When the curtain rises on Gotham Chamber Opera’s Il Sogno di Scipione we see three bodies in bed together. Since Mozart wrote this work (opera seria? cantata?)
as a probably randy adolescent, one could readily conclude that he
would have loved it. The libretto by Metastasio comprises an allegory
in which two goddesses vie for the attentions of Scipione, a Roman
general--dry stuff indeed for our epoch until brought to sexy life by
director Christopher Alden. Fortuna (Susannah Biller) and Constanza
(Marie-Eve Munger) are two very sexy ladies. The blond (natch) Fortuna
is tempestuous and vain; we know this because she is obsessed with her
hair, makeup and glamorous outfits, designed by Fabio Toblini.
Constanza, the brunette, is also beautiful but she is loyal and
spiritual; we know this because she rises from bed and performs a
succession of yoga poses. We can guess who wins; it is the
Enlightenment after all.
The two coloratura sopranos chosen for the roles are both goddesses of the dacapo aria, not only beautiful to look at but exciting to hear. The fioritura was rendered perfectly; these ladies are fearless and tackled Mozart’s high-lying tessitura
with open throats and brilliant sound. Tenor Michele Angelini was also
a knockout as the eponymous hero; he has a lovely sound and an
effortless way with phrasing. He “wakes up” in paradise and in bed with
two goddesses, completely bewildered since he fell asleep alone in a
palace in Africa. He reacts like Everyman; he lights up a cigarette.
(The awkward moment of watching someone presumably a non-smoker try to
smoke onstage was matched only by Fortuna trying to walk in stilettos!)
Scipione’s
dream includes not just the two goddesses but also some meetings with
his deceased forebears. Publio was magnificently sung by tenor Arthur
Espiritu hobbling around on one leg and two crutches, having been
injured in a prior African campaign. His diction was remarkable and not
a word was slighted. Scipione’s father, excellently sung by tenor Chad
A. Johnson arrived via wheelchair pushed by a nurse, suffering from
spasticity and seizures--neither of which impaired his lovely singing.
However, one wondered about these directorial decisions since physical
impairments are supposed to be left behind when one enters paradise!
Leaving
aside a few over-the-top choices, most of the direction leavened the
material considerably and the stage business mostly suited the
characters and the text. I would have preferred to see Costanza less
interested in the cosmetics that so occupied Fortune, the better to have
limned her character.
The
epilogue was finely sung by soprano Rachel Willis-Sorensen. It adds
nothing to the tale but somehow the dog must be wagged. In Mozart’s day
it was written to flatter a patron and in our day was used to flatter
the patrons of Gotham Chamber Opera. On the plus side, it gave the
audience an opportunity to hear more of Mozart’s glorious music and Ms.
Willis-Sorensen’s superb singing.
The
simple set by Andrew Cavanaugh Holland comprised a mattress on the
floor, some tangled sheets, a lamp and a mysterious wardrobe from which
Fortuna drew a plethora of far out costumes seemingly designed for some
provocative role-playing. Additionally, the two forebears made their
entrances and exits in similar fashion. The chorus entered through the
windows. Lighting by Allen Hahn added to the excellence but a chance
was missed to reflect the dark storm with appropriate effects. Happily,
Neil Goren, Artistic Director of Gotham Chamber Orchestra, conducted his
fine orchestra; the harpsichord was played by Keun-A Lee and Sibylle
Johner played the cello continuo.
Gotham
Chamber Opera is filling an instrumental place in the New York City
musical scene and has a most excellent home at the John Jay College
where the intimate size of the auditorium gets us as close to Mozart as
we will ever be. Congratulations all around!
© meche kroop
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