A SILVER JUBILEE FOR OPERA LAFAYETTE

The cast of Opera Lafayette's Venus and Adonis

It is always a highly anticipated event when Opera Lafayette comes to town and we make sure we mark it on our calendar way in advance out of fear of missing out. We are always rewarded with an evening that is satisfying from an educational standpoint as well as an artistic one. We always make time for the lectures which add to our understanding and appreciation. Last night at El Museo del Barrio, Artistic Director Ryan Brown let us in on some interesting tidbits about the John Blow opera we came to see--Venus and Adonis. 

This 1683 court masque was presented at the court of Charles II during The Restoration Period. The librettist, Ann Kingsmill Finch, was a woman of letters who played fast and loose with the myth from Ovid's Metamorphosis. Instead of Adonis abandoning Venus to go on a hunt, the Goddess of Love sends him away with verses that would do the independent woman of the 21st c. proud. "Absence kindles new desire, I would not have my lover tire".

The roles in the masque were played by courtiers themselves with the role of Venus taken by a mistress of the King, with their illegitimate child portraying Cupid! One wonders how the Court felt about the theme of the fickleness of the courtiers. Some say that the piece is symbolic, with Venus representing England and Adonis representing Charles II, whose line would die off with him due to the "taint" of Roman Catholicism.

It seems that opera took root in several places, including Great Britain. Blow's opera was the first through-composed musical drama in England and stands with Purcell's Dido and Aeneas as the two great lyrical works of 17th c. England. It has its own British flavor involving intricate contrapuntal writing.

Music Director for the evening was Thomas Dunford who excels as a lutenist. He demonstrated his archlute which, like all members of the lute family including the theorbo, derived from the North African oud. He demonstrated the use of "blue" notes and the way they contribute to harmonic tension and release. There is ample room for improvisation as there is in jazz. During the performance, his fingers fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird and sometimes the fingerwork looked like that of flamenco guitar, although the sound was completely different.

We were also introduced to the Swedish Stage Director/Choreographer/Dancer Julia Bengtsson who talked to us about dance notation. The dances at the English court were derived from French dance with improvisatory variation dependent upon the liberties taken by the musicians. During the opera we greatly enjoyed her grace and spirit; the footwork and positions of the arms were readily recognizable as forerunners to Russian ballet.

The brief three-act opera was preceded by three Dowland songs about unrequited love and some by Purcell, including our favorite "Music for a While". We enjoyed the soprano of Véronique Filloux, the countertenor of Daniel Moody, the tenor of Patrick Kilbride, and the bass-baritone of Jonathan Woody, all of whom were exceptionally delightful to the ear. 

The opera itself starred Lea Desandre as Venus; her mezzo-soprano instrument has a remarkable upper extension. The role of Adonis was performed by bass-baritone Douglas Williams who possesses a substantial instrument and a convincing stage presence.

Soprano Sarah Shafer fulfilled all the demands of the role of Cupid and won our heart with her animated performance. Her lustrous tone was put into the service of a variety of moods and colors.

Other roles were performed by Ms. Filloux, Mr. Moody, Mr. Kilbride, and Mr. Woody.

The chamber orchestra onstage comprised a pair of violins played by Maestro Ryan Brown and Jacob Ashworth (well known to us from Heartbeat Opera), as well as viola, bass, and two recorders. Continuo was provided by Mr. Dunford playing lute, Loretta O'Sullivan playing cello and Violaine Cochard playing harpsichord.

The dancing of Ms. Bengsston and Matthew Ting added a great deal of visual impact to the beautiful sounds that were, to our ears, as soothing as they were interesting. The dancers' costumes were designed by Anna Kjellsdotter.

About Ms. Finch's libretto we have little to say. Frankly, the diction of the singers left something to be desired and we spotted many audience members struggling to read the libretto in the dim theater. We don't think that projected titles would have added anything. It was just a case of the music and dancing being far more interesting than the repetitive text.

