I was as excited to be going to see WCO’s performance of Rossini’s little performed opera, Maometto II, as any I have anticipated attending, with the possible exception of going to see Anna Netrebko in Eugene Onegin at the Met. First, concert opera is pure joy for opera fans; the unadulterated focus of concert opera is dead center on the music and the singing. Second, with Washington Concert Opera you get the full concert opera experience: singers singing in character, a full chorus, and orchestra led by the outstanding conductor Antony Walker, who is also the WCO Artistic Director. Third, the operas hand-picked by Mr. Walker for performance are always operas with high vocal and musical appeal, often little performed, but with some special features that make them worth bringing back, ‘premieres’ to my ears. WCO’s 2017 performance of Beethoven’s Leonore still ranks as one of my most treasured opera experiences. Fourth, WCO brings to the stage some of the best opera singers on the planet! And fifth, the last live WCO performance in Lisner Auditorium was November 26, 2019. The recent return of live opera to the stage has been uplifting and has re-ignited my passion for opera.
Washington Concert Opera’s performance of Maometto II. Photo by Caitlin Oldham; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.
Giachino Rossini is one of opera’s most often performed composers. Of his 39 operas, a handful are still performed regularly, and another handful are performed occasionally. One, The Barber of Seville, is performed somewhere in the world 24/7, I think. His “William Tell Overture”will always be remembered as the Lone Ranger’s theme song by my generation. Maometto II falls in the category of one of his almost never performed works, his penultimate work of his period in Naples, possibly his most experimental, though mostly appreciated thus far by musicologists and opera experts. The Naples audience of his day was not happy with its through composed nature nor with Rossini killing off his heroine. Undaunted, Composer Rossini moved the opera to Venice, changed the ending, which gained more approval, but not lasting appeal. After he relocated to Paris, he penned yet another version, this time in French, titled The Siege of Corinth, which enjoyed success over the next ten years and faded from view. Music folks appreciated its originality, but impresarios and opera fans looked elsewhere. WCO’s performance was only the third production of the original, restored version of Maometto II in North America, premiered in 2012 by the Santa Fe Opera.
Maometto II (based on the real Turkish leader Mehmeh II) is the Sultan of the Turks attempting in 1476 to take control of Negroponte, a strategic Venetian colony in the Aegean Sea. These clashes between the east and west of that time were savage battles; when the Turks won, they slaughtered all the men, taking the surviving women and children as slaves. The city is under siege and the threat of violent death is imminent for all. The Venetian leader Paolo Erisso is persuaded by a young general, Caldo, to fight to the death rather than face the humiliation of surrender. The plot centers on Anna, the daughter of Paolo, who wants his daughter to marry Caldo so she will be protected after he is gone. However, Anna has fallen in love with someone else while visiting in Corinth, but her dad informs her that her lover could not be who she thought he was. She discovers her seducer was in fact Maometto II, who was on a spying mission at the time; she is angry at the deception and devastated that her true love is her true enemy.
Soprano Leah Crocetto singing the role of Anna. Photo by Caitlin Oldham; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.
This fictional story based on librettist Cesare Della Valle’s own play “Anna Erizo”, is a good basis for an opera, and Rossini and Della Valle had choices to make in how closely to follow it. They chose to have the father reject his daughter and to have Anna remain loyal to her father and her country, while rejecting her lover as her country’s enemy. She also chooses death, rather than pleading for her life or attempting an escape, at least in the Naples version. Perhaps Rossini and Della Valle saw her as an Italian Joan D’arc. If so, I suspect Italy was too fragmented at the time to embrace her as such; it might have worked for Verdi fifty years later or Puccini eighty years later. Perhaps the Neopolitans just felt it was letting the bad guy win.
Bass-baritone Ashraf Sewailam singing the role of Maometto II. Photo by Caitlin Oldham; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.
The difficulty I had with Maometto II’s plot line is that Act I is the train wreck of Anna’s life unfolding, and it is presented as if watching the story on the local news with interviews. Instead, suppose the drama had begun with Anna in Maometto’s arms and then we learn of the deception? For me, the love story between Anna and Maometto never gained strong credence. Act II was more engaging, having a stronger emotional impact due to impassioned singing. Caldo’s defense of Anna was touching, and he (a pants role) was a likable character. The others are driven by patriotism and honor, so much so that Anna’s father rejected her; and still she was consumed by loyalty to her father and country. Maometto has a tender moment and tries to get Anna back, but then offers Anna the choice of accepting him or seeing her family and friends bathed in blood. The women’s chorus tries to get Anna to choose her love for Maometto, but she is resolute. The story kept me interested throughout, but I wound up questioning her and the composer’s final choice, especially with the Venetians winning. If Maometto II gets performed more often, it will be interesting to see what choices modern stage directors make.
