointed in an historic building and offers a free wine tasting in the afternoon.  The room at the Fairfield was quite small but charming in its own way and came with a good buffet breakfast.  We enjoyed both hotels and both were within easy walking distance of the venues.

O18’s Sky on Swings: Like Alzheimer's, Bleak, But Human

Opera Philadelphia opened the O18 Festival with the premiere of Sky on Swings, an opera that presents Alzheimer’s disease in full frontal nudity.  O18 is purposed with exploring boundaries for opera, pioneering new directions.  The reins for this new production addressing a contemporary issue were handed to Lembit Beecher, based on his concept originated while he was OP’s first composer in residence, and to librettist Hannah Moscovitch, a leading Canadian playwright; they also collaborated on O17’s I Have No Stories to Tell You.  In the 74 minutes of Swings, they offer no silver linings or happy endings, nor do they plead for a cause, but they do offer compassion.  As the character Danny says as she voluntarily enters a facility to provide for her care as an Alzheimer’s patient, this is where she will lose her mind including herself, and then die, a comment bleak, but human in that the exact line as delivered appropriately drew a laugh.

Martha (Marietta Simpson) comforts Danny (Frederica von Stade) when she enters the Alzheimer’s care facility. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

The topic hits close to home for many people today.  Frankly, I don’t want to think about Alzheimer’s disease.  But every time I forget something, the name of someone I know that I can’t make surface or what it was that I went down to the basement for, I think about getting older and memory loss, and I wonder.  I wonder if it is getting worse.  I think there are a lot of us who are wondering.  Those in the audience who have friends and family members with this disease must have found watching this opera especially painful and perhaps provocative.  My wife who lost her father to AD had tears in her eyes, not just from sympathy for the story being presented, but also from the connection it made to her own life.

At this point, you might say no thanks.  The problem is this: if you don’t go to see Sky on Swings you will miss a lot.  You will miss an excellent work of art doing its job, in this case forcing us to confront one of today’s worst fears, enabling us to see it for what it is and what it isn’t, and maybe to some degree bring us together in facing it.  You will miss the understanding and insight this production offers, as it shows us not just the medical, but the human face of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Sharleen Joynt alone as Winnie; Daniel Taylor as Ira forces his mom, Danny played by Frederica von Stade to confront her memory loss. Photos by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

You will also miss two famous mezzo-sopranos turning in outstanding acting as well as singing performances. Marietta Simpson plays Martha, a woman in her seventies with advanced disease, who is visited often by her daughter, Winnie, played by soprano Sharleen Joynt.  Frederica von Stade plays Danny, a researcher in her sixties forced to confront her failing memory by her son, Ira, played by tenor Daniel Taylor.  Martha and Danny meet in the facility and develop an emotional connection.  Martha has hallucinations and is often fearful without knowing why, but she is calmed by Danny’s presence.  She recalls a memory of a girl she had fallen in love with when she was fifteen and begins to place Danny in that role; Danny slowly succumbs to her fantasy.  We see these two, even in what we call an impaired state, as human, capable of emotional bonding.  Ms. Stade and Ms. Simpson are fine actors with very appealing stage presence.  Their natural likability easily elicits sympathy for their distress.  I thought the pairing was perfect; if they were to become co-stars in a television series, it would be a hit.  It takes talent and maturity to deliver those lyrics, sometimes mumbled, as recitative or as arias with such clarity and precision and believability.  The younger members of the cast, Ms. Joynt and Mr. Taylor also sang and played their roles well and seem to have bright careers ahead of them.  The use of elders, inmates at the memory center facility provided continuous motion and background vocalizations helping to set the stage and mood.

l to r: Composer Lembit Beecher (photo by Jamie Jung); Librettist Hannah Moscovitch (photo by Ian Brown); Director Joanna Settle (photo courtesy of Joanna Settle. Photos courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

You will also miss a high-quality production of minimalism that worked to effect an overall cohesive, compelling drama; kudos to Director Joanna Settle who collaborated closely with Beecher and Moskovitch in developing the opera.  The set in white and shades of gray and lighting conveyed the sterility of a medical facility, occasionally in a surreal fashion befitting a confused or hallucinatory mental state; kudos to Set Designer Andrew Lieberman and Lighting Designer, Pat Collins.  The music provided by only an eleven-piece orchestra supports and wraps around the drama, with occasional dissonance that complements the confusion of Alzheimer’s; kudos to Conductor Geoffrey McDonald.  Mr. Beecher worked closely with the two leads using their voices and singing abilities in developing the score.  Ms. Moscovitch’s excellent libretto effectively communicated the nature of the disease and the impact on the characters without ever being preachy.  The pacing of the drama set by Ms. Settle allowed the drama to unfold naturally without being rushed or having scenes that dragged.

