A WORTHY DISCOVERY

Maestro Patrick Quigley conducting Opera Lafayette Orchestra's world premiere performance of 

Edmond Dédé's Morgiane, ou, Le Sultan d'Ispahan

Singers L to R: Joshua Conyers, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Chauncey Packer, Nicole Cabell, 

Kenneth Kellogg, and Jonathan Woody 

(photo by Jennifer Packard, Courtesy of Opera Lafayette)

After such a satisfying evening, we scarcely know where to begin. In an era when the field of opera is getting bogged down in prosy unmusical polemics, a few companies stand out by mining the past for undiscovered treasures. Teatro Nuovo brings to life forgotten gems from the Bel Canto period, whereas Opera Lafayette brings to the table a scholarly approach to rarely heard operas of the 17th, 18th and 19th c. The D.C. company's annual visits to New York City bring us education with our entertainment. Both companies achieve sold out status, proving that opera is not a dying art form.

There is room for contemporary opera just as there is for modern art. They just fail to provide nourishment to our classical eyes and ears. We would happily attend Nozze di Figaro, La Traviata, and La Bohême several times a year (and we have). Just the same, to be introduced to a work from the past that has lain forgotten gives us a thrill like no other.

A great deal of scholarship went into the recreation of Morgiane, ou, Le Sultan d'Ispahan and Opera Lafayette partnered with OperaCréole to bring this work to the stage, just in time for Black History Month. The composer Edmond Dédé was a Free Man of Color whose lifespan occupied the greater part of the 19th century. The opera is probably the first four-act opera by a United States born composer of African descent. Born in New Orleans, he established his reputation in France in the second half of the 19th century and his rich melodies reveal an exposure to various forms of music from café-concerts to high opera. We hope to hear some of his songs on recital programs!

The libretto he set was an exotic tale by Louis Brunet and probably was inspired by Europe's 19th century fascination with Asian exotica. The Islamization of Persia began in the 7th century and we can assume that the opera takes place after that time since the ruler in the opera is the tyrannical Sultan Kourouschah. Prior to the time of the opera, his mistreated wife had fled with their infant daughter in her arms and had been rescued by Hagi Hassan, a good man who raised the child with love and care. At the time of the opera, the girl, named Amine has just wed a worthy young man named Ali when Beher, a henchman of the Sultan, abducts her to be the consort of the Sultan. Yikes!!!!

We are sorry to have given away the secret surprise reveal of the 4th act. Actually, as is our wont, we did not read about the opera in advance, hoping that the work would speak for itself, which it surely did. Nonetheless, we were probably not the only member of the audience to have anticipated the surprise!

The work was exceptionally well cast. Although the production was given as a concert version with music stands, exotic atmosphere was provided by the gorgeous "Arabian Night" costuming, even for the chorus. Yes, we know that Iran (the country formerly known as Persia) is not Arabic but you, Dear Reader, know what we mean. This colorful costuming was designed by Amy Amos, Givonna Joseph, and Aria Mason. In spite of the music stands, the singers, especially the women, managed to inject their characters with dramatic intention, looking at the character they were addressing.

The role of Morgiane was played by Mary Elizabeth Williams whose spinto instrument filled out the emotion of the lines in a way that created a character of depth and determination. Her way with the vocal line was exemplary and the tonal quality admirable. Although she is the eponymous heroine, her best music and dramatic performance was saved for Act IV when she performed a stunning aria replete with arpeggios. She created a character that was forceful and spunky, proving that women can change their fates, and we are on board with that! 

Nicole Cabell is an entirely different type of soprano, a coloratura possessing an instrument of great agility. The ease with which she handled the fioritura whilst maintaining a warm coloration delighted our ears. Like Ms. Williams she always gazed upon whichever character she was addressing. She was completely believable as Morgiane's daughter Amine. Dédé gave her the most interesting music with a number of excellent arias and also duets.