It has been exactly a year since we saw this opera produced by New Camerata Opera, a production that was given a brightly colored punk twist with outlandish costuming but no baroque dancing. This was a totally different experience and we left thinking that so much of the way one perceives a work has to do with the concept and direction. It's remarkable how this very old work can offer enough "meat" for two radically different interpretations.

© meche kroop

INDIA LIBERATA

Cast and Production Team for Opera Lafayette's Double Feature

We tend to eschew program notes, believing that a work of art should speak for itself.  Last night we were dazzled by thrilling baroque singing and playing as well as spectacular costuming; but we could not figure out what was going on. We knew that Alessandro Scarlatti's Erminia was derived from Torquato Tasso's epic poem La Gerusalemme Liberata (as were so many other operas....think Händel, Lully, Gluck, and Rossini) and could not understand the costuming. We didn't see any knights or Saracens!

The best strategy, we decided, was to just sit back and enjoy the music and singing and not try to figure out the story. Upon arriving home we consulted the program notes and learned that the conflict between the Christians and the Saracens had been transmogrified into a conflict between the Mughals who invaded India and the indigenous Hindi.

This put Scarlatti's work on the same costuming plane as Francesco Geminiani's La forêt enchantée, a dance pantomime which was also inspired by Tasso's poem; the music was commissioned by Servandoni and consists of five short musical movements resembling a Concerto Grosso. This juxtaposition produced an evening comprising both opera and ballet with unity of time and place.

Of Erminia, only the first act survived, which is probably the reason we have not seen it before. It involves four characters--the lovely Erminia, a princess, is fleeing some conflict and seeks help from a shepherd. She exchanges her armor and aristocratic clothing for a simple shepherdess gown while the shepherd weaves a basket.

The role of Erminia was sung by the lovely young soprano Julia Dawson who effortlessly produced the requisite baroque ornamentation. Bass-baritone André Courville, another rising star, did a splendid job creating a sympathetic character with his rich full paternal tone quality.

Coming on the scene a bit later we met Tancredi, beautifully sung by yet another fine young artist, mezzo-soprano Allegra De Vita in travesti, complete with moustache, and Polidoro, finely sung by tenor Asitha Tennekoon. Mistaken identity and jealousy ensue.

Our favorite parts of this work were the kindly interaction between Erminia and the shepherd, and at the end of the act, when Erminia sang a most beautifully moving aria.

This act was directed by Richard Gammon. The rustic woodland set was created by Richard Ouelette and worked well for both opera and ballet. It is better seen (in the photo above) than described. The gorgeous costumes were designed by Meriem Bahri. Effective lighting was by Rob Siler.

The ballet which followed was not confusing due to the wondrous choreography of Anuradha Nehru, founder and artistic director of Kalanidhi Dance. The basis lay in a style known as kuchipudi but we saw many steps we have observed in baroque dance, steps which were originally based upon fencing moves, as we learned from Erica Gould at a Salon Sanctuary evening.

Layered upon the familiar steps was some elaborate and descriptive mime which left no doubt as to which warriors were thirsty and when that thirst was slaked. Every movement and motion was made clear, as were the quality of the interactions.

Our favorite scene in the ballet was that of the woodland spirits, clad in white and using their bodies to create unforgettable imagery.

For this ballet, Maestro Ryan Brown, founder and artistic director of Opera Lafayette, conducted while playing the violin!  We have witnessed conducting from the harpsichord but this was something new for us.

The orchestra sounded superb. The strings were modern but the wind instruments belonged to the baroque period. We spotted a horn with no keys and a pair of recorders in different registers.

Every time Opera Lafayette makes it up here from Washington, D.C., they bring us something novel and valuable.

MONTEVERDI'S REVOLUTION

Ryan Brown, Elizabeth Field, Liv Redpath, Lea Desandre, Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Patrick Kilbride, Alex Rosen, Thomas Dunford Jean Rondeau, and Beiliang Zhu (photo by Louis Forget)

We always look forward to visits from Opera Lafayette.  One can count on them to bring stellar musicians to perform in stimulating and unusual programs-- with the added bonus of an introductory lecture.  Last night at City University of New York's Elabash Recital Hall (an excellent venue), we heard a fine lecture on Claudio Monteverdi by Columbia University professor Giuseppe Gerbino, who put into academic words something we have written about frequently.

