Round Three: Siegfried and the Best Darn Iron Dragon Ever

Siegfried rests pondering next steps after dispatching the dragon (the form taken by the giant, Fafner, who along with Mime, lies expired in front of the dragon).  Photo courtesy of the Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center.

Heads up: Me bad.  I have yet to point out to you that the Playbill for DC’s Ring is online and it has a synopsis of each opera, the listings of singers and their roles, and several really informative, background articles. Pages 52-53 have a complete chart of the characters and performers and their relationships in the entire Ring.  Washington National Opera put some extra time and money into this one.  The printed copy is souvenir quality. 

(You can skip the next paragraph if you are under 50.)

Let’s jump forward to the climax in Act III: “My, my ma’am, you sure are pretty,” the young John Wayne says to Brunnhilde, brought to you by Richard Wagner, as interpreted by Francesca Zambello, as totally altered by my imagination.  Admittedly, it is a little hard to imagine John Wayne kissing Brunnhilde, and even harder to imagine him singing.  At any rate, Brunnhilde says, “Howdy stranger.  Holy crap, I’m mortal, and I’m stuck with John Wayne!”.  But she is the only woman he has ever seen and she knows Wotan has willed it, and besides he did make it through the circle of fire, so eventually true love prevails.  Camera fades to black, but we know this happy ending will not last.  Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that Valhalla!

(Ok, those of you under 50, can come back.)

First of all, we have to think about this guy, Siegfried. I said in my last post I thought he could be an icon for America, at least the one of my younger years, a time of relative innocence, bravado, and naiveté; and yes, the gods of the industrial-government complex of the time set in motion the karma that would despoil those qualities.  And who was the American icon of that era? John Wayne (a later case might also be made for Jake in the movie, “Silverado”).  We can look back critically now at that time and that icon, but then there was a hopeful, optimistic spirit that was frankly kinda nice.  We were the good guys, at least we believed, and because we believed it for a while, some of us were.  And so it was with Siegfried; he thinks he is the good guy and because he believes it, he is for a while.

Do notice that, in honor of John Wayne, I used Darn in the title and not the other D word.  Kids could go to just about any movie in those days.

Ok guy, what about Wednesday night’s performance? Well, it was great and in a kind of hypnotic way.  The times are these for acts and intermissions:  70, 40, 95, 35, and 70 min; a total of 3 hrs and 55 min of opera.  It went by much faster.  In particular, I honestly felt surprised that Act 2 seemed to me about a half hour long.  This is highly unusual for Wagnerian opera.  It means I was totally absorbed in the action.  Kudos to singers, orchestra, stage managers, staff, and management!

Gone from the set were reminders of America.  The dystopian present-time set design for Acts one and two could be most places on earth.  Act two began a little annoyingly since those of us in the second tier were unable to see Wotan’s head on the ramp overhead that he was moving on.  I suppose the ramp had to be that high to give maximum effect to the dragon that was to enter below.  And oh, what a dragon!  Shaped like a large iron construction caterpillar, my boyhood fantasies were fulfilled.  Having heard what it was to be, I had expected to laugh at the contraption, but from where I sat it looked the part, formidable and scary.  Bruce Lee might have been intimidated; ok, not Bruce Lee.  I am thinking Iron Man III: Iron Man Meets Iron Dragon.  The more stark mountainous and rocky landscapes of the third Act were suitable.  Kudos to the set designers on this one for having the sets enhance and not distract from the story.  I will also mention here that the Giants were very imposing and Solomon Howard, who played Fafner, has an impressive deep, resonating voice.  If there is a Jack in the Beanstalk opera, he should play the giant.  I can hear him in my head singing, “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum…”.

This was also debut night for Catherine Foster, our new Brunnhilde.  Christine Goerke filled in for her on Monday night in The Valkyrie to give Ms. Foster more time to recover from an injury.  She has a powerful voice and an imposing stage presence, well suited to the role of Brunnhilde, and when the music was more melodious, a beautiful timbre was revealed.  I would be happy to hear her sing in The Valkyrie and I hope she comes back to DC.  Daniel Brenna sang the role of Siegfried.  He was good and I enjoyed his singing, but for me he was the weakest link in the chain, almost, but not quite at the level of the main players around him.  His acting portrayed the youthful impetuousness and the secret longing of Siegfried very well.  The vocal fireworks carried their scene, but the choreography needs work.  To me, this Brunnhilde and Siegfried too often looked like two roosters in a cock brawl, circling each other.  Their actions did not portray that well the feelings that were welling up, though the final run to the kiss was effective.  David Cangelosi, who played Mime sang well and was fun, moving between camp comedy and evil intentions.  Jacqueline Echols had a very fine and distinctive voice for the Forest Bird, but having her appear as a human was a questionable choice; she also sang impressively as a Rhine maiden earlier in The Rhinegold.

Finally, major kudos to the orchestra with Philippe Auquin conducting.  I marveled at their play and how important they were to the story all night.  In one of the pre-opera talks, Kip Cranna had pointed out that in constructing the Bayreuth Festivalhaus, an innovation of Wagner was to put the orchestra in a recessed pit and also to place a screen to further block the orchestra from view, so the focus would be totally on the stage.  Having sat in the second tier, I can attest to his wisdom.  You get an excellent view of the orchestra in the second tier as well as great sound.  Too often I found myself trying to pick out the sounds of the different performers as we went along.  However, mainly I became much more involved with the music in the way that it was supporting the drama.  This has become one of my favorites arts experiences.

Click here for Anne Midgette's review in the Washington Post.

Friday night, Round Four: intrigue, betrayal, lust, remorse, death, apocalypse, redemption, and maybe rebirth: Twilight of the Gods.

Round Two: Parachuting In with the Valkyries

Brunnhilde convinces Sieglinde to hide from Wotan for the sake of her child to be, while the other Valkyries look on.  Photo courtesy of Washington National Opera/ Kennedy Center.

Welcome to the The Valkyrie if you are American or Die Valkure if you are German. There is a lot going on in The Valkyrie.  Here is a good synopsis of the whole Ring. 

The Ring, as an intricate myth, requires a major suspension of disbelief.  So, why should not the Valkyries parachute in wearing WWII bombardier outfits to meet up with sister Brunnhilde who wore a Matrix style leather coat while her captive/ward, Sieglinde, wore a nice dress.  Why should Wotan’s office not be looking out at a city landscape with skyscrapers, and why should a barbecue, open flame pit not be sitting at the base of a wooden frame house belonging to Hunding, and then when the frame lifts out of sight, become the centerpiece of the room (gotta run up your insurance premium).  Why should Siegfried not plan to use a magic sword to duel Hunding when his adversary clearly has four rifles at his disposal, and finally why should a ring of fire to keep Brunnhilde safe from namby-pambies not be a rectangle of fire (bet that ran up the Kennedy Center’s premium).  Given all that, why should opera star Christine Goerke not step in at the last minute to play Brunnhilde for an injured opera star Catherine Foster.  With Wagner, just get into the fantasy and leave the driving to the director.  The truth will not appear on the surface, but it will seep into your bones and heart; you will be mystified, maybe even spell bound, but changed.

Somehow, the motives, honest ones and manipulative ones, grip us, and honorable intentions and the love so strongly felt wins our hearts and draws us in.  We ache for the long suffering Siegmund and Sieglinde, despite their love being incestuous.  We cannot like Wotan’s demanding wife Fricka, even though her position on their marriage is correct.  We both feel for Wotan’s inner turmoil in having to abandon his beloved son to death and having to exile his daughter, and feel frustrated and angry with his failings.  And mostly we feel for pure-hearted Brunnhilde, as she is torn between love and strictly honoring her father’s commands.  Fortunately, regardless of the creative choices for these performances the story goes forward unaltered. 

Plot comments aside, everybody kicked up their game for Round Two, starting with the first appearance of the twins and our young lovers to be, Siegfried, played by Christopher Ventris, and Sieglinde, played by Meagan Miller.  I thought both were excellent.  When Ventris sang his first aria, I relaxed.  At last, I was certain that I was in Wagnerian territory.  In a Post article    based on a discussion between Post critics Midgette and Kennicott, Ms. Midgette said Miller’s voice was light, though she praised her performance overall.  I may not understand exactly what light voice means; I clearly heard Miller powering over the orchestra as called for.  And the orchestra was terrific in Monday night’s performance, clearly taking its place in telling the story.

Ms. Goerke was coming off a performance two days ago in Siegfried in Houston and yet entered with energy and assurance that was impressive.  Catherine Foster, herself a highly acclaimed Wagnerian singer, will be back as Brunnhilde for Wednesday’s performance of Siegfried.  It will be fun to compare how she plays Brunnhilde with Goerke’s portrayal.

A couple of logistical comments: the Kennedy Center has gone to considerable lengths to help ticket holders navigate the terrain more easily with multiple emails giving advice and has enriched the experience for many by holding free pre-opera talks and several ticket-required workshops.  I learned a few things I didn’t know listening to the pre-opera talks, but Kip Cranna’s reviewing many of the leitmotifs helped me greatly to spot some of these in the performance; he is Dramaturg for the San Francisco Opera where this Ring premiered four years ago. The Kennedy Center is offering pre-ordered box dinners for the intermissions given the length of the operas.  On a personal note, I sat in the first tier balcony for The Rhinegold and in the second tier for The Valkyrie.  The sound in the second tier was the best I have heard at the Kennedy Center.  From there I could not see the faces that well, but I’d have no concern about buying the cheaper tickets there due to the outstanding acoustics.

Now it is time to meet Siegfried.  For me, if the Ring offers an icon for America it is Siegfried.  Siegfried is a hero, unafraid, honest, honorable, and yet assumes others are the same and is easily mislead; sort of a John Wayne type.  I greatly look forward to witnessing the DC Ring’s vision of him.

Round One: into the Ring with The Rhinegold

Courtesy of Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center

I guess the Washington National Opera is using English translations for the Ring operas because they call their version an “American” Ring.  Ok, fair enough, but to me Das Rhinegold sounds so much more authentic than The Rhinegold; it is still sung in German.  On the other hand, the last one in the cycle, Twilight of the Gods, sounds to my American ears much cooler than Gotterdammerung, so touche.  But I digress.  The point is that this Ring was developed by its director, Francesca Zambello, and her collaborators over ten years to place Wagner’s themes of man-made damage to nature, greed, corruption, consequences, and the redemptive power of love into a setting with costumed-players whom Americans would more readily connect with and serve to convey that these powerful currents in human affairs are playing out in modern day America.

