Why would you want to watch opera online? Well, what else are you going to do for the next six months? I’ve been watching a few videos of operas every now and again when I get desperate, and I find that most are better than your average TV fare and can offer their own unique pleasures. So on Saturday afternoon, with yet again no baseball and no live summer Wolf Trap Opera opera, I dialed up Wolf Trap Opera’s 2017 production of The Juniper Tree, which I had mostly forgotten and which brings me to my first reason for watching Wolf Trap Opera streaming – it’s enjoyable to remind yourself of the many marvelous productions by WTO that you’ve seen in the summers of years gone by, many revived by WTO that you wouldn’t likely have seen elsewhere. Each year a new cadre of tremendously talented artists-in-training perform, filled with energy and an eagerness to please, making opera fun again summer after summer. “Untrapped” is the title WTO has given their streaming program, which will also include other events as the summer of the pandemic progresses. The last few seasons, WTO has had a program of holding Wolf Trap performances at venues off campus, also titled “Untrapped”, which highlights another reason for watching online…the off-campus venue for “Untrapped” streaming is anywhere you want it to be, that has an internet connection, of course.
Wolf Trap Opera’s The Juniper Tree in 2017: Madison Leonard as Daughter, Ben Edquist as Father, and Annie Rosen as Stepmother. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera. Hint: when this scene appears is one of the switch points in the music from Glass to Moran as composer - I think.
My Juniper Tree re-visit gave me several more reasons to watch the WTO productions that are currently being streamed and those planned for later this summer. First, it is a really good opera, and I found that while I rated it highly when I saw it in person in 2017, some aspects were even better than I gave it credit for on that occasion, especially the music by composers Philip Glass and Robert Moran; each composer wrote the music for half of the six scenes, alternating between them. WTO performed the opera as one seamless production; see if you can detect the changes in music style throughout. All the young artists performed well, especially two I will single out. I have heard soprano Summer Hassan (the mother) and mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen (the stepmother) sing several times, and for this performance, they were at the top of their game; don’t miss them. I even listened to the music again a few more times after viewing just to enjoy the music and singing. Kudos to Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya and her small ensemble for the vibrant music that merges perfectly with the story on stage. Watching online also reminded me again of how well the abstract, surrealist staging of this Brothers Grimm fairy tale worked. Kudos to Director R. B. Schlather for staging the two act opera as a single act, which maintains the tension for the entire opera; this is a chamber opera that is only an hour and fifteen minutes overall. The Juniper Tree is not only fine opera, it is terrific theater.
left photo: Soprano Summer Hassan; source. right photo: mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen; Simon Pauly Photography, 2016; source. Ms. Summer played Mother and Ms. Rosen played Stepmother. Both have gone on to successful careers as opera soloists; it’s a little heartbreaking, for them and us, to see all the cancellations for scheduled performances on their websites due to the pandemic. They are exemplary of Wolf Trap Opera’s gifted young artists who come for added training each year.
One final word specifically about The Juniper Tree; the Arthur Yorinks’ libretto (synopsis) is based on one of the Brothers Grimm darker fairy tales, and the opera is very intense; it is not recommended for young children. As part of a series of events, a jealous stepmom makes a stew of her stepson who reminds her of the late wife of her husband and then feeds the stew to her husband. Their daughter buries the bones under the Juniper Tree, and the son is reborn as a bird that offs the stepmom and reunites the family. So, everyone lives happily ever after, except of course for the PTSD.
There are some other advantages to viewing opera on videotape. One is close ups. The Barns is a relatively small music hall, but still, unless you are sitting in the first few rows, you don’t really get a good look at faces; you do online. Those close ups can add to the dramatic impact if a singer is also a good actor and detract if they are not. You also get a close look at other features that may have escaped your notice. As an example from The Juniper Tree, check out the son’s exposed genitalia when reborn to his previous size in a natural state; this must have been a hoot for mezzo-soprano Megan Mikailovna Samarin who played and sang the tender role beautifully. Another advantage of watching opera online is that you control the sound volume. No, it isn’t as impactful as being there and hearing it live, but being able to adjust the controls is still an advantage. Lastly, you have complete control of viewing – rewind to hear something over if you were daydreaming at some point; hit the pause button for a snack or bathroom break when you want; and view it as many times as you want whenever you want.
I’d like to end by making a suggestion for whenever we watch opera/concerts online for free. When I have groceries or take-out food delivered to my home, I always tip the driver. Why not do that when you watch opera online, if you can afford to? While closed due to the pandemic, opera companies have no income coming in from performances; so, donations matter more now than ever. For those of us who can afford it, let’s “tip the streamer”. I think they will be happy to get even small donations as a show of appreciation, and of course, if you can afford to donate more generously, they would be very happy to receive even more support. Wolf Trap Opera has a new program called the “Music Moves Us” fund for donations to help WTO progress during the pandemic; find the web page at this link to donate by mail or online.
The Fan Experience: Here is the link to WTO streaming: “Untrapped”. Keep it in your hip pocket and refer to it often. WTO will be adding a new opera every two weeks and an additional array of online offerings will become available over time; so check back for updated links and info. Each web page for a streamed opera includes cast and staff lists as well as other information about the opera. Each video accessed on the web pages begins with a short introduction and the opera follows. English subtitles can be toggled on or off using the video’s settings button. The Juniper Tree is streaming on demand now until December 1. Recent Wolf Trap Opera productions of Rossini’s The Touchstone and Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos are also currently streaming. WTO expects to add more events of different types over the summer. The WTO offerings also appear on the Wolf Trap calender which includes all programs being streamed by all of Wolf Trap.
As an aside, I will also mention you can purchase Wolf Trap memberships and designate that your support goes to WTO. Even at the lowest level, you get invited to the season announcing lecture each year, which includes some of that year’s soloists, a fun event itself.
There are many ways to watch online from smart phones to smart TVs, but give some consideration to sound quality. I have good speakers connected to my large screen TV, but I often prefer to listen using my Air Pods. Try it different ways and see which sound works best for you. Also thankfully, the video image resolution for these videotapes is excellent, and they display clearly on my large screen as well as smaller devices.