We are referring to the union of text and music, something which very few contemporary composers seem to grasp. Each language has acoustic properties and a rhythm. In Monteverdi's case, his music imitated the content and expressiveness of Italian, which is of course an easier language to set than English! This becomes both semantic and emotional. In simple words, the language of the text is enhanced by music.

Monteverdi's music bridged the orthodox polyphony of the 16th c. Renaissance period with the up and coming Baroque period of the 17th c. He was truly a pioneer and his 1609  Orfeo can be considered the first opera. He is mostly remembered for that and for the subsequent operas Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and L'incoronazione di Poppea.

Perhaps someday the music for L'Ariana will be discovered in someone's ancient library but, at present, all we have left from that opera is "Lamento d'Ariana"  which was superbly sung by mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre.  Poor Ariana goes through a succession of emotions and Monteverdi's music limned every one from pleading for Teseo's return to anger to self-pity.

Another astonishing work was the scene "Il combattimento di Tancredi et Clorinda" in which the unwary Tancredi, sung by the terrific tenor Patrick Kilbride, battles his unrecognized Clorinda, sung by the superb soprano Liv Redpath. It is not until she is dying that the armor comes off and he recognizes her. If this did not move you, nothing would! The work was staged which added to the effect. Jean Rondeau's organ raised the stakes even higher.

The lovely Ms. Redpath showed her vulnerable side in "Lamento della ninfa" with three male voices (Mr. Kilbride, baritone David Newman, and bass Alex Rosen) serving as a Greek chorus commenting on her fate. The performance of Guest Musical Director Thomas Dunford on the archlute was particularly fine here, adding to the sonorities. The archlute is a magnificent instrument that looks somewhat like a theorbo but please don't ask us to explain the difference!

Ms. Redpath and Ms. Desandre created stunning harmonies in the duet "O come sei gentile caro augellino" with ear tickling birdsong. The same pair delighted with "Ohime dov'e il mio ben". Both duets came from Monteverdi's Seventh Book of Madrigals.

The pieces for tutti were similarly remarkable. A setting of Petrarch's "Hor che'l ciel" began on one tone and expressed the peace and silence of nature.  As the poet describes his warlike nature, Monteverdi's writing becomes agitated and complex.

Other participants who added so much to the musical texture were alto Kristen Dubenion-Smith, the violins of Artistic Director Ryan Brown and Elizabeth Field, violist Paul Miller, cellist Beiliang Zhu, and bassist Doug Balliett.

We left the concert with a renewed appreciation for this titan who broke the rules and brought music to a higher level. We wish more of his music had survived the centuries.

(c) meche kroop

 

LES INDES GALANTES

Andrew Appel, Andre Courville, Sherezade Panthaki, Patricia Forelle, Ryan Brown, Dietlinde Turban Maazel, Robert Getchell, and Victor Sicard

We are always excited when Opera Lafayette comes to town. Just when we start to believe that we know a lot about opera, we find an entirely new territory to stimulate and engage us.  Opera Lafayette brings before us baroque works from France, always cast with exceptional singers.

Last night at the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art we heard the final entree of Jean-Philippe Rameau's 1736 ballet heroique --Les Indes Galantes. Louis Fuzelier's libretto is an interesting one in that it lauds the simplicity and sincerity of the natives of the New World, while decrying the colonialism of the Europeans.

As a curtain raiser for the vocal part of the evening, we heard several musical selections from the Prologue and the first three entrees. The musical selections shone with infinite variety of rhythms and an inexhaustible supply of melodies. We supplied the visuals in our mind's eye and had great fun choreographing and costuming the imaginary dancers.

But it was the vocal part that we had come to hear, predominantly because one of our favorite young artists, bass-baritone Andre Courville, would be making his debut with Opera Lafayette. We have heard Mr. Courville sing dozens of roles but never anything of the baroque period. Let it be said right away that he performed admirably in the role of Dom Alvar, a Spanish prince come to court the native girl Zima.

