WRONG REVOLUTION

Madalyn Luna and Samuel White (photo by Carol Rosegg for Manhattan School of Music)

Sometimes operas can be successfully updated or even changed to a different locale. And sometimes the changes strike us a just plain wrong-headed. In 1839, when Emmeline (possibly Emeline in real life) was sent as a 13 year old child to work in a factory in Lowell, Massachusetts, society was different. Her story tells us something about the effect on families created by the Industrial Revolution. It also tells us something about the social mores of the day.

It is 180 years later and we are in the middle of an Information Revolution with very different effects on society, its mores, and the economy. We have child labor laws. We have birth control. We have Planned Parenthood. We have means by which unwed mothers and adoptive children can find one another. A man who never learned to read is almost unheard of.

This is what was going through our mind during Manhattan School of Music's production of Tobias Picker's 1996 opera Emmeline which we saw last night. The performances were stellar, particularly that of the totally committed Madalyn Luna who created the role of the tragic heroine. According to Judith Rossner's book from which J.D. McClatchy's libretto was derived, the poor child was torn from her impoverished family and put to work in the mills to support her family with its numerous children.

Hungry for love, she fell for the blandishments of the boss' son-in-law and got pregnant. Her child was taken from her sight unseen and adopted into a family. Dismissed from the mill she returned to her family where she took care of others for a couple of decades. Unwilling to marry for wealth, she fell for a young man from the Midwest who married her. Her past came back to haunt her in a particularly tragic and mythic fashion.

In order to make this 19th c. story "relevant", Director Thaddeus Strassberger has forced it into a Procrustean bed. Toward the end he has religious bigots carrying posters and signs about "Sin" and "Pro-Life". Yes, we still have pockets of belief like that in the United States but it was wrong-headed to try to force this story to comment upon that. Yes, we still have men in power abusing young women but that's a different opera.

In spite of our disappointment in the production, we enjoyed this "play with music". The music was quite pleasant, particularly in the instrumental interludes, but the vocal lines did not hold our interest. The only melodies we heard were when the excellent chorus sang "Rock of Ages" and also when we heard riffs of a folk song which we couldn't quite identify.

Tenor Samuel White has a good sized instrument which he used well in the role of Matthew Gurney. His acting was persuasive as well. He had a believable connection with Ms. Luna who was more believable as a 13 year old than as a woman in her mid-30's.

Baritone Laureano Quant, whom we just enjoyed as Zurga in Les pêcheurs de perles, was also believable as Mr. Maguire, the "vile seducer".  His singing was just as fine as it was as Zurga but more difficult to appreciate in English, especially with the wandering vocal lines in the score.

Elisabeth Harris turned in a fine performance as the cold-hearted Aunt Hannah, and Gabriella Chea was winning as the warm-hearted landlady/housemother Mrs. Bass.

Kelly Singer filled the role of Sophia, a friend of Emmeline, and did it well. Yi Yang portrayed Emmeline's weak father. Emilyn Badgeley was scarily convincing as Emmeline's spiteful younger sister. Robert Ellsworth Feng was the fire and brimstone preacher.

This same excellent cast will be performing on Saturday; an equally fine cast (several members of which we can vouch for) will be performing on Friday and Sunday.

Paul Tate dePoo III's Scenic Design was believable and quite inventive for the factory scene.

The chorus, directed by Jackson McKinnon was in fine condition and the young musicians of the orchestra did their usual excellent work under the baton of George Manahan, giving Mr. Picker's score a fine reading.

(c) meche kroop

DOUBLE FEATURE AT MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Joseph Tancredi and Carolina Lopez Moreno
(Photo by Carol Rosegg)

In the best of all possible operatic worlds, one witnesses art and enjoys entertainment simultaneously. This was the case last night at Manhattan School of Music when a group of young singers, comprising mostly graduate students, presented a felicitous choice of two one act operas--one we have often heard and one we had never even heard of.

The first opera was Nino Rota's I due timidi, a work written for radio performance on RAI with libretto written by screenwriter Suso Cecchi D'Amico. The work was broadcast live in 1950 and later adapted for the stage in London and in Bari. This epoch seems as remote from today as the 19th c.

