Now that I am back from vacation, I am back to work and back to my regular schedule of watching opera online (or in rare cases going to the movie theater). So in the last week I have tried to catch up a bit by watching several opera productions that I have had on my list for a while.
Cosi fan Tutte - Aix-en-Provence - This new production opening this past summer and has been fairly controversial, which is why I wanted to start with it. I finally was able to watch it and I will start by saying that I thought the cast did a nice job. The production was very demanding physically and of course vocally. And they all did a nice job. I especially liked Lenneke Ruiten as Fiordiligi as well as Kate Lindsay as Dorabella and Rod Gilfrey as Don Alonso. The boys were fine but I have mixed feelings about the Despina. However, the orchestra was just not up to the standards I expect from Aix or from the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. The playing was sloppy: ensemble problems abounded, they almost completely fell apart at one point and the horns were a disappointment, especially in "Per pietá."
I began the opera expecting to like it. I had seen an extended clip and had read several reviews and the idea of expanding the opera's dealing with the objectification of women to include systemic racism I thought might actually work. But in the end I felt that it was a muddle, with a lot of inconsistencies. Set in Italian occupied Africa (not sure I ever caught the country) during the late 1930's (Il Duce appears prominently at several points) we begin during the overture with the scene of occupation and really horrible abuse of the native African population. Partially naked black prostitutes are abused by the Italian soldiers - including Guglielmo. With the number of Italian soldiers milling around it reminded me more of the opening of Carmen and here then is the first disconnect. So I assume this is some kind of base, complete with a commanding officer. This means these soldiers are on active duty. Ok, so are we then supposed to believe that they are just going to all abandon their posts because Alfonso pays them some cash that enable G and F to play this trick on their girlfriends. And were they even boyfriend and girlfriend? What was their relationship? I wasn't sure they had much of a relationship with the girls to begin with. It was all kind of muddy. So, they all ship out - to where who knows. But when the boys come back they are now dressed as Africans in dark make-up. This in and of itself doesn't bother me. But here begins all the confusion. There is such a divide between the Italians and Africans. Alfonso and Despina seem to be residents as they get along with the Africans (Despina seems to have an African boyfriend - but exactly who is she anyway, she is not a maid, and doesn't appear to be a friend of any of the rest of the cast. I was totally confused by her character in this production.) But the girls and the boys both treat the Africans terribly: it is violent and hateful and racist. Ok given that then we are next to believe that they are falling for these faux black men?
The bottom line problem is that there is no epiphany. The violent racist behavior continues all the way to the end of the opera. And then when the black make up starts to rub off it becomes obvious who these guys are. Ferrando even appears to Fiordiligi with the make-up mostly wiped off and she then begins to cover her own body and face with make-up. But when we get to the act 2 finale it is a big surprise that the boys had dressed up. So what was the point? And how can that be? And it also seemed to me that Despina was fully aware and complicit throughout but yet she seems totally surprised by the revelation. In the end none of the characters are very likable, they were all kind of horrid. The only characters I developed any sympathy for were the African supers. But yet I was fascinated to see what the director was going to do next hoping we would move these charcters forward about towards enlightenment. But it never happens. Ultimately Cosi is making a statement about a shared humanity - "Women are like that" - they are human beings too! They are not to be put on pedestels, they are not the virgin/whore - they are simply human beings like all the rest of us. This was Da Ponte's effort to undermine one of the more troubling strains of the late 18th century enlightenment. In the libretto we have moved to this and Ferrando can accept it and Guglielmo is not able to accept it. But there is movement nontheless. That is what I do not like about this production - no movement. There is no sense that there is any new understanding of a shared humanity with the Africans. After the curtain comes down the violent racist abuse will simply continue along with the terrible misogyny which is a part of the behavior of the male characters in particular, but also the women.
