GIANNI SCHICCHI ARE OPERA

Brett Vogel, Timothy Madden, Helaine Liebman, Drew Seigla, Allison Gish, Jay Lucas Chacon, Alanna Fraize, and Eamon Pereyra

This is the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Puccini's Il Trittico, of which Gianni Schicchi was the last of three one-act operas. It is the most popular of the three, probably because it not only contains some gorgeous melodies but because Giovacchino Forzano's libretto is hilarious. Forzano based his libretto on a minor character in Dante's Divine Comedy--actually a real live person in 13th c. Florence. Many of the characters have roots in commedia dell'arte.

Last night we attended the opening night of this masterpiece presented by ARE Opera at the Kraine Theater,  the sightlines of which make every seat a good one. The opera will be performed through Sunday.  ARE stands for "accessible. relatable, and enjoyable". Judging by the whooping and applause at the conclusion of the evening, they have found their audience.

The company debuted last May with a stellar production of Rossini's Cenerentola, with the audience surrounding the action, a situation that enhanced the immersive quality. In spite of admirable musical values, last night's production felt more alienating than involving. We don't attribute this alienation to the proscenium type stage. We sat on the front row but did not feel involved.

Although we have sometimes enjoyed an opera brought up to date, in this case we did not for many reasons. When we see operas set in other time periods we like to do the work ourselves, the work of considering how the desires and fears of the characters are echoed in the present time. We think of lovers we know who have been betrayed, of fathers who have alienated their children, of people who put duty ahead of desire. To have a director try so hard to make a point feels like spoon-feeding. 

It is likely that there were not many Italophones in the audience, but for us, or anyone who is familiar with the libretto, to hear the libretto sung accurately (and beautifully sung we might add) whilst the projected subtitles are saying something completely different, is disturbing. The libretto was shoehorned into a concept that only an inexperienced director (or one who directs cinema perhaps) would devise.

Singing about the New York skyline is just lacking in the flavor of Florence. The dead aristocrat Buoso lives on Park Avenue and is wearing a red onesie. His aristocratic family grasping after his inheritance bore no resemblance to the wealthy folk of Manhattan. The wealthy folk of today contest wills in court. The story loses its significance in the updating.

Instead of leaving his money to the monks, this Buoso left it to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. It is one thing to laugh at a medieval man leaving his land and his mill and his mule to the monks; it is quite another thing for a 21st c. man to leave his yacht and his home in the Hamptons to an organization that fills the dying wishes of children with cancer.  When the titles read about the family's scornful opinion of dying children, it just ISN'T FUNNY!

When the notary arrives, in this case an attorney we imagine, he is accompanied not by a cobbler and a dyer but by a "stylist".  We suppose he styled the red onesie!

Dr. Spinelloccio, as the titles indicate "Johns Hopkins and Harvard trained", is dressed in slovenly fashion, a doctor that no Park Avenue resident would employ as personal physician.

Schicchi threatening the family with prison if they reveal his duplicity does not carry the same weight as the threat of cutting off the hand, as the libretto indicates.  It is a marvelous moment in the opera when Schicchi dictates his will to the notary and waves his hand in the air to warn the family.

We could go on and on about the failures of this concept and its execution. But the audience laughed and presumably had a great time. They obviously found it more "relatable" than we did.

We rather chose to focus on the performances which were all fine. Baritone Patrick McNally made a wily Schicchi and seemed very much at home in the role. The program contained no bios but we warrant that he has performed this role before. We liked the fullness of his voice and his dramatic instincts.

Tenor Eamon Pereyra sang sweetly as Rinuccio and aced his big aria "Firenze e comé un albero fiorioto"; Rinuccio wants very much to marry Schicchi's daughter Lauretta, beautifully sung by Rachel Policar who gave us a lovely "O mio babbino caro" with the titles telling us that she would throw herself into the East River if she couldn't go to Tiffany's for a ring. The two also had a lovely duet together--"Lauretta mia".