As her new husband Ali, tenor Chauncey Packer sang sweetly with a lovely legato vocal line and a warm coloration, making his character most likable. One could really feel his anguish at losing his bride and his determination to recover her. In the duets, his voice blended beautifully with Ms. Cabell's, notably in Act I, in which the pair set the tone for the story by means of their mutual affection and deep devotion.

Joshua Conyers has a warm baritone that was just right for the role of Hagi Hassan. He conveyed all the warmth of a pater familias, protector of his family, a man who will go to any lengths to ensure their safety. And yet, one could imagine him as a shining knight on a white horse some two decades earlier, rescuing the poor Morgiane as she fled from her abusive husband--just the kind of hero who will raise another man's child as his own.

There was something very touching about a family banding together to try to save one of their own at a risk to their own lives. This is operatic in a way that contemporary stories cannot manage. We heard a stunning trio in which the parents and new husband vow vengeance for the abducted Amine. The composer's quartets showed his skill at weaving vocal lines into a multi-textured fabric.

The role of Beher, the Sultan's henchman, was well portrayed by bass-baritone Jonathan Woody who sat stony-faced but managed to sing with a snarl.

And finally, the role of the arrogant Sultan was sung by bass Kenneth Kellogg whom we didn't get to hear until Act III. Of all the singers, his French was the most comprehensible; of course, that is partly due to the low register, but also due to his crisp enunciation. He undergoes an Act IV transformation that was made believable by his skill at altering vocal coloration.

Just imagine!  An opera with a happy ending!  We left smiling because of the successful resolution, but also because of the marvelous music. Maestro Patrick Quigley was in full command of his resources and drew many colors from the orchestra. The music was varied with many contrasts of orchestration and rhythm.  In the opening chorus, members of the OperaCreole Ensemble, sang about nature in lilting waltz time. Later, we heard martial music in 4/4 time. 

Orchestral colors rivaled those of the rainbow. We even had the opportunity to hear the rarely heard ophicleide, an unusual brass instrument with a wide register, played by keys. We were so curious, we looked it up and learned that it was used mainly in the 19th century. and was featured in works by Mendelssohn and Berlioz. This was surely a night of discovery! We realize we have mentioned colors and coloration a great deal and perhaps this is one of the reasons we enjoyed the evening so much.

Let us finally mention that smaller roles were played by members of OperaCréole, including Valencia Pleasant, Taylor White, and Antonio Domino, Jr.

We believe a recording is forthcoming, in which case, Dear Reader, we urge you to have a listen. How impressive it is when two companies join forces to resuscitate a forgotten work. We in the audience only get to see and hear the end result. One can only imagine the happy accidents and diligent labor that went into creating such a memorable event.

© meche kroop

A VISIT FROM OPERA LAFAYETTE

 Jacob Ashworth, Christophe Rousset, Joshua Keller, and Jonathan Woody

Visits from the Washington D.C. based Opera Lafayette are always greeted with enthusiasm;  to the musical scene of New York City they bring value both entertaining and educational by means of their approach to 17th and 18th c. music.  Last night's concert at the Kosciuszko Foundation, entitled Couperin le Grand, brought many delights, both instrumental and vocal.

The elegant room provided not only intimacy but also an appropriate baroque feeling by virtue of its gilded ceiling, recreating the court environment that originally saw (heard) the same material.  The generous program introduced us to three myth-based cantatas and a pair of instrumental works. 

Of chief interest to us was the recently discovered Couperin cantata Ariane consolée par Bacchus ;  for this discovery we must thank Musical Director and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset. The story parallels that portrayed by Richard Strauss in his opera Ariadne auf Naxos--minus the satirical element.

What made this, and the other two cantatas, so riveting was the passionate performance of bass-baritone Jonathan Woody. We were gritting our teeth, waiting for the appearance of the loathed music stand, but lo and behold there was none. That Mr. Woody invested the time and effort to commit to memory not just the Couperin, but also the other two, was sufficiently impressive;  it enabled him to share his consummate skill as storyteller. His artistry was rewarded by the well-deserved rapt attention of the audience. His dramatic delivery never missed an opportunity to heighten the drama by means of gesture and facial expression. The proverbial lily was gilded by his French diction.

