SECRET LOVEJennifer Moore

Jennifer Moore and Everett Suttle (photo by Tina Buckman)

Love is a carelessly handled state in 21st c. America; people jump in and out of relationships like rabbits. But in 18th c. France, love was a serious issue and many rules of etiquette had to be observed. It was not unusual for folks to pine away for a love object and many chansons were written about unfulfilled longing and desire.

This situation was delicately handled by the prodigious composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, in his 1780 opera L'amant Anonyme which was given a charming production by The Little Opera Theatre of NY, affectionately known as LOTNY--a company which has introduced us to several other rarities.

The composer was born in Guadeloupe to a slave woman named Nanon and fathered by a French plantation owner who brought his family to France when Joseph was but 7 years old, ensuring that his son received a fine education.  Young Joseph exhibited early aptitude for music, dancing, and fencing; his charm, talents, and good looks won him a place in society although at certain times his being a mulatto brought ugly prejudice into his life. From what we gleaned from our reading, his life story would have made a splendid opera in and of itself.

This brief opera, his only surviving one, was premiered at a private theater for the entertainment of aristocrats and it is likely that the composer himself bore within a secret love for a Caucasian woman. Perhaps he was working through his predicament by means of his art.

LOTNY Founder and Artistic Director Philip Shneidman wisely combined episodes from the composer's life to pad out the slender story which, for today's audience, needed a bit of conflict. Dialogue was recited in English with the gorgeous arias, duets, and ensembles sung in mostly excellent French.

Valcour (tenor Everett Suttle) is in love with Léontine (soprano Jennifer Moore) but is afraid to tell her since she seems to have sworn off love. Valcour gets encouragement from his friend Ophémon (baritone Jesse Malgieri) and Léontine gets the same from her Lady in Waiting Dorothée (mezzo-soprano Aude Cardona). There is another couple whose betrothal serves as inspiration to the reluctant couple-- Jeannette (soprano Marie Masters) who is engaged to Colin (tenor Anthony Webb).

We have previously heard and enjoyed in various venues the excellent singers in this cast but, rest assured, we are also well acquainted with the singers of the other cast whom you can count on to deliver performances just as fine as this cast. We might add, since we are not color blind, that casting African-Americans as the composer/Valcour was completely appropriate, lending verisimilitude to the story.

Mozart may have dominated the music scene in Austria but we are less well acquainted with French musicians of the Classical Period in France. It was a fine thing to become acquainted with the lovely music of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges; there is a delicacy to the music that tickles the ear and the melodies are eminently singable.

The eight musicians of New Vintage Baroque included Elliot Figg who conducted from the harpsichord. Instruments were authentic to the period. We are not sure we could tell the difference in the case of the violins, viola, and cello; but there was no mistaking the pair of baroque oboes and the impressive baroque bassoon. The sound was enthralling.

We can only hope that some of these arias and duets will find their way onto the concert stage. Perhaps the singers will take note of this suggestion and perform them at recital. The harmonies of the duets were particularly lovely and songs about reluctance in love and about romantic longing are often heard at recital.

We feel grateful to LOTNY for bringing this previously unheard composer to our attention. One never knows what one is missing until one hears it!

(c) meche kroop

JUST A SIMPLE "WORKING GIRL"

Siberia at the turn of the 20th Century

We recently wrote about how a good concert version of an opera can be a very pleasurable experience.  Last night, Teatro Grattacielo's yearly entry in the verismo opera sweepstakes was Umberto Giordano's Siberia, an interesting and mostly satisfying evening for the opera lovers who crowded into the comfortable Gerald Lynch theater at John Jay College. 

This opera premiered at La Scala in 1903 and was not a hit, although it did receive positive notices in Genoa and Paris and reached the New World in 1906 by way of the French Opera House in New Orleans, where so many European operas got their American start.

The libretto is a bit strange (Thanks, Founding Executive and Artistic Director Duane Printz, for a fine translation), not making many issues clear until late in the opera. One would expect more from the fine librettist Luigi Illica who served Giacomo Puccini so well; it is unclear whether the libretto is his original creation or whether he adapted the story from Leo Tolstoy's novel Resurrection.