As Rinuccio's Zia Zita, mezzo-soprano Allison Gish employed her substantial instrument and stage presence to create a character. She seemed to be a bit over-directed as an alcoholic.

Timothy Madden's deeply resonant bass-baritone was just right for the role of Simone, the eldest and the wisest among the family.  Baritone Jay Lucas Chacon made a fine Marco with mezzo-soprano Alanna Fraize equally fine as his wife. But her exercising him on the floor of the dead Buoso made it look as if she were a visiting yoga teacher. Just another example of an inexperienced director trying too hard.

Tenor Drew Seigla sang the role of Gherardo with soprano Helaine Liebman performing his wife Nella.  Instead of the little boy Gherardino they had a very spoiled daughter Gherardina (Ella Scronic Jaffe) who kept holding her papa up for funds.

The role of Betto was well sung by bass Brett Vogel. Betto is the "poor relation" and an opportunity was missed to dress him less fashionably than the others. But the others were not stylishly dressed.  The family is supposed to resent Schicchi for being a peasant but in this production he was the most elegant one onstage.

Bass Alexander Sheerin was effective as Dottore Spinelloccio, in spite of the slovenly attire. Baritone Andrew O'Shanick portrayed the notary/attorney and actually looked right for the part. His two witnesses were the basses Steven Ralph and Nathanael Taylor.

Maestro Jonathan Heaney conducted with his customary sure hand and Andrew Sun played the keyboard as if it were the full orchestra. 

In sum, all the singers performed admirably but deserved better direction. We want to believe what we see onstage!

We admire ARE Opera for their mission and they have certainly engaged the audience and have brought opera to the public for a very modest ticket price. They also have a mission of engaging youth and have programs to foster opera appreciation in the schools and programs to prepare high school students for conservatory auditions. They deserve your support.

(c) meche kroop

ONCE UPON A TIME

Erin Brittain, Tim Murray, Oliver Sewell, Madison Marie McIntosh, Hidenori Inoue, and Alanna Fraize

Once upon a time our parents read us the softened version of Cinderella, cleaned up so as not to frighten small children; you know, the Disneyfied version.  Since then we have read the original violent and scary versions by Charles Perrault and Wilhelm Grimm.  We do not know which version librettist Jacopo Ferretti adapted but he wrote the libretto in three weeks, replacing the wicked step-mother with an abusive step-father and the fairy godmother with the kindly tutor Alidoro. Similarly, the glass slipper was replaced by a bracelet. It is believed that the circumstances of production in 1817 did not allow for elaborate magical effects.

Nonetheless, there are elaborate magical effects in the music, created by Gioacchino Rossini in barely more than three weeks! That guy could sure work under pressure.  He was but 25 years old and already had Il Barbiere di Siviglia under his belt.

Last night we witnessed some rather magical effects produced by a fledgling opera company whose future success we anticipate with all the enthusiasm engendered by the creativity we observed. General Director Kathleen Spencer and Artistic Director Megan Gillis share a common mission--to make opera intimate and accessible to one and all, so that the audience can feel a part of the opera. Thus they created ARE Opera--for you, for us, for the singers, for everyone.

Readers will recall how greatly we favor experiences that are up close and personal. Gone are the days when we peered through binoculars trying to figure out who was singing that beautiful vocal line in the midst of overwhelming and cinematic sets. We prefer to feel a part of the action, to feel like we know the characters and understand them. This does not require the huge voices that one hears at The Metropolitan Opera but gives young artists an opportunity to learn a role early in their artistic career and to share in the intimacy with the audience. In complementary fashion, we get to share an intimacy with them as well.

The cast we heard last night was exemplary with many of them graduates of Manhattan School of Music and thus well remembered by us from student productions over the past few years. We appreciated their fine performances then and now we can appreciate their artistic growth.

