Baltimore Concert Opera Sells Out Its Fully Staged The Barber of Seville

Baltimore Concert Opera in collaboration with Opera Delaware has given its fans a tonic needed for battling the isolation and depression of two years with COVID-19, a fully staged with orchestra, laugh out loud funny, rendition of Rossini’s comedic opera, The Barber of Seville (1816, Il Barbiere di Siviglia).  Sunday’s performance at Towson University was the funniest opera I have ever seen, by far, and it still managed to involve me in the story…all that merged with and facilitated by Rossini’s glorious music live.  It was a performance I will long remember, not like any other Barber I have seen.  And when was the last time an opera company presented a professional fully staged opera in the Baltimore area?  And when has BCO ever produced a fully staged opera?  This one works on all levels to support the comedy, including set, costumes, lighting/projections, staging, singing and music; even the venue contributed.  This production now moves to Opera Delaware in Wilmington’s Grand Opera House for two performances this coming weekend.

Christopher Bozeka (left) as Count Almavira and Brian James Myer (right) as Figaro in The Barber of Seville. Photo by Britt Olsen-Ecker and courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

In composer Gioachino Rossini’s and librettist Cesare Sterbini’s plot for this opera buffa, Count Almavira has fallen in love with young maid Rosina and pretends to be a poor student Lindoro to win her heart without the influence of his wealth and position.  Rosina returns his infatuation, but she is the ward of Dr. Bartolo who is keeping her secluded in his home with plans to wed her himself, against her will.  Figaro, a barber, fixer, and arranger of all things in 18th century Spain undertakes helping Count Almavira secure the hand of Rosina, while keeping his identity secret until their marriage is secured.  Dr. Bartolo is assisted in his plot by the unashamedly mercenary music teacher Don Basilio.  Disguises and comedic plots come and go until our two young lovers are united with a happy ending for everyone, except Dr. Bartolo.  In this performance, the serious themes of human character flaws and the stacked deck of societal mores are dealt with authentically in the commedia dell’arte manner of exposing them and making fun of them.  The opera was composed when Rossini was 24 years old, in his early period when he mainly composed comedies and ascended to greatness.  The Barber of Seville is consistently on the list of the ten most often performed operas worldwide.  The plot is based on a play by Beaumarchais, part of a trilogy; we meet Count Almavira and Figaro again in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, based on another member of the trilogy. 

Mary Beth Nelson as Rosina. Photo by Britt Olsen-Ecker and courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

Let me begin my report with the music, an aspect of this production that should be emphasized.  There was familiar applause as award winning Conductor Anthony Barrese, well known to BCO/Opera Delaware audiences, made his entrance to the podium.  When I heard the first notes coming from the Opera Delaware Orchestra, my spirits jumped about fifty points on the spirit scale; it is so good to hear music live once more, and what could be more thrilling than hearing Rossini’s overture for this opera.  Kudos to Maestro Barrese and his 34 players for bringing Rossini’s magnificent music to life, so nourishing for the soul.  In the 2015-16 season Mr. Barrese led a “Return of Rossini” festival for Opera Southwest.  He stated that he wanted to make this production as authentically Rossini as possible; for that for he returned to Rossini’s original score.  Thus, he chose to include Count Almavira’s final aria that has often been cut in previous productions, and he does allow the singers freedom to display their individual virtuosity as would have been done in Rossini’s day.  After a stirring beginning on its own, the music playing became tightly integrated into the fabric of the opera, always there to be enjoyed and yet a critical part of something larger, building on itself from beginning to end.  This is an opera for the lovers of tune-filled opera.  Take one of your friends who hasn’t seen an opera before to this one.