The work is set in a pensione run by the crabby Signora Guidotti (mezzo-soprano Polixeni Tziouvaras, as excellent vocally as she was dramatically) who has her hands full with plumbing problems and irate guests. The superb set by Lee Savage is the courtyard of the pensione which has three cameriere (soprano songbirds Heather O'Donovan, Kaitlin Turner, and Bridget Casey) gossiping whilst doing their chores. Flowers grow in window boxes and laundry hangs in the sun to dry.

Director Dona D. Vaughn (Artistic Director of the MSM Opera Theater) created a sense of time and place that hasn't been equalled since the Metropolitan Opera's late production of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.  People shout out of windows and lower baskets for groceries and payment. Very realistic.

The protagonists are the shy pianist Mariuccia (superb soprano Carolina Lopez Moreno, so fine of voice and so successful at creating empathy) and the equally shy suitor Raimondo (the promising tenor Joseph Tancredi who is still an undergraduate, singing with fine tone and phrasing). 

This is a comedy with a bittersweet ending which we will not divulge, but which seemed just right. Through a series of misunderstandings, Il dottore Sinisgalli (terrific tenor Zhiyu Shi) persuades Mariuccia's mother (marvelous mezzo-soprano Erin Reppenhagen) that the daughter needs his love, whilst La signora Guidotti mistakes Raimondo's intentions for love for herself.

In the playing out of this comedy of errors, the principals were each given a lovely aria so we could savor their vocal gifts. Acting as a one-man Greek chorus was the Narrator, bass Yi Yang whose rich voice convinced us that he was a worldly-wise observer.

Rounding out the cast were Laureano Quant as the porter and Sidhant Seth as another resident of the pensione.

Nino Rota would go on to compose film scores and had a particularly fruitful relationship with Federico Fellini.  But we doubt that his music was ever played as well as it was last night when the esteemed Maestro Giovanni Reggioli led the MSM Opera Orchestra in a lively reading of this colorful score.

Although Ms. Lopez Moreno was completely convincing as a pianist, the sound came from the beguiling offstage piano of Anna Smigelskaya.

Tracy Dorman's costumes looked just right for post-war Italy. Tyler Micoleau's lighting created a sunny Italy. Italian diction was excellent, thanks to Glenn Morton's coaching. Steven Jude Tietjen's supertitles were excellent for those who couldn't understand the very clear Italian.

Michelle Blauman and Xiaotong Cao (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Giacomo Puccini's Suor Angelica, celebrating its centennial, has been heard many times, mainly as part of an evening's production of Il Trittico, comprising Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi. There was something special about seeing this work up close and personal that resulted in our experiencing the work anew and being moved in ways that we had not been before.

Instead of a collection of nuns, we observed each one exhibiting a different personality behind the nearly identical ecclesiastical habits. We consider it a major triumph of director Dona D. Vaughn that we had different feelings for each one!

The eponymous Suor Angelica was portrayed by superb soprano Xiaotong Cao. She seemed on a different level from the others.  Apparently she had adjusted to the cloistered life although her admission to the convent had probably been not exactly elective. Culture at that time was not kind to girls who got pregnant out of wedlock, especially if they came from aristocratic families. Hiding the "sinners" away in convents was considered the only solution to deal with the family's shame.

This in itself seems tragic but tearing a mother away from her infant seems even more tragic. Poor Angelica has harbored secret wishes for a visit from her family but when the visit finally comes it is her aunt, La zia principessa who arrives with no love or forgiveness, just disdain and some documents through which Angelica must sign away her inheritance.

The role of the aunt was played by Michelle Bauman with rigid posture, icy demeanor and wonderful mezzo-soprano tone. We tried to figure out why she was costumed in the Italian version of Dior's post-war "New Look" with a silly hat. It was probably done to provide some chronological resonance with the first opera on the program but it served to undercut her critical authoritarian stance and gave the lie to her arrival in a coach with a family crest.  We far prefer the character wearing a long black dress and veil!