The cantata La Mort d'Hercule Louis by Nicolas Clérambault and the cantata L'Enlévement d'Orithie by Michel Pignolet de Montéclair shared a number of characteristics with the Couperin but not the immediacy of the Ariadne story. This was not the boring dry performances we associated with the Baroque period before our ears were opened by Opera Lafayette. 

These are works filled with passion with each verse illumined differentially with its own tempo, texture, and mood. There is sufficient repetition of motifs to make the melodies memorable. The ornamentation of the vocal line captures the ear with roulades, trills, and appogiature. The harmonies are complex and often dense. 

The concerts by Couperin featured a succession of dance rhythms and provided enough variety to keep the ear constantly engaged; we found our body swaying and our toes tapping. Were it not for a sense of decorum, we might have gotten up and danced!

The musicians were impressive all around. The violin of Jacob Ashworth (whom we first heard some years ago with Heartbeat Opera) was spirited with excellent singing tone. The mellow transverse flute, played by the masterful Immanuel Davis, often echoed the melody introduced by the violin. The six-stringed viol, in the hands of Joshua Keller, created the bass line, whilst the harpsichord of Mr. Rousset provided a carpet of sound upon which danced the melodies of the violin and flute.

Opera Lafayette returns to New York City in May with two exciting programs. A little bird told us that the future holds more excursions to New York City, which will make us happy, along with a lot of other grateful fans.

© meche kroop

A SILVER JUBILEE FOR OPERA LAFAYETTE

The cast of Opera Lafayette's Venus and Adonis

It is always a highly anticipated event when Opera Lafayette comes to town and we make sure we mark it on our calendar way in advance out of fear of missing out. We are always rewarded with an evening that is satisfying from an educational standpoint as well as an artistic one. We always make time for the lectures which add to our understanding and appreciation. Last night at El Museo del Barrio, Artistic Director Ryan Brown let us in on some interesting tidbits about the John Blow opera we came to see--Venus and Adonis. 

This 1683 court masque was presented at the court of Charles II during The Restoration Period. The librettist, Ann Kingsmill Finch, was a woman of letters who played fast and loose with the myth from Ovid's Metamorphosis. Instead of Adonis abandoning Venus to go on a hunt, the Goddess of Love sends him away with verses that would do the independent woman of the 21st c. proud. "Absence kindles new desire, I would not have my lover tire".

The roles in the masque were played by courtiers themselves with the role of Venus taken by a mistress of the King, with their illegitimate child portraying Cupid! One wonders how the Court felt about the theme of the fickleness of the courtiers. Some say that the piece is symbolic, with Venus representing England and Adonis representing Charles II, whose line would die off with him due to the "taint" of Roman Catholicism.

It seems that opera took root in several places, including Great Britain. Blow's opera was the first through-composed musical drama in England and stands with Purcell's Dido and Aeneas as the two great lyrical works of 17th c. England. It has its own British flavor involving intricate contrapuntal writing.

Music Director for the evening was Thomas Dunford who excels as a lutenist. He demonstrated his archlute which, like all members of the lute family including the theorbo, derived from the North African oud. He demonstrated the use of "blue" notes and the way they contribute to harmonic tension and release. There is ample room for improvisation as there is in jazz. During the performance, his fingers fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird and sometimes the fingerwork looked like that of flamenco guitar, although the sound was completely different.

We were also introduced to the Swedish Stage Director/Choreographer/Dancer Julia Bengtsson who talked to us about dance notation. The dances at the English court were derived from French dance with improvisatory variation dependent upon the liberties taken by the musicians. During the opera we greatly enjoyed her grace and spirit; the footwork and positions of the arms were readily recognizable as forerunners to Russian ballet.

The brief three-act opera was preceded by three Dowland songs about unrequited love and some by Purcell, including our favorite "Music for a While". We enjoyed the soprano of Véronique Filloux, the countertenor of Daniel Moody, the tenor of Patrick Kilbride, and the bass-baritone of Jonathan Woody, all of whom were exceptionally delightful to the ear. 