Comedy, especially in opera, is difficult to execute effectively.  It requires timing, appropriate framing, an element of surprise, and preparation of the audience to receive it as intended.  Kudos to Director Octavio Cardenas for a huge success in this endeavor.  The minimal sets were constructed of colorful mobile designs giving the production a bright, happy feeling one might get from watching a marionette show.  Papermoon Opera Productions is credited for scenic design, lighting, projections, costumes, wigs and make up.  The mobile sets also, especially in the moderate-sized Stephens Hall at Towson University, gave me a feeling of watching a traveling troupe of players who had stopped to display their wares, thus creating a story within a story, and causing us to develop a relationship with the players playing the characters, not just the charcters themselves, and somehow then, their jokes became inside jokes for the audience.  The jokes started early with mocking gestures and sounds such as one character repeating what another said in falsetto voice.  Every character represents recognizable human failings and contributed to the comedy and the laughter in the audience built from a few instances to almost constant laughter near the end.  This building of momentum allowed the jokes to get more and more outrageous as time went by and still be accepted by the audience.  The humor is always cleverly contributed to and sometimes led by Rossini’s music.  By the end, the lighting effects and projections were adding their own stand out comic touches, and there were a couple of opera shockers.  Think of it as a Marx brothers movie set to classical music.  Still, we are relieved in the end that true love rules the day, and the good guys win.

Timothy Mix (left) as Dr. Bartolo and Kevin Short (right) as Don Basilio. Photo by Britt Olsen-Ecker and courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

BCO Artistic and General Director Julia Cooke stated in her opening remarks that “this is the most historically informed production I've ever heard.”  I had to challenge that in as much as at one point, Dr.Bartolo began channeling Tom Jones by beginning to sing “It’s Not Unusual”!  She responded,” Let me explain: Maestro Barrese is a Rossini scholar who has spent years researching Rossini, his writings, and original scores.  His approach was to "scrape the barnacles off" of the performance practices which have essentially been passed down through generations but have not necessarily kept Rossini's original musical intentions in mind.  The thing that the audiences didn't know is that each performance of this production is different because Maestro has encouraged the singers to improvise in certain sections, just as singers would have in Rossini's day.  One sort of improvisation in that time would have been to reference other contemporary music, thus, the Tom Jones reference in our modern day production.  In that scene, Dr. Bartolo refers to music having been "better in my day," and so far, I haven't heard Tim Mix (Dr. Bartolo) do the scene the same way through all the rehearsals and performances!  Yesterday was the first outing of Tom Jones, and I can't wait to see what tunes he'll pick for next weekend’s performances!” 

BCO/Opera Delaware assembled an excellent cast for this production, beginning with tenor Christopher Bozeka as Count Almavira, a role he performed in Wolf Trap Opera’s 2019 Barber.  His performance seemed a little cool in the beginning, especially contrasted with Brian James Myer’s booming Figaro, but Mr. Bozeka grew stronger as he got deeper into the action, and his singing of the aforementioned final aria for Count Almavira was one of the standout moments of the production.  His comedic expression grew stronger as well.  Baritone Myer was certainly a crowd pleaser.  His big aria, “Largo al factotum” – think Figaro, Figaro, Figaro – drew huge applause.  He continued a strong performance throughout the opera, especially with rapid patter singing required in several scenes.  Mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson as Rosina plays her role in marionette-like fashion, almost always a bright smiling painted face turned to the audience.  She quickly won me over with both her singing and her comedic acumen, consistent throughout the performance.  Baritone Timothy Mix presents a dilemna.  Dr. Bartolo is a devious and overbearing lech, and we should feel threatened by him.  However, with his flair for comedy, Mr. Mix makes him enjoyable and almost likeable, and his patter singing was a treat.  I also had an issue with bass-baritone Kevin Short as music teacher Don Basilio.  I see Basilio as supercilious and effete, but while Mr. Short displayed a level of buffoonery that contributed to the comedy, his powerful stage presences and voice made me want to see him in another role, say Mephistopheles in Faust.  Comedy, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.  Also contributing to the performance was young soprano Julia Laird as Berta, Dr. Bartolo’s long suffering maid to whom Rossini gives her own aria, well done by Ms. Laird.  Baritone Zachary Bryant contributed a respectable Fiorello in the opening scene.

Julia Laird as Berta. Photo by Britt Olsen-Ecker and courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

A special feature of Rossini music, like Mozart music, is the choral and ensemble numbers, duets, trios, quartets, quintets, and sextets; together they almost equal the time Rossini allotts to arias.  The solo singers singing in ensembles were a highlight of this performance, and the chorus sounded beautiful, truly impressive throughout; I took note of it when they first appeared on stage.  Kudos to Chorus Master Aurelien Eulert. 

