LET'S GET CANDIDE

Leonard Bernstein's Candide at Santa Fe Opera (photo by Ken Howard for Santa Fe Opera)

If you think you've seen and heard Candide, guess again. If you want to experience this brilliant work in all its glory, you'd do well to get yourself to Santa Fe, New Mexico for one of the two final performances of the season.

The success of this production rests on many shoulders. We scarcely know where to begin but Maestro Harry Bicket's superb conducting resulted in applause almost as vociferous as that received by the presence in the audience of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg!  The light-hearted music composed by Bernstein seemed to underscore the dark humor of the book, based on the satirical 18th c. novella written by Voltaire. As in Mozart's music, a melody in a major key may drift momentarily into a minor key; Bicket's attention to these shifts made for a poignant listening experience.

The scholarship of dramaturg Matthew Epstein, Senior Artistic Advisor at Santa Fe Opera, must have involved some intense activity in choosing which scenes and dialogue to include and what to leave out. The work itself began its life in the middle of the 20th c. and was not successful. It took many decades and the inclusion and later exclusion of a parade of lyricists to ensure its ultimate success. The version we saw last night, one of four extant iterations, is the Old Vic version, an expansion for the Scottish Opera of the Hal Prince/Hugh Wheeler version.

This is an exception to the maxim that "too many cooks spoil the broth". Voltaire's novella provides enough material for a variety of treatments. We will not get into a discussion of Candide's fluid identity. We will call it an opera as long as it is presented unamplified. Although we heard this version recently at Carnegie Hall with a fine cast and all the original music, the voices were badly amplified and we missed all the clever lyrics. Last night, the talented cast was quite intelligible and were supported by excellent titles, in case one missed a word.

In this story of innocence betrayed and reality accepted, we are exposed to countless trials and tribulations; we witness the heroes of the story pursuing their ideals and surviving their hardships. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the public has such affection for the work.

The literary work upon which it is based is Voltaire's 1759 novella, a satiric attack on war, religious persecution, and the positivist philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz who claimed that whatever happens in this world is divinely ordered and for the best.

What we didn't know was that one of the episodes is based upon true events. In Lisbon, the horrendous death toll of an earthquake resulted in religious persecutions meant to "appease God". Well!  If that doesn't sound like some contemporary stuff going on in the Middle East we will eat the score for breakfast!

If anyone doesn't know the story, it involves the picaresque adventures of an innocent youth named Candide and his beloved Cousin Cunegonde who were tutored by one Dr. Pangloss, a stand-in for Leibniz. The two survive the horrors of war, shipwrecks, deceits and betrayals, as well as the aforementioned auto-da-fe;  they get continually separated and reunited more than once until at the end they decide to have a quiet life with modest pleasures.

Director Laurent Pelly conceived the work in almost cartoon style with highly exaggerated gestures; although we personally did not care for this style, the audience loved it; we do admit that it made the somber end more impactful--kinda like a punch in the gut. There were quite a few moist eyes to be seen and sniffles to be heard.

Pelly's costume designs for the principals were as colorful and sweet as candy. The excellent chorus, comprising Santa Fe Opera Apprentices led by the always wonderful Susanne Sheston, sang clearly, and were dressed in period costumes executed in fabric that emulated printed words on a page. Chantal Thomas' set design was minimalistic but also reflected the work's literary origins. Projections by 59 Productions augmented the simple set.

As the eponymous Candide, tenor Alek Shrader was given several more arias than were assigned to the character in either the Broadway version or the New York City Opera version (both of which we enjoyed). He was convincing in his portrayal and his light tenor was musical throughout; we particularly enjoyed "It must be so".

Soprano Brenda Rae sang and acted up a storm. Cunegonde was never an innocent and Ms. Rae's delivery of "Glitter and Be Gay", one of our favorite coloratura arias, had just the right edge of irony to it.

Jarrett Ott, one of our favorite baritones, has become a regular at Santa Fe Opera; we loved his performance in the role of Maximilian to which he brought his own style ,substance, and wit.

It was very satisfying to witness mezzo-soprano Gina Perregrino, well remembered from Manhattan School of Music and International Vocal Arts Institute, fulfilling the promise we observed over the past six years. Her performance of Paquette was as on-point dramatically as it was vocally.

As The Old Lady, mezzo-soprano Helene Schneiderman tackled this wonderful role with gusto. There were no flaws in her portrayal but there was something about the performance that begged for more presence.  Perhaps it was the costume which failed to limn the character. 

In the customary doubling of roles as the storyteller Voltaire and the character of the indestructible Doctor Pangloss we heard Santa Fe Opera regular Kevin Burdette, whose resonant bass rang out with authority. We didn't even recognize him in the roles of Martin and the slave/valet Cacambo.