How well did it work?  The main characters appeared dressed vintage 1920’s.  So now, imagine “The Great Gatsby” with zombies and vampires included.  Given what we are seeing in today’s movies and tv shows, I can make that leap.  Now cancel the zombies and vampires, and instead throw in some giants, dwarfs, monsters, dragons, a magic veil, and a ring that gives one power over the world.  For me, for whatever reason that requires a longer leap.  So, for most of last night’s Rhinegold, I had trouble jumping into the flow of the fantasy.  That changed, however, in the final scene when Wotan and the other gods were preparing to board the bridge to Valhalla, now paid for.  These gods had just stolen riches from someone who had stolen them to begin with, and they used this largess to ransom their perpetual beauty and youth and pay for Valhalla's completion.  In doing so, the bounty, part of which bore a deadly curse, ignited a lust for power that caused the clan head, Wotan, to ignore the advice of the Erda, goddess of wisdom and fate, to give back the goods to the rightful owners, and that provoked one kidnapper to immediately slay the other to keep all of the gold for himself.  Instead of solemn reflection, these 1920’s dandy-dressed elite pop the champagne cork and begin their joyous walk to their new mansion, Valhalla, showing no awareness of the stain upon their hands or the destructive forces they had put into play.  One of the coterie remained behind, Loge, demigod of fire, who had aided Wotan in capturing the mined gold and Rhinegold ring for himself; he finds that he no longer wishes to be part of this shameful group.  That scene resonated with me.  We will see if the connection holds for the remaining operas, but that scene rings true for my beloved country, America.

It is difficult to not start placing known Americans in the various roles – Trump as Wotan trying to renege on a contract for getting Trump Tower (Valhalla) built, the big banks as the giants demanding payment, the oil and gas companies as Alberich raping the Rhine, Sanders as Erda warning of the reckoning to come, …  Think about it and draw your own analogies.

Now for some details on the performance:  The opening sequence was spectacular, A-plus, no doubt about it.  Wagner’s music starts slow, almost inaudibly, and builds to a flowing, cascading Rhine river motif.  Images begin to appear shortly after the music begins on a stage-wide and stage-tall screen showing indistinct movement that builds into swirls and bubbles which seemingly project from inside a waterfall.  I thought it achieved the Gesamtkunstwerk, the complete integration of music and story, that Wagner was trying to achieve.  The Rhine maidens then appear behind the screen as the water images fade away.  Maintaining the see-through screen between the performers and the audience at this point created an other-worldly atmosphere that was very effective.  The maidens sang very well, displaying much charm, though the chasing around by Alberich seemed to go on a bit too long.  The staging of the initial meeting of the Wotan clan and  the initial scene with the Niberlungs mining the gold underground were also impressive.  On the other hand, the scene where the gods were bargaining with the giants to ransom Freia was too spread out and that diffused the emotional impact.  From a personal perspective, I was disappointed that sitting on the right side of the theater, one could not see whatever was used as the image for Valhalla.  I could only see the bridge that led up to it.

Among the singers, William Burden,who played Loge, had a loud and clear tenor voice.  It was the only voice that stood out for me, and the one who seemed to sing most true to Wagnerian style.  The singing by most performers seemed quite capable and professional, though none distinguished themselves for me other than Burden.  Overall, I had the feeling that an accomplished group that had sung Wagner many times didn’t sing with the sustained voice I expected.  It sounded too stopping and starting as a group.  At one point during the initial scene with Wotan's group, for a moment I thought I was listening to Verdi.  The acting was capable overall, although I thought Freia came across as a silly school girl, rather than a frightened young god.  The orchestra played well and strongly initially, but at times seem to lose their role in telling the story as the music dropped below the singing. 

For the review by Washington Post’s Ann Midgette, click here.

So, I thought this Rhinegold began spectacularly and ended with a punch to the American gut.  Good job, WNO and Francesca Zambello.  Now, let the Valkyries ride!

Saturday Roundup of Things Opera

Ready for the Ring

Ok, I have been practicing sitting for hours without looking at my iPhone.  I watched all four Met Opera videos of the Ring (Debra Voight played Brunnhilde, superb) and practiced the Valkyrie cry, HoJoToHo, to get in the spirit!  I reserved my parking spot at the Kennedy Center and saved $3, and printed my tickets; I tried not to look at the seat prices.  I have given thought to energy supplies easily consumable at breaks.  I have worked out a schedule for bathroom breaks.  I plan not to sit down on days between the operas.  I plan to be there by 5 pm to hear the pre-opera talks.  I am ready for Das Rhinegold Saturday night.

It’s a Big Deal

Evidence that a production of the Ring Cycle is a big deal can be found in the several articles published in the Washington Post in just the last week alone:

Apr 24, Peggy McGlone, “Wagner’s four-opera ‘Ring Cycle’ at Kennedy Center lures swarms of diehard ‘Ringers’,”  - About 25 percent of the ticket sales for the Ring have gone to buyers who live outside of the DC area.  Some aficionados travel to see every performance they can in the country and across the oceans.  Ok, I can see that for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” but the Ring?

Apr 28, Sadie Dingfelder, “6 ways to sample Wagner’s ‘Ring Cycle’, without sitting through 15 hours of opera,”   - From Cliff Notes to a silent movie, various ways to sample Wagner are presented.  The most notable, perhaps, is that highlights of the Ring will be presented for free on the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage on May 12.  Check it out.

Apr 29, Anne Midgette, “Wagner’s ‘Ring’: A Scorecard,“ – This is an article which is essentially program notes, a listing and description of the main characters.  It rises above being something strange for a newspaper to do by including audio clips of Wagner’s leitmotifs associated with the characters.  It’s worth listening to the examples if you are not familiar with the concept.

Apr 29, Anne Midgette, “The Long Journey of the American ‘Ring’,” -  This is an outstanding article that presents background on the Ring itself and all the efforts to bring this particular Ring to DC.  The budget for this Ring is about ten million dollars.  The typical opera budget is about one million.  This production is an “American” version; the story takes place in America.  Intrigued?  I am.

Apr 29, Philip Kennicott, “Put a lid on the operatic Viking helmet cliché,” - In an article likely inspired by all the attention going to the Ring, Mr. Kennicott makes the case that continuing to use the Viking helmet as an opera cliché is actually disrespectful and harmful to opera.

Other operas coming up this week

There is actually a smorgasbord of very good operas that will be playing in the the mid-Atlantic this coming week, all of which I would love to have been able to go see (see the side bar for dates):

The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky, Pittsburgh Opera – no question, I would be attending this modern opera were it not for the Ring.  Elisabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote a piece this week about the set for this opera, which was designed by British artist David Hockney.

The Elixir of Love by Gaetano Donizetti, Opera Philadelphia – this is a romantic, comic Donizetti opera that depends on the sound and charm of its performers to make it special.  I’d love to see what the Opera Philadelphia will be able to do with it.

Elektra by Richard Strauss, Met Opera HD in cinemas – Ok, I admit this one scares me.  I am familiar with the story, not a pleasant one.  I am sure the music will be tense and sustained in that fashion.  If you are interested, Met Opera is trying to help folks prepare to listen to the opera with a podcast about it.  If anyone goes, please let me know what you thought of it.

Man versus Machines

In that battle, we are losing another one.  Though not about opera, I’d like to point out to you for your reading pleasure an amusing and nostalgic article that appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer this week written by Peter Dobrin.  Titled “Classical page-turners turn the page into the modern era,” he reflects on the passing of the page-turner in classical music performances and the rise of iPads for turning pages.

On the Future of Opera: Tinder-ly Calling

I write this post with bemusement, so don’t take it too seriously.  I grew up attending a Christian fundamentalist church.  A hymn we often sang (not a great singer, I sort of hummed) had the sweet, heartfelt refrain that I still love, “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling oh sinner, come home.”  Jesus and I are still on good terms, I trust; fundamentalist religion and I, not so much.  But, I think now Jesus has to text us, especially millennials and younger.  Linking to his Facebook page or Twitter feed might be the best way to respond.  <3u#comehome.BCNU.  Remember, just kidding!!

I have no idea if the texting abbreviations I just tried to use made any sense or not.  I am not a millennial or younger.  The origination of today’s post came from two separate ideas that bumped against each other in my brain this week.  First, wondering if you have to be over fifty to like opera, based on having scanned the crowds who attend them.  There are occasional signs of appealing to a younger group, but they don’t seem to be sustained.  Maybe opera is too much like history to the uninitiated.  What if operas were more current and addressed more topical issues for young people?  Then yesterday, I visited the opera website, Schmopera (schmopera.com) and found this clip of a ten minute opera, The Connection Lost, that seemed very timely, adhering to the preferred style of millennials, I am thinking.  Warning: it has a little language not proper and one very brief and not too revealing sex scene.  The clip can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imvYwZjJX0Q&feature=youtu.be, or watch below:

I hope you found the clip as funny as I did.  I need to check to see if there is an app that will sing my text messages to me.  In a more serious vein, I am collecting examples of new opera and different kinds of opera and ways of presenting opera that I will be reporting on in future posts.  B4N.

Biological Variation and the Man Who Didn’t Like Operas by Mozart

I once read a statement by a man who said that he didn’t like operas by Mozart!  He liked opera, just not Mozart operas.  My thought at the time was really?!  You like opera, but you don’t like Cosi Fan Tutte, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, or The Magic Flute? How could he like opera and not like Mozart operas?  What is wrong with this guy?  I even suspected he was posturing for some reason, not really being honest about his preferences.  Reflecting back on this, I am surprised at my reaction. 

Here’s why:

If I were writing a blog about life’s lessons, my first post would be about this: people are different; no two are alike. Science will back me on this point.  As an example, let’s consider hands.  When the image of a hand comes into our minds, most of us see the standard five-fingered hand, but even there, we probably see that hand in different colors from each other.  Some might see a young hand, others an old hand.  Some might see a hand with colored nails; other might see a calloused hand.  Hands come in different sizes.  If we look more closely we see skin of different types on the hands.  We see some hands are deformed.  We see the ratio of the lengths of the fingers on the hand differ between individuals.  Some hands have joints that can bend further than other hands.  Some hands are missing fingers, deleted by lawnmowers or by a genetic mutation.  Some hands are frozen in place.  I have read there are rare hands with six fingers.  We could keep going in this vein for quite awhile, but just compare your hands with anyone else’s and they will be different. 