His rival, Damon was finely performed by Robert Getchell. The two men exhibited radically different style of courtship and Zima, wonderfully performed by Sherezade Panthaki, wisely threw both of them over for her tribal compatriot Adario, performed by Victor Sicard with fine tone and dignity of character.

Like Goldilocks, Zima found one European suitor to be too indifferent, the other too persevering, and Adario to be just right! Ms. Panthaki's warmly colored soprano and expressive phrasing made us cheer her on. There was something about her expressiveness that reminded us of Indian dancers we have seen who can make the slightest movement speak volumes.

As one might expect, the French of the singers was perfect and understandable without the titles. Similarly, the phrasing took on a special Gallic sensitivity.

Unfortunately, the chorus (Gallery Voices) in the first part of the program did not enunciate clearly and we did not understand un seul mot!

Direction by Dietlinde Turban Maazel was effective considering the narrow sliver of stage in front of the orchestra with which she had to work. Patricia Forelle's costumes were colorful and a propos to the period.

Ryan Brown, Founder and Artistic Director of Opera Lafayette, conducted and played the violin. Andrew Appel provided the harpsichord continuo along with the cello of Loretta O'Sullivan. The orchestral music was lovely.

We would have liked a closer look at the unusual wind instruments, especially the taille d'hautbois, a kind of alto oboe, and a wooden flute. The sound of original instruments fell softly on the ear.  There is so much to learn about music of this period!

(c) meche kroop

PRE-BEETHOVEN FIDELIO

Jean-Michel Richer as Florestan in Opera Lafayette's production of Pierre Gaveaux' Leonore

When an opera arrives at legendary status, other iterations of the same story generally fade away. Paisiello's Barber of Seville (produced by On Site Opera) and Salieri's Falstaff (produced by Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble) are cases in point. That a libretto for Beethoven's Fidelio was set before was not known to us, but what a revelation it was, in a production by the intrepid Opera Lafayette performed at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College.

Opera Lafayette has the perfect niche, specializing in the French repertoire and performing on period instruments. This production of Pierre Gaveaux's 1798 work Leonore ou L'Amour conjugal is the first in modern times. What a delight to hear a work that has lain dormant for over two centuries, a veritable "sleeping beauty", awakened by the Opera Lafayette kiss. Fear not if you missed it because it has been filmed.

You already know the story--Leonore (soprano Kimy McLaren) has been working at a prison where she believes her innocent husband has been incarcerated after having exposed a tyrant. She has ingratiated herself to Roc, the prison warden (bass Tomislav Lavoie), gaining his trust.

Roc has approved a marriage between his daughter Marceline (Pascale Beaudin)  and Leonore, the former having fallen in love with the cross-dressed Leonore who calls herself Fidelio. Marceline's suitor Jacquino (tenor Keven Geddes) is unhappy about Marceline's rejection of his advances but, not to worry, the story has a happy ending.

After two years of terrible suffering in prison, Florestan (tenor Jean-Michel Richer) is finally liberated by his faithful wife, although his death has been commanded by the evil Pizare (baritone Dominique Cote). The deus ex machina arrives at the last minute in the person of Dom Fernand (bass baritone Alexandre Sylvestre).

There are two important themes to be considered. The first is the fidelity of Leonore who has never given up on finding and freeing her husband and is ready to die with him if she fails.

The second theme is that of unjust and arbitrary imprisonment and the need for liberation. When Jean-Nicolas Bouilly wrote the libretto, France was reeling from Robespierre's Reign of Terror and this theme was a common one in opera of that epoch.   So called "rescue dramas" were familiar to audiences.

By the time Beethoven acquired the libretto in German translation, there were other tyrants and the work transmogrified from the historical to the personal. It is unknown whether Beethoven ever heard Gavreau's score but it was found in his home after his death.

In any case, much about his Fidelio is anticipated in Gavreau's work, which was produced for the Opera Comique and therefore has substantial spoken dialogue and an altogether lighter touch. The opera opens with a comic scene between Marceline and Jacquino in which director Oriol Tomas has provided them with clever stage business that limns their homely existence--folding laundry.