So, when was the last time a professional opera company presented a fully staged opera in the Baltimore area?  It was 2016 when Lyric Opera Baltimore performed Romeo and Juliet before sadly closing its doors forever.  For its performances this past weekend, BCO sold out the main floor of Stephens Hall, close to 500 patrons per performance and could have been more; the balcony was reserved for necessary lighting, projection, and sound equipment; seating there was also held in reserve in case the threatening situation with Omicron necessitated social distance seating.  And when has BCO ever produced a fully staged opera before?  Never, but it won’t be the last one.  Director Cooke says that BCO plans to include a fully staged production in each season going forward.  What will the next one be and when will it take place?  We will have to wait a little while longer for the 2022-2023 season announcement.  For the moment, I am willing to bet that every attendee Sunday afternoon went home with a smile on their face, a chuckle under their breath, and warmth in their heart.  Step by step, Baltimore Concert Opera is brightening the future of opera in Baltimore. 

The Fan Experience: Baltimore Concert Opera held performances of The Barber of Seville on February 18 and 20, its first ever fully staged production of an opera.  This production now moves to the venue of BCO’s co-producer, Opera Delaware, for performances on February 25 and 27; tickets remain available for those performances.  The opera is sung in Italian with projected English supertitles.  OD vaccination and masking policy for Opera Delaware can be found at this link. 

BCO offers ticket holders access to four lectures on an upcoming opera by their Scholar-In-Residence, Dr. Aaron Ziegel, Associate Professor of Music History and Culture at Towson University.  Dr. Ziegel’s lectures offer a deep dive into the opera itself and insights into the elements of opera and opera history during the period in which the opera was composed.  I have found them to be both entertaining and highly informative.  Dr. Ziegel recommends reading the opera libretto before attending a performance.  For an opera as fast paced and complex as Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, it is especially helpful, or at least read the opera synopsis beforehand.  He also provided a pre-opera talk on video for this production. The lectures are also available to Opera Delaware ticket holders.

The educational lectures are just one of the ways that BCO takes care of its patrons.  I received multiple messages from BCO prior to the performances reminding me of the date, directions to the venue, parking availability, how to get from the parking lot to theater, informational material, and how to access lectures.  I even got a phone message the morning of the performance reminding me of the company’s vaccination and masking policy.  All this was very helpful in reducing the anxiety in attending opera.  I might add they are very concerned for the health of their patrons.  Director Cooke stated that “We had meetings upon meetings with our medical advisors, and staffs and boards of both companies, and we paid very close attention to science news.  Ultimately, with our vaccination policy for artists and guests, and masking, we were able to maintain a normal approach to seating on the main level.”

Artistic and General Director Julia Cooke. Photo courtesy of Baltimore Concert Opera.

For opera fans in Baltimore I am including this statement received from Artistic and General Director Cooke by email in response to my many questions:

“Our goal is to keep fully staged productions as part of our seasons, in addition to the wonderful concert operas, Thirsty Thursdays at the Opera series, and outreach and education programming.  I am currently working on a plan for a fully staged co-production for the 2022-2023 season, along with our traditional offerings.  Truth be told: this is truly up to our community and our funders.  Obviously, we had a great deal of interest in this first one, with two performances to full houses in a theater more than twice the size of anything we have sold before, and in a pandemic.  This indicates to me that Baltimore is ready for the return of fully staged opera, and BCO is absolutely ready to serve in that capacity.  We plan to forge ahead with our new model and will ask our community of supporters to invest in BCO so we can continue to bring high quality opera of every ilk to our audiences.  Our vision to Build Community through Opera and our success in doing so for 13 years, is the key to our future.  Putting on great performances is only the tip of the iceberg. We are dedicated to our people, and in turn, hope they are equally dedicated to us.  We believe that BCO's success is Baltimore's success!”

Opera Philadelphia Channel’s Svadba: Guys, See What We Men Are Missing

Svadba (2011) by Ana Sokolović, who composed the music and wrote the libretto, is an opera.  Opera Philadelphia Channel’s Svadba is a film version produced by Boston Lyric Opera and co-produced by Opera Philadelphia.  It is an original film version, not a video of an on-stage production.  The U.S. premiere of the opera was staged by Opera Philadelphia in 2013, OP’s first performance at FringeArts, and received critical acclaim.