So, who has something wrong, you or the other person?

Let’s consider that question a little more deeply.  In most cases, these differences have not been deliberately chosen.  These differences are a combination of genetic and environmental influences.  It is simple biological variation.  Unless we have a twin, we all get a unique genome from our parents.  So most of us begin with built in differences from each other.  If you have kids, think about how different they are from each other, from the moment you first hold them in your arms.  Then, stuff happens.  Our genomes might suffer mutations that change whether individual genes work or not.  And importantly, there are also factors that determine how these genes get expressed.  Epigenetics is a field of study concerned with how genes get turned on and off. This process is highly influenced by environmental factors.  Even identical twins who share identical genetic make-up have variations in gene expression due to external influences changing their epigenome.  Think of a house and its light fixtures.  It has lights for every room as part of its basic make up.  However, the lights can be on or off in each room depending on the light switches that control them.  So it is with the genes in our bodies.  If you live in the Artic, the cold will serve as a switch that turns on certain genes and others off.  If you eat too much certain genes get turned on and off.  The NIH Director’s Blog recently had a post about how a mother’s smoking affects her baby’s epigenome, a truly cautionary tale about how our environment can shape not only the current, but future generations. 

It’s complicated.

The more deeply you look, the more complex the process gets with other internal processes  going on that I have not mentioned, and undoubtedly some we don’t even know about yet.  Now just as there is so much variation in hands, there is similar or even more levels of variation with other biological features or systems, including and especially our brains.  We share a lot of the human genome, but we all have our own variations.   I offer this scientific discussion because science is impersonal.  In some cases, like the deformed hand we might question what happened, but in none of the cases would we ask what is wrong with the person who has those hands.  And that translates to behavior and personal preferences as well.  Most often our behavior is dictated not by ulterior motives but simply by who we are.  We like what we like and we don’t like what we don’t like because that is who we are.  No amount of culturing will make the first George Bush like broccoli.  Gene therapy might, but that is a different topic.

It’s true, but we act like we don’t know it.

People are different.  We all know this but we frequently don’t act like we know it, like me when I encountered the guy who didn’t like Mozart operas.  We most frequently don’t act like we know it in how we judge ourselves.  This easily translates to opera.  We assume that if other people like or dislike something, especially knowledgeable individuals, then we should like or not like it accordingly.  In reality, our reaction to opera is highly subjective, and we, the reactors, are all different.  Whatever your opinion is, if it is genuine, it is valid.  So, do not fear to express your opinions.  Having differences is not a bad thing.  In fact, it is a great thing.  The differences allow us to hear and see things from a different perspective, and that helps us to grow and experience life in new ways.  At OperaGene I want to hear your opinions whether they agree with me or not, maybe even more so if you disagree.  If I ever meet the man who doesn’t like Mozart operas, instead of questioning his sanity or honesty, I will offer to buy him a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and ask him to please tell me about his opera preferences and share mine.  It just might enhance how we both listen to opera in the future. 

Virginia Opera’s The Flying Dutchman: Both Thrilling and Wildly Incoherent

These are my comments on Saturday (April 23) night’s Virginia Opera’s performance of The Flying Dutchman.  Notice I do not call this a review because I am not a qualified opera reviewer.  For a review by the Washington Post's Robert Battey, click here.  Nonetheless, I am a fan and have an opinion, and offer one fan’s opinion below, but first a few notes:

Note to opera fans: If you take away nothing else from this blog post, let it be this: attend the pre-opera talk.  The one last night was given by Dr. Glen Winters, Community Outreach Musical Director for the Virginia Opera (see his blog at dropera.blogspot.com) and someone who can talk authoritatively about opera.  His comments gave the audience valuable insight into the music and story, and his sense of humor and ability to demonstrate his points on the piano made for an enjoyable pre-opera talk.  I am still unsure of the correctness of his well-rationalized thesis that Senta is an archetype for empathy that can save the world from its suffering or whether this opera was simply about Wagner’s longing for a woman who would remain faithful to him.  Pick one.  Back to my point, you simply will enjoy the opera more and get more out of it if you attend the pre-opera talk.

Note to Virginia Opera: record this talk and offer it to your followers; it is that good and that informative.  It will help people who are only able to listen to a recording of the opera.  In fact, offer these talks online days ahead of the performance. 

Note to all Opera companies: most pre-opera talks are in rooms too small to accommodate all the people who attend, and quite a few 50-70 year-olds are made to stand for 30-45 min or forego the talk altogether after having made the effort to get there.  Present these talks in a section of the opera auditorium.  Opera Philadelphia did this for a production of Cold Mountain I attended, and it worked fine. 

Music

Liked:  Wagner’s expressive music is really another actor in the drama, or maybe is a substitute for the Greek chorus found in the ancient Greek plays.  Leitmotifs, short themes attached to characters or things, used by Wagner do help in integrating the music and drama.  His inventiveness in continually bringing these back in different ways in the music improves cohesion and is impressive.  This is one opera I’d attend just for the music.  I’m not an expert but certainly the conductor and musicians played well enough for me to truly enjoy the performance.  The orchestra was relatively large and produced a full sound.

Not liked: our seats were close to the side door and only seven or eight rows back.  Seated on our side of the auditorium was the brass section of the orchestra.  We definitely got the stereo effect, and Wagner uses a lot of horns, so the volume of the horns was a little more than desired in our spot.

Singing/Dancing

Liked: Soprano Christina Pier proved to have a voice very pleasant and very well matched to Senta’s song.  Sopranos are my favorites and she was quite pleasing.  The women’s and men’s choruses sang well and brought a sense of life and fun to the drama.  I enjoyed the limited choreography, but it only hinted at what fun it could have been.  I would have been willing to stay and listen to some encores from the choruses.  One of my favorite singers was David Blalock, the steersman, a quite enjoyable sounding, if soft-voiced, tenor who provided some comic relief.  Peter Volpe as Daland had a good, clear bass voice.

Not liked:  Wayne Tigges gave us an imposing Dutchman and sang forcefully, especially in the second act, but for me, his voice was too low for the part, equaling Volpe in its bass-ness. Tenor Corey Bix sang quite well as Erik, but again it was a low-voiced tenor, almost baritone, that made him seem stern. 

Acting

Liked: Ms. Pier played her role reasonably convincingly, as did Mr. Volpe, who played his avarice in an amusing fashion.  The steersman was good in a smaller role. Rachelle Pike who played nurse Mary was also good, though her part got lost in the shuffle. 

 Not liked: Only in the later scene with Senta, did Mr. Tigges begin to convince me he was really experiencing heartfelt suffering; mostly he just appeared brooding and not at all sympathetic.  Mr. Bix gave us a clear minded, mature Erik, but I was looking for one that was a more youthful boyfriend experiencing a disturbed innocence. 

Direction and Staging

Aye, here’s the rub, and why I found it incoherent.  I accept the concept that opera goers should seek to engage in the fantasy and not ask for realism, especially for an opera based on myth; and the Dutchman requires more than its share of suspension of disbelief.  Nonetheless, the director’s and audience’s fantasy worlds need to be on the same page or at least overlapping; the choices must have the possibility of working for both parties.  Sarah Widzer, the director, and Symanietz, the production stage manager made some choices that took me out of the fantasy.  First, the costume for the Dutchman did not work for me and was actually a distraction.  The crew cut hair and tattooed, bare chest look with a cape drawn over the shoulders made me think he was on the way to a championship match for the World Wrestling Federation; no sense of mystery there.  Also, I thought the choices for the spinning room scene failed to convey a sense of routine.  Instead I was kind of fascinated by the dangling ropes, lots of possibilities there, and the women seemed rather supportive of Senta, rather than questioning her choice.  To me, it came off as a rather happy affair.

Then it got weirder.  We had been told by Dr. Winters that there was little love/physical attraction between the Dutchman and Senta.  She simply wanted to make the sacrifice to relieve his suffering and that was what he wanted as well. Yet, we saw them making nice-nice to each other in three different places on the stage in the last scene, including on a bed.  Huh?  Furthermore, I thought these efforts were more awkward than convincing, and convincing of what?  Then for the denouement, Senta offs herself by strangling herself with a ship’s rope while on her bed.  I suppose we were supposed to get the idea she hung herself since the rope was attached to the bed, but I was so looking forward to her jumping off the cliff, a much more dramatic statement for the Dutchman.  Finally, the light shadows showing Senta and the Dutchman's rise up to heaven wasted no time in their ascension and looked much more like Ken and Barbie than Senta and the Dutchman.  I might also mention the lighting because many times the singing characters were in the dark, presumably this was a technical issue.  

In researching the The Flying Dutchman, I ran across an article by Ann Midgette of the Post who commented for a different Dutchman production that directors should only include/not include spinning wheels (she happens to own a spinning wheel and uses it) or other stage props based primarily on whether it helps tell the story effectively.  I laud the director’s attempts to do this, making purposeful choices.  But for me, the direction and staging was what you would call interesting.  The choices didn’t draw me into the drama, rather they made me think about what was going on and what might have worked better for me.  It’s good to be the fan – and have the right to criticize but no responsibility for the production.  So, if you saw it, what did you think?

One unfortunate take-away from the performance is that there were very few millennials in the audience.  This is of special concern, given that this performance was on a college campus.  When I saw The Marriage of Figaro at the same venue, young folks were present.  Virginia Opera should consider presenting an offering each year specifically targeted to a younger audience.  Has anyone surveyed millennials to get their thoughts on opera?

Saturday Roundup of Things Opera

Here are a few operas items of note to scan through at your weekend’s leisure:

A Backyard Discovery: Shakespeare Opera Theater

Remember the song “Strolling Through the Park” that starts “I was strolling through the Park one day.  It was in the merry month of May…”.  Sometimes that plays in the back of my mind when I am cruising the internet letting my mind/fingers wander and go where they may.  It is amazing what can turn up when you do that.  In this case, what turned up was a relatively new opera/theater company in Manassas, VA, the Shakespeare Opera Theater, not too far from me in Tyson’s Corner.  Their mission/dream is to bring theater and opera together to explore Shakespeare’s masterpieces.  Starting Sunday, they begin a four-performance run of Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor and Verdi’s Falstaff, adapted by Verdi's librettist, Arrigo Boito, from Shakespeare's play.  At this point, I know nothing more about them than what is on their website, but it is a clever idea and they appear worth checking out.  One of my goals for OperaGene is to seek out and report on smaller opera companies in the mid-Atlantic.  I am finding more and more as I check out the mid-Atlantic region opera landscape.

