HAVING A BALL

Chorus of Amore Opera's Un Ballo in Maschera 

Not that it has much to do with Verdi's 1859 masterpiece, but the life of the 18th c. King Gustav III of Sweden is fascinating. Not too many people know that he was an enlightened ruler who championed the arts in Sweden and also made his nation the first to recognize The United States. Whether he was a member of the LGBTQ community (as was rumored) is however of no interested to us.

French writer Eugène Scribe wrote a libretto about him in 1833 for an opera by Daniel Auber; it was called Gustave III; 10 years later Saverio Mercadante wrote another entitled Il Reggente. Giuseppe Verdi used Antonio Somma as his librettist to tell the tale and Somma, as was customary in those days, adapted Scribe's libretto. As one might expect, liberties were taken to make the historical account more stage worthy and to provide a romantic interest.

Verdi's opera had a difficult birth. The topic of regicide was considered too fraught and the censors rejected it. After a lengthy legal battle, the story was transported across the Atlantic Ocean to Boston with Gustav replaced by the Governor of Boston called Riccardo. The names of all the characters were changed as well.

In last night's gripping performance by Amore Opera, the work took place in Sweden with the names of the characters retained from the "Boston" version. The performance was completely satisfying for a devotée such ourself, and also compelling for the "noobie" we brought with us. Anytime we win a convert to opera we feel like celebrating. Several rows of the jam packed Riverside Theater were occupied by high school students who seemed similarly captivated.

What made the performance so special can be attributed to Nathan Hull's finely detailed direction and a a triumph of casting. Verdi asks a lot of his singers and these artists rose to the occasion, giving 100%.

As the conflicted King we heard fast-rising tenor José Heredia whose thrilling artistry revealed both vocally and dramatically the dilemma he faced. Here is a ruler who is light-heartedly basking in the adoration of most of his subjects and in denial about the threat posed by some unhappy ones. He is lusting for the wife of his loyal secretary, here called Renato. From his first aria "La rivedrà nell'estasi" we were captivated. The barcarolle he sang whilst pretending to be a fisherman "Di' tu se fedele" truly rocked our boat.

The object of his passion is here called Amelia and the intensity of Aida Carducci's performance matched that of Mr. Heredia. Her lengthy scene at the gallows gave her the opportunity to color her generous voice from terror all the way to a confession of love in response to the King's pleading. Still, it was in the scene in which her husband vents his rage and threatens her life that we witnessed the full range of her vocal power. We were quite moved when she begged to have a last embrace from her child in "Morrò, ma prima in grazia".

The King's secretary and best friend (here called Renato) was performed by the always excellent baritone Robert Garner, who seems to be getting better and better. His rage at his faithless wife was chilling. We were impressed by the change in voice and body when his affection for the King changed to the vengefulness of a betrayed husband.

As the page Oscar, soprano Allegra Durante played an important role throughout and we noticed her fine acting right from the first scene. Her voice was just right for the part and her teasing "Saper vorreste" was in the spirit of French opéra comique, providing just the right setup for the tragedy to follow.

Furthermore we were wowed by Sarah Knott's performance as the witch Ulrica. The mood in that scene was abetted by Lighting Designer Duane Pagano's lighting artistry playing upon Richard Cerullo's set design, not to mention Verdi's sinister music. Her "Re dell'abisso, affrettati" was powerful enough to summon any demon and the final "Silencio" took her to the bottom of her range without difficulty and made us shudder.

The two co-conspirators Samuel and Tom were played by bass Nicholas Hay and baritone Charles Gray with the appropriate degree of nastiness and the sailor who asked Ulrica to tell his fortune was played by baritone Muir Ingliss.

The always excellent chorus was directed by Susan Morton. The orchestra was conducted by Maestro Douglas Martin and we particularly enjoyed the English Horn which accompanied Ms. Carducci's scene at the gallows. The harp made welcome additions to the aural tapestry from time to time--especially during the duet at the gallows; it seduced our ears just as the King seduces Amelia into confessing her love. The percussion was stirring and effective.

There were so many moments of aural bliss too numerous to mention but one stood out; it was the trio at the end of Scene 2 in which the overtones of each voice built on the others and filled the theater with magic.

We love Verdi and we don't get enough of him. It is difficult to find voices hefty enough to sail through the orchestra and also beautiful; we are glad that Mr. Hull was able to find them. 