Parsifal - Bayreuth 2016 - I thought the singing was really terrific, especially from Pantratova, Zeppenfelds and McKinney - I also liked Vogt. The chorus was terrific as was the orchestra and the conducting by Haenschen was outstanding. Others had written about finding the production disturbing and one commentator on YouTube felt that the production was "anti-religion." I disagree with these assessments. I did not find the production disturbing at all, in fact it seemed to me that the production was lifting up the imagery of bondage/freedom, with the key to freedom being forgiveness. Parsifal is always blaming himself, he blames himself for his mother's death and for Titural's death. Both Amfortas and Kundry are also in bondage and ultimately they are freed only through an act of love - in Kundry's case it is her act of washing Parsifal's feet (like Mary - not Magdalene BTW - does in John 12.) Acts 1 and 2 seemed to be all bound up with the oppression of bondage, but act 3 gives us a new creation, a Garden of Eden, spring emerges after winter, and refreshing water is abundant. At the end the instruments of oppression, the symbols of religious oppression are placed in the casket: "earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust." In act 1 - the community was forcing Amfortas to take on the role of the redeemer but he simply can not do it. Parsifal in act 3 does not take on the role but simply begins to process of opening up the community to freedom. This is how I read it anyway. I felt this production transcended nationalities and was pretty universal. The imagery was predominantly Christian at first but in act 3 opened up to bring all religions together. I did not see it as anti-religious just anti using religion as a tool of bondage (which happens all too often, and has historically). Maybe I missed the point but this is what I experienced. I will say that not everything worked. The big green plant in act 3 look like someone at Mount Salvat had traded a cow for some magic beans. But I really liked the set of act 2 and the flower maidens.
Beatrice and Benedict - Glyndebourne 2016 - I truly enjoyed this opera which I had never seen before and this production, though it is very light on plot! The Shakespeare play "Much Ado About Nothing," upon which the opera is based, is darker with much more complex. The plot of the play is pretty much gone here though. And what remains is one single thread and a characterization thread at that: the relationship of banter and wit between Beatrice and Benedict. This now becomes the entirety of the plot for the entire opera with really nothing else from the play. Yes Hero and Claudio are also getting married, but that is incidental for the most part - though I loved the act 1 finale where Hero shows Ursula her wedding dress - what a lovely scene. Berlioz did add a music master character and utilized the chorus extensively which, in my view, is the one thing that really redeems this opera. The chorus writing is terrific and the Glyndebourne chorus obviously had a great time doing this. Great fun. The music master Somarone is based on Berlioz himself (in the production anyway) and was really very funny. I wonder if Berlioz was drawn not only to this play but to focus on this thin plot line because true love and happy marriage was one thing that eluded him all of his life. His marriage to Harriet Smithson had been a disaster and his relationships with women tended to be obsessive and short-lived. So in this perhaps there is something of a sense of loss and regret in the score. But at the same time it is rather celebrative and the production is rather fun. Laurant Pelly portrays marriage as a box - both restrictive and secure. I really enjoyed it, but it would never be even a favorite Berlioz. Damnation and Cellini are much more substantial works. This opera does not even have much memorable music, except for the overture and the final duet (which uses music from the overture - or vice versa). It is fun to see though. Paul Appleby was terrific as Benedict and Stephanie d'Oustrac was terrific as Beatrice. The rest of the cast was quite good. The Ursula was quite outstanding and actually her part is more extensive than in the play. But the stars of the show were really the orchestra under conductor Antonello Manacora and the chorus. It is available for a couple more days on the Glyndebourne website and then I think it may be going to Sonostream where it can be watched for a small fee.
Fanciulla del West - La Scala - I got to see this production in the movie theater. It was a really interesting and entertaining production. Robert Carsen takes his starting point with old western movies and he begins and ends there. And in between we always have the sense that we are in the movie. I found the experience to be fun! The cast was great. The score was really fun. The plot is a little silly. This is really the quintessential Spaghetti Western ("dooda, dooda, dooda day). It is not completely politically correct either - stereotypes abound: Mexican bandits and a drunk Indian - but the music is lovely. Seems maybe Andrew Lloyd Weber might be a fan of this opera, one of the beautiful souring melodic motifs reminded me a lot of a tune from Phantom of the Opera (even the way it is orchestrated!). Barbara Haveman was terrific as Minnie, I thought. She was tough and feisty and kind and gentle. Roberto Aronica was fine as Dick Johnson (Ramirez). He is not a great actor but he pulled it off. Carlo Bossi was great as Nick but my favorite in the cast was Claudio Sgura as Jack Rance. He was terrific. The chorus and all of the many small roles were all very well performed. The chorus has a beautiful blend in their sound that was quite effective. For me act 2 is a masterpiece musically and dramatically. Puccini moves the plot forward effectively through Minnie's discovery of her betrayal, Dick's wounding and then the climax with Minnie and Jack playing a very high stakes poker game. Sgura was really terrific in this act. I was on the edge of my seat, and I felt like I was at the movies! (Maybe a little too much blood running down the wall, if there had been that much blood he would have bled to death!) The denoument in act 3 is a little silly and a bit of a let down which may be why Carsen recast it all in front of the movie theater. I thought it was great and really effective. And on the whole it was a fun night going out to Tivoli theater in St. Louis for dinner and a movie - which happened to be an opera set as an old movie.