An Evening of Puccini

Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts is presenting a production of two short Puccini operas by its highly regarded Resident Artists.  Gianni Schicchi and Il tabarro are being presented as a pair for six performances, beginning this Saturday and running through May 14.  Say Puccini and I am ready to listen.  I am also predisposed to want to hear young artists developing their voices and careers.  These evenings sound win-win to me.  I am not very familiar with these Puccini operas, but Schicchi has a famous aria, “O Mio Babbino Caro,” whose recording seems to be di rigueur for any diva.  Click here to hear it sung by modern day diva, Anna Nebtrebko.  I bring this up because if anyone is feeling romantic, an evening of Puccini is a perfect accompaniment, and you can feel good about supporting the development of young artists. 

"Beyonce" of Classical Music

This has nothing to do with opera and everything to do with having my interest piqued.  Maybe yours will be as well.  As I noted in the Opera Info/Websites/Blogs section, I subscribe to Slipped Disc and this headline on their website caught my eye, “The Beyonce of Classical Music Suggests Music for Pre-Sex.”  The performer thus labeled is Khatia Buniatishvili, an up and coming young concert pianist.  I was not so interested in the article, but I did want to get a look at Ms. Buniatishvili; presumably her attractiveness and sex appeal was much above most classical artists.  You can judge that point for yourself.  Click here for a clip of her performing.  I have to admit that watching her perform, I forgot her assigned Beyonce status, and the feature that fascinated me was her hands.  Watching those hands move across the keyboard caused me to believe in magic.  And the same is true for any other concert pianist I have ever watched.

Don’t Be a Daland, Be a Senta

I ran across an interesting blog titled titled Operation Opera that is sponsored by Virginia Opera and written by Dr. Glenn Winters, a trained musicologist and opera singer.  Here is someone who really knows opera.  He has written a number of blog posts leading up to the Virginia Opera production of The Flying Dutchman.  In his most recent post, titled “Flying Dutchman’s lesson: don’t be a Daland, be a Senta,” he talks about the tale of the Dutchman metaphorically.  In particular, he focuses on the role of Senta as an archetype of empathy and sacrifice, necessary to save the world.  Often critics present Senta merely as a slightly unhinged young woman in love and thereby miss the point.  He sees the message of the opera as don’t be an indifferent Daland (Senta's father), living a life of oblivion; be a Senta making sacrifices to ameliorate the suffering of others.  Interesting post; I recommend it, especially if you are going to see The Flying Dutchman.

Irregularity of Royal Opera House Live in Theaters Broadcasts

I covered these live broadcast of the Royal Opera House (London) operas in my blog post, “Affordable Opera, Part I”: “The Royal Opera House of London also broadcasts a live-in-cinemas series, though to only a very limited number of theaters in the mid-Atlantic region if I am reading the map correctly; click here to see a performance list and enter your address into the box to find theaters that carry these in your area.” I have checked more recently and the few theaters in the mid-Atlantic region aligned with ROH are not showing the productions live.  In fact, if you are near one of these theaters, you need to check with the theater to find out when the operas will broadcast.  For this reason, I will list the ROH broadcast link in the Seasonal Listings page, but not include them in the side-bar since the dates might be different for different theaters.  You can still track these down using the link above.  These are very good productions and I recommend you check them out if there is a theater near you. 

Five Interesting Facts About Wilhelm Richard Wagner

Wagner month is about to begin in the the Washington, DC area.  The Virginia Opera’s production of The Flying Dutchman plays in Fairfax on Saturday and Sunday.  The Washington National Opera’s ambitious production of the Ring cycle kicks off on the following Saturday and will continue for three weeks.  All performances are listed in the sidebar (or at the bottom of the page on some mobile devices).  Who was this composer who many claim is the world’s greatest music genius?  I thought I’d present you with five interesting facts about Richard Wagner to hopefully interest you a bit more to listen to his music and to learn more.  To say that Wagner led an interesting life is a massive understatement; so here goes, five facts about Wagner that I find interesting:

Fact one:  There is some controversy about who was Wagner’s father.  Officially, his father was Karl Friedrich Wagner, a police official in Leipzig, Germany.  Ludwig Geyer, an actor and family friend took over the family’s affairs when Karl died; Richard was six months-old.  A year later, Geyer married his mother; six months passed and a daughter was born to the happy couple.  There was a strong attachment and resemblance between Richard and Ludwig, and there was other circumstantial evidence that Geyer was the real papa.  However, what is interesting to me is that this controversy seems to be driven by the class-conscious belief that a mere policeman could not have fathered this artistic genius, and an actor, who demonstrated some creativity and classical interest, is a more likely gene donor, but it importantly is also driven by claims, in the absence of evidence, that Geyer had been Jewish.  No paternity testing in those days.

Fact two: Wagner was not a music prodigy, such as say, Mozart.  His rise to music stardom only began at age 29, and was not yet spectacular then, and turned really successful only after he turned fifty.  His first love was actually literature.  However, at about age 15, he turned to music after being inspired by Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischutz, yes, one of the operas in the 2016-2017 season for Virginia Opera.  He lost interest in school per se to devote himself to music and got kicked out.  He was a self-taught musician and finally had six months of formal music study at 18, which eventually enabled him to get conductor posts with troubled opera companies.  His demanding nature and resisting of popular sentiments got him fired from those.  His last, before moving to Paris was in Riga, Russia, which eventually led to him having to sneak out of the country to flee to Paris.  He and his wife lived in poverty and debt in his early years in Paris, despite having a popular opera composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer, as his champion.

Fact three: Wagner once said, “No more, Mr. Nice Guy!”; he was six weeks-old at the time.  Okay, I am stretching the truth by calling this a fact, but most of the people who knew him would have said that it was possible it happened.  In Wagner’s view, he was the greatest artist ever, and being totally dedicated to his art, the world was there to meet his needs, with the only reciprocation being his great works of art.  He was always true to his art, but as a person, he lied, borrowed money with no intention of paying back, was ruthless in dealing with others, had affairs with married women even as his and their spouses knew, even when the spouses were his benefactors, generally criticized and flaunted the mores of his day, and was strongly anti-Semitic.  Though his death occurred fifty years before the Third Reich, Hitler adopted his music as the theme song for Nazi Germany.  As best as I can tell, his music is still not played in Israel; when orchestras there have scheduled any of his pieces, they were forced by popular outcry to renege.  Now you understand the importance of the issue of his paternity.  Each of us has to deal with how an artist’s personal life and attributes influence our willingness or ability to enjoy their artistic achievements.  If we can’t tolerate someone’s work based on their character, it is usually not an intellectual decision.

Fact four: A king took away Wagner's troubles and freed his creative powers.  King Lugwig II of Bavaria befriended and sponsored Wagner, beginning soon after he turned fifty.  Ludwig II was eighteen years-old and loved Wagner’s music; he paid all of Wagner’s debts and gave him a living allowance, and helped support his future musical production efforts.  In essence, Wagner won the lottery (next MegaMillions drawing is Friday and PowerBall Is Saturday).  I have read that Lugwig II was also homosexual and Wagner may have provided him more than musical service, not a requirement for the lotteries as far as I know.  Ludwig II is an interesting story in himself.

Fact five:  One of Wagner’s major achievements was made outside of composing, the opera house at Bayreuth, Germany (Bavaria), the Bayreuth Festival Theater.  King Ludwig enabled Wagner to complete the opera theater that Wagner desired to premiere his operas.  He designed it as an amphitheater with a recessed orchestra pit, departing from the usual arrangements of his day.  He may have stolen the design idea from a Munich architect, no attribution of course.  It opened with the premiere of the Ring cycle in 1876.  To this day, a famous and highly lauded opera festival, the Bayreuth Festival, is held there each year, drawing the top names in opera.  If you follow opera at all, it will not be long before you encounter the name Beyreuth.  Wagner is buried in a garden a few miles from the opera house.

And I haven’t mentioned his period of exile, his marrying the illegitimate daughter of famous composer Franz Liszt, or his sixteen volumes of prose.  I will simply close with a quote from Shakespeare (Macbeth), that I read in “Ticket to the Opera” by Phil G. Goulding, as applied to Wagner: “Such welcome and unwelcome things at once, ‘tis hard to reconcile.”

WETA PBS Channel in DC to Broadcast Rigoletto on Saturday

In my blog post, “Affordable Opera, Part 2,” I discussed the broadcast of Met Opera videos periodically by PBS television stations: “A great way to view many of these [Met Opera] videos for free is to tune into the Great Performances at the Met broadcasts on PBS television.  Check here to track these down in your area.  I simply have my DVR set to record Great Performances at the Met.  Over the last two years I have recorded about 25 opera performances this way.  I find viewing these on my own devices has a few advantages:  I can pause the videos when I leave the room, or I can watch them in portions and even watch them multiple times; also, when I miss something, I can use my remote control to go back a few seconds to see it again.  Of course, the selection on PBS is limited and the availability is episodic.”

On this Saturday, April 23, at 11 am, WETA PBS station in Washington DC will broadcast Rigoletto, which was originally broadcast by the Metropolitan Opera in Cinemas on May 17, 2013; this is a re-broadcast.  The broadcast is not part of the Met's regular series.  Set your recording devices if you get this channel.  It is free!!!

First of all, Rigoletto is a great Verdi opera.  For much of my early opera love, it was my favorite opera.  It has a great story with a surprise and tragic ending, and some really beautiful, dramatic music.  If you haven’t seen it, this is a good chance.  The story for this production is moved from regal times to the Las Vegas era of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack.  It is an interesting transformation.  It stars Piotr Beczala, a leading modern tenor, and Diana Damrau, a current diva.  I saw this production in a cinema broadcast.  I highly recommend it.  In the broadcast I saw, one of those unanticipated moments happened.  Diana Damrau was being interviewed by Rene Fleming, another modern day diva.  Ms.Damrau has two children.  They allowed her young son to join her on stage.  The transformation was amazing.  This regal diva instantaneously changed to a mirthful Bavarian mom when her son joined her.  Ms. Damrau comes across as Gilda in Rigoletto, as a pliable character, but then look at her power and the beauty of her voice as she plays the Queen of Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute in the clip below from Youtube.com (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpVV9jShEzU). .