Svadba means wedding in Serbian, and the story of this wedding takes place on the day/evening before the wedding and the day of the ceremony, a period of time when the bride and her attendants make preparations, a time when the realization of the impending changes in relationships takes hold, a time “filled with private and ancient rituals”.   Characters include the bride, her four closest friends, and a female elder of the family, perhaps her mother.  The cast, composer, and director of this “story” are all female; perhaps “experience” is a better word.  It’s a common story/experience.  About two million marriages occur each year in the U.S. alone.  But the experience in the opera is thoroughly female, told by female performers and creative staff. 

Dancers on the beach in the film version of Svadba are (L-R) Sarah Pacheco, Sasha Peterson, Victoria Awkward, Emily Jerant-Hendrickson, and Jay Breen. Photo by David Angus; courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.

Film makes available options not possible for on stage productions.  In this case, seven actors portraying the characters dance on the beach and inside a beach cottage beside the Atlantic Ocean; they provide the action but do not sing.  Six singers in a studio provide a capella singing with only limited accents by percussion instruments for accompaniment, including the wind off the ocean; there is infrequent use of an ocarina (a small flute like instrument) but no orchestra.  In the film, the camera switches between scenes showing the actors and scenes showing the singers.  Though the actors are paired with a reciprocal singer, I found it challenging to connect the names of the actor/dancers with their roles, same for the singers, except for the bride Milica, played brilliantly by Victoria Lynn Awkward and sung brilliantly by Chambrelle Williams. I can understand separating the singing from the filming to get better acoustics and avoid extraneous sounds on the set, but I find it difficult to believe that singing with the precision required for this work can be done on stage with dancers/actors performing their movements while also being the singers.

Inside the beach side cottage, the bride and her attendants make preparations, and they dance. Photos courtesy of Boston Lyric Opera.

Svadba is a visually arresting film, rich in colors, forms, textures, and movement.  The costumes and décor support the atmosphere of the film.  Kudos to Lena Borovci for costume design and Ana Novočić for production design.  The action takes place in a rustic beach house and on its isolated Cape Cod beach.  Expressive dancing, some great dancing, abounds.  The movement allows for characterization of the individuals as well as presentation of the relationships and the community experience.  The elder female was played by Jackie Davis; the dancer/actor attendants are Jay Breen, Sarah Pacheco, Sasha Peterson and Emily Jerant-Hendrickson; the non-singing groom was played by Olivia Moon.  Everything is beautiful; there are no off colors or flavors in the piece.  It is all human.  It is all ritual.  It is what we do, though in this case, only if your family and friends are extraordinarily talented.

A camera crew records a scene between Victoria Awkward as the bride Milica and Jackie Davis as Lena, the elder woman. Photo by David Angus; courtesy of Boston Lyric Opera.

The music is made primarily by human voices.  There is no dialog, and the libretto is written and performed in Serbian.  My first viewing was without the captions in English, which allowed none of the expressive sounds made by the singers to have verbal meaning for me, and often they are sounds only.  The second viewing with captions allowed me to better understand the different scenes of the performance and to appreciate its poetry – “wash your hair with… stars”.  It's about acknowledging and celebrating relationships and how they will change with friends and family once mated.  (Composer’s note: “The text is made up of excerpts from popular songs traditionally sung before a wedding. The songs come from several Balkan dialects and from different eras.  The meaning of the texts should not be taken literally.”) In truth, I found my interest was waning in the middle of the film on viewing without the captions.  Without them, for instance, I missed an important concern of the bride with the groom.  But the words do not tell that much of the story; relating to the experience is critical, whereby one intuits the action. 

Studio singers for Svadba include (L-R) Maggie Finegan, Hannah Ludwig, Chambrelle D. Williamson, Vera Savage, Mack Wolz, and Briana J. Robinson. Photo by Liza Voll; courtesy of Boston Lyric Opera.