The strophic music is delightfully tuneful and more than usually memorable. (Small wonder that popular music is written strophically!)  Duets were uncommonly beautiful.

When the prisoners are released for a few moments of daylight, they sing a stirring chorus, ending Act I on a hopeful note.

Act II begins on a tragic note with the suffering Florestan pouring out his despair. On a personal note, we were quite moved by his aria which the singer delivered with as dark a color as was a propos.

There was not a weak link in the vocalism; all the singers are Canadian and the French was mostly understandable, a good thing because the stage lighting often faded out the surtitles. We could not have asked for a better cast; they delivered dramatically as well as vocally.

We liked the direction and the opera moved along swiftly, leaving us wishing there were a bit more!

Laurence Mongeau's sets and costumes worked well. The set comprised a series of rectangular forms and pillars which folded into each other and could readily be moved to suggest a different place. The costumes suggested late 18th c. Europe but were less fussy. Everything worked well together and was enhanced by Julie Basse's effective lighting.

Ryan Brown, Founder and Director of Opera Lafayette conducted the sizable orchestra which was at the same level as the first row of the raked orchestra, giving us a welcome view of his balletic style of conducting. We also enjoyed the opportunity to see the individual instrumentalists, including some wooden flutes and oboes. The playing was beautifully integrated with the singing and performed in fine French style.

Given the choice of enduring another jagged-edge modern opera or thrilling to the discovery of a forgotten masterpiece, we will not hesitate to choose the latter and are happy to give credit to Opera Lafayette for another night of pleasure and illumination. We can't help wondering how many more worthy pieces are awaiting discovery. Opera Lafayette remains the Christopher Columbus of the opera world.

(c) meche kroop

OPERA LAFAYETTE LOOKS AT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Nathalie Paulin as the eponymous Sapho in Martini's opera 

Perhaps not every lover of the arts will agree with us but we believe that a work of art requires no explanation. It should stand on its own merits. We see people in museums being led around by a docent explaining why a certain painting is excellent.  We are the type to wander around and stop at a painting that arrests our attention, take it in, and decide for ourselves why we like it.

When we go to the theater and the director requires several pages to explain his/her concept and what he/she is trying to convey, we feel irritated.  Either it works or it doesn't.

On Sunday evening, Opera Lafayette, those welcome visitors from D.C., threw us a curve ball by presenting some strangely directed excerpts from three operas composed during the late 18th c. in France. No doubt the tumultuous political climate had an influence on the choice of libretti and compositional style.

However, we feel that Director Mirenka Čechová, in her attempt to do something new and interesting, decided to fit the scenes into a Procrustean bed. She elaborately described why she chose the colors of the French flag and laid a common motive onto the three heroines of the three operas from which the scenes were taken.  We got a headache just trying to understand her "Director's Note".

Judith A. Miller, Associate Professor of History at Emory University contributed several more pages about the French revolution. We would sooner read Simon Schama's 1989 tome "Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution". We do not come to the opera to be educated nor to be baffled.  We come to be entertained and inspired by beautiful music.

And beautiful music was heard, no doubt about that! Canadian soprano Nathalie Paulin gave an impressive performance in scenes from the three operas represented. In Sacchini's Oedipe à Colone she made a splendid Antigone; in Jean-Paul-Égide Martini's Sapho she was equally fine as Sapho; and in Luigi Cherubini's Médée she was incredibly powerful. Her acting was as fine as her singing.

We find no fault with the fine singing and acting of tenor Antonio Figueroa who excelled in the roles of Jason and Phaon. Baritone Javier Arrey was no less excellent as Oedipe and Stesichore. Soprano Sophie Junker was fine in the smaller roles of Cléis and Néris.

Ryan Brown's conducting of the Opera Lafayette period-instrument ensemble was thrilling, as it usually is.  With such fine musical values to delight our ears, it seemed a shame to clutter the stage with symbols.  This may be all the rage in Europe but it did not please us.