Saturday Roundup of Things Opera

Here are a few operas items of note to scan through at your weekend’s leisure:

James Levine, Principal Conductor of the Met Orchestra, Announces Retirement-

After a forty year career at the Metropolitan Opera, principal conductor, James Levine will step down from his current position at the end of this season to become music director emeritus.  He is credited with having built the Met Orhcestra into the eminence it enjoys today.  Michael Cooper in the NYTImes covers the event, and some history with Levine in a very good article published 4/14/16: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/arts/music/james-levine-transformative-at-the-met-opera-is-stepping-down.html?_r=0.  Anne Midgette wrote a critical article for Friday’s edition of the Post that points out the general sentiment of apparently most opera professionals that it was past time for him to step down: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2016/04/14/met-opera-announces-levines-departure-long-overdue/

Into Binge Watching?  How about 17 hours of Wagner?

The Washington Post's classical music critic demonstrates that she has a humorous side with a fun article that discusses the demands of the upcoming Washington National Opera production of the Ring, four nights of 4 to 5 hours of opera watching each, but makes the case it is worthy of the effort.  I plan to take a pillow, a snack, and something to help me with the anxiety caused by 17 hours without checking my iPhone.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/looking-for-your-next-binge-watching-marathon-try-17-hours-of-opera/2016/04/14/52b756e0-00cc-11e6-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html 

How Old is Too Old?

Opera authority, Fred Plotkin, has just published an article discussing the issues around the effects of aging on opera’s performers, performances, and managers.  Very good at touching on all the points, maybe less so for staking out a position.  You decide.  I agree with him that the key factor should be whether the performer can play the part and sing the role correctly and convincingly.  After uploading my post on the return of Kathleen Battle, I sent it to Ms. Midgette.  To my surprise and delight, she read it and responded.  I learned from her that opera singers with a light voice sometimes have their voice change when they move into their forties and that may have been a factor for Ms. Battle.  Ah yes, time will have its way.  http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/how-old-too-old-opera-stage/ 

Don’t Forget the Dutchman Has Begun His Flight

If you check the sidebar, you will see the remaining chances to see Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman.  The first performance that took place in Norfolk has been reviewed.  It generally received high marks for the singers and orchestra, but the direction was criticized, such that some scenes did not come off as intended.  http://pilotonline.com/entertainment/arts/theater/review-virginia-opera-s-the-flying-dutchman-delivers-plenty-for/article_a8cd127a-018f-5d00-a959-9fc9b8daaae1.html 

Roberto Devereux Who?

In case you have finished or can take a break from doing your taxes this weekend, Met Opera will be broadcasting the Met performance of Roberto Devereux into theaters live in HD this Saturday – see the sidebar.  The main attraction here clearly is Sandra Radvanovsky who is completing her hat trick of starring in all three of Donizetti’s operas about Tudor queens.  Earlier this season, she played the queens in Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda.  She plays Queen Elizabeth I this time, whose love interest is nobleman, Robert Devereux.  The HD recording of this broadcast will play in theaters the next Wednesday evening.  I saw her star in Anna Bolena a couple of years ago at the Kennedy Center.  Now that I know what it means, I can say she has a stentorian voice.  She has what is known as a big instrument; voices in the opera world are known as instruments.  It is also a very pleasing voice.  This is a chance to see an outstanding soprano play a role she is known for, at a cost of about $25, in the comfort of a theater with a big screen.

Opera Philadelphia’s 2016-2017 Season: It’s Complicated

In a way, it’s not that complicated at first glance.  There are two sure fire money makers, Turandot and The Marriage of Figaro.  Fair enough.  And two headline sopranos, Stephanie Blythe and Christine Goerke, also money makers.  Then there is Tancredi, a tip of the hat to a highly-regarded, though less often produced, work of Rossini.  Now the real adventure begins: offered is a new take on Macbeth (tickets are already being reported as scarce).  Add a world premiere of a new opera based on the critically-acclaimed movie of the same name, Breaking the Waves, which contains some explicit language and sexual content that requires a warning label.  Aside from the operas themselves, there is the shell game: the opera venues shift.  And there is the odd scheduling – three of the operas sit on top of each other at the end of September.  It looks to get even odder, and maybe even more exciting, in 2017-2018; parents take note - a production of The Magic Flute is in the works.  We will sort this all out. 

Daniel Patrick Stearn, classical music critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer has reviewed the upcoming season, recommended reading for the information about the collaborations involved in these productions.  Maybe I am wrong, but I think I detected slight consternation and only mild support for the addition of Breaking the Waves.

Here is the lineup for 2016-2017 :

• Macbeth by Fabrizio Cassol, after Giuseppe Verde, Sep 24 – 25..…Prince Theater
• Breaking the Waves by Missy Mazzoli, Sep 22 – Oct 1…..Perelman Theater
• Turandot by Giocomo Puccini, Sep 23 – Oct 2…..Academy of Music
• Tancredi by Gioacchino Rossini, Feb 10 – 19…..Academy of Music
• The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Apr 28 – May 7….Academy of Music

Philly is a great city to visit and I get a really good feeling about Opera Philadelphia.  You might also want to refer to my earlier post about this company (“A Mini Opera Vacation to Philly and the Excitement of New Opera”).  I have by no means gotten my head around this or any other opera company as yet, but it seems a little crazy in a good way.  They also seem to have an active arts community that genuinely reaches out to its fans.  I get a feeling of excitement and vibrancy that bodes well for the future for the mid-Atlantic opera fan.  As evidence, they are planning to start the 2017-2018 season with a festival they are calling O17, six operas in 12 days and many other events.  They say this year’s scheduling of three operas at the end of September is a practice run.  Their website also justifiably boasts that Opera Philadelphia is the only American opera company to be nominated in the Best Opera Company category for the International Opera Awards for 2016.  For us fans, the next couple of years are going to be a fun ride.

Macbeth is a joint venture with The FringeArts of Philadelphia, which is making this production part of their own festival; Opera Philadelphia’s supply of tickets for this is limited, so buy early.  My first reaction to this Macbeth is this: who does Mr. Fabrizio Cassol think he is putting his name ahead of Verdi’s?  I think he is at least a dozen great operas behind to be doing that.  Beyond that overreaction which probably isn’t his fault anyway, this version of Macbeth is actually a touring production since 2014 of the Third World Bun organization, whose founder, Brett Bailey, is the director and creative force behind the concept for this theatrical production of Macbeth.  Opera Philadelphia says this is the American world premiere of the production, though the tour’s website lists Fairfield University as a venue just before.  The website states that Verdi’s score has been reworked by Mr. Cassol and adapted for 12 onstage musicians and it is performed by 10 South African opera singers; I’m feeling kinder towards Mr. Cassol, a little.  The story is gripping and important, set in the Congo amid the wars and political upheavals there.  A group of people find a trunk of costumes and use it to tell their story.  The London Telegraph gave the performance there five stars. The setting gives this production potentially powerful dramatic appeal dealing with the very human and inhuman mayhem in portions of today’s Africa.

The composer for Breaking the Waves is Missy Mazzoli.  She is an American contemporary composer known for chamber, orchestral, and operatic work.  Her chamber opera, Song from the Uproar was performed last year by the LA Opera.  From 2012-2015, she was composer-in-residence at Opera Philadelphia.  She also has an electro-acoustic band, Victoire, that plays her music.  This will be interesting.  I’ve listened to some of her music on iTunes.  It is hard to envision this as opera.  I was intrigued by a statement she made in a promotional video that she could use music to say things that the words were not saying.  That sounds like opera.  If I can work it out, I will probably try to go, to feed my thirst for new opera.  “Breaking the Waves,” the movie, had strong sexual content involving loyalty and morality, hence the warning label for the opera.  (Hmmm.  Appomattox last year at the Kennedy Center had more than its share of foul language and I don’t remember a warning, but then, it didn’t have sex.)  I applaud Opera Philadelphia for giving young composers a chance.  Let’s support the venture and hope it works.

Tancredi was the great Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini’s first opera seria success. He is better known for his comedic operas, such as the Barber of Seville.  I knew his William Tell Overture from his opera, Guillaume Tell, as a child – it was the theme song for the Lone Ranger and we all quickly learned the scary story of a dad shooting the apple off his son’s head with a bow and arrow.  Tancredi is based on a play, "Tancrede," by Voltaire; it tells the story of star-crossed lovers caught in family and historical conflict between Syracuse (Sicily, not NY) and the Saracens.  Rossini actually wrote two endings, a happy one and a sad one.  The opera seria form of the day required a happy ending, but keeping true to Voltaire’s play required a tragic ending.  The tragic one seems to have survived the test of time.  Too bad, with what is going on in the world today, I think I’d prefer a happy ending.  A big draw for this performance is the major star, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, who according to Mr. Stearns requested this opera, and perhaps surprisingly, though not unusual for Rossini operas, plays our hero, Tancredi, in a pants role.

I have covered Turandot and The Marriage of Figaro previously, also being performed next season by the Virginia Opera and the Washington National Opera, respectively.  Interestingly, the Turandot production features well-known soprano Christine Goerke in the title role.  She starred in the performance I saw at the Met last October.  She was excellent.  Mr. Stearns said her voice was stentorian (I had to look it up).  That adjective certainly also applies to Ms. Blythe in Tancredi.  Turandot offers the chance for the soprano who plays Liu to steal the show; Joyce El-Khoury will play Liu; evidence of her chops is provided by the fact she will play Violetta in La Traviata in a Royal Opera House production next Jan/Feb.  The spectacular staging at the Met was nothing less than performance art.  I’m tempted to go just to see the staging by Opera Phildelphia. Figaro will feature Cecilia Hall as Cherubino, who I very much enjoyed as Ruby in Opera Philadelphia’s Cold Mountain.  If you haven’t seen Figaro lately, go please yourself again. 