In the lead role, we heard Madison Marie McIntosh, about whom we have written many many times as she has pursued her artistic journey. At first we were not sure that transitioning from the soprano to the mezzo-soprano fach was such a good idea but every time we hear her we realize that she is a singer who knows her own potential and is fulfilling her mission. Rossini wrote this role for a contralto but there is nothing MMM cannot do well. With no loss to her scintillating upper register and flexibility in the coloratura passages, there is a new depth and breadth at the bottom of the register.

Along with this very special combination of skills comes an impressive dramatic ability.  Her Angelina was much put-upon by Clorinda and Tisbe but she showed an inner strength and defiance in "Una volta c'era un re". In spite of the innocence and humility, one realizes that this character, like the singer, will achieve much. When she reprises this aria in the second act, Ms. McIntosh colored it differently--as a happy woman in love.

As her Prince Charming Don Ramiro, Oliver Sewell produced the kind of tenor voice that we love to hear--pure with a lovely vibrato. The tenor aria in Act II "Si, ritrovarla, io juro" is incredibly difficult and Mr. Sewell negotiated it well. His "9" will be a "10" when he learns to float the money note in the cabaletta. (In this production there is no chorus to hide any flaws.) His chemistry with Ms. McIntosh worked well to the advantage of both of them and their duet was sensational.

Baritone Tim Murray made a fine Dandini, the Prince's valet; he enjoyed being Prince for a Day and enjoyed exposing the unpleasant grasping characters of Angelina's step-family.  He sang with a fluent pleasing baritone and his fine acting added a great deal to the performance.

Bass Hidenori Inoue made a magnificent Don Magnifico, the threatening step-father. His deeply resonant instrument filled the room with sound and his acting was flawless. One can hate the character and love the singer! Just watch him abusing Angelina, encouraging his own daughters, ingratiating himself to Dandini (who is disguised as the Prince), showing false humility on his knees, and trying to make it up to his daughter when he realizes she will marry the Prince. In this wide range of emotion and behavior, there was not a false note, not vocally, not dramatically.

Another bass, Brett Vogel, was just fine as the Prince's tutor Alidoro.  He is obliged to approach Don Magnifico's home as a beggar, putting the two step-sisters to the kindness test, which they fail. Later, he casts off his disguise and brings Angelina to the ball. His character always evokes our sympathy.

And now we get to the two step-sisters. Soprano Erin Brittain as Tisbe, and mezzo-soprano Alanna Fraize as Clorinda. Again, we love the singers and laugh at the characters--two silly, vain, and spoiled girls. Both performers have lovely voices but it is the facial expressions and gestures that we remember best; caricatures of disagreeable people can be very funny and provided a fine balance with Angelina's sweetness.

Rossini's music always sparkles and everyone in the cast got a chance to shine--but it is the ensemble writing which never fails to impress us. The arrangement of the playing space allowed physical separation of the singers such that we experienced the ensembles stereophonically. That was a new and exciting experience.

Maestro Jonathan Heaney conducted with verve; he just coached and played for Mr. Inoue's graduation recital at Manhattan School of Music which we so enjoyed. Andrew Sun played the piano score so effectively that we didn't miss the orchestra.

Stage Director Claire Sparks was most effective in telling the story. Although the space had a stage, most of the action took place in the center of the large room with audience members facing each other across the performance area.  This gave the cast plenty of room to move around; it was a highly kinetic performance. Simple props included a table and chairs, a bench, and a large trunk.  Nothing more was necessary.

Costuming was simple, as befits a shoestring company. Vast quantities of tulle were utilized to create costumes both romantic and silly. Even the make-up was on point.

This company will not remain at the shoestring level; we are sure of it. There are exciting plans for the future, including a double bill comprising Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and....a surprise.  This is opera for the entire family--sufficient in musical values to please experienced opera goers and accessible enough for "newbies" and children.

The only improvement we could offer would be to show the titles on the opposing walls. Having them at one end of the room obliged audience members to choose between the action and the titles. Fortunately, even a modest knowledge of Italian would serve because the acting was so illustrative. Italian diction was flawless.