The singing is striking and beautiful in its harmonics and complex rhythms.  The vocal for the opening scene with the bride to be and her four friends sweeping across the beach gave me a brief flashback to the “Ride of the Valkyries”.  The mixture of tonal and dissonant vocal music and rhythms, tapped out at one point by singing the Serbian alphabet, syllables without meaning as well as those part of words, reminded me of African rhythms and reminded me how sounds can speak their own language.  The singers all performed beautifully; they included Briana J. Robinson as Lena, the elder, and the four attendants, Maggie Finnegan, Mack Wolz, Hannah Ludwig, and Vera Savage.  Kudos to Conductor Daniela Candillari.  The film frequently switches between showing the actors performing to studio scenes with the singers. This is visually arresting but means a ballet and a concert are being viewed concurrently.  For me, it added interest to the film given how different the music is for opera, sort of a Greek chorus accompanying the actors; others may find it distracting from the storytelling.  For me, Director Shura Baryshnikov managed to make the story compelling visually and musically, though with only dream-like drama; kudos also to Katherine Castro, Director of Photography and Screenwriter Hannah Shepard.  Svadba does succeed as an artistic work that is also entertaining.

The wedding begins on the beach in Svadba. Photo courtesy of Boston Lyric Opera.

Svadba is an unusual opera and an endearing film. I also found the subject matter of the opera to be thought provoking.  My reaction at the end of the film was wow, that’s nice…beautiful really…heartwarming…stunning vocals…and I felt an attachment to the performance I had just viewed growing, and I watched it again.  Men don’t have any rituals quite like that, at least in the culture I know.  So guys, watch it and sense what we are missing.  I might be a little envious of the connections and communal aspects.  Of course, being male I would never admit it.  A more general worry for me is that our culture seems since the advent of smart phones to grow less and less social; the reinforcing effect of personal contact on relationships and communal values seems to be slipping away; is humanity itself fading?  I think we could use more operas like Svadba to remind us of what we have of significance and value that we may be in danger of losing, and have the work not only performed in films, but we also need to see them in opera houses for the communal impact of in person opera performances. I digress, but maybe Svadba will make you ponder the value of relationships and rituals as well.

The Fan Experience: Svadba is available for on demand viewing for $15 on the Opera Philadelphia Channel (operaphila.tv) and on Boston Lyric Opera's operabox.tv streaming service.  Each service offers an annual subscription for $99; OP offers a monthly pay plan for $9.99 per month.  The film comes in at slightly less than an hour and can be watched on internet connected devices.  I watched on my MacBook and on my large screen tv using the OPC app.  I recommend the large screen to better enjoy the scenery and Air Pods Pro to enjoy the sound.  Subtitles/captions are available in both English and Serbian.

The Remarkable Virginia Opera Presents An Engaging, Entertaining Three Decembers

This is a story about a group who tells stories.  It is also about their most recent storytelling. No mid-Atlantic opera company has delivered more to their fan base so far this season, in the time of COVID, than Virginia Opera.  So far, we’ve been given an adventurous, scaled-back Das Rheingold delivered at an outdoor golf facility, followed by Rodolfo Remembers, a trimmed and refocused La Bohéme, and now, Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, all presented under the threat and restrictions imposed by the coronavirus.  From gods on a golf course to ghost-like bohemian lovers to an absentee mom with cause, we have been entertained and engaged artistically at a time when we could not need it more.  Kudos to Virginia Opera for their willingness to take calculated risks and find creative responses to the challenges, while maintaining the quality of artistic expression.  Even under the most trying of circumstances, President/CEO Peggy Kriha Dye and VO Artistic Director/Conductor Adam Turner continue to honor VO’s tradition of bringing to its audiences “a variety of fresh and compelling operatic experiences”.  Indeed, with The Marriage of Figaro and The Sound of Music still to come, their program could hardly be more varied or impressive!  As I began to read about their current production, Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, my interest started to grow and I had to see it. Many questions sprang to mind: why this opera and why now, what was the music like, why the lead change from an opera star to a Broadway star, and did this example of 21st century opera portend the future of VO opera and even opera itself. 

Virginia Opera’s President and CEO Peggy Kriha Dye and Artistic Director and Conductor Adam Turner. Photos courtesy of Virginia Opera.

