MATCHMAKER MATCHMAKER MAKE ME A MATCH

 PRINCIPALS ALEXANDRA RAZSKAZOFF, MARCUS DE LOACH, AND JOHN BELLEMER

(PHOTO BY GUSTAVO MIRABILE)

Teatro Grattacielo is known for producing realismo operas that one is unlikely to see elsewhere. We have lost count of the the number of worthy works they have brought to our attention. So many of them have been heavyweight tragedies but yesterday's production of Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz was just what we needed after the prior night's tragic impact. For this we thank General Director and Artistic Director Stefanos Koroneos.

Cavalleria Rusticana is Mascagni's masterwork and we never ever turn down a chance to see it.  We recall seeing a rather odd production of his rather odd opera Iris at Bard College's Summer Festival a few years ago. But this may be our first exposure to the simple story of L'Amico Fritz.  Of course, any opera lover would have heard the "Cherry Duet" performed as a set piece.

This is a slight work but the simple story is easily relatable. A confirmed bachelor is tricked into marriage by his well meaning friend. In this case, the local rabbi David (baritone Marcus DeLoach) loves to get people married off but Fritz, a local landowner,(John Bellemer) is a confirmed bachelor. The nubile daughter (Alexandra Razskazoff) of one of his tenant farmers seems like a good match and David figures out a way to get them together. Bravi tutti!  A happy ending!

The outstanding features of the evening were the voices and the musicianship of the Queens Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Bagwell. If the other two principal roles had not been so well sung, we would have said that Ms. Razskazoff ran away with the show. What made her performance so outstanding was not just her sweet finely produced soprano voice but her acting. She completely embodied a shy young country girl trying to deal with a crush on a man of high social status.

Due to the lack of a firm directorial hand by Mr. Koroneos and Malena Dayen, the cast pretty much stood around woodenly with nothing to do. Indeed it was billed as "semi-staged" but the fact that the theater has wrap around balconies that were put to use indicates that there was an attempt at story telling. The absence of set was unfortunate; a mere stepladder for Suzel to climb to pick cherries would have been welcome; we supplied one in our mind's eye. There was a huge chandelier that was eye catching but did not contribute anything.

Mr. Bellemer came alive dramatically as the evening progressed and Mr. DeLoach did his best but they seemed to be floundering onstage with nothing to do. We understand a concert performance in which singers use music stands but this was not the case. It would have been simple to have a couple pieces of furniture or props.

An attempt to involve multi-media seemed to us to be a complete failure. We will not mention the names of those involved but the projections were nothing if not distracting. We would not have minded a still shot in the background of a farm or a living room but the kinetic falling ellipses (cherry blossoms maybe) distracted from the singing. Even worse were the closeups of the singers' faces as they sang.

Costuming by Theresa Miles was generic but serviceable. Since the story is not particular to epoch or locale, it was fine. Except for Beppe, a gypsy of indeterminate gender whose costume was just weird.  Nonetheless, Mariya Kaganskaya did a lovely job with her aria.

There was a servant (Kiena Williams) and a couple friends (David Santiago and Rick Agster) who mainly just stood around and a chorus who made a nice vocal contribution.

Mr. Bagwell drew a lovely performance from the orchestra and we just loved the melodic arias and the aforementioned duet.

In sum, it was a delightful evening of music that only needed some directorial ideas and a few props to make it work as drama.

© meche kroop

MARTHA CARDONA OPERA'S CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA

Natalie Rose Havens, Janara Kellerman, Ann McMahon Quintero, Ta'u Pupu'a, and SeungHyeon Baek

Our admiration for Daniel Cardona's hard work knows no bounds. He has assembled a group of superb singers and a fine orchestra, led last night by Maestro Gregory Buchalter, and presented a semi-staged performance of Pietro Mascagni's powerful opera Cavalleria Rusticana that is not likely to be equalled.

Since The Metropolitan Opera carelessly and thoughtlessly discarded their gorgeous production of this opera (substituting a sadly stripped down minimalistic production) we had given up hopes of enjoying this 1890 verismo masterpiece. But last night, by dint of powerful voices conveying all that Sicilian passione, we were able to experience the story in a more powerful and intimate manner.

The story is most affecting--it takes place on Easter morning in a small Sicilian village and involves a love triangle. Santuzza, movingly sung by Ann Quintero, is in love with the faithless Turridu, powerfully sung by tenor Ta'u Pupu'a (in better voice than we have ever heard him). He has seduced her and she has been excommunicated because of this "sin". But he has abandoned her and returned to his old love Lola (mezzo-soprano Natalie Rose Havens) who is married to the carter Alfio (the wonderful baritone SeungHyeon Baek).

Turridu's mother, sung magnificently by Janara Kellerman, was here portrayed as quite sympathetic toward Santuzza which contributed to the audience's sympathy toward her. The story plays out in accordance with the customs of that epoch and that part of the world, in which "honor" is everything--leading to a tragic conclusion. No wonder that the judges of the one-act opera competition awarded Mascagni the coveted prize! No wonder that the critics and audience went wild at the Rome premiere.

Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Music Center has great sight-lines but no orchestra pit. Maestro Buchalter and the excellent Martha Cardona Opera Orchestra occupied the stage while the singers used the narrow strip of real estate downstage, as well as the aisles. It all worked out just fine since all the singers are excellent actors and interacted in dramatically valid ways.

There were powerful scenes between Santuzza and Mamma Lucia, between Santuzza and Turridu, between Turridu and Mamma, and between Turridu and Alfio. There was not a wrong "note" anywhere and nothing to criticize. The Italian was so clear and so well projected over the orchestra that nothing got lost, even when the recalcitrant titles failed.

The orchestra played exceptionally well for Maestro Buchalter. The introduction set the scene with its luscious melody and the Maestro achieving impressive clarity. The string section lay down a thick carpet of sound and the harpist (Melanie Genin) achieved a predominance in the introduction. We would like to acknowledge all the fine musicians who contributed to the memorable intermezzo. Jesse Pieper's electronic organ was impressive. Notable solos by flutist Katie Barbo and oboist Mark Sophia were heard, among others.  Apologies to those we haven't mentioned by name!

The chorus of village folk not only sang well but participated in the action.  Kudos to whoever directed the activity but went uncredited in the program.

David O. Roberts was responsible for the simple costuming. Wisely, he put everyone in black as befit the time and place. The men wore hats; the women covered their heads.

The Martha Cardona Opera has come a long way since we have been writing about them. Daniel Cardona always puts on a fine show but last night he outdid himself. Everything came together beautifully. He accomplishes all this at a modest ticket cost and depends upon your tax-deductible contributions to make up the shortfall. 

We would love to see what he could do with a budget large enough to have a theater with an orchestra pit and some scenery.  In the meanwhile, we have no complaints. This performance will stay in our memory as a landmark.

(c) meche kroop

BARD SUMMERSCAPE

Mascagni's IRIS at Bard SummerScape

It took three and a half hours on the bus to arrive at Annandale-on-Hudson, home of the beautiful Bard campus, but the pleasant greenery and dinner at the fashionable Spiegeltent restored our spirits.  The sight of Frank Gehry's Fisher Center dazzled the eye; the interior impressed with its comfort, excellent acoustics and fine sight-lines.

But we came for the music--an opportunity to witness a fully staged production of an important but neglected opera--which is the mission of this summer festival.  Pietro Mascagni was a contemporary of Giacomo Puccini, who was both friend and rival. Best known for his 1890 Cavalleria Rusticana, and his L'Amico Fritz of 1891,  Mascagni premiered Iris (also in Rome) in 1898. If one hoped to hear the gorgeous music for which this composer is remembered, one would not be disappointed. 

A chorus celebrating the Sun opens and closes the work and Chorus Master James Bagwell provided the depth and strength the work called for. Similar encomium can be offered to Maestro Leon Botstein, who led his American Symphony Orchestra in an articulate performance of the gorgeous score.  The singers left absolutely nothing to be desired in their performances.

Talise Trevigne's expansive soprano sailed over the orchestra and was just right for the lead and, like the other artists, she did her best to enact what the director requested, although she did not appear completely comfortable dramatically. Mezzo-soprano Cecilia brought a fine timbre to her role as Geisha and enacted a severe presence. Gerard Schneider's full-throated tenor met all of Mascagni's challenges; we felt sorry for him trying to perform a seduction on a most uncomfortable slab.

Douglas Williams seemed most comfortable onstage and exhibited a fine presence as well as a resonant bass-baritone just right for the role of Kyoto.  As the Blind Father, Matthew Boehler's bass truly delivered and he blundered around onstage in a convincing fashion. Samuel Levine's terrific tenor didn't show up until Act III but sounded just fine.

The flaw lay in the libretto. If one hoped for a cogent story with characters one could relate to, as in Cavalleria Rusticana, one definitely would be disappointed!  Since the Victorian era, Europe was in the grip of le japonisme, a fascination with Japan, a country which had been hidden from Western eyes for a very long time and was seen as a highly exotic place.  Composers from Puccini to Arthur Sullivan dipped their toes in Japanese waters.

It is puzzling that Luigi Illica, who would produce such a compelling libretto for Puccini's Madama Butterfly a few years later, would come up with such a weird and static story for Mascagni. Perhaps for audiences of that epoch, the "racy" story of a woman kidnapped for sexual slavery might have been titillating. In common with Madama Butterfly, we are witnessing the story of innocence despoiled. But Puccini's opera offers us some romance along with a remarkably naïve heroine being taken advantage of by narcissistic men!

Iris (Talise Trvigne) is a young girl living with her blind father (Matthew Boehler). She catches the eye of a wealthy fellow Osaka (Gerard Schneider) who teams up with the brothel keeper Kyoto (Douglas Williams) to trick Iris by means of a puppet play that affects her deeply.

The play is performed by three Geishas (dancers Jasmine Albuquerque, Justine Clark, and Kristen Leahy) and three Samurais (Jordan Isidore, Aaron Burr Johnson, and Sam Shapiro).  Chief "Geisha" (sic) was beautifully performed by Cecelia Hall. The "sic" is because Illica's idea of a geisha as a prostitute was only his fantasy.