There will be two performances remaining. The cast will remain the same except for Ms. McIntosh who will sing at the late matinee on Sunday.  Since it is Mother's Day, consider treating your mother or surrogate mother to two hours of enlivening entertainment that seems to fly by within an hour.  Just hearing Ms. McIntosh's "Non piu mesta" at the end will melt her heart!

(c) meche kroop

WATER WATER EVERYWHERE

Sidney Outlaw, Aude Cardona, and Christopher Dylan Herbert (photo by Tony Gale)

We traveled over an hour to the farthest reaches of Brooklyn (Red Hook to be precise) to witness the launch of Floating Opera New York as they presented Debussy's only opera, Pelléas et Mélisande; the opera premiered in 1902 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris and has been revived from time to time, but never on a boat, to the best of our knowledge. 

Floating Opera staged the work on a 101-year-old wooden barge, the last remaining one of its kind. The audience was seated on all four sides of the playing area which was demarcated by strings of colored lights. The set by Jian Jung comprised lots of coiled ropes and a dinghy which served as fountain, spring, and nuptial bed.

We heard the original piano score which debuted before the turn of the 20th c. chez Stéphane Mallarmé at a gathering of Symbolist artists, poets and musicians. It would later be orchestrated. George Hemcher beautifully played the diaphanous impressionistic score while Eric Kramer conducted.

The voices were uniformly excellent. As the mysterious heroine Mélisande we heard the French mezzo-soprano Aude Cardona who managed to sing the elusive unhappy woman with a fine rich tone. The compelling baritone Christopher Dylan Herbert shone as the prince Pélleas who is involved in this delicately rendered love triangle with his older half-brother Prince Golaud, so superbly sung by baritone Sidney Outlaw. The role demanded many vocal colors as he went from tenderness to jealous rage; Mr. Outlaw delivered.

As  Genviève, mother to both men, Jazmin DeRice made a substantial impression in her one important scene. As the blind grandfather Arkel, Paul Goodwin-Groen used his booming base effectively and aroused our sympathy. Another base, Brett Vogel portrayed the Doctor and the young soprano Caroline Rose Loeb portrayed Golaud's young son Yniold. Note that most of the important roles involved low voices!

The story is a strange one. Debussy himself adapted the play by Maurice Maeterlinck, an attempt to depart from realism and naturalism. The story is kind of a fairy tale taking place in vaguely Medieval times. The widower Golaud finds Mélisande weeping at a well.  Her crown has fallen into the water but she doesn't want it retrieved.  He comforts her, takes her back to his castle and weds her.

She is not happy. Pelléas, the younger half-brother, shares a rather innocent friendship with her that blossoms into love, which is only confessed when he is leaving. Nothing is really spoken but the sensual nature of the two artists' physical movement tells us a great deal. In one thrilling scene in which Pelléas sings of embracing her very long hair, he enacts that by horizontally "climbing" the stretched out rope. They are playful like children. In another scene they actually climb opposing walls of the barge.

Golaud is suspicious and tries to get his young son to spy on the pair. He has no evidence but flies into a jealous rage when he sees them exchange a farewell kiss. He slays his brother. Mélisande will soon die.

The symbolism of water is everywhere--spring, fountain, cave, tears.  How fitting to perform the work on the water!

There was only one aspect of the production that we found very UN-fitting. It was decided to present the work in English, a decision which we deplore. It is a very French work; Debussy matched the rhythm of the French language to his music. It was a poor fit to the English language which never flows like French.

Furthermore, the women's diction left much to be desired and, had we not been familiar with the story, we would have been pretty much in the dark as to what was happening. Even with our familiarity, many fine points of the story were missed. A better solution might have been to have sung the work in French with audience members being given a summary to read.

Direction by Isabel Milenski was exciting and the space put to excellent use. Christina Lorraine Bullard designed the costumes with Ms. Cardona's costume being designed by Jana Jarosz.  Effective lighting design was by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew.

It was a memorable launch of a new opera ship.  Future productions will be staged in other venues.  Hence the title--Floating Opera New York.

(c) meche kroop