There will be two more performances--one tonight and another Sunday afternoon. If you too love Verdi, get yourself up to Riverside Theater!

(c) meche kroop

AMORE OPERA'S TURN TO SIT IN THE BARBER CHAIR

Mary Gwynne Langston, Laura Virella, Gennadiy Vysotskiy, Jay Gould, David Tillistrand, and Drew Watson

Rossini's comic masterpiece Il barbiere di Siviglia is an opera one can enjoy many many times over.  And so we have. It is the champagne of the opera oeuvre--light, flavorful, and effervescent. Thankfully, no one recently has tried to update it; it belongs firmly in the early 19th c. and still delights us two centuries later. It's characters seem derived from commedia dell'arte but have become more three-dimensional.

There is the lecherous old man--Don Bartolo (the very funny bass Jay Gould); there is the spunky ingenue Rosina (the winsome mezzo-soprano Laura Virella); the wily servant Figaro (impressive baritone David Tillistrand), and the lovesick youth Count Almaviva (tenor Drew Watson). We have Dr. Bartolo's oily accomplice Don Basilio (bass Gennadiy Vysotskiy) and a pair of servants afflicted by sneezing--Berta (Mary Gwynne Langston)--and yawning--Ambrogio (Ricardo Figueroa).

When we see an opera as oft produced as this one, we always wonder what a director can add to what we already know about the opera.  We do believe that singers make the best directors, and we never enjoy operas in "the big house" directed by people who know nothing about opera. In this production, Artistic Director Nathan Hull directed as astutely as we have come to expect, adding several clever touches. 

The one we liked the best was the trio of dancers who added visual interest to every scene in which they appeared.  At first, they were clients/fans of Figaro and in the instrumental intermezzo storm scene they danced with umbrellas. It was a charming touch. Angel Joy did the choreography. Dancers were Katrina Victoria Asmar, Ashley Carter, and Victoria Manoli.

The invention we liked the least was putting the dialogue and most of the recitativi in English. The translation was awkward and the enunciation imperfect. We found ourself wishing for titles. We do admit that some of the interpolations did a good job of explaining the action and others were witty and timely; the audience certainly enjoyed them. It is just our taste which prefers Italian.

We brought home certain memories that delight us--Ms. Virella's creation of her character as a real live flesh and blood heroine who can toss off scale passages and interesting embellishments with equal aplomb in "Una voce poco fa" ; Mr. Gould's shambling walk and booming bass used in service of the arrogance of his character in "A un dottor della mia sorte"; Mr. Vysotskiy's total mastery of the role of Don Basilio, making the most of "La calunnia".

Berta's aria was given a fine performance by Ms. Lang who had to overcome youth and beauty to convince us that her Berta was scorned in love because of her age! We enjoyed Ms. Virella's duet with Mr. Tillistrand ("Dunque io son") which they invested with good comic chemistry. We liked Fiorello's serenade (Hector Mori).

Mr. Watson's comic acting served him well as the drunken soldier trying to get access to Bartolo's home. Even funnier was his turn as "Don Alfonso" a music teacher irritating Bartolo with his repetitive "Joia, pace, pace, joia". The "Buona sera, mie signore" always delights us. And the ensembles ending each act are always sheer craziness.

Well, we guess we'd have to say there was just one delight following another without a letup. Richard Cerullo was Scenic Designer and provided just what was needed. Lauren Bremen's lighting succeeded in creating the dawn during the serenade scene. Cynthia Psoras' costuming was apt and attractive.

Conductor Scott Jackson Wiley surprised us by playing the guitar during Almaviva's serenade. We consulted the program notes and, yes, he is well known as a guitarist. He did his best to pull together an orchestra that seems to always suffer from intonation problems, including a recalcitrant horn.  Concertmaster Holly Horn kept the melodies coming sweetly and purely. And we heard some nice playing in the bassoon section. The harpsichord continuo was excellently performed on a synthesizer.

There will be several opportunities to catch this delightful production until New Year's Eve, for which there will be a gala with dinner and midnight toast.

(c) meche kroop

AN AUTHENTIC BOHEME TO START THE YEAR

An 1840's Xmas Eve celebration enjoyed on New Year's Day 2016

We almost always prefer to see an opera presented in its original time and place; how pleased we were that our first experience with Amore Opera honored Puccini with such an authentic production of his 1896 opera La Bohème. Now beginning their seventh season, Amore  Opera has found a worthy home in the Sheen Center on Bleeker St. Although it is a challenge for the singers to sing over the orchestra when there is no pit, they can all be congratulated for turning in some impressive performances. The theater is sized just right for intimacy, allowing everyone to feel a part of the action.