Tenor Bruce Sledge singing the role of Paolo Erisso. Photo by Caitlin Oldham; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.
The stories for WCO productions are always the Christmas tree on which the adornments of music and singing can be hung; this year’s decorated tree was especially beautiful. The cast for this performance was truly impressive and the singers only embellished their reputations. It was such a pleasure to hear singers of this quality performing live once again. Soprano Leah Crocetto as Anna and tenor Bruce Sledge as Paolo Erisso also sang these roles in the Santa Fe production to critical acclaim. Rossini wrote this opera for singers of extraordinary ability in his day and it poses challenges for today’s singers who must possess the coloratura skills, for both males and females, to sing it as written. Ms. Crocetto and Mr. Sledge wowed the audience. I have seen Ms. Crocetto perform on several occassions but never as calm and self assured as Sunday night; I guess achieving diva status will do that to you. Bass-baritone Ashraf Sewailam gave a beautiful and powerful performance as Maometto II. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong had little opportunity to shine, until her aria “Non Temer” in mid Act II, when she drew the loudest and most sustained applause of the evening for a bravura delivery. Tenor Matthew Hill had a brief appearance as Condulmiero. The duets and ensembles, including the Act I highlight, the terzettone (great big trio) ,were beautifully done. The chorus, male and female, got to play an interactive role in this opera and added substantially to the performance; kudos to Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master David Hanlon.
Mezzo-soprano singing the role of Caldo. Photo by Caitlin Oldham; courtesy of Washington Concert Opera.
One of the dislikes of the early Neapolitans was this opera’s through composed nature not allowing time for applause for favorite singers. On Sunday evening, applause breaking out was not infrequent, and Conductor Walker wisely let the audience show its appreciation; only once did the music override the spontaneous applause. The orchestra was slightly downsized for this performance yielding to COVID social distancing requirements, but still was a joy. Personally, I had some minor difficulties with Rossini’s score. As a concert I loved the music, rich in melody and novel in orchestration, well played by the orchestra. However, the extended dramatic recitatives had the orchestra frequently punctuating the remarks, so frequently I found it annoying, like too many rim shots from the drums in a comedy routine. My other problem was that Rossini’s music often did not convey the seriousness of this very serious opera. In one section, when the singer was expressing fear over the horrors being carried out, the music could have been accompanying a parade instead. For me, Rossini’s music was often too lovely and enjoyable to pair with slaughter and blood baths, but as I said, as a concert, it was fantastic and the singers brought out the drama.
My five reasons for eagerly awaiting this return performance of the Washington Concert Opera were satisfied and my curiosity was rewarded. I am already anticipating the next one. Washington Concert Opera remains one of the best tickets on the east coast.
The Fan Experience: Sadly, WCO performances are one night only. My advice is to get your tickets now for this season’s next two operas, Orphée starring the great Kate Lindsey on April 24 and Lakmé on May 22, which will include soprano Erin Morley and mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven singing my favorite duet, the sumptuously beautiful “Flower Duet”.
For an excellent professional critique of WCO’s performance, I recommend Charles Downey’s review at https://washingtonclassicalreview.com/2021/11/22/washington-concert-opera-triumphantly-returns-with-rossinis-maometto-ii/.
In a WCO series called Opera Gems Online, Peter Russell gives a one-hour lecture as a Zoom discussion of each opera prior to performance. I have found these to be interesting and informative. Mr. Russell is the General Director of Vocal Arts DC and was a co-founder of WCO.
Pandemic requirements for attending Sunday night’s performance included proof of COVID-19 vaccination and mask wearing inside Lisner Auditorium. We will see what April and May will bring. Lisner is conveniently located on the George Washington University campus, with on-street parking, a convenient parking garage nearby, and a close by Metro station, Foggy Bottom. The mid-sized Lisner Auditorium with some terraced seating, but no tiers, makes for good viewing and hearing from any seat. Surtitles in English are projected on a screen above the stage. Performances are scheduled for Sunday evenings at 6 pm.