The opera itself starred Lea Desandre as Venus; her mezzo-soprano instrument has a remarkable upper extension. The role of Adonis was performed by bass-baritone Douglas Williams who possesses a substantial instrument and a convincing stage presence.

Soprano Sarah Shafer fulfilled all the demands of the role of Cupid and won our heart with her animated performance. Her lustrous tone was put into the service of a variety of moods and colors.

Other roles were performed by Ms. Filloux, Mr. Moody, Mr. Kilbride, and Mr. Woody.

The chamber orchestra onstage comprised a pair of violins played by Maestro Ryan Brown and Jacob Ashworth (well known to us from Heartbeat Opera), as well as viola, bass, and two recorders. Continuo was provided by Mr. Dunford playing lute, Loretta O'Sullivan playing cello and Violaine Cochard playing harpsichord.

The dancing of Ms. Bengsston and Matthew Ting added a great deal of visual impact to the beautiful sounds that were, to our ears, as soothing as they were interesting. The dancers' costumes were designed by Anna Kjellsdotter.

About Ms. Finch's libretto we have little to say. Frankly, the diction of the singers left something to be desired and we spotted many audience members struggling to read the libretto in the dim theater. We don't think that projected titles would have added anything. It was just a case of the music and dancing being far more interesting than the repetitive text.

It has been exactly a year since we saw this opera produced by New Camerata Opera, a production that was given a brightly colored punk twist with outlandish costuming but no baroque dancing. This was a totally different experience and we left thinking that so much of the way one perceives a work has to do with the concept and direction. It's remarkable how this very old work can offer enough "meat" for two radically different interpretations.

© meche kroop

A PERSIAN COURT ON GRAMERCY PARK

Stradella's "Ester Liberatrice del Popolo Ebreo" --Salon/Sanctuary Concerts (photo by Stephen de las Heras)

Guest review by Chris Petitt:

Alessandro Stradella, a Caravaggio-esque figure and notorious bad boy who died young-ish at the hands of a romantic rival, knew a thing or two about how to set a text and wake up an audience to the dramatic potential in many a sacred story. He thrived in the 17th-century and is now enjoying somewhat of a Renaissance, with New York performances by Opera Lafayette, the Academy of Sacred Drama, and Salon/Sanctuary Concerts, the Americans joining a veritable Stradella-mania among a panoply of Italian baroque groups.

 Lucky for us that we can now hear so much of his wonderful music, oratorios dramatizing bible stories and lives of other sacred characters, in which the challenges for the performer include virtuoso singing, nuanced acting, and musical chops which enable one to traverse compositional adventures that at times appear to defy logic.

On Wednesday, Salon/Sanctuary Concerts, an intrepid organization never wont to shy away from either an ambitious or adventurous program, offered up the 1673 work Ester Liberatrice del Popolo Ebreo, a setting of the story of the Jewish holiday Purim, in which Queen Ester of the Persian Empire uses intelligence, persuasion and reason to head off the genocidal plot of Hamman (Aman in the Italian version) to eradicate the Jewish people. The mid-19th-century Brotherhood Synagogue provided an ideal setting, its central bima creating a ready made stage set for the drama.

 The choice of this work is timely, and not just because are we headed into the Purim holiday which celebrates Ester’s victory. A story about a clever woman who outsmarts an oppressive bully whose overcompensation issues result in the suffering of a whole ethnic group resonates all too keenly with most Americans today. But before we make any glib Nancy Pelosi/Donald Trump references, let us remember that Ester was a heroine because, unlike bold modern women today, she was constrained to function within the narrow confines of what was a woman’s place, in both the original story’s setting of the Persian empire and the Counter-Reformation Rome of the libretto.

Far from demanding her people’s emancipation, she has to skirt the issue, finding ways to impress her point upon her husband the King without winding up like her predecessor Vashti, imprisoned in a harem for refusing to obey his command (which involved appearing naked at a banquet, but I digress).