A place to reflect on theater, opera and music.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Central City Opera – Tosca & the Ballad of Baby Doe
It has been 60 years since Central
City Opera premiered the Douglas Moore opera, “The Ballad of Baby Doe.” When I learned they would produce this work I
wanted very much to see it. Back about
12 years ago I participated in a production of this wonderful opera when I was with Opera Illinois. I was both the chorusmaster and a chorister on stage
and also served as assistant conductor. I came to really love this opera. As it happened in addition Central City was also
doing a production of Puccini’s great opera “Tosca.” So I arrived in Central City on Tuesday ready
to see both operas.
Tosca first – This opera could be called a “warhorse.” It is produced often and I have seen it more
times than I can remember, I have also prepared the chorus and performed in it
as well (I got to be the captain of the firing squad – pretty cool!) I have
seen productions of this opera at the Met, at LOC, at Opera Delaware and on and
on. And I have to say that of all the
times I have seen this opera I cannot remember ever experiencing a better acted
performance. These singers were not only
terrific singers, but really great actors. I was completely absorbed by their
performance. Alexandra Loutsian was a wonderful Tosca with all kinds of
character nuances. From her jealous outbursts to her simple and naïve religious
convictions to her devotion to Cavaradosi to her terror of Scarpia - it was all
here. And when she finally gets up the
nerve to stab Scarpia to death at the end of act 2 her sobbing was so visceral
and realistic I wondered if she was going to be able to sing the remainder of
the act (she did, BTW). Her performance
of the great famous aria Vissi d’arte
was incredibly moving. Here was a
woman whose faith had been destroyed and she was left with nothing but her own
inner strength.
And then there was Michael Mayes as
one of the most subtle but cruel Scarpia’s I have seen. From his initial
appearance he dominated the stage, and he continued to dominate the opera even
into act 3. His Va, Tosca was terrifying in its obsession. And in act 2 he was able to cajole, to be
gentle, to be cruel and ultimately to be lustful and violent. Mayes created an incredible arc for this
character and in the process gave us a truly remarkable and memorable
performance. I believe this run may have been his role debut, but I cannot
believe that he will not have many, many more Scarpia’s in his future career.
This was not a cookie-cutter evil Scarpia – Mayes gave us a nuanced character
whose lust for power both ran deep and at the same time controlled him.
Finally there was Jonathan Burton’s
Cavaradosi. Perhaps this character is the only character in the opera who one
might say is at all “normal.” He is
creative, works for a living, has a famous lover to whom he is devoted, but
still is patient and indulgent of Tosca's silly jealous fits and he takes a huge and
ultimately tragic risk in agreeing to help the political escapee Angelotti. At
the same time he is courageous and is the only character who dares to stand up
to Scarpia – this is what gets him killed in the end. Well, that and the inconvenient fact that he
is the boyfriend of Tosca. Burton had
all of the light, loving gentleness that the role requires. But was also able to convey the courage and
determination as well. His Vittoria was simply glorious. And his E
lucenvan le stelle was heartbreakingly gorgeous and yet his O dolci mani was so incredibly tender
and loving. I particularly appreciated
his reaction to the news that he would be shot.
Like Domingo it was obvious he knew exactly what would happen and he
conveyed that to the audience, but yet allowed Tosca to continue with the
fantasy that they would be able to get away from this horror together. These three leads were simply
terrific!
And the supporting cast were also
excellent. I especially liked Peter
Lake’s Spoletta. I do not like it when the director gives the Spoletta and the
Sciarone as conscience. Power corrupts and tends to seduce. We have seen it in our own times not to
mention the historical reality. Those who are called upon to do the dirty work
of violence and cruelty do so often with no sense of remorse or conscience.
Such I believe to be the case of the Sbirri Spoletta and Scarpia’s orderly
Sciarone. One of the oddest moments in the opera occurs during the torture
scene in act 2. Tosca is reacting to the
torture of her lover and pleading with Scarpia to stop it and trying not to let
on she knows what Scarpia is trying to find out – something she does not do
well. At one point just before she
breaks and gives up the info, she is pleading and Spoletta sings behind her
pleading a chant in Latin – it is a prayer of some sort. It is rather odd, and it is always
interesting to me to see how this is portrayed.