Although there are four casts, we were delighted with the cast we heard last night.  Tonight's performance and the Sunday matinée may have different casts but they will probably excel to the same extent. The lead roles were performed with vocal excellence and dramatic validity. Soprano Jessica Sandidge made a touching Mimi and sang with a beautiful bloom at the top of her register. Her characterization had her living up to Rodolfo's description of her as "always smiling". Even as she lay dying in Act IV, her focus was not on her death but on her happy memories with her beloved.

Tenor Edgar Jaramillo is well known to us and has always sung right from the heart. Thankfully, he never pushes at the top of his register but sings with ease. In this role he had the opportunity to do the bonhomie stuff with his flatmates and also to portray the playful lover and the despairing one as well. All this was handled with aplomb.

Baritone Robert Garner made a splendid Marcello revealing a great deal of insight into an ambivalent relationship. He is madly in love with a difficult woman--the theatrical Musetta--and often enraged by her. His instrument is substantial and lovely to hear.  It's quite a leap from the Metropolitan Opera Chorus to a leading role and he crossed that river as if it were a rivulet. The Act III duet with Mr. Jaramillo was a delight to the ear.

As Musetta, soprano Iris Karlin commanded the stage with her arresting presence and fine bright voice.  It was lovely to hear and to watch a different side of her character emerge in Act IV as she focused on making Mimi's last moments on earth more tolerable.

We also enjoyed Dan Boruchowitz's fine baritone in the role of Schaunard. In many productions, his Act I description of how he came by the funds for filling the table of his flatmates goes rather unnoticed.  Here, the joke was that the bohemian boys paid him no attention while the audience got an earful of gorgeous singing. We paid attention even as they ignored him.

Somewhat disappointing was the Colline of bass Gennadiy Vysotskiy. He neither looked nor sounded like a member of the group although he participated generously in the horseplay. "Vecchia zimarra" is one of our all-time favorite arias but this time it did not even achieve minimal standards.

Character baritone David Seatter was completely marvelous in both roles--as the landlord Benoit and as Alcindoro, Musetta's wealthy "patron".

The entire affair was well directed by founding Artistic Director Nathan Hull. There were so many directorial flourishes that made each scene seem real.  For example, one of the customs officials (Thomas Geib) skims something off the top of a merchant's basket and slips it into his pocket. (The other customs officer was played by Peter Nasonov.)  In Act II, the wonderful waitress (Julie Longmuir) must run after a thieving street urchin. It's those little touches that provide verisimilitude!

We have heard Jason Tramm conduct on a few occasions and have admired his batonery. (Pardon the neologism.) But last night the orchestra was ragged with several instrumentalists off pitch. Particularly egregious was the flute in Act I. The musicians gradually came together as the evening wore on but failed to achieve the phrasing and pacing that we want in Puccini.

Costumes by Ghislaine Sabiti were appropriate with the bohemian boys wearing tattered but period appropriate suits. Musetta looked as theatrical and overdone as one would hope for with Mimi's dress of modest cut and hue. We have no idea who did the wigs but, well, they were disastrous. Ms. Karlin had bright red masses of curls while Ms. Sandidge's beautiful blond hair was covered by an ugly black wig that wasn't even stylistically appropriate. We believe that her blond hair just wouldn't do because the libretto specifies brown.  But black isn't brown!

Set design by Richard Cerullo utilized painted backdrops that worked just fine. The small stage worked very well as a garret. And in Act II, he somehow he made it work as Mr. Hull filled the stage with just enough people to convince us that we were in the Quartier Latin on Xmas Eve. The chorus sang well under the direction of David Macfarlane.

Andrew Trent's lighting made an attempt at artistry but didn't quite succeed. Lights were raised and dimmed to make a point but were not effective.

Those minimal cavils aside, the production was a most enjoyable one. The best proof is that we are still thinking about the characters and hoping that Marcello and Musetta will be sufficiently shocked by Mimi's death to concern themselves more with the health of their own relationship than they were with their power struggle. We wonder how long it will take Rodolfo to recover and when he will find a new love. Death is such a shock to young people! Such is the power of opera that, when well done, we can identify with the characters, even when separated by an ocean and two centuries.

(c) meche kroop