DESIRE AND DIVINITY

Marisa Michelson

This past week has been one of stretching our boundaries and exposing ourself to different types of theatrical music.  It has gotten us thinking about the intention of the composer in opera.  If one focuses on the history of operatic performance, their composition seems designed to entertain an audience, whether that be an audience of aristocrats or an audience of the bourgeoisie.

Contemporary performance art, on the other hand, seems designed to express something deeply personal in the life of the artist--fears, desires, obsessions, and preoccupations. It is up to the audience to find something with which to relate, and the pleasure of being an audience member depends largely upon his/her willingness to find common ground.

Concerning The Desire/Divinity Project, seen Saturday night at Judson Memorial Church, what we related to the most was Marisa Michelson's original music and the performance of same by her Constellation Chor. Voices floated upward into the cavernous playing space, with overtones bouncing around the hall. There were some gorgeous harmonies and mystical dissonances that put us in a meditative state.

Coincidentally, our interest in theater was born in this space when the late Al Carmines regularly produced unusual pieces of music theater. We warmly recall Ira Siff's performance in The Journey of Snow White. (Memories upon request!)

With our dear Ethan Heard directing and Emma Jaster handling the movement and costuming, we knew the evening would be a worthwhile one. Moreover, the evocative lighting by Elizabeth Mak used hand held spotlights to create eerie shadows on the wall.

As far as the text is concerned, Part I made use of fragments of poetry written two and a half millennia ago by Ancient Greek poet Sappho. Scholars still do not agree about her profession as school mistress or leader of a choral society, nor can they agree about her sexual orientation.  

None of this matters because translating the fragments into English didn't provide much in the way of drama, character development, or storytelling. One might just as well have been listening to nonsense syllables. It all sounded just fine with Ms. Michelson's lovely voice and self-accompaniment on the lyre.  

Dressed in black and sitting on a stool, her  simplicity and commitment were striking. Members of her Constellation Chor spread around the playing area, weaving in and out among the sections of the seating area giving one the feeling of participating in an ancient ritual.

Part II utilized as text a section of the bible known as Song of Songs. This part of the bible is known for its eroticism but, once again, the text was less interesting than the music. (Perhaps it sounds better in Aramaic.) 

For this part of the program, Ms. Michelson exchanged her black garment for a white shift and wrote accompaniment for an interesting combination of instruments--percussion, cello, and various wind instruments including a Bansuri flute.

Ms. Michelson was able to exhibit another of her multiple talents, playing the piano. Her musical language goes beyond words and includes all manner of vocalizing with words and wails receiving equally weight.

We loved Mr. Heard's direction which held our attention throughout, and Ms. Jaster's astute control over the movement which had an archaic feel. 

We understand that there will be a Part III in the future. We wonder what the text will be.

(c) meche kroop

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

Tamar and Judah--photo by Richard Termine

Billed as "music theater", we found Prospect Theater Company's Tamar of the River to fulfill the artistic requirements of an opera.  In case you are unfamiliar with our taste, that is high praise indeed.  It is the seriousness of Marisa Michelson's music that informs our opinion; it is original but accessible and never derivative; it is clearly written by someone who understands writing for the voice both in the solos and in the choral work .  It contributes to the storytelling in a major way.  This compelling work began its life as an oratorio but achieves strength by way of impressive production values.  Daniel Goldstein directed with a sure hand.

The stage is long and narrow with audience members sitting on both sides, referring to the river of the title, red with blood,  which divides two warring nations, one in the east, the other in the west.  Props are simple, mostly a bunch of 6 foot poles used as staffs, weapons or as a dining table; Scenic Designer Brett J. Banakis has done much with little.  Costume Design by Candida K. Nichols is likewise simple, just some rough robes of the biblical variety.

The lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen who shared writing the book with Ms. Michelson are likewise simple.  The story is derived from an Old Testament tale involving a woman named Tamar who married two sons and later seduces their father by donning a veil and pretending to be a prostitute.  This tale has been adapted toward the end of being a plea for peace.  The eponymous heroine, played effectively by Margo Seibert, hears the voice of the River Angel, a marvelous Margot Bassett, giving her a mission to make peace between the warring nations and giving her three mysterious pieces of advice.  Her mother, played by Ako, worries for her since Tamar's father died there at the source of the river.  All of the cast members contribute to the chants of the river, which is perhaps the finest piece of vocal writing heard during the course of the evening, with many strains of what these days is called World Music.

Tamar confronts Son #1 named Onan (Mike Longo) who is a warrior, but she prefers Son #2 called Er (Vincent B. Vincent)  a rather inarticulate builder who joins her in building a Garden of Peace. We particularly enjoyed his aria and was sorry when he was killed by a bellicose friend of Onan.  Later Tamar kills Onan.  (So much for peace!) Somehow she never goes for Son #3 Shelah (Jeremy Greenbaum).  Father Judah (a strong Erik Lochtefeld) at times seems to accept her but rejects her peaceful ideas at other times.  She veils herself and seduces him but ultimately she fails to achieve her goal. The river tells her it will take a long time.  We would have wished for some clearer motivation for the characters in the storytelling but the music got the points across.

Musical Director Matt Aument conducted from the piano and was joined, not in the pit but on high, by Blake Allen playing violin and viola, Brian Sanders playing cello, Ingrid Gordon playing dulcimer and percussionist Mike Lunoe.  Mr. Aument also conducted the chorus in some otherworldly chanting that delighted our ears.  What a perfect combination of instrumental and choral music!

Movement compensated for any lack of clarity in the storytelling.  Chase Brock is credited with the choreography with Christian Kelly-Sordelet as Fight Choreographer.  Effective lighting was by Brian Tovar and Sound Design by Jeremy J. Lee.  Although the amplification worked very well for the voices of the river, lending them an otherworldly quality, we longed to hear the principal's voices without distortion.  The theater is small and we thought it would have worked better.

It isn't often that we get to hear contemporary music that is so original and listenable.  We urge you to see this work before October 20th at the Baruch Performing Arts Center.

© meche kroop