In the puppet play, a young woman is abused by her father, sold into sexual slavery, and rescued by a figure of transcendence who gives her a spiritual death. Unlike the puppet heroine, Iris is highly valued by her father.

Once brought to the brothel, she mistakes it for paradise and does not respond to the sexual advances of Osaka.  Her father, shamed by her new "status" rejects her. She jumps into a sewer to escape and winds up in some kind of garbage dump of the mind where she encounters a Ragpicker (Samuel Levine).

We prefer our operas to tell a logical tale, rather than an Expressionistic one. We have the same unappreciative response to Pelleas et Melisande, although we love the music.

We are quite sure that James Darrah's monotoned production delighted many but we are not among them. We own up to being rather literal and if a little girl sings about a doll, we'd like to see her playing with it.  If she sings about waking up from a portentous nightmare, we don't understand why she would be dancing around the stage with gleeful abandon. If she mentions her new black sandals, we don't want to see her barefoot.

The set designers (Emily Anne MacDonald and Cameron Jaye Mock) created a bare grey and white set for Act I which takes place in Iris' home. There is nothing but a white wall on which Adam Larsen's designs of shadows were projected. The evil characters occupied a space above.  There was not a single element suggestive of Japan. There was a lot of stuff falling from the sky.  Leaves? Snow?

For the brothel scene of Act II, everything was slick black and white with red neon. Again, nothing was suggestive of Japan nor of the 19th c. The red slab on which Osaka attempts to seduce Iris looked so incredibly uncomfortable we wondered if any seduction could have ever succeeded!

The sewer scene of Act III seemed to be a tower of discarded refuse with the ragpickers searching for anything shiny.  They might have looked in the set for Act II!  Should you be wondering how we thought it might have been better staged, we would have recommended  a concert version, thus avoiding the problematic story!  In the words of the Blind Father "Questo dramma è menzogna tutto! Malvagio in testo".

Peabody Southwell's costumes were consistent with the overall design.  Innocent Iris wore an unflattering ankle-length white dress that did nothing to make her look child-like.  Her blind father looked the most realistic.

The denizens of the red light district all wore black and looked like comic book villains.  The so-called Geishas wore garments suggestive of S&M with lots of straps and thigh-high boots. Kyoto was dressed in a jump suit which plunged to the waist revealing Mr. Williams' handsome chest. (No complaints on that account!)

Bard SummerScape offers many more programs centered around shorter operas and excerpts, offering something for everyone. They provide a lovely respite from the barren summer landscape. Head north and enjoy!

(c) meche kroop

WAGNER AND VERISMO

Brian Holman, Ruth Ann Cunningham, Emanuel Mora, and Anita Lyons

An opportunity to hear our two favorite scenes from Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle seemed like just the right thing to do on a Sunday evening. The two scenes are incredibly moving when performed the way Wagner intended, as a gesamtkunstwerk.  So, how would a piano reduction work, we wondered, with the scenes extracted from their respective operas and sung without costumes and sets?

In the hands of Brian Holman the piano part worked very well indeed.  His artistry brought out each leitmotif with clarity and fluency. We could not feel the same enthusiasm for the singing, largely due to the use of music stands; this condition impaired the singers' ability to connect with each other and thereby to draw the audience in.

When Sieglinde and Siegmund recognize one another as long lost twins, we want to feel that special shiver, just as we do when Siegfried awakens Brünnhilde with a kiss. We confess to being a romantic!
These two duets are quite difficult ones and we admire the artists for tackling them with such gusto, but it doesn't make the grade when we are distracted by singers glancing down and turning pages.

Soprano Anita Lyons did the best at acting the part of the newly aroused warrior maiden and sang as best she could under the circumstances. Everyone did the best they could but it wasn't good enough. Tenor Emanuel Mora's German was marred by his "icky" pronunciation of the final "ich".

The second half of the concert came across better as the three singers took on Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. There appeared to be less reliance on the scores placed on music stands. Ms. Lyons made a fine impassioned Santuzza, singing "Voi lo sapete, o Mamma", establishing sympathy for her "wronged woman". She evinced fine phrasing.

Everyone seemed more comfortable in the Italian and the catfight between Lola and Santuzza was more convincing. As the seductive Lola, soprano Ruth Ann Cunningham set up a character that we could dislike. As the faithless and duplicitous Turridu, Mr. Mora showed the anguish of being caught in the middle between the pregnant Santuzza and the married Lola. One couldn't help thinking that this snake deserves what he gets at the end of the opera!

This was the inaugural concert of the New York Verismo/Wagner Opera Guild. There are not many performance opportunities for this challenging repertoire. We wish them well, but we hold to our position that if you want to attract an audience you have to put the work in to commit to memory that which you are presenting.  Otherwise the audience feels as if they are at a sight-reading.

The concert was dedicated to the memory of Patricia Sage, the coach and music director of the Wagner Theater Program in which Ms. Cunningham and Mr. Mora participated.

(c) meche kroop