Pittsburgh Opera is performing Semele live on stage before a live audience. All performances are sold out! However, you can see a live stream of the Friday, May 14 performance for free. My advice is pay a scalper or bribe someone and see the real thing (See The Fan Experience below). I drove eight hours round trip to Pittsburgh to attend the dress rehearsal. If you can’t scarf up a ticket, don’t miss the live stream.
First of all, it is an amazingly good adaptation of this very pleasing baroque opera that operates within COVID-19 constraints and precautions.
Second of all, where else are you going to see live, staged opera right now?
left: Semele (Véronique Filloux) in the palace created for her by Jove. right: Jove (Aaron Crouch) admires another piece of jewelry intended for Semele. Photos by David Bachman Photography for PIttsburgh Opera; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.
George Frederic Handel’s opera is about a human named Semele who falls in love with the head Roman god Jove (or Jupiter if you prefer), who appears to her in human form. They begin an affair, but Semele moves beyond just having an affair with a god and wants to become a god. Juno, the jealous wife of Jove, schemes in deceptive godly fashion to have Semele extract a promise from Jove that he will appear to her in god-like form; Semele believes this will make her immortal. She comes up on this little problem - seeing a god in their true form causes humans to burst into flames, all part of Juno’s plan of course. There are a few other characters who add family intrigue and provide a way out for a sort of happy ending, for all but Semele.
The real point of the Semele story is to give Handel a construct to adorn with his pretty music and arias. So, PO’s staging that has Roman gods from ancient times ‘putting on the Ritz’ in the roaring twenties bothered me not at all. Gods are immortal; they can be anywhere and in any time they want, and the human archetypes they represent are as relevant today as when first conceived. In this case, the advantage to the audience is that we get to see some dazzlingly captivating costumes with some equally dazzling art-deco projections on window screens forming the backdrop for the stage; kudos to Director Kristine McIntyre, Costume Designer Jason Bray, and Projection Designer Lawrence Shea. After adapting William Congreve’s poetic opera written thirty years earlier into his libretto, Handel created some confusion designating Semele as an opera “to be performed as an oratorio”. While I’m sure it could work in a concert format, Ms. McIntyre’s creative staging definitely adds to the visual pleasure and entertainment.
On left is Cadmus (Jeremy Harr) father of Semele (Véronique Filloux) in center with her fiancé Athamas (Yazid Gray) on right. Photo by David Bachman Photography for PIttsburgh Opera; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.
This Semele also benefits from a highly talented and already accomplished band of Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artists singing the songs and telling the story. Véronique Filloux is the soprano playing Semele, a role that fits her youth and voice type very well. She displays the naivete, playfulness, and emerging self-determination of her character; plus, this is also a part of the repertoire she especially likes to sing. Her coloratura and melismatic displays of vocal dexterity and power were impressive enough, but it was in the gentlest aria “Sleep, why dost thou leave me” that the beauty of her voice comes to the fore. Her leading man, a new addition to this group, was tenor Aaron Crouch who acquitted himself well singing the role of Jove; we will be able to hear him again as a Resident Artist next season. The surprise for me in this group was soprano Madeline Ehlinger who plays Semele’s sister Ino; Ino is in love with Semele’s unwanted fiancé Athamas, who was selected for her by her dad Cadmus. She sings beautifully, but hearing her live, I was quite taken with the remarkable color in her voice; if she chooses to develop a cabaret routine as a jazzy blues singer belting out torch songs, I will attend. Also, she and Ms. Filloux blend their voices in a gorgeous duet, “Prepare then, ye mortal choir”, a highlight of the performance. I also enjoyed the singing of mezzo soprano Maire Therese Carmack who played Juno in a powerful portrayal of a god scorned; she also exhibited comedic flair in her feigned indulgence of Semele’s whims. Her assistant and comedic foil was Iris, ably sung by soprano Meghan DeWald in her PO debut. Jeremy Harr’s rich bass served us well in duel roles as Cadmus, the serious father of Semele, and Somnus, the amusing god of sleep who becomes Juno’s co-conspirator.
left: Ino (Madeline Ehlinger), sister of Semele who loves Athamas. right: Juno (Maire Therese Carmack), Queen of the gods, wife of Jove. Photos by David Bachman Photography for PIttsburgh Opera; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.
A characteristic of Handel’s baroque operas is to feature a castrato in one of the roles, a role since that time played by a countertenor. Music Director Antony Walker and Stage Director Kristine McIntyre decided to have the role of Athamas sung by baritone Yazid Gray; Mr. Gray stared in PO’s Soldier Songs back in December. A baritone singing this role is a significant change. Listening at home again to a recording of the full opera made me miss the countertenor, but I think a baritone worked for this adaptation. It worked with the roaring twenties staging and added a different nuance to the story. It also fit because Mr. Gray made his lovely baritone romantically appealing; his is another voice I enjoyed even more hearing it live. Kudos to him and the creative team.
The Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra under Conductor Walker’s direction rendered a pleasing phrasing of Handel’s pleasing music, smartly enhanced by the participation of members of Chatham Baroque on period instruments. A necessary casualty of this adaptation was loss of a chorus and some of Semele’s excellent choral music, except for that provided by the principal singers. Maestro Walker has conducted Semele in two previous productions and recorded it once, an experienced hand to write the modified score and remain true to Handel. For me, Handel’s music and arias in Semele are one top forty tune after another. Even reducing the score, there are many pleasing melodies and ample great music that will keep you humming for days to come.
left: Juno (Maire Therese Carmack) instructs Iris (Meghan DeWald), goddess of the rainbow. right: Somnus, god of sleep, colludes with Juno (Maire Therese Carmack). Photos by David Bachman Photography for PIttsburgh Opera; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.
There was a minor disappointment for me. I know that Maestro Walker and Director McIntyre thought carefully about how to reduce the score effectively to carry the drama, but leaving out “The morning lark to mine accords his note”? Really? How could they do that? Maybe one day I will get to hear Ms. Filloux sing that one without a mask as part of Maestro Walker’s next performance of the full Semele. BTW, wearing the masks did not seem to impede the singers, though I am sure it made it more difficult, and it would have been nice to see their faces.
Let me also express another strong feeling about the evening. The PO Headquarter’s performance hall is small, maybe the size of a few handball courts side by side; the degree of smallness actually surprised me. The audience and performers are in close proximity. I think the closeness gives the voices greater impact. For me, the size created an intimacy between performers and audience that made it feel perhaps like early opera felt; maybe this was what it was like when opera began, not grand opera as spectacle that we often see in the large opera houses. I like that too, but some of my best opera experiences have been in the smaller opera venues. I realize now I have been making a mistake by only attending PO’s major productions that are performed in the Benedum Center. The productions featuring Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artists in their Headquarters will garner more of my attention from now on.
Ino (Madeline Ehlinger) reconciles with Semele (Véronique Filloux). Photo by David Bachman Photography for PIttsburgh Opera; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.
I have also thought in personal and societal terms about what happened on a fundamental level that night when I entered the Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters: a group of performing artists gathered in a small warehouse to practice their craft before a small crowd of witnesses. Yet for me, magic happened. My ears beheld live opera for the first time in over a year. Right before the performance, I had an excellent dinner at DiAnoia’s Eatery just a block up the strip from the theater. Here’s the thing - part of that dining experience nourished my body and part nourished my soul. Another serving of soul food was awaiting me in the theater. I could feel it happening as I took in the opera just as I had felt it while eating my dinner, something deeply satisfying on another level beyond simple pleasure, nourishment for the soul. Both were experiences I have missed. This pandemic has taught me much about my needs beyond the basic needs of survival.
Jove (Aaron Crouch) attempts to reconcile with his wife Juno (Maire Therese Carmack). Photo by David Bachman Photography for PIttsburgh Opera; courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera.
My title for this post, “Endless pleasure, endless love” is an aria in Semele. To me, it seemed to fit this production overall; though Semele’s pleasure was not endless, it lasted throughout the entire performance, and I think its love still endures. Pittsburgh Opera has kept both the pleasure and the love active in this most challenging of seasons.
The Fan Experience: Semele runs May 8, 11, 14, 16, 18, 20. You can get on a waiting list for tickets at this link. The opera is in English, but super-titles were also used. It’s about 90 minutes, and there is no intermission or break of any kind. I should also say that I was kidding of course: never pay a scalper or bribe anyone. Instead, think ahead and buy season tickets for the soon to be announced 2021-2022 season.
Attending the dress rehearsal gave me insight into the meaning of the Buddhist koan, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” When it was over, the sparse group in the audience clapped as loud as we could as the performers took their bows, but the performers had given us so much, and the sound we few could make was not ample reward. The clapping reminded me of the koan, and I realized that the sound of one hand clapping is the sound of insufficiency. The artists performing is one hand clapping and the audience responding is the other hand clapping. One hand is insufficient for the love to be heard. That’s an important part of the fan experience.
Strict COVID protocols are observed. Attendees must:
Fill out a questionnaire ahead of time.
Provide a phone number for later contact if needed.
Agree to timed arrival.
Wear masks at all times, as do performers and staff.
Get temperature checks and more questions at the door.
Sit in socially distanced pods, as crowd size is limited to 50.
Leave in a directed, orderly fashion immediately after the show.