This is not to say that the images were unattractive. We mostly admired Martin Spetlik's lighting of Petr Bohác's interesting set design; it's just that the images, as striking as they were, seemed jarring against the music and apposite only to the unconscious of the director.

There were birds on sticks, men carrying suitcases leaking sand, an acrylic tub filled with water to drown the soprano, and what all else.  If music is to provoke imagery we want it to be from our own unconscious memories and fantasies, not from someone else's.

We hope Opera Lafayette's next visit will return us to the world of theatrical realism!

(c) meche kroop

OPERA LAFAYETTE DELIVERS

Sophie Junker and Amel Brahim-Djelloul (photo by Louis Forget)

Count on the highly regarded Opera Lafayette to deliver an early Valentine to the people of New York. Better than a dozen red roses and one of the sweetest confections imaginable, their production of Emmanuel Chabrier's Une Éducation Manquée delighted both eye and ear. Not quite an opera but reminiscent of a German singspiel or a Spanish zarzuela, the work is a slim 35 minute work, barely more than a skit.  But oh what a skit it is! And it found the perfect home in the comfortable theater of the French Institute Alliance Francaise, always willing to foster French culture.

You may be wondering how one gets an audience member to fork over the considerable cost of a ticket for such a brief entertainment. Wonder no longer. The astute direction of Bernard Deletré (also a singer and actor) expanded the tale of two naïfs unable to consummate their marriage by means of a prologue showing their earlier education, the education that was so incomplete.

On one side of the stage we had Hélène de la Cerisale (played by various female children) being sung and read to by her maiden aunt (played by Sophie Junker who would later take the role of the 16-year-old bride). On the other side of the stage we had Gontran de Boismassif (portrayed by various male children) being instructed by his cleric/tutor Maitre Pausanias (sung by Dominique Côté). The children are shown sequentially at 6 months of age, 6 years, and 12 years.

These brief scenes told us all we need to know about childhood education in France when the Royalists of the Second Empire were in charge.  It wasn't too far from the goals of the present day Republican Religious Right--obedience and traditionalism.  Au contraire, the Republicans of the late 19th c. (the Third Republic) were fighting for free public education for both genders and for removing public instruction from the hands of the Catholic Church. Sounds like the secular Democratic agenda of today!

It was in this contentious environment that Chabrier's librettists (Eugène Letterier and Albert Vanloo) wrote this seeming piece of fluff, demonstrating their progressive position by satirizing their opponents. Sometimes the best way to get one's point across is with humor. The satire is pointed but never nasty.

For the story, Chabrier wrote the most delicious melodies that are instantly accessible without being at all trite. The work is within the tradition of opéra bouffe and was presented in 1879 at the Cercle International, a club where illegal gambling was tolerated. The songs that were used by Opera Lafayette to pad out the opera are settings of texts by one Edmond Rostand. They are about animals (ducks, pigs, cicadas, chickens, and a tortoise)--Chabrier's very own "Carnival of the Animals". To these songs he brought interesting harmonies and lavishly applied coloring. The song about the rooster and the hen was particularly entertaining.

As to the story of the work itself, it is a simple one. Gontran and Hélène are newlyweds and totally ignorant about sex. They are simply at loose ends. Gontran would consult his tutor Pausanias but the tipsy cleric knows nothing. A letter from Gontran's grandfather is likewise unhelpful.  Hélène's maiden aunt similarly knows nothing.  She just advises her niece to be kind and obedient.

It is only a thunderstorm that drives the bride into the arms of the groom where nature can take her dependable course!

Chabrier made sure that his performers were as skilled at acting as they were at singing; Opera Lafayette has done the same. Ms. Junker and Ms. Brahim-Djelloul, in addition to having fine voices and musical instincts, are brilliant comic actors, making the innocence of their characters appealing rather than appalling. Baritone Dominique Cöté was the perfect representation of a bibulous tutor.

Artistic Director Ryan Brown conducted the work with panache and Jeffery Watson tickled our ears with his piano. Costumes by Patricia Forelle were original and colorful. She chose to make them amusing and stylish, rather than scrupulous to the period. Lighting was by Colin K. Bills.