Tickets:  First, an admission: I have never run across instructions that I didn’t misunderstand some part of or a form that I didn’t make a mistake filling out, usually signing below the line when I should have signed above, or vice versa.  So when I say I find Opera Philadelphia’s otherwise outstanding website difficult to decipher in regard to tickets, consider my admission.  After considerable effort, I think I have figured it out.  Right now they are only offering subscription packages.  There are two basic packages:  Fixed seat and flexible packages.  However, under the Fixed Seat package there are two series, the Academy Series and the Perelman Theater Series (they call this the Aurora Series), a little confusing to sell this as a package since the Aurora Series only has one opera, Breaking the Waves.  Fixed Seat package subscribers can buy separate tickets for Macbeth at the same time.  Now, for the flexible packages that they call the Select Series, you can choose a package of three or more operas from among the five operas being presented; they will also sell you a flexible package of just two operas.  All package prices are discounted over individual seat prices and offer ticket exchange, a pretty good deal.  Prices for the Opera at the Academy package of three operas range from $51 to $645.  The theater is not small in terms of number of seats, but is cozy and I suspect most seats are good.  If you require extra leg room, I recommend you buy box seats.  I didn’t see any discounts for students, but they are offering a free opera simulcast of Turandot on Independence Mall for the Oct 1 production; registration and tickets are required.  There is also a Gala Opening Celebration if you have the bucks.  Page 22-23 of the season brochure provides a most helpful overview; use full screen mode to read.  Tickets for individual performances go on sale August 1.  If you'd like a person to help with selecting/purchasing packages, call Guest Services at 215-732-8400.

Opera in the Movies Series: "Philadelphia" and How to Listen to Opera

A friend suggested to me that opera in the movies might be a good blog topic, and I agreed.  I found a number of good articles available online that covered just that.  Many use the premise that they are showing readers that they, the readers, are more familiar with opera than they realize.  One article by Justin Moss published by the Huffington Post in 2012 is particularly to be recommended.  As I scanned through these articles it finally struck me that I was, well…, scanning through these articles.  I suspect that is what most of us do when we see the 'ten what ever' articles: we scan quickly to be reminded of examples we already can guess and see the ones we don’t.  In doing so, we miss out on much of what they have to offer.  So, I have decided to make Opera in the Movies a series for OperaGene, not one blog post, and to take a more in-depth look at each example.

For the premiere episode of my Opera in the Movies Series, I chose a scene from the 1993 movie “Philadelphia” starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.  This movie also has one of my favorite pop recordings, Bruce Springsteen’s song, Streets of Philadelphia.  In the movie, gay lawyer Andrew Beckett (Hanks) is aided by homophobic lawyer Joe Miller (Washington) in defending Beckett in a wrongful termination law suit, charging his law firm with firing him because he had contracted AIDS.  In the 1980s and most of the 1990s, contracting AIDS was a death sentence and victims suffered a great deal of discrimination due to public fear and misunderstanding.  Now, thanks to research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and America’s pharmaceutical companies, sufferers can lead a fairly normal life on now available maintenance medications.  NIH still sponsors research to develop a vaccine total cure and some efforts appear to offer hope.

In the movie, Miller at first rejects Beckett’s plea for help, but yields when he witnesses the discrimination that Beckett is enduring.  Ok, no more spoiler information in case you have not seen the movie.  In the scene below taken from Youtube, Andrew says to Joe, “Do you like opera, Joe?”.  Miller deflects the question, answering that he is not that familiar opera.  As I watched this very dramatic moment, it struck me that this was the best lesson in how to watch opera that I had yet to run across.  Watch it before reading further:

The line in that sequence that most affects me is Beckett saying “That single cello!”.  How about you?  In this video I think you can see how the drama and tension of the story, the pinpointing of feelings with the words, and the evocation and modulation of emotion by the music combine to provide an overwhelming sensory experience that can transport you to that human moment in time, allowing you to experience what your human compatriots have experienced while also experiencing the transcendent beauty of life.  No one can really tell you how to listen to opera.  Experts can tell you what to listen for, but until you listen in the way that Andrew listens, caught up and without evaluation or judgment, you haven’t really listened to opera.  Once you listen that way, it is highly likely you will return for more.  I'm betting Joe started attending operas.

Kathleen Battle: A Powerful Story, As Yet Not Told

About four years ago, one year into the beginning of my love of opera, I was making my morning commute to work at NIH.  Heading out of Vienna onto the Beltway, I switched from weather and traffic reporting to Met Opera radio, and Donizetti’s Elisir D’Amore had just begun, a good, frisky opera to get you ready for a workday.  I was pleased, and I recognized Pavarotti right away, such a distinctive voice, but who was the lead soprano?  What a voice!  I should add that I am very much into voices.  If I don’t like the voice, I find it hard to enjoy the singing no matter how technically correct.  This soprano’s voice was like ice cream, sweet and flavorful.  She moved through the scale effortlessly without revealing any strain; even in the highest registers, the voice always maintained its flavor.  As soon as I was able, I tracked down the performance and identified the soprano – Kathleen Deanna Battle, highly acclaimed lyric coloratura soprano.  I became a big fan, eager to find recordings of other operas in which she had performed.  It turned out the supply was surprisingly limited.

Some facts from Wikipedia and a number of news reports (list available on request):  Born in 1948, she grew up in Ohio, the youngest of seven children.  Her father was a steelworker and her mother sang gospel music at church.  Her talent was recognized as a child and mentors moved her in the direction of music.  She chose to study music education at the University of Cincinnati and taught 5th and 6th grades for awhile.  Her professional singing debut was in 1972 at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, which she garnered though an audition.  Her early singing career involved touring with major orchestras.  Her operatic debut was in 1975 with the Michigan Opera singing Rosina in The Barber of Seville.  Her first appearance at the Met Opera was in 1977 with James Levine conducting, still principal conductor of the Met orchestra today.  She had been befriended by Mr. Levine earlier in her career, beginning a relationship that has apparently endured.  She became a mainstay at the Met during the 1980s, performing over 224 times in 14 different operas.  She was also featured at many other top opera houses in the U.S. and world.  Early she was criticized for having a light voice in terms of power, but her voice grew with experience.  You can listen here to her sing a famous aria from The Barber of Seville, titled “Una voce poca fa.”

During the nineties her reputation for diva behavior grew even as demand for her performances surged.  She recorded many albums of songs and arias and did recitals of different types of music in addition to appearing in operas.  However, reports of her being difficult to work with circulated widely.  She was reported to have thrown another soprano’s clothes into the hallway because she wanted that particular dressing room.  She apparently became highly critical of staff and other performers, even banning some from rehearsals.  Staff at the San Francisco Opera were reported to have worn T-shirts that stated, “I survived the Battle.” It was said that in rehearsals for a performance at the Met in February 1994, she refused to let the other performer look at her mouth during duets.  She was often late or failed to appear.  She had quit a production at the Met a year earlier when the Met manager did not appear at her demand.  This highly critical and odd behavior finally caused Met management to act that February, and she was dismissed, fired, for “unprofessional actions” in rehearsals, an extraordinary act for Met Opera, especially since this was her last performance under contract at the time with the Met. 

Ms. Battle never owned up to any unprofessional behavior on her part then or later, no apology to anyone that I have seen.  An official response at the time from her management company claimed that no one told her about any unprofessional behavior and that she regretted the decision.  She went on to a very successful concert and recording career to the present day, singing a variety of music.  She has won a total of five Grammies and several other awards.  However, Ms. Battle never appeared in an opera on stage again!  What a stunning course of events!

Reading about all of this as part of my search for recordings of her opera performances solved the puzzle of why relatively few were available.  One of the most acclaimed sopranos of her day had voluntarily cut her opera career short, or possibly had been shut out of the system.  But nowhere was I able to read why it happened. I have looked in vain for a biography or any in depth explanation.  The NY Times suggested that being 45 at the time she could no longer play the ingénue roles, but 45 is not old for an opera singer.  In regard to suggestions that the opera houses would not hire her, I find it unlikely a talent this major could not have found one that would.  It would be one of the most effective blackballs ever.  Especially when you consider that she and James Levine, the head conductor and a man of considerable influence in the opera world, were friends and later business partners.  And at the time, management would not rule out a possible return.  It is also notable that I have not seen reports of diva behavior for her since the Met dismissal.  Maybe because of my early affection for her voice I have gotten too emotionally involved on some level, distorting my judgment.  Maybe it was simply that her ego got out of hand; she was fired; she got good offers for other types of performances and was mad at opera; maybe when she wanted to return, it was too late.  Maybe.  But, I think the inner workings of this personality have yet to be revealed.

What might she have achieved in opera if she had continued?  Surely, she would be a legend even now during her own time.  Up until I heard Renata Scotto play Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Ms. Battle was my favorite opera voice; she is still number two.  I think everyone has a right to be who they are and live their life as it suits them, but as an opera fan I feel sad and deprived, much as I did when Whitney Houston stopped developing her talent.  And I truly long for revelations that will satisfy my need to understand what happened, whatever the truth is.  If anyone can shed further light, please comment.

At the age of 68, Ms. Battle will return to the stage at The Metropolitan Opera this coming Nov 13 for the first time in 22 years.  Her concert is titled, “Kathleen Battle: Underground Railroad — A Spiritual Journey.”  Her interest in spirituals is long standing, undoubtedly influenced by her mother; she paired with opera star Jessye Norman and Levine in 1991 to release a successful album titled, “Spirituals In Concert”and has other albums of spirituals.  She was finally lured back, after many attempts over several years, by Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager.  Maybe she wanted to work one last time at the Met with Levine who is nearing the end of his career as principal conductor.  We will see if the wounds have healed enough for there to be some reconciliation with opera professionals and with opera fans.  I think it is potentially one of the most powerful stories yet to be told; Academy Awards will result.

Correction for the Apr 5 Post On Pittsburg Opera 2016-2017 Season

A reader pointed out to me, and it is much to my chagrin that I made a reporting error yesterday. About baseball, not opera.  I can handle making a mistake about opera.  The Pittsburgh Pirates do not play in Three Rivers Stadium any longer, in fact, not since 2000.  Ah, the danger of relying on memory at whatever age I am now.  The Pirates play in PNC Park slightly east of the intersection of the three rivers on the north shore of the Allegheny across from downtown.  The Pittsburgh Steelers football team, which also once played at Three Rivers Stadium, now play at Heinz Stadium, closer to the intersection.  I have made the appropriate edit in the Apr 5 post.