Perhaps this early 19th c. story might have made more sense to the early 20th c. audience who witnessed it. The tale concerns the beautiful Stephana, mistress of the young Prince Alexis who has furnished her with a beautiful palace and servants and gifts. We do not figure out until much later that the disagreeable Gleby discovered the poor young woman on the streets, recognized her beauty, seduced her, taught her the ropes (so to speak), and sold her to the Prince in exchange for a liberal pension.

It is, of course, in Gleby's interest to ensure her availability to the Prince and he is distressed when she stays out all night. The reason for her failure to live up to her duties is her true love for the soldier Vassili who thinks she is an ordinary working girl of the innocent variety, not the kind of "working girl" she really is.

She has kept her palatial home secret but young Vassili, called to war, comes to the palace to bid farewell to his mother (or so we think) and discovers Stephana who is upset to be found out. Alexis is also upset by Vassili's presence and the two draw swords. Alexis is either wounded or dies.

Vassili is sent to prison in Siberia and Stephana follows him (in a troika and swathed in furs) having given up her glamorous life. This seems to be partly out of love and partly to seek redemption.

Life in Siberia is virtually unendurable but she loves it there because of her love for Vassili and a renewed sense of purity she feels.  But the lovers plan to escape and are caught, perhaps because the jealous Gleby has also arrived at the prison and rats her out (or so we think). She is shot and dies (happily) in Vassili's arms.

Undoubtedly, the libretto could have been more clearly written. Nonetheless, the music is gorgeously orchestrated and was superbly sung by a really good cast. The deservedly famous tenor Raul Melo sang with clear ringing tone and high passion. Stephana was gloriously sung by soprano Marie Masters whose star is on the rise. The strange and undeveloped character of Stephana was effectively filled in by this fine young artist.

Highly impressive as the slimy Gleby was baritone Daniel Ihn-Kyu Lee who injected 57 varieties of sliminess into his superb voice, creating an unforgettable villain. We enjoyed mezzo-soprano Jessica Grigg as Nikona, Stephana's anxious servant, and soprano Megan Monaghan in a small role as a woman looking for her father in Siberia.

Baritone Joseph Flaxman excelled in two roles: as a banker in the service of the Prince, and later as an old man who wants to help Stephana escape. Tenor Scott Joiner was the servant Ivan and later The Cossack; tenor Wesley Morgan portrayed Prince Alexis and later portrayed The Sergeant, bass Damian Savarino was Walinoff, also in the Prince's retinue and later, The Inspector.

In the Siberian  part of the opera we would meet The Captain (bass-baritone Sean Cooper), who also portrayed The Governor with appropriate stentorian sound. All the parts seemed well cast and excellently sung.

And what about the music? What made the strongest impression melodically was the "Song of the Volga Boatmen".  This is a traditional Russian song, collected by Balakirev and published in 1866; it has been appropriated by composers of many nationalities and here was most effective in expressing the despair of the Russian peasants in pre-Revolutionary Russia. It is heard many times in the course of the opera. The Cantori New York Chorus did well by it, under the direction of Mark Shapiro.

Conductor Israel Gursky commanded The Teatro Grattacielo Orchestra who did justice to Giordano's  colorful orchestration. When Vassili describes the living conditions in Siberia, the orchestra tells as much as the words. For example, the woodwinds do a great job of illustrating the "unrelenting winds". And a tuba lets us know about the howl of the wolves. (It was at this point that we decided that Siberia does not need to be on our "bucket list").

On the Sunday of Russian Easter in Act III, the chimes and the sextet of mandolins (YES!) took us right where we needed to be. 

There were few arias as set pieces, but Stephana's Act III aria "Qual vergogna tu porti", directed at Gleby, gave her a chance to open up her generous instrument and shine with a variety of emotions. Mr. Lee's high point followed shortly thereafter in "La connobbi quand'era fanciulla" when we finally learn about the origins of their relationship, or his interpretation thereof.