First, let’s discuss the opera’s performance at George Mason University’s Performing Arts Center in Fairfax on Sunday afternoon.  Virginia Opera’s production is the 35th production of Three Decembers since its premiere in 2008.  It premiered as a two-act chamber opera titled Daybreak at last but was revised to a one-act opera scored for three singers and eleven musicians, now the intimate work about human emotions that the composer originally intended.  In an outstanding interview with VO’s preview lecturer Josh Borths, composer Heggie remarked that he is now happy with the work, even stating that at this point he wouldn’t change a single note.  I recommend the interview because Mr. Heggie, who also composed the better-known works, Dead Man Walking and Moby Dick, was remarkably forthcoming about his operas, his approach to writing opera, and his personal life.  Librettist Gene Scheer wrote the libretto for Three Decembers from an unperformed play by Terrence McNally. Playwright McNally, Mr. Heggie’s longtime friend and collaborator, had suggested that script; he was the librettist for composer Heggie’s first opera, Dead Man Walking.  I found Scheer’s libretto to be clever, filled with humor as well as drama, snarky comments, and foreshadows of painful secrets that will be revealed.

Three Decembers chronicles conversations between fictional Broadway star Maddy (Madeline Mitchell), her daughter Bea (Beatrice), and her son Charlie at three time points in their lives, including Christmas season 1986, 1996, and 2006.  The opera begins with the grown children talking with each other by phone, spoofing their mother while reading her Christmas letter; mom is spending the holiday in the Caribbean.  Though making fun of their absentee mother, they obviously still need her attention and love.  Charlie is angry that once again Maddy has called his partner by the name Curt, when his real name is Burt, an upset made more intense because Burt is sick, having contracted AIDS.  Bea, also a mother now, is having marriage and drinking problems she hides.  It would be unfair to reveal more.  Go and enjoy the anticipation that precedes each unveiling.  As I left the theater, I heard a woman say that this was the first opera where she had cried.  I admit that I also had an issue with my KN-95 mask becoming damp around the edges.  I also smiled and laughed a lot.  Being human is tough gig.  Three Decembers attempts to put it in perspective.  For me, the ending seemed a little easy, considering all we had been through.  However, I agreed with the final sentiment of the denouement, and I felt about attending the opera what the characters concluded about life itself – “I am so awfully glad I showed up”.

left photo: Efrain Solis as Charlie and Karen Ziemba as Maddy. right photo: Karen Ziemba as Maddy and Cecilia Violetta López as Bea. Photos by Ben Schill Photography; photos courtesy of Virginia Opera.

VO has assembled a wonderful cast to present this work, adding a new aspect not tried before in previous productions of the opera – casting a real Tony Award winning actress/singer in the role of Madeline Mitchell.  Artistic Director Adam Turner told me by phone that he got the idea from a mentor friend, director and conductor Rob Fisher, and discussed it with composer Heggie who loved the idea.  Broadway singers are able to maintain the warmth and timbre of their voices while belting out the show tunes they are given and having a Broadway star sing the role could add to the authenticity of the drama.  As Mr. Turner considered the possibilities for a singer in the right time of life who carried the stature he was looking for, Karen Ziemba was among the top, and he had a contact.  Ms. Ziemba won a Tony Award in 2000 for best featured actress in a musical for her role in Contact and has sung in many popular Broadway shows and acted in several popular television series.   Mr. Fisher helped recruit her for the role, and Mr. Turner had the rare experience of negotiating a contract to employ a Broadway star; what won’t this man do to bring you a great story!  Composer Heggie wrote the role of Maddy for the legendary, classically trained mezzo-soprano Fredericka von Stade, and Mr. Turner had conducted two previous productions where she sang the role.  He worked with Ms. Ziemba to help her adjust to the demands of this opera.  Since Broadway performers wear microphones for even smaller venues than opera houses, he had all three cast members wear microphones, but said the sound was amplified only a small amount.  I thought the sound was fine.  I thought Ms. Ziemba gave an effective and affecting performance, very believable as a star of Broadway. 

Efrain Solis as Charlie and Cecilia Violetta López as Bea. Photo by Ben Schill Photography; photos courtesy of Virginia Opera.