Too often the Spoletta is having a moment of pity and says this prayer
as a way of repenting, or expressing sympathy for Tosca. That I
think is completely the wrong way to approach it. In the Central City production Spoletta came
up behind her and spread his arms and the chant became a kind of cruel mockery
of her faith and situation. I thought it was just right as it set up the aria
which follows in a bit where Tosca herself questions her faith.
Michael Mayes as Scarpia and Peter Lake as Spoletta
Among the other supporting cast
Donald Hartmann did a fine job as the nervous Sacristan, though he may have been a
little bit over the top at times. And
Stephen Clark was an excellent Angelotti, though the wig just didn’t work. Minor points.
I was also surprised that women were added to the children’s chorus.
Having trained the children’s chorus for this opera I was a little disappointed
to hear women’s voices dominating the scene with the children’s chorus as I
particularly love the sound of the children’s voices. But the scene itself was effectively
staged. I was also disappointed that the
Shepherd was sung by an adult soprano instead of a boy. She did a lovely job, but… well… the boy’s
voice is just different. But the staging
of that scene with the projections of the sheep was pretty fun.
This brings me to the staging by
Joachim Schamberger. In the first sentence of his director’s notes he states
that he sees Tosca as a “poignant metaphor” for the quest of freedom. Later he
describes how the set is designed to be “cage-like” trapping humanity – us all
– into cycles of violence and suffering from which we cannot escape. And so the
concept of reality was flipped: the true reality was being locked in a cage
from which escape is impossible and the settings – the church, Scarpia’s
apartment to parapet - all of that is fantasy.
This was conveyed by the very ingenious use of projections that allowed
us to see into the minds of the characters.
And the modern dressed extras at the beginning (before the music) and at
the very end brought us, the audience, into the cage. We are trapped just like the characters in
this story of Tosca. This is a profound and powerful concept and one that I think has great
potential and I hope that the director will have a chance in the future to
refine it in future productions. The
major problem was that without having read the director’s notes or attended the
preview there was no way one could pick up on any of this. This is in large part because the set itself
didn’t look much like a cage but rather looked like a set of doors. The set needs to be reworked for the future I
think to make it more obviously cage-like.
But I love the concept. After I figured it out it has dominated my
thoughts – and this is also because the cast were all such great actors. One last little detail that I didn’t quite
get – there was some kind of odd relationship between Scarpia and Roberti. I
didn’t get the elderly disabled take on Roberti, who then refuses to receive
any money for doing his job? Was he some kind of true believer torturer? And there was an odd and creepy affection
between him and Scarpia as well. What was up with that?
And why was the Judge then not drawn in a more detailed way to match the
Roberti? But on the whole, I loved this
performance. Finally I will mention that
the orchestra was great and the conductor John Baril excellent. His pacing and his ability to maintain
coordination with the stage was almost uncanny.
The Ballad of Baby Doe – As I stated above I love this opera. It holds a special place in my heart. The staging of this opera was also not
necessarily completely traditional. Gone
were the realistic sets and the sense that we are watching the story unfold in
real time. Instead the first image is of
the miner’s shack at the Matchless Mine where Baby Doe Tabor eventually froze
to death and an elderly Baby Doe wandered the stage and we entered into her
reflections and memories. Projections
continued to bring us into the story – the original hotel lobby among other
scenes. Frayed drapes represented frayed
memories upon which images of Horace and Baby Doe and Augusta were projected.
We experienced the story unfold as Baby Doe herself remembered her experiences
and her life. It was ingenious and it
worked beautifully. I loved this
production and felt it was outstanding. Hats off to director Ken Cazan.
Again the principals were not only
terrific singers but excellent actors, each and every one of the completely
embodied their characters. First among
equals though was Suzanne Mentzer as Augusta Tabor. Her performance was simply brilliant. Her acting and her singing were amazing. My favorite scene in the opera has always
been the scene with Augusta and her 4 friends – What do you intend to do Augusta? – (see the photo below) at the end of this scene
Augusta declares that if Horace attempts to divorce her he will “rue the day he
was every born.” Beginning on a high a on the word “rue” the musical line
descends to the lowest note in the opera for her on the word “born.” Stunning! Mentzer’s
performance of this entire scene was chilling. You do not want to mess this with woman! I also loved her act 2, when she begins to take responsibility for the
mistakes she made, and her attempts to try to reach out and then her incredible
final monologue. I don’t know how to describe it except to say that Mentzer was
simply brilliant. Hers was a powerful
and moving performance.