Melo's best moment was in "Stephana!..Dio!" in Act II when she arrives in Siberia. The pair also have a lovely romantic duet.

We only get these treats once a year, generally in October. Most of the luminaries of Planet Opera were in attendance and post-opera conversation was stimulating. 

(c) meche kroop

MORE ON COUNTESS ALMAVIVA

Elizabeth Bouk, Marie Masters, Christopher Lilley, Marianne Farrell and Min Gu Yeo

Hiram Titus' music is new to us, and we will begin by saying that we yearn to hear more of his instrumental music. As performed by the excellent Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Christopher Fecteau, Artistic Director and Founder of Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, it made quite an impression. We can surely understand why Maestro Fecteau chose to conduct last night. The music is very lush in its orchestration and varied in its moods--one might call it colorful and dramatic. We were not surprised to learn that Mr. Titus composes for movies.

That being said, we would not be in a hurry to hear any more of his operas. We will say that there were several lovely arias in his 1980 opera Rosina. In the first act, the character Cherubino sings a lovely ballad accompanied by guitar (Matheus Souza) which led into a duet with Rosina, also quite lovely. And in Act II, Count Almaviva and Cherubino sang a duet about women that we enjoyed.

Nonetheless, the conversational dialogue is, well, excessively prosaic. Barbara Field's libretto does not lend itself to a singable vocal line.  Part of the problem lies in the rhythm of the English language. One thinks of the few exceptions--Shakespeare, Sondheim, W.S. Gilbert.

In spite of this handicap, the cast performed well. The story is invented but found its way into Dell'Arte Ensemble's Beaumarchais theme by virtue of its dealing with characters invented by the 18th c. polymath, who wrote the trio of plays which inspired Rossini, Paisiello, Rossini and others.

Several years have passed since Cherubino was sent off to be an officer in the Count's regiment. He returned to Seville and eloped with the Countess who was fed up with the Count's philandering. As the opera opens the couple is living in poverty in Madrid with Cherubino trying to sell his paintings. They have a newborn and are in love and happy, troubled only by the aggressive landlady. The Count comes to Madrid to find Rosina, along with his latest conquest, the very young Amparo. Rosina (the Countess) must choose between the two men--or must she? Sometimes women must choose their own pathway, even in the 18th c.

As the Countess (Rosina), soprano Marie Masters made a fine showing with her ample voice and warmth. We remember her well from last year's Falstaff as Mrs. Ford. As Cherubino, tenor Christopher S. Lilley impressed us with his fine singing and acting. His Cherubino was a real charmer! We recall enjoying his performances at Manhattan School of Music on several occasions.

As Pilar, the aggressive landlady, mezzo-soprano Kerry Gotschall added greatly to the comic relief. Sporting a moustache (!) and clumping around the stage, she created a marvelous character. In Act I, she had some great lines--"The rent's been spent". The scene in Act II where she virtually attacks the blindfolded Mendoza, Cherubino's art dealer, was a real hoot. He had come to seduce Rosina who was playing a trick on him by substituting Pilar. 

If the opening scene referenced Act I of La Boheme, this scene suggested the final act of Nozze di Figaro! The art dealer was well performed by Korland Simmons who produced some rich laughter in his sneezing scene which reminded us of the sneezing scene in the Paisiello Barber.

As Count Almaviva, Min Gu Yeo's superlative baritone was hampered by a strong accent that made much of his dialect incomprehensible. English is sufficiently difficult to sing when it is one's native language! He was also made to disguise himself with a very silly moustache and cast opposite a woman who was more than a head taller than he--his new mistress Amparo. It felt awkward not knowing whether this was done intentionally for laughs or not.

As Amparo, we really liked Elizabeth Bouk, whose Komponist in Utopia Opera's Ariadne auf Naxos we recently reviewed. Her mezzo-soprano is clean and pleasant to hear and she has a winning stage presence which made us care about this 18-year-old not-so-innocent. We liked her aria about her origins in Barcelona, daughter of a fish monger and a sailor, trying to advance herself in this world. 