The Classics and a World Premiere: Pittsburgh Opera 2016-2017 Season

Pittsburgh is a 250-mile, four-hour, interstate drive away from DC and stretches my opera coverage of the mid-Atlantic about as far as I can manage.  But it is worth it.  I have been there several times, though not yet for opera.  Actually, I am bummed because I had so wanted to attend The Rake’s Progress there at the end of this month – see sidebar - but have chosen to attend the Ring Cycle of four operas at the Kennedy Center instead, and due to my time commitments can’t do both.  The setting for Pittsburgh is very dramatic: three rivers intersect; the Allegheny and the Monongahela come together to initiate the Ohio River.  The Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team plays close to the intersection, on the north shore of the Allegheny across from downtown.  Directly across the Monongahela, from the relatively flat center center is a line of tall bluffs that dominate the south-western skyline, forming a barrier to the encroachment of the Pittsburgh skyscrapers.  An opera mini-vacation to Pittsburgh is definitely in my queue for next year; and given my love of baseball, I suspect you will be able to guess which production I am targeting.

Pittsburgh Opera has announced its lineup for next year, its 78th season.  It has been reviewed by Elizabeth Bloom, classical music critic, for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; I recommend reading her comments, especially to get details on the world premiere.

Here is the 2016-2017 lineup:

• La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, Oct 8 - 16
• Salome by Richard Strauss, Nov 5 - 13
• Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, March 25 - April 2
• The Summer King by Daniel Sonenberg, April 29 - May 7

La Traviata, Salome, and Turandot are, of course, classics in the standard repertoire.  The production of The Summer King by Daniel Sonenberg will be a world premiere.  Sonenberg is an associate professor and resident composer at the University of Southern Maine.  The opera was presented in concert format in Portland in 2014.  His other work appears to be songs and chamber music.  The opera revolves around Josh Gibson, a Pittsburgh native and a catcher in baseball’s Negro Leagues which performed in the first half of the twentieth century.  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 and was considered the best power hitter of his generation in the Negro leagues.  He died in 1947 at the age of 35, just before the integration of the major leagues.  Had he been allowed to play in the majors, one can only wonder how his statistics would have compared to say, Babe Ruth.  The opera will feature a rare predominately black cast, including highly regarded, long time favorite, Denyce Graves.  Kudos to Pittsburgh opera for giving a new, modern opera a hearing on a major stage.  There is a serious risk the public will not respond and come out for an unknown opera, but hopefully, there of a lot of fans like me yearning for new opera.  This will be an interesting story to follow.

La Traviata gets my vote for best Verdi music, though there a lot of contenders and I may change my mind tomorrow.  Traviata is all about Violetta, the pure-hearted lady of pleasure with health issues who falls in love.  Danielle Pastin, a Pittsburgh resident will play Violetta.  She has appeared in major opera houses including the Met.  My family and I saw a modernized performance at the Met in 2014 with the excellent Marina Rebeka.  My favorite Violetta is Ileana Contrubas.  Check out this youtube video of her and a young Placido Domingo from 1981.  The recording is not of a great quality, but even so, I’m not sure who was prettier, Ms. Contrubas or Mr. Domingo.  I have not seen Salome, based on the biblical story, but definitely intend to at some point.  It is one of Richard Strauss’ psychological operas and merits some preparation; it is probably not one for the newbie.  Turandot is fine for a newbie.  See my comments on the Virginia Opera’s planned performance here. It has a famous tenor aria, Nessun Dorma.  You can listen to the great Luciano Pavarotti singing it here.

Pittsburgh Opera also plans two smaller operas, Frederic Handel’s Richard the Lionheart, circa 1719, and Laura Kaminsky’s As One, circa 2014, in smaller venues as part of the resident artist’s program.

Tickets: Season subscription tickets are now on sale.  Individual opera ticket sales will begin in August.  Season tickets for all four operas range from over $600 to under $50.  Ticket exchange is allowed for subscription holders. 

Be It Resolved: The Music In Opera Is More important Than The Words

Quick, who was the composer for the Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte?  Of course you know it is Mozart.  Quick, who was the librettist for these operas?  Bet I gotcha, at least most of you.  Lorenzo Da Ponte was Mozart’s librettist for all three.  When operas are discussed, as oft as not, the librettist, the guy who writes the words, is overlooked.  Thus, Figaro has become known as a Mozart opera, not a Mozart-Da Ponte opera, for most people.  Why then does opera authority Fred Plotkin in his book, "Opera 101", p. 27, say that it is a great debate about which is more important, the music or the words?  One can find further evidence this is a debate by looking to the opera, Capriccio, by Richard Strauss.  Two suitors pursue the same woman.  One is a poet who plies her with words, the other a composer who attempts to seduce her with his music.  Throughout the opera they argue the issue and ask her to reveal her decision the next morning, by choosing the ending of an opera they have written together.  Spoiler alert: the last paragraph of this post reveals the ending of the opera.

I was reminded of this question the other day while doing internet searching for opera information.  My eye was attracted to a hit that stated, “Opera Stories…In Few Words, the Stories (divided into Acts) Of Over 100 Operas”.  It turned out to be a 1910 book by Henry Lowell Mason (a clear online copy can be found here), and the face page further makes the statement, “Most persons attending an Opera wish to know only its story without reading its entire libretto.” The book contains photos of opera stars of its day (check out Enrico Caruso on p. 15) and is interesting to thumb through.  I read a few of the synopses of operas I know and they seemed concise and accurate.  With brief effort, I was unable to find out anything about Mr. Mason himself.  Now, I haven’t seen any polls but I suspect he is correct in that historically most people have gone to see operas in languages they don’t know and read the summaries, but not the libretti, for the opera.  It would seem to make the compelling case that the words are not crucial for a satisfying experience.

Today one does not have to make that choice because almost all performances now show supertitles of the translations of the text above the stage (the well-to-do Met has them on the back of the seats in front of you).  I find that I choose to read the supertitles, but I also find them a distraction.  While reading, you miss something on the stage and in the music, and perhaps most importantly it represents a micro-break in one’s immersion in the opera; while improving one’s understanding of what just happened and is about to happen, one has lost the present.  When I listen to opera recordings on the radio I find the experience enjoyable, often without knowing the story.  In fact, I wonder if I have a better musical experience than a native speaker hearing the words and comprehending their meaning.  I wonder, for example, if Italians hear the beauty and fluidity of Italian operas the way I do, but perhaps it is the other way round.  I, personally, am not sure that listening to operas written in English is superior to listening to those in a foreign language.  I find that understanding the words both adds value and subtracts from the experience.  And to tell the truth, given the distortions of sung words, I find the supertitles necessary even for English operas.

Science reported in the popular media lately has been telling us that multi-tasking is not really possible; you are in fact splitting your attention and not doing either task as efficiently and effectively as you could by concentrating on a single effort.  Thus, one might infer that comprehending the meaning of the words and experiencing completely the music at the same time is not possible.  However, the science of the brain seems to me to suggest that it is.  Let me offer a quote from "Musicophilia" by Oliver Sachs, p. 226, “A piece of music is not a mere sequence of notes, but a tightly organized organic whole.  Every bar, every phrase arises organically from what preceded it and points to what will follow.  Dynamism is built into the nature of melody.  And over and above this, there is the intentionality of the composer, the style, the order, and the logic which he has created to express his musical ideas and feelings.  These too, are present in every bar and phrase.” This would seem to require attention away from the words.  Yet, he also states, p. 235, that “…there are major differences (and some overlaps) in representation of speech and song in the brain.”  He points to patients with aphasia, the loss of expressive language, who can sing songs including the words that they cannot speak.  It appears that perhaps the two systems, one handling music and one handling speech, normally operate at the same time, and perhaps are capable of reinforcing each other.

In conclusion, I rest my case that music in opera is more important, but will yield to the assertion that without the words, it is not opera.  One might argue that shapes in a painting are more important than the color of the shapes, but one would readily concede that shape and color together create a transcendent experience that either one alone cannot achieve.  So, it is with music and words in opera.  We can debate whether words or music are more important, but thank God, we don’t have to choose.  Spoiler alert - As Countess Madeleine in Capriccio concludes when pressed to choose the ending of the opera her two suitors have produced, and thus choose between them, and words and music, she responds that she cannot choose and asks, “Is there an ending that isn’t trivial?”

Classics, a Curveball, and Opera on the Move: Virginia Opera 2016-2017 Season

The Virginia Opera is an opera company that I am just getting to know, and the more I learn, the more impressed I become.  An obvious distinguishing feature for Virginia Opera is that its productions are presented in three different cities in Virginia, always beginning in Norfolk, then moving to Richmond and finishing in Fairfax, or vice versa.  I have attended performances in Fairfax and Richmond and hope to visit the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk in the coming year (seafood and opera sounds good to me).  Another distinguishing feature is its stated goal of having the youngest opera audience in the nation by 2025.  They are backing that commitment with a number of activities, especially involving schools in Virginia.  For example, they offer student nights at performances in Norfolk and Richmond, with modestly priced tickets sold for students and teachers/chaperones in grammar/secondary schools.  One benefit for you of their educational outreach is the online posting of free study guides for 50 commonly performed operas.

Here is the lineup for 2016-2017:

• Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill/Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, Sep 30 – Oct 16
• The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini, Nov 11 – Dec 4
• Der Freischutz by Carl Maria von Weber, Jan 27 – Feb 19
• Turandot by Giacomo Puccini,  March 17 – Apr 2

The curveball:

First up is an unusual pairing (the curveball; baseball season starts Sunday) of a couple of short operas. Pagliacci is a mainstay of opera company repertoires and a beautiful lead role for tenors.  The cast is youngish, but still has experience in many opera houses around the U.S. The usual opera pairing with Pagliacci is Cavalleria Rusticana; it’s sort of expected.  I am not familiar with Seven Deadly Sins, but it sounds almost Hitchcockian.  The main character Anna is played by two performers representing two sides of her personality.   Anna I, the singer, will be played by Austrian soprano Ute Gfrerer, making her debut performance in the U.S.  Anna II, the dancer, will be played by Gabrielle Zucker, a dancer and choreographer who has not only danced, but has created roles for a number U.S. opera companies.  Modern composer Kurt Weill is credited with being one of the most important composers for the theater, though it is not clear that “opera” composer really fits him. Actually, reading about this production made me think it is not to be missed.  Virginia Opera seems to be making a statement with this pairing of intent to update and surprise.