Anthony Robin Schneider appeared as the Grand Inquisitor, and also as the Baron with only his face showing through a hole in his portrait. Similarly, Kathleen Reveille's brief appearance as the Baroness was also as a face in her portrait. This same technique was used when The Old Lady arrived in Spain and sang "I am easily assimilated" with her head appearing atop a parade of costumes painted on a board each with different Spanish costumes. In the latter case it was merely distracting

With a couple roles apiece, bass-baritone Erik van Heyningen and tenor Abraham Bretón impressed as the two rivals for Cunegonde's sexual favors; the former portrayed the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris whilst the latter took the role of Don Issachar the Jew.

Tenor Richard Troxell also sang several roles and was so successfully costumed that we didn't recognize him.

It was an altogether stunning Santa Fe Opera premiere and we recommend it highly--not only for Bernstein's magnificent music (Oh how we loved the fugue-like quartet for Candide, Cunegonde, Maximilian, and Paquette!) and the clever lyrics, but also for the highly resonant stance of Voltaire against religious excess, silly philosophies, war, and greed.

(c) meche kroop

BEHOLD THE DON

Zachary Nelson, Alek Shrader, Brenda Rae and Andrew Shore (photo by Ken Howard)

One doesn't need to be a music scholar to enjoy Donizetti's music.  All one needs to win over the audience is a group of stellar bel canto singers who can animate his abundant melodies and provide the embellishments we so dearly adore. Such was the case last night at the Santa Fe Opera when a quartet of masters of the genre provided two and a half hours of unending vocal delights in a production of Don Pasquale.  Arias, duets and ensembles tumbled over each other like rushing waters over stones creating bubbles and effervescence to tickle the ears of the audience.

Consider British baritone Andrew Shore who inhabited the role of the eponymous hero, an "aging" man approaching seventy who methinks wants an heir and just maybe a playmate.  He falls victim to the machinations of the wily Dr. Malatesta who proposes his "sister" Sophronia, fresh out of a convent, shy and modest, dedicated to sewing, cooking and embroidery.

What we in the audience know, and Don Pasquale does not, is that Sophronia is really Norina, the young widow loved by his nephew Ernesto.  The Don is peeved with Ernesto who has refused to marry the wealthy widow chosen by himself.  By way of retaliation, Don Pasquale means to disinherit his slacker nephew and find his own wife. What is interesting about the character created by Mr. Shore is that he evokes our compassion.  He is not a doddering old fool but just more than a bit gullible.  His generous voice is never used solely for effect and he easily rises above the over-the-top stage business he is required to perform.  This is an artist at work, or rather, at play.

As the conniving Dr. Malatesta, baritone Zachary Nelson, a former member of the Apprentice Program who rose to stardom within the year, justified our early faith in his talent.  His fine voice was employed with great style and his acting skills were no less than Mr. Shore's.

Brenda Rae, so admired last year as Violetta, showed a completely different side of herself as the strong and manipulative Norina who will get what she wants by any means, fair or foul.  Her dazzling soprano was taken to dizzying heights with florid displays of bel canto technique, always used to build character.  She has trills that thrill and executed the plethora of runs with pinpoint accuracy.

Tenor Alek Shrader, whom we so heartily enjoyed four years ago as Albert Herring, possesses not only a gorgeous instrument but a real flair for comedy.  In Act II, his solo aria made a huge impression even as it began offstage.  He has lovely phrasing and no fear of high notes which he performs effortlessly,  Those of us who witnessed his winning Tonio at the Metropolitan Opera National Council  were not surprised.  This astounding young man was made for Donizetti.

Corrado Rovaris led the orchestra through Donizetti's sprightly music.  From the opening theme played on the cello we knew we were in good hands.  Melodies were beautifully articulated.

With such fine musical values and four superb voices such as these, we could have closed our eyes and happily shut out the unattractive sets by Chantal Thomas and the equally boring costumes of Laurent Pelly who also directed the production.  Having seen several of Mr. Pelly's productions, we can not consider ourself a fan.  Onto this delightful period piece, so largely attuned to Italian dramatic history and commedia dell'arte, he has imposed a concept that clashed with the story and did nothing to illuminate the characters.

