Washington National Opera called its fans back to the Kennedy Center’s Opera House on Saturday night for the first of four performances of “Come Home: A Celebration of Return”. Nineteen months have gone by since the Opera House went dark on March 12, 2020. This celebration provided a needed coming together of the WNO family - performers, staff, and fans – to acknowledge our loss, express our gratitude to performers and staff who persevered during the pandemic and to medical staff and first responders who helped keep us safe. WNO’s celebration also provided a spectacular show, filled with opera stars and great music, with a full WNO Orchestra and Chorus.
The cast, orchestra, and chorus for “Come Home: A Celebration of Return”. Soloists from left to right: tenor Duke Kim, bass-baritone Christian Simmons, heldentenor David Butt Philip, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, soprano Pretty Yende, bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, soprano Alexandria Shiner, soprano Suzannah Waddington, and mezzo-soprano Rehanna Thelwell. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
The celebration was organized around inspirational ideals expressed in operas, the idealism of creating art, the ideals of justice with a salute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the ideal of liberty, as we are freed from the chains of the pandemic. A cast of ten soloists included opera headliners such as soprano Pretty Yende in her WNO debut, Kennedy Center favorites, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard and tenor Lawrence Brownlee, and current and former members of WNO’s Cafritz Young Artists Program. Conductor Evan Rogister was in place leading the WNO Orchestra. It was also a great pleasure to see the WNO Chorus on stage led by Chorus Master Steve Gathman. Remarks were made by Kennedy Center Chairman David Rubenstein and WNO General Director Timothy O’Leary; WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, who is away directing a new production, was featured in a short video.
The concert opened with Conductor Evan Rogister and the orchestra on stage, not in the pit. As they began playing the first selection, the Prelude to Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnburg, a video on the planning and construction of the Kennedy Center was shown on a screen at the back of the stage, appropriately since KC is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Those heroic efforts to construct a U.S. center for the performing arts gave us the magnificent gathering place we have today. As new, more abstract images appeared on the screen and walls of the stage, soprano Alexandria Shiner, a former Cafritz young artist, moved upon the stage as the orchestra moved into “Dich, teure Halle” from Wagner’s Tännhauser. Ms. Shiner who has trained with both the Cafritz Young Artists program and Wolf Trap Opera, left no doubt whether she belonged in this group of illustrious opera singers. I have heard her several times before; her excellent performance came as no surprise.
Soprano Pretty Yende and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard in “Come Home: A Celebration of Return”. Photos by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
The screen moved away and the chorus appeared at the back of the stage; my spirits soared – it had been way too long of a separation. Conductor Rogister then led the orchestra accompanying the impressive heldentenor, David Butt Philip, also in his KC debut, singing Preislied from the Meistersinger, Wagner’s only comedic opera, noted by Ms. Zambello as a celebration of singing, family, and friends. Following Mr. Philip off stage was mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard moving onstage and then bringing down the house singing Jeanine Tesori’s “The Girl in 14G”; laughter erupted throughout as she managed to rebound between singing a Broadway tune while also imitating the opera and jazz music that two neighbors are playing too loudly, by far the most upbeat number in the concert. It might have been a mistake to let her sing that number. I was rocked back at how amazing she sounded doing Broadway; if the opera folks don’t treat her right…just sayin.
Next up was a musical interlude featuring “Fate Now Conquers” (2020) by Kennedy Center composer-in-residence Carlos Simon, a piece that seemed to rumble about the orchestra like obstacles moved about by a storm. In a video appearance on screen, Mr. Simon explained the title came from an entry in Beethoven’s notebook when his body had grown infirm. Taken from the Iliad, the quote tells us that fate gets us in the end, as it subdued even Beethoven, but adds that all lives shall inherit our works, which I think harkens to appreciating all the lives that make and have made opera possible. Mr. Simon was also present and bowed from his seat in the audience.