The classics:

On the other hand, I would not be surprised if at any given moment somewhere on earth, or somewhere in distant solar systems, The Barber of Seville is playing.  And the high comedy and spirited music of Rossini justifies them all.  If you are a newbie or just want a delightful evening, this is a good place to start.  I am not familiar with Weber operas in general, or Der Freischutz (The Magic Marksman) in particular, though I have heard passages of his excellent symphonies.  He was influential in the development of early German Opera; Der Freischutz was immediately successful and the only opera in that category to become a standard offering today.  The story involves supernatural and sinister elements, making me think it should have been offered around Halloween.  The lead tenor in the opera is described in the Virginia Opera brochure as a “heldentenor”.  This sounded much to close to some of the supernatural characters on the television show, Grimm; so, I looked it up and it is a tenor with a powerful voice who plays heroes – whew!  I have several fond memories of Turandot.  My family gave me a birthday present of seeing it at the Metropolitan Opera back in October, a stunning opera with gorgeous Puccini music.  The Met had the resources to do a spectacular Franco Zeffirelli staging.  I will be very interested to see how Virginia Opera carries off their production.

A personal wish:  I’d like to see more coverage of the Virginia Opera productions in the Washington Post.

Tickets:

Right now, you can buy season subscriptions at a 10% discount over the price of buying tickets individually for Norfolk and Richmond venues.  I was told by the box office at the GMU Center for the Arts that the Center’s 2016-2017 Season will be announced on April 6, and you then can buy Virginia Opera subscriptions at the discounted price.  A major advantage of the subscription packages is that they offer ticket exchange if you cannot attend a performance for which you hold a ticket.  As mentioned above, check out student night tickets for Norfolk and Richmond; the Center for the Arts in Fairfax offers free tickets to George Mason University students.  While the opera productions are the same at the three venues, the ticket policies of the venues are not necessarily the same; always check policies for the venue you are interested in.  Prices for the subscription packages which include a ticket to all four operas vary by seat and date, ranging from a little under $100 to a little over $500.  I have sat in the mid-level seats and these are quite good in these venues. All tickets include attendance at 45 min pre-performance discussions prior to each opera.

Reminder:

I have already discussed the upcoming performance of The Flying Dutchman in April (The Big Bad Wolf for the Opera Newbie) and dates are listed in the sidebar. 

The Young, the Old, and Dynamic Pricing: Washington National Opera’s 2016-2017 Season

The Washington National Opera which performs at the Kennedy Center has announced its 2016-2017 opera season and it has been reviewed by Washington Post music critic, Anne Midgette; she found the program “deliberately cautious,” offering too much that is familiar, unclear in its goals.  Here are the main attractions; judge for yourself:

• The Marriage of Figaro by Amadeus Mozart, Sep 22 – Oct 2
• The Daughter of the Regiment by Gaetano Donizetti, Nov 12 – 20
• Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie, Feb 25 – Mar 11
• Champion by Terrence Blanchard, Mar 4 - 18
• Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, May 6 – 21

Even if you are relatively new to opera, you probably have heard of Figaro and Butterfly. With a little more familiarity you likely know of Daughter.  These three are the classic, crowd pleasing selections, hopefully keeping WNO’s budget in the black selections.  You have to have more opera experience than I to know about Dead Man Walking or Champion.  These offerings are presumably born of a desire to offer newer and more Innovative opera.  Well done, that.  I still like Top Forty Opera (my term for the operas you hear over and over again on Met Opera radio), and admittedly with each production, each group of singers and crew adds their own stamp to make it interesting again, sort of like seeing another performance of Hamlet because Meryl Streep is playing Hamlet (I couldn’t think off hand of a male actor of equal stature, and who wouldn’t go see Streep play Hamlet?).  However, I admit my personal trend now is to get more excited about the newer stuff. 

So let's start with the newer stuff:

The story line of Dead Man Walking is taken from the book and movie of the same name.  A death row inmate is listened to and then befriended by nun Sister Helen who attempts to lead him to spiritual salvation before his execution, by all accounts a powerful and moving story.  The opera premiered in 2000 to acclaim.  Sister Helen will be played by Kate Lindsay, a young performer who has drawn much praise of late.  Susan Graham who starred in the premiere of this opera at the Met will also be a featured performer in the WNO production.  I am not familiar with the works of Jake Heggie.  This is the first of several operas and stage works he has composed; he is also known for his songs, choral works, and orchestral music.  The story seems to me to be an ideal one for opera and I look forward to seeing it. 

Different operas affect us each differently because each of us are different.  Champion is based on a real life event that affected me personally.  In 1962, as a teenage fan of boxing I watched on television the welterweight championship fight between Emile Griffith and Benny “Kid” Paret.  I was aware that there was enmity between the two, though I did not know the back story of Paret outing Griffith for being a homosexual.  In the 12th round of the fight, Paret was hit hard and stunned by Griffith. Unfortunately, when he fell back, the ropes caught him and held him up, defenseless.  Griffith continued to pound fierce punches to his head.  The referee did not intercede quickly enough.  Ten days later Paret died of brain injuries.  My interest in boxing died with him.  The focus of the opera is how this event affected Griffith in later years.  He is quoted as saying, "I kill a man and the world forgives me. I love a man and the world wants to kill me." The music for this production is described as a fusion of jazz and opera and I look forward to the new music, though watching it will be painful.

Just a few words about the classic operas:

I saw a fine Virginia Opera performance of The Marriage of Figaro a couple of years ago at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts.  The opera is a delightful comedy that is often recommended for opera newbies.  And you get the great Mozart music.  Much has been said about the role of Susanna in this opera; it will be interesting to see how the popular Lisette Oropesa plays her.  Amanda Majeski plays the Countess which she also played recently at the Met.  I have not seen a performance of Daughter, but I have listened to some of the opera on recordings and like the music; Oropesa stars here again.  I usually like Donizetti’s music with its bel canto style singing.  Rising star tenor Lawrence Brownlee performs lead tenor in this one; in one aria he will be required to hit nine high Cs, which I gather for tenors is like climbing Mt. Everest.  Madame Butterfly is one of my very favorite operas.  Wolf Trap Opera put on a fine performance at the Filene Center last summer.  The key to this opera for me is who plays Cio-Cio San.  My all-time favorite performer for this role is the super fabulous Renata Scotto (I am bowing and repeating I am not worthy) who no longer performs, but the recordings are a must listen.  Ermonela Jaho and Hei-Kyung Hong will alternate in this role for WNO.  I am not familiar with either, but both are established, highly-acclaimed performers.  The difficulty will be in choosing which one you go see (or you could do both).  And you get the gorgeous Puccini music.

Now to ticket information and dynamic pricing: 

Currently you can purchase subscriptions for these five operas at a 10% discount over single ticket prices; individual tickets are not on sale as yet.  Actually, it could prove to be more than a 10% discount.  The Kennedy Center uses dynamic pricing for its performances; that is, if demand is great, the seat you want could cost more, closer to the time of the performance.  I found this out the hard way in buying my tickets recently for the Ring Cycle.  The subscription prices for seats to the main operas vary depending on their seating location, ranging from around $1100 to $240; this covers a ticket for all five operas.  A big advantage of the subscription packages is the added feature of ticket exchange.  If later, you cannot make the performance that you have a ticket for, Kennedy Center will allow you to exchange your ticket for a different date of the same opera.  I bought one subscription package for 2016-2017 for myself.  My wife and son were not ready to commit to all the operas, but if we get tickets for them later, I can trade mine in for a seat next to them. 

WNO/Kennedy Center offers several other worthwhile related short operas/concerts/events for the 2016-2017 season.  One I will mention is "Justice at the Opera" with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which will deal with themes raised in Walking and Champion.  Purchasers of subscription packages have the option to also purchase now individual tickets to these events.  Be sure to check the schedule.

The Big Bad Wolf for the Opera Newbie

BILO, before I liked opera, I had the impression that operas by Richard Wagner were everything that turned me off to opera, but admittedly, based on very little music listening.  I found Mark Twain’s famous quip, “Wagner’s music is better than it sounds,” not only to be amusing, but pretty much on target.  So, AILO, after I liked opera, I was still intimidated by Wagner.  Whenever it came on when I was listening to radio, I thought it was too intense to listen to.  Even now I sometimes find it a bit much before noon.  What to do?  I decided that I would not listen to Wagnerian operas for a year or two, and then take the leap with the Ring.  Sort of soften up my opera resistance before getting into the ring with such a heavyweight.       

I’m not sure how long I waited, but somewhere further down the road, I ran across a recording called, “An Introduction to Wagner – The Flying Dutchman (David Timson, 2002),” one of the recordings in the “Opera Explained” series.  This opera was considered by Wagner to be the beginning of his opera career, even though it was not his first opera.  It features myth and romantic themes that would characterize his later operas.  I think it might be Wagner’s most accessible opera.  This recording broke the opera down into its elements and provided commentary with musical selections.  Ah, I thought, Wagner’s music is better than it sounds. Just joking, but by placing focus on the music itself and what Wagner was trying to achieve, my apprehension faded and I could enjoy the opera more.  I learned about Wagner’s motifs, musical themes he used to represent characters or ideas in the opera.  I began to appreciate Wagner’s ability to create music that supported and helped tell the story.  My strongest impressions of Wagner’s music in this introduction were his incredible use of the brass section of the orchestra and his ability to sustain moods by painting them with music that didn’t seem to progress with typical melodies, but just hang there as a backdrop, sustaining the mood almost endlessly.  Listening to this recording (more that once) proved to be an effective method to get to know Wagner.  So, I recommend the Dutchman to you, and now I am a big Wagner fan and really love his music/operas.    

And, it is about to be Wagner season in the Washington area.  First up in April, Virginia Opera is presenting The Flying Dutchman (you may also see the opera titled in German as Der Fliegende Hollander).  As usual performances will be presented in Norfolk, Fairfax, and Richmond; dates are listed in the blog sidebar.  Later that month, Washington National Opera will begin presenting the Ring Cycle at the Kennedy Center.  The dates for the performances of the four operas of the Ring, that includes The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie,  Siegfried, and Twilight of the Gods, are also listed in the sidebar.  I will have more to say about the Ring later, which is a really big deal for opera fans.  If you have any interest, buy your tickets now.  These operas are already mostly sold out, and I must warn you, these tickets are not cheap!