This limited space of action creates a compelling character, to say nothing of the music, and soprano Jessica Gould, who is also the Artistic Director of Salon/Sanctuary Concerts and the engine behind this fine organization’s compelling programming, navigated the role skillfully. Showing a clear transition from Ester’s anxiety to certitude under the nudging of her cousin Mardocheo, sung with beautiful, unaffected tone and clear intention by countertenor José Lemos, Gould’s powerful voice embraces both coloratura filigree and weighty lyrical passages with ease, while a dramatic fire, fine Italian diction, and command of the text makes this role her own.

Gould’s is a dramatic instrument with an impressive facility and distinctive color, dark and rich in the depths and brilliant above. She may not match a certain “Early Music” sound that many have in their heads, but it is a voice you remember, reminding us that the depth of passion inherent in these texts must not fall victim to the fussy preoccupations with “authenticity” that doom many a period performance to forgettable homogeneity.

 I am delighted to report that full-blooded vocalism and judicious dramatic choices animated the other principal characters as well, imbuing this age-old story with the kind of life a modern audience needs to keep these works alive.

In the role of Speranza Celeste, an added-on metaphorical figure absent from the original bible story, soprano Sarah Pillow was an ideal foil to Gould, offering a silvery crystalline timbre to the other soprano’s darker palette, the two illustrating a sonic divide between earth and heaven. Wafting through her scenes with the conviction of the righteous, she managed to be convincing rather than supercilious, her delicate phrasing and translucent color a cool and welcome breeze. In the Act I finale duet with Aman (Haman) her diaphanous sound balanced the swaggering bass-baritone of Ian Pomerantz.

Pomerantz clearly relished the outrageous evilness of his character, lurking and mugging through his role with great enthusiasm. A large instrument with a lot of potential, his burly approach resulted at times in less than clean runs and what seemed like some indecision about ornamentation (I recall being surprised by cadential trill of distinctly French provenance at one point). Judging from the audience reaction around me, his performance was a crowd pleaser, and even if his instrument spilled over the edge of stylistic precision for much of the evening, (and the evening does belong to Aman with his miles of arias), it fit the arrogance of this bullying character, one of the Old Testament’s biggest bad guys.

Like the finely crafted performance of José Lemos in regrettably too small a role, the magnificent Jonathan Woody in the role of Assuero the King doesn’t make an appearance until the second act. But what an appearance it is. With a minimum of fuss this gifted young bass-baritone spins out a warm and glorious velvety sound anchored by steel in its lowest range. His economy of action created a nobility of both character and timbre that contrasted Aman’s bluster. It is a sound that speaks of both technique and wisdom beyond this young singer’s years, and which provided a moral anchor as all is set right by a wise king who accepts counsel from others.

In the smaller roles Dominic Inferrera was poised and appealing as Testo (the narrator). Amanda Sidebottom and Martha Sullivan as two Hebrew women sang a lovely duet occasionally marred by intonation lapses. This carried over into the choruses that the two sopranos helmed. The alto Wendy Gilles, and lutenist Grant Herreid, doing double duty on the tenor line, joined bass-baritone Inferrera as the strong links in the vocal ensemble. Herreid played a stylish lute continuo, joining veteran theorbist Daniel Swenberg, gambist Loren Ludwig and harpsichordist Elliot Figg in the tight and responsive continuo group.

 I looked in vain for a stage director credit and found none, so it seems that the decision to move about the stage, or bima, as the case is here, was that of the singers, who presumably directed themselves. Books in hand, they created some very effective visuals that belied what must have been a brief rehearsal process. There was an unaffected freshness to the ease with which they moved, welcome in the face of so many “concept” productions, suffocated by overzealous directors with lots to do but nothing to say (my readers know this is a pet peeve of mine). Standard concert wear did the job of indicating character as well, with Queen Ester in a royal purple gown, Speranza Celeste in a dress of luminous and heavenly blue velvet, and the gentlemen in a color scheme of ties to indicate court (magenta), monarch (gold), or bad guy (silver).

(c) meche kroop