l: Martha (Marietta Simpson) and Danny (Frederica von Stade) sit together in a surreal landscape with the Elders in the background. r: Martha is comforted by Danny. Photos by Dominic M. Mercier; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Opera Philadelphia says that Sky on Swings asks the question is there grace in memory loss.  My son tells me that the Greek historian Herodotus around 400 B.C. reported on ancient tribes, otherwise moral, in which family members would descend on their elderly males, kill them, and make a stew of the meat, returning it to the society from which it sprang.  I guess their answer to the question was no.  Thank goodness we have come far from that.  But it is still a question we grapple with – is there worthwhile life after loss of our memories?  My wife lives with the hope that her father was able to have some enjoyment of his life in his last couple of years when he did not know members of his own family.  She found solace in this opera in Martha’s connection with Danny.  One scene I found especially poignant was when Winnie arrived to take her mom home for the day.  Martha did not want to go.  Winnie did not understand and was frustrated.  I think Martha had moved on and Winnie’s and our expectations no longer applied.  I felt for Winnie’s dilemma.  And the scientist in me wonders how we can help our loved ones who will move on past a veil we cannot see behind?

If you don’t see Sky on Swings, you will miss a lot – the human connection that art can provide.

The Fan Experience: There are three more performances including tonight plus September 27 and 29. I found the pre-opera talk by Stephen Humes, OP Education Manager, to provide interesting information about how this production came together and useful insights into watching it; starts one hour prior to the performance.

Maryland Lyric Opera’s La Fanciulla del West: MDLO Proves Me Wrong

Frankly, I thought that the Maryland Lyric Opera, a relatively new, though resurgent, small opera company, might be overly ambitious in beginning their season performing a concert version of La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West; composer Giacomo and librettists Guello Civinini and Carlo Zangarini).  This is one of Puccini’s less popular operas that still gets performed, and MDLO planned to give it a full orchestra and chorus for an opera that already has a large number of singing parts, and then perform it in the concert hall at Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda which seats almost two thousand attendees.  That’s a big treatment for an opera that might not draw that well. I should have more faith. Kudos to the creative team and staff; I’m happy to report that MDLO took a swing and hit one out of the park.  I thought the turn-out was good, though there were too many empty seats.  For this production, MDLO deserved a packed house.  I attended both Friday (Sept 14) and Saturday (Sept 15) performances.

Opening night of La Fanicula del West begins. Photo by Julian Thomas; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.

Ok, first off I have to eat my words.  I have previously referred to Fanciulla as a merely good Puccini opera, that happens to have a great theme – the ability of love to enable redemption.  I felt this opera lacked the number of stand-out arias so characteristic of Puccini’s more popular operas, necessary to push it into the great category.  MDLO has changed my mind.  La Fanciulla del West is a great Puccini opera.  From the opening refrain, the MDLO orchestra, under MDLO Conductor and Music Director Louis Salemno, knocked me back in my seat.  The recurring musical themes coupled to the complex and intricate orchestration brought forth by the eighty-piece orchestra were worthy of a symphony.  I had not gotten this effect from the orchestras in the fully-staged versions I have seen previously. Those orchestras were smaller and placed in the pit (concert versions typically have the orchestra on stage with the singers), and there was competition for my attention between the sound and the visual unfolding of the drama in fully-staged versions.  Indeed, I feel like I heard this music for the first time.  But that was not all; the stage not only held a full orchestra, it also had a 37-member male chorus behind the orchestra and a cast of 17 singers rotating up front.  More on that later, but it was one of those experiences you don’t forget.

Susan Bullock as Minnie; Mark Delavan as Rance and Jonathan Burton as Johnson. Photos by Julian Thomas; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.

So that you know who’s who in this story, here is my synopsis of the plot, largely what I wrote for my blog report on MDLO’s new season: Imagine a saloon in a tiny mining town during the California gold rush.  Good-hearted and virtuous Minnie, who has never been kissed, runs the saloon and is the surrogate mother/fantasy girlfriend for a group of miners.  Local sheriff Jack Rance wants her for himself and is pressuring her to give in; she is having none of it.  Bandit and gang leader Ramirez sneaks into town using Dick Johnson as an alias, planning to check out the saloon for a planned robbery, while his gang awaits him on the outskirts of town.  Instead, Dick falls for Minnie and she for him.  There are chases and a high stakes card game, where virtuous Minnie cheats to secure her love.  The lasso around Dick’s heart is eventually joined by a noose around his neck as the dramatic conclusion unfolds.  

left: at center stage, SeungHueon Baek as Sonora, Mark Delavan as Rance and Jonathan Burton as Johnson; right: the miner crew to stage right, Jesus Daniel Hernandez as Harry, Mauricio Miranda as Joe, Yazid Gray as Bello, Tim Augustin as Trin, and Hunter Enoch as Happy. Photos by Julian Thomas; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.