The roles of the children in Three Decembers are as prominent as the role of the mother, and baritone Efrain Solis as Charlie and soprano Cecilia Violetta López shone in those roles, both in acting and singing; both singers have appeared before in VO productions.  Both seemed to me as comfortable with the Broadway aspects as the opera demands of the show.  Mr. Solis has played Charlie in two previous productions of Three Decembers.  He appears comfortable with musical theater; I recently saw him sing on video “You’ll be back”, a delightful tune from the Broadway hit Hamilton; (it appears at the 23-min mark of a Washington Concert Opera concert video).  Ms. López appeared as Adina in VO’s 2019 production of The Elixir of Love; my blog report on that performance said “…for me, it was soprano Cecilia Violetta López that truly held my attention…[she] has a pretty voice laced with charm and warmth, and she sings beautifully.”  In this role, she gets to display a greater dramatic range and does this beautifully.  Several of the ensemble numbers are highlights such as the Bea/Charlie duet “Father’s Chair” as they each remember the same scene with their deceased father differently.

Conductor Turner said that he was very attached to this opera because he loved the score, “one of the factors I find most compelling in Jake Heggie's writing style is his overarching sense of lyricism accompanying a theatrically-driven storytelling. Every note is in service of the story, but it's given an abundance of beauty, through a primarily tonal lens, with sweeping rhapsodic gestures in many moments followed by colorful expressions of tension and chromaticism in other moments. It's a style of writing I've come to know well over the years, particularly with productions of Dead Man Walking and recent workshops of If I Were You.”   I thought the score combined opera in sustaining the drama and Broadway in providing likable melodies; dissonance is used judiciously and effectively.  Mr. Heggie’s music in this opera seemed to me to parallel the underlying love that connected the three characters even as it changed to reflect the tumult of the moment.  Mr. Turner and the Virginia Orchestra ensemble delivered it well.  The work was written for 11 players, but was increased to 16 for VO’s production.  The conductor explained, “Given the size of our theaters, I decided to increase the string count by 4 (to give a little extra string warmth to the general sound) and split some of the divisi for woodwinds (some players don't play multiple instruments; for instance, the combined saxophone and flute part was split between two separate players).”  He also played one of the two pianos.

Karen Ziemba as Maddy. Photos by Ben Schill Photography; photo courtesy of Virginia Opera.

I also thought the staging for Three Decembers was exceedingly well done.  Several mini-sets were moved in and out during the performance without intermission. Our attention was always focused by large frames composed of numerous smaller picture frames, and the scene shifts went at a steady pace that sustained the drama. Kudos to Stage Director Lawrence Edelson and Scenic and Costume Designer Court Watson.

To return to some of my questions: Why this opera and why now?  VO Artistic Director Adam Turner has conducted two previous productions and is a long time friend of composer Heggie (interestingly, in the aforementioned interview, Mr. Heggie revealed that he and Ms. Dye knew each other when they were just starting their careers); so, this Heggie opera is a natural fit for VO.  Further, the coronavirus pandemic makes it an especially good choice right now; only three singers and eleven musicians required makes observing COVID protocols in rehearsal and staging more manageable; plus, the financial risk of a COVID-forced cancellation is reduced.  It also fits in another important way.  Director Turner wants to introduce Virginia audiences to wider selection of opera choices, especially more modern works.  I am all in with that perspective.  I’m looking forward to a Mozart opera in March, but I also like sampling new, fresh, contemporary works, that I can relate directly to and that I haven’t seen five times already.  We can also expect to see more contemporary operas in the future in general.  Mr. Borths in his pre-opera talk stated that Three Decembers was part of an opera renaissance.  New operas are being written and premiered now at a rate unmatched in opera history.  That sounds great to me; bring ‘em on.  During my life, I have been able to see a new movie every week. What if I could do that with opera?

The Fan Experience:  After being performed in Norfolk on January 28, 29, 30 and in Fairfax on February 5 and 6; Three Decembers now moves to Richmond for performances on February 11 and 13.  The pre-opera talk by Josh Borths takes place 45 minutes before the opera begins.  The opera is sung in English, but still has English subtitles projected on a screen. The next VO opera will be Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro performed on March 25, 26, 27 in Norfolk, April 1, 3 in Fairfax, and April 9, 10 in Richmond. For any opera today you intend to attend, make sure to check on pandemic restrictions in place at the time, such as vaccination and masking requirements.