Another mezzo, Erin Reppenhagen, shone in the role of the Monitor, doling out corrective punishment to the nuns for their minor infractions. Yet another mezzo, Gabriella Chea, excelled as the Abbess.

Among the nuns, our favorite character was Suor Genovieffa, sung by the sweet voiced soprano Hannah Friesen. When she sung of her longing to hold a lamb, we were quite moved.

But the most moving moment was toward the end when Angelica rips off her wimple and collapses on the floor in tears, lamenting the death of her son. Having poisoned herself she believes herself to be damned and thereby separated eternally from the boy. We confess to a bit of water in the eyes.

We enjoyed the two Lay Sisters played by Michelle Capano and Cambrey Willhelm. The Mistress of the Novices was sung by mezzo Mengran Jia and her charges comprised Amanda Larkin, Lauren Curet, Duqingna, and Nicole Rowe.

Xiao Xiao and Sophie Blatt portrayed the Begging Sisters who brought provisions via bicycle. Corinne DeJong was Suor Osmina and Bridget Casey was Suor Dolcina.

The set was repurposed from the first work, this time with the second story shutters tightly closed and a fountain in the center of the courtyard. Mr. Micoleau's lighting was effective but we would have loved to see the golden light which purportedly illuminates the fountain only three days a year!

This is such a great opera with so many female roles, giving opportunities to so many female singers. Each one was wonderful in her own way.

There are three more opportunities for you, dear reader, to share in this outstanding experience--tonight, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon. The newly redecorated Neidorff-Karpati Hall has excellent acoustics and is just the right size.  Don't miss out!

(c) meche kroop

THE OTHER CENDRILLON

Amanda Austin and Michael St. Peter in Cendrillon (photo by Carol Rosegg)

This won't be the first time we have heard an opera that was all but forgotten until someone made the effort to discover it.  And it won't be the first time that we heard a different version of a beloved opera--in this case, the Cendrillon of  Jules Massenet.

This Cendrillon, by 19th c. Maltese composer Nicolo Isouard, might have gone undiscovered, were it not for the diligent labors of William Tracy (Head of Opera Musical Studies at Manhattan School of Music), soprano Jennifer Gliere, and conductor Pierre Vallet who joined forces to reconstruct a score for which there were no orchestral parts. The Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater could not have gotten a better gift.

The delightful production they created was directed by the always wonderful Dona D. Vaughn; evidence of its supremely successful debut was the evident joy of the audience. We have never seen so many happy faces exiting a theater; nor have we ever heard such animated chatter.

Mr. Isouard's tuneful score had all the singable melodies of the Italian Bel Canto, but with French refinement. The overture itself was a masterpiece of melody which Maestro Vallet conducted with Gallic verve. That major parts were given to the harp (Hannah Murphy) and the horn (Nicole Rodriguez) was like sweet wine for our thirsty ears.

The libretto by Charles Guillaume Étienne was brief (about 2 hours) and to the point. This was not a spectacle with coach and horses and grand staircases. This was an intimate story about an unloved step-child finding the love she deserves from a worthy man. In the telling of the tale, extraneous characters were eliminated . There was no Disneyfication and no Fairy Godmother.

The only "magic" occurred when Cendrillon fell asleep at the end of Act I in her step-father's home and awoke at the beginning of Act II in the Prince's palace. The two step-sisters are merely selfish, vain, and entitled girls--not horribly wicked ones. In place of a lot of exaggerated humor we felt a sense of reality about the drama.

Dialogue was spoken in English which was translated from the French by Mr. Tracy and adapted by Ms. Vaughn.

Soprano Amanda Austin shone in the title role. In this version, she is obliged to serve her step-sisters and step-father but she is not a drudge. She is not feisty but rather modest and humble with a generosity of spirit. These qualities came through in the coloration and phrasing of her vocal lines. We totally believed her and thrilled to the crystalline quality of her instrument.

Tenor Michael St.Peter was a princely prince and colored his voice differently from tenderness to exultation as the situation dictated.  He has a lovely clear quality to his instrument and fortunately no tendency to force in the upper register. He has superb dynamic control as well.