He has set the production in some vaguely modernist  period and indeterminate land in which there would be nothing unusual about a man in his 60's seeking a trophy wife and in which we do not speak of horses, carriages and stables.  He has directed the show with a superfluity of shtick, or should we say slapshtick.  Don Pasquale wields his cane as a violin bow.  Why?  Norina is shown smoking, drinking, and vomiting in contempt over the romantic novel she is reading and from which she is supposed to be deriving inspiration.  Ernesto is depicted as a toddler with "the terrible twos", having a tantrum on the floor.  In a lengthy scene of his departure from his uncle's house he is shown struggling with suitcases that open and spill out his clothes, a scene suggestive of Abbott and Costello.  When Malatesta visits Norina to set up the nasty plot, he pockets her underclothes and a shoe.  Again, why?  To what end?

The four principals gamely followed through on the direction and it was only their fine voices that allowed them to rise above the ridiculous direction.  But that ridiculous direction distracted from the music and made us dislike the characters and to not care what happens to them.  We want to love Ernesto and Norina!  We want them to triumph over adversity, even if Uncle gets a painful lesson.  Instead, we found our sympathies tilted toward Uncle.

The set appeared suitable for farce with wildly uneven doors through which characters entered and departed as if in the game of Whack-a-Mole.  That is, when they were not walking through walls that weren't there.  In Act II, the set was turned upside down to symbolize....well, you can guess the obvious can't you?

Strangely, the audience laughed constantly and seemed to be having a grand old time--even when poor Mr. Shrader was obliged to climb a precarious ladder to hang a paper moon over the garden which, in Mr. Pelly's world, doesn't even have a plant.

So, we give the singers and musicians all A's and Mr. Pelly's production a big fat F for failure.

Let us add that the chorus of Apprentice Singers performed admirably and Calvin Griffin made a fine Notary.

To all those who admire Brenda Rae as much as we do, she is giving a recital this afternoon at 4:00 for Performance Santa Fe at St. John's United Methodist Church.  We will be there with review to follow.

(c) meche kroop

VALIANT VIOLETTA

Brenda Rae as Violetta: photo by Ken Howard

The valiant courtesan Violetta was sung by the valiant soprano Brenda Rae whose gorgeous singing compensated for the abominable production of La Traviata directed by Laurent Pelly.  We were moved to find our notes from four years ago to see if memory served us correctly.  We had heard that some of the directorial excesses had been corrected.  True, some of the antics of Act I with Natalie Desssay cartwheeling over the cement blocks onstage did not happen but that was not enough to make this production at all palatable.  Mr. Pelly's "concept" was and still is way off the mark.

Violetta must have the nobility of character written into the libretto of Francesco Maria Piave and the music of Giuseppe Verdi.  She is a courtesan, something akin to a "kept woman".  She was never meant to be a cheap whore.  She led a life devoted to pleasure--champagne, dancing, gracing the arm of a nobleman.  Portraying her circle as debauched is just plain wrong.

The set design by Chantal Thomas is ugly and uncomfortable for the singers who must jump from concrete boulder to concrete boulder in Act I.  Their behavior was lewd in a very modern way with gratuitous and public sex acts that belied the original story. A wag of my acquaintance thought the partygoers were dancing on their tombstones.  Tongue in cheek?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

And why would Germont père and Germont fils, having traveled a ways to reconcile on Violetta's deathbed, abandon her as she dies?  Nothing about this production rang true; nothing was believable.  Such excesses were so alienating that it was difficult to focus on the gorgeous music, conducted by Leo Hussain.

Brenda Rae's soprano is luscious and her pianissimo singing is outstanding;  we believe she did her best with what the director wanted of her.  Michael Fabiano as Alfredo got lost in the hubbub of Act I and did not project much chemistry with Violetta.  It could not be believed that he was "crushing" on her for a year and finally met her.  His voice picked up some steam in Act II but the damage was done.  Jennifer Panara was excellent as Flora.  Jonathan Michie made a fine presence as Violetta's unloving lover Baron Douphol.  Roland Wood as Germont père sounded best in his duet with Violetta in Act II.  But if he underwent much character change by Act IV, it was difficult to tell.  Keith Jameson always turns in a fine performance and did so here as Gastone.  Apprentice André Courville did well as the Marquis d'Obigny.

Mr. Pelly's costumes looked like contemporary high fashion in Act I; I understood that the openings were designed to facilitate sex acts but this is not something we believe happened in that epoch except behind closed doors--not at parties.   This was not an atmosphere from which a well-born young man would choose a woman with whom to fall hopelessly in love.

Although no one was credited with wig and makeup design, we found both atrocious.  Brenda Rae is a beautiful woman and she was horribly bewigged, even in Act I when Violetta is meant to be at the top of her form.  We understand that a dying woman might look truly awful in Act IV but there's awful and there's AWFUL.

We do acknowledge that there are people who enjoyed the production but we are not of that ilk.  We hope this production will be retired and a more genuine and believable production of this (our favorite opera!) be mounted in the future.

© meche kroop