Erin Cressy directed and Meganne George was responsible for the minimal but workable set. Costume Designer Carly Bradt finally provided costumes suggestive of 18th c. aristocracy for the women while the men wore street clothes.

It was a real pleasure to see the entire season of Beaumarchais on four consecutive nights.  Thanks Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble!

(c) meche kroop

OH THOSE MERRY WIVES!

Heather Antonissen, David Morrow and Marie Masters (photo by Brian Long)

The film Amadeus would lead one to believe that Salieri killed Mozart.  This is a lie. But it is the truth that we nearly died laughing over his opera Falstaff as presented by Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble.  The libretto by Carlo Prospero Defranceschi departs from Shakespeare's comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor in many ways but it does preserve the theme of some high-spirited women collaborating to puncture the pride of the womanizing fat guy.  Furthermore, the lively and tuneful music serves to advance the plot.

Readers may have observed how contemptuous we are of "concept" and updating the classics; in this case we applauded it.  First of all, this is not a beloved classic that is rooted in time and place; it comes without baggage.  Secondly, it has no references to period and the only reference to place is Windsor.  Surely there are towns in the USA named Windsor.

Stage director Louisa Proske has chosen to set the opera about a half-century ago, which is nearly as remote as the late 18th c. but a lot funnier--a time when husbands were still possessive and when people could still afford servants.  Stewart Kramer's excellent titles were created by Artistic Director Christopher Fecteau, Karen Rich and J. Spence. The translation from the Italian employed modern American slang without trashing the original language.

Maestro Fecteau had his work cut out for him, lacking a decent manuscript, but the end result was some mighty gorgeous music not very different from Mozart's. With only eleven members of the Festival Orchestra occupying stage left and Maestro Fecteau conducting from the harpsichord, nothing seemed missing.  We particularly enjoyed the frothily charming overture and Samuel Marquez' clarinet solo.

Soprano Marie Masters (a winner of the Osgood/Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble Prize) brought a bright resonant sound to the role of Mrs. Ford.  Her intonation was as secure as her acting.  In this opera, Mrs. Ford is a bit naughty, or rather, mischievous.  She is curvy and dresses provocatively; no wonder Mr. Ford (tenor Erik Bagger) is suspicious.  His friends try to talk him out of his jealousy but he is relentless.

As Mrs. Ford's friend, the excellent Heather Antonissen sang in perfect harmony in her duets with Ms. Masters.  Her voice has the sparkle of a soprano and the weight of a mezzo.  Her character, Mrs. Slender, mostly supports Mrs. Ford's plot to trap Falstaff.  She has a very funny moment with a pair of floral shears in her hand.  Use your imagination!  Her husband was portrayed by baritone Scott Lindroth who was one of the finest male voices onstage; he sang with beautiful tone and phrasing.  His second act aria was superb.

Soprano Joanie Brittingham was a sprightly Betty, servant in the Ford household. Her major moments came in the second act when she imitated Falstaff trying to emerge from the ditch into which he was thrown with the laundry.

Bass-baritone Jonathan Dauermann, sporting a hippie wig, created the character of Bardolfo as an overworked and somnolent fellow.  

As the obnoxious, corpulent and bibulous Falstaff, bass David Morrow created a character that was self-important and self-deluding.  He imagines that he is irresistible to women and means to extract money from them.  In the opening ensemble, he has crashed a party and is making a complete pest of himself.

The ladies spend the entire opera making a fool of him.  But Mr. Ford also suffers the indignity of being proven wrong.  It's a rather feminist opera and way ahead of its time.  

Sets were simple and costumes seemed to be appropriate to the mid 20th c.  Which brings us to the dance moves.  There were entirely too many, not only in the party scene with its line dancing, but all through the production.  There was also an excess of mugging. At times it felt like a sit-com on TV.  But these are tiny flaws in a gem of a production.

We cannot close without mentioning the two female members of the ensemble who portrayed laundry boys.  Sara Ann Duffy and Kristin Gornstein assumed a total deadpan look and were all the funnier for it.  Brave to all the fine women onstage.

There will be one more production on Saturday.  LYAO!

(c) meche kroop