The pair sing a sweet duet in Act III ,"Vous l'aimez donc avec tendresse?". Oh, how sweet it is to hear beautifully aligned voices joined in harmony!

The roles of the two step-sisters were written for sopranos--but sopranos of a very different type than that of Cendrillon. Their vocal lines are more Italianate and it comes as no surprise that Isouard studied in Italy with musicians of the Neapolitan school. It is only fitting that their vocal lines are as flashy as they are, with lavish fioritura.

As Clorinde, Hyeree Shin fulfilled the vocal demands of the role as well as the dramatic ones. We particularly loved her florid Act II aria "Couronnons-nous des fleurs nouvelles" with its lavish embellishments. The accompaniment sounded a bit like Vivaldi in the string section but filtered through a highly syncopated Bolero rhythm. Since the dialogue was performed in English, we look forward to Ms. Shin improving her English diction.

Abigail Shapiro's Tisbé was equally successful, opening Act III with a dazzling recitativo and aria "Dieu! Quel évènement!" Ms. Shapiro did justice to this show-stopper and we hope she will use it for auditions! Come to think of it, Ms. Shin could do the same with her aria.

Not only were the two sopranos superb on their own but their duet in Act I "Ah! Quel plaisir" was sheer delight, as beautifully performed as it was beautifully written. These two sisters are harmonious at first, much like Fiordiligi and Dorabella in Mozart's Cosi fan tutte.  But by Act III they are brawling on the floor, having dropped the mask of refinement.

Standing in for the prince was his servant Dandini in disguise, and baritone Marshall Morrow made the most of his role, garnering hearty laughs from the audience with his exaggerated French accent and gauche wooing of Tisbé and Clorinde. It was the Prince's wish that Dandini be wed to one of the sisters and no one wanted to marry him! Cendrillon got a very funny line "I wasn't attracted to him at all, but his not being a prince did not make him more attractive". We suspect that line was written by Ms. Vaughn but she has yet to admit it!

William Huyler's baritone was just right for the role of the Baron, an aristocrat who had blown his fortune on his own two daughters to get them married off. To watch him standing behind Tisbé as she performed and echoing her movements was a "source of innocent merriment"; we thought of all the stage mothers we have met.

As Alidor, the Prince's wise tutor, we heard Marcel Sokalski who had to pretend to be a beggar in Act I in order to reveal the true character of the Baron's daughters. He is the guiding force of the story, leading the Prince toward a good decision.  His Act I duet with Mr. St. Peter was not only harmonically impressive but emotionally stirring. The Prince expresses his gratitude and filial devotion whilst Alidoro expresses his paternal love.  His acting, however, could be improved during the spoken dialogue which seemed a bit wooden.

The knockout performances of the principals were matched by that of the chorus, especially in "Au doux sommeil" which opened Act II. We have always noted that Chorus Master Miriam Charney does a great job. The same tribute goes to Bénédict Jourdois who ensures that everyone's French is superbe. Nous avons tout compris!

Dona D. Vaughn's direction was so on point that the action always seemed realistic. We might have been watching a drama about a family with all the feelings made clear by their interactions.

Arnulfo Maldonado's set design was simple and tasteful with no particular emphasis on period whereas Tracy Dorman's costumes were most definitely influenced by Paul Poiret, placing us firmly in the pre-World War I period. Cendrillon was simply dressed with an apron but sported a fabulous gown at the palace. The two step-sisters were lavishly dressed and swanned about the stage in their garments and turbans.

We could go on and on, waxing rhapsodic, but we would prefer that you see for yourself. There will be two performances today, matinée and evening, with another matinée on Sunday. The afternoon performances will have some different cast members and some of the same. Performances are at the comfortable Florence Gould Hall of the Alliance Française on 59th St.

We hope that this work, having been brought to such vivid life, will be taken up by opera houses around the country. It deserves a place in the canon.  Moreover, we hope that more works by this prolific composer will be rediscovered.

(c) meche kroop