After my son heard my praise for Friday night’s show, he wanted to attend; so, I went with him to see Saturday night’s performance as well.  The singers for the lead roles were different, so it gave me an opportunity to see how the different performers affected my view of the opera.  Among the minor roles, Joseph Michael Brent as Nick, Kenneth Kellogg as Ashby, SeungHueon Baek as Sonora, and Catherine Martin as Wowkle all impressed; interestingly I thought Baek added a measure of soulfulness on the second night that was very appealing.  Another standout for me was the group of miners standing together (Jesus Daniel Hernandez, Mauricio Miranda, Yazid Gray, Tim Augustin, and Hunter Enoch) and often singing together with a remarkably appealing tone.  All of the cast sang well, individually in character and as a group, as did the chorus.  The chorus sounded beautiful; kudos to Chorus Master Steven Gathman.  When the entire ensemble sang together the effect was emotionally powerful.

left: Yi Li as Johnson and Jill Gardner as Minnie; photo by Sam Trotman. right: standing - Alexsey Bogdanov as Rance and Jill Gardner as Minnie; seated - Joseph Michael Brent as Nick and Yi Li as Johnson; photo by Dhanesh Mahtani. All photos courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.

The differences in the Friday and Saturday night performances arose mainly from what the singers in the lead roles brought to the performance (respectively, sopranos Susan Bullock and Jill Gardner as Minnie; baritones Mark Delavan and Aleksey Bogdanov as Sheriff Rance; and tenors Jonathan Burton and Yi Li as Dick Johnson).  Ms. Bullock has a lovely voice with a soft edge that fits Minnie well; she sang the aria ending her card game with Rance with such conviction and vocal power that she brought down the house.  I personally liked Ms. Gardner’s voice best, and she sang with remarkable power, though she didn’t convey to me the pathos/involvement that I felt from her when I saw her sing Minnie in Virginia Opera’s production.  Perhaps my perception was influenced by seeing her in two stunning evening dresses instead of saloon/miner garb.  Baritone Mark Delavan seemed a natural as Rance.  While I loved Aleksey Bogdanov’s voice and singing, his voice seemed to me a little too dark, more bass like, to play Rance, and motivated too much by power lust, while Mr. Delevan managed to imply at least some carnal desire.  Tenors Jonathan Burton and Yi Li both sang well and sounded great. However, I liked that Mr. Burton managed to sing more to Minnie, while Mr. Li sang more to the audience, which was less convincing.  The Friday night cast seemed the most cohesive and told the story the most convincingly in my opinion.  My son thought the Saturday night group told the story quite well and was also enamored of the singing and playing of the orchestra.  Both performances got enthusiastic and well-deserved standing ovations at the end; I will claim that Friday’s was more genuinely enthusiastic.

Curtain call for Saturday night’s performance. Photo by Sam Trotman; courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.

One of the unfortunate aspects of a live performance is that once it’s over, it’s over.  I can tell you about it, but you can’t experience it.  And recordings if they exist just don’t quite sound the same or carry the same experience.  A book can be passed around and be the same for everyone, but for a live opera performance, you gotta be there!  The Maryland Lyric Opera has several more events this season (see my preview) and based on their stunning production of La Fanciulla del West, I suggest you be there.

The Fan Experience: This was not only my first concert version of Fanciulla, it was also my first trip to the Strathmore Music Center.  Strathmore is worth both seeing and hearing.  Plus, I really appreciated the free, easy access parking adjacent to the concert hall.  I sat in front orchestra on Friday and in the first tier on Saturday.  The sound was excellent in both locations, though the stereophonic effect is stronger in the front orchestra.  I did come away wondering if the sound of the music carries a tad better than operatic voices in the hall, but that could just reflect the individual singer’s technique.  Ms. Gardner’s voice certainly arrived with authority in the first tier.

MDLO’s next production will be October 19, 20 - “MDLO Young Artists Institute - An Evening of Mozart, German Masters”, the date for which was scheduled after my season preview.