As each performance ended, a new singer emerged, and so it went all evening, with brief remarks by officials and the occasional video mixed in, very smoothly accomplished. By my overall count, there were two orchestral pieces and fifteen solos/ensemble numbers. Each was a highlight in its own way. Costumes were designed by Bibhu Mohapatra honoring RBG’s iconic style, constituting more of an entertaining fashion show than support for the storytelling; especially note the collars. Speaking of storytelling, a critical element of opera, I will mention just a few more performances because they went beyond the spectacle of opera (tenor Lawrene Brownlee’s arias and hign C’s shown like diamonds in that regard) to sweep me up into the drama of the scene, even if only for a few brief minutes.
Tenor Lawrence Brownlee and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn in “Come Home: A Celebration of Return”. Photos by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
First of such performances came with soprano Pretty Yende’s debut on the Opera House stage as Antonia in a scene from Jules Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffman; joining her were Cafritz Young Artist, mezzo-soprano Rehanna Thelwell, as her dead mother, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, also in his debut at KC, as Dr. Miracle. Remarkable singing and emotion by Ms. Yende and Mr. Van Horn was evenly supported by the remarkable Ms. Thelwell, drawing me into the scene, touching my heart. Even a single singer can perform that miracle as Mr. Van Horn did later in the evening, breathing life into the foreboding “Studia il passo, o mio figlia…Come dal ciel” from Verdi’s Macbeth, reminding us of the summer of 2020. Though debatable, perhaps the summa cum laude performance of the evening was Pretty Yende as Violetta from La Traviata, singing “É strano!...Sempre libre”, in duet with tenor Duke Kim, a Cafritz Young Artist and a Grand Finals Winner in this year’s Met Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition Auditions; Mr. Kim was placed a bit too far back behind the orchestra. Ms. Yende, ably joined by Mr. Kim displayed her own virtuoso style with affecting emotional impact. Soprano Suzannah Waddington and bass-baritone Christian Simmons, both current Cafritz Young Artists, contributed substantially to the evening in ensemble scenes from Beethoven and Rossini; I labelled Ms. Waddington a treasure in my report on the American Opera Iniative’s spring online production of American Apollo.
Soprano Alexandria Shiner and heldentenor David Butt Philip in “Come Home: A Celebration of Return”. Photos by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Part of the evening’s celebration was a video tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a tribute delayed from audiences by COVID-19. She was a fixture at Washington National Opera productions and regularly took her interns to performances; she even appeared in one in a speaking role. Family members of Justice Ginsburg were in attendance as well as family members of her colleague and friend and often companion at the opera, Justice Antonin Scalia. Mr. O’Leary announced that RBG’s family members had donated her opera memorabilia to WNO, including her piano, which is now installed in a room at the Kennedy Center’s rehearsal studio in Takoma Park and has been named the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Studio and Library; the piano will be used for rehearsals in the room. The family of Justice Scalia made a donation to WNO as well. It would be nice to have more government officials and their families become such strong supporters of the arts.
In closing, let me admit that I went to the performance with a secret wish that it would have been a fully staged, classical opera instead of a concert. However, this carefully planned event won me over. A celebration was needed, and this one was special – the family was together again.
The Fan Experience: A special feature of this production was a champagne toast held in the hallway following the performance, a very nice cap on such a wondrous evening. Four performances in all were scheduled for “Come Home: A Celebration of Return” – November 6, 8, 10, and 14. Seats are available for remaining performances; the Sunday performance is a matinee. The performances were scheduled to run 2 hours and 20 minutes with a 25-minute intermission; I think opening night it should have read “plus” a 25 minute intermission.
Hearing opera again live was an interesting auditory experience. I had to let my ears adjust to the volume, instead of doing what I have done for the last year and half – adjust the volume on my AirPods. It is a trade-off I will gladly make.
At one point, Mr. Rubenstein quipped wasn’t it nice to be present with everyone in the room being vaccinated. Yes, it was and be aware of the Kennedy Centers COVID-19 requirements before you go, at this link: https://www.kennedy-center.org/visit/covid-safety/