"What do you intend to do, Augusta?" - Suzanne Mentzer as Augusta Tabor with her four friends - Act 1, Scene 5
This is not to say that she was not
matched by her co-stars. I loved Grant
Youngblood as Horace. He was vocally
strong but he also embodied Horace’s dependence and flamboyance and his complete inability to manage his
life. And I was totally convinced of
his commitment to the silver standard which will be his undoing. Even as everyone else (including Baby Doe)
try to get him to see the writing on the wall he stubbornly holds onto this out
of principal, but a principal that destroys him. His final scene – the memory scene where he
relives parts of his life – was a tour de force. He was completely broken and he conveyed
this. As his love Baby Doe, Anne Christy
also did a beautiful job developing the character arc for a young woman who is
kind of on the make to a woman who truly and sincerely is in love and supports
Horace no matter what. She also did a
wonderful job with the devilishly difficult vocal writing. My favorite of her arias is in the wedding
scene – Gold is a fine thing – her
hymn to silver. This was beautifully sung.
And in the rally scene for William Jennings Bryant she was dutifully
loyal despite the sense that this was going to end badly.
Horace and Baby Doe at their wedding - Act 1 finale!
I have to say that Donald Hartman
was absolutely terrific as William Jennings Bryant. He may have been a little
over the top as the Sacristan, but not so as Bryant. He commanded the stage, he was the
experienced politician greeting everyone at the rally and each greeting was
different. And his “aria” speech
(actually a real speech by the historical Bryant set to music) Good People of Leadville was
masterful. He built it slowly until
finally the chorus could not help but erupt into cheers and celebration. He is
in the one scene only – but he was great!
Well Done!
I can’t possibly mention all of the
rest of the cast by name, this is an opera with a huge cast. But all of the
supporting roles were done very well.
Sarah Barber was also excellent as Baby Doe’s mother Mama McCourt. I loved how she drank so much that it
loosened her tongue and she blurted out the information about the divorces,
which scandalized everyone, especially poor Fr. Chappelle. Augusta’s 4 friends, and Horace’s 4 cronies
also were particularly good. I mentioned
the scene with the friends, but the gambling scene with the cronies was also
very well done. Finally the chorus was
excellent. I know that chorus part and
the final chorus is gorgeous music and it is not that easy, but they did a
beautiful job, I also loved the chorus
in the rally scene and in the wedding.
The 7/4 rhythm which dominates the scene gives a sense of everything out of balance, and
sometimes can actually cause problems between the stage and the pit, but not in
this performance. The chorus, principals
and the orchestra were excellent and the conductor Timothy Myers was excellent.
My experience with Central City
Opera was really excellent. They did a
great job, the hall has great acoustics, even if the seats are not so
comfortable. But in closing I should
mention that I found Central City itself to be a rather challenging place to
visit. We were lucky to find a lovely
place to stay, but finding food for meals was a task. There is one good restaurant, the Teller
House, which is always booked and which has the oddest hours. So if there is no evening performance then
they don’t open for dinner, despite the fact that the opera matinee gets out at 5:30
which is exactly dinner time. So what to
do, well, one is forced to patronize the casinos. This I found very uncomfortable. Perhaps it is my profession, but I have seen
how people’s lives are destroyed by gambling and I disapprove of gambling quite a lot since gambling
tends to target those who can least afford it. (Maybe Central City Opera needs to do a production of "Queen of Spades!") But if you wanted to eat that was the only option – to wander through these
horrid casinos in order to get poor food which was incompetently served. Each of the casinos had a sign that no one
was allowed on the casino floor unless they were over the age of 21. Not a problem for me. But what if I had children with me to attend
the opera, and I was not able to get into the Teller House? Then what? In order
to get to the restaurants in the casinos one has to walk through the casinos –
so I guess the children are supposed to starve since they can't get to the restaurants. It is simply absurd and this is an issue that
the city and the opera should address. I would frankly not be inclined to
return for this reason alone. And if I
ever do, I doubt that I will stay in Central City.
But from a purely operatic
standpoint it was a wonderful couple days.
I loved both operas and so glad I got to see them, even if finding meals
was such a chore.