Elaborate sets would have been a distraction.  Instead we had table and chairs and tons of books representing Gontran's extensive book learning. The patter song in which Pausanias lists all the disciplines he has inculcated into his student's brain was particularly fine.

We can scarcely wait for Opera Lafayette's return on May 1st when they will present three dramatic scenes referencing the French Revolution. Their work is always intertaining and impeccably done.

(c) meche kroop

CATONE vs CESARE

Julia Dawson and John Holiday as Emilia and Caesar in Vivaldi's Catone in Utica (photo by Louis Forget)

Opera librettists often play fast and loose with history and Pietro Metastsio's libretto for Antonio Vivaldi's Catone in Utica is no exception.  Do we care?  Truthfully, not very much. But we did very much enjoy Maestro Ryan Brown's introductory lecture which enhanced our experience last night of Opera Lafayette's production at the perfectly suitable theater of John Jay College.

This seems to be our week for a side of education with our feast of entertainment. We learned that Metastasio, a highly celebrated Roman educated in the law, wrote two versions of the story--the first set by Leonardo Vinci which was a failure.  Romans of the early 18th c. were unhappy with his violation of the convention against showing death onstage. (Imagine all the wonderful Italian operas written in the 19th c. and how they would play out without the death scene!  Perish forbid!) Therefore, Cato's grisly self disembowelment could not be shown.

His second version (set by Vivaldi and several other composers) left the ending ambiguous or had Cato commit suicide offstage.  We did not see the version performed at Glimmerglass but last night's performance appeared to have an almost happy ending with Cato walking offstage--which ended the otherwise thrilling evening in a not quite satisfying manner.

It is always a special event when Opera Lafayette visits from our nation's capitol, usually bringing a delectable and overlooked French opera. This time they brought a largely forgotten Italian Baroque opera composed toward the end of Vivaldi's life. Of this prolific composer's oeuvre, barely twenty opera scores survived. In point of fact, the music for Act I was lost but the clever director Tazewell Thompson utilized the overture (borrowed from another Vivaldi opera) to introduce the characters onstage with some illustrative comments on the surtitle screen--a most successful ploy to replace a perhaps boring exposition.

The story concerns the intransigent and uncompromising Cato in opposition to the conquering Caesar who was here depicted, not as a tyrranical dictator, but as a swell fella, cheerful and ready to compromise. Metastasio invented a love story between Caesar and Cato's daughter which causes the rigid and unlikable Cato to disown his daughter in a most ugly fashion. Se non è vero, è ben trovato!

As to the music, Opera Lafayette achieved a stunning success, thanks to apt casting and the truly excellent Opera Lafayette Orchestra, the string section of which was called upon to limn the action with painterly color; Vivaldi himself was a gifted violinist.  Significant contributions came from the oboe which sang of nature,  the trumpets which blared of battle, and the valveless horns which referenced the wounded lion. The superb continuo, comprising Andrew Appel at the harpsichord, Loretta O'Sullivan on the cello, and Michael Leopold on the guitar and theorbo, supported the unusually expressive recitativi.

The singers all had superb voices and acting skills, making the far-fetched completely believable. We are very fond of the countertenor fach and it was quite a treat to hear two of them side by side and to hear the subtle differences.

The role of Cesare was performed by John Holiday whose tone is larger than most. His vocal colors varied widely from his legato love aria toward Cato's daughter Marzia to his whooping upward glissandi while threatening battle. Mr. Holiday is truly a stage animal.

In the smaller role of Fulvio, Caesar's lieutenant, Eric Jurenas exhibited a lighter sound that was pleasant to the ear.

There were three mezzo-sopranos in the cast.  Julia Dawson, well remembered from her major George London award last winter, put heart and soul into her portrayal of Emilia, the widow of Pompey, who is seeking revenge against Caesar. We have written about the many shades of sadness in Schubert's song cycles; here, Ms. Dawson created the many shades of anger. Her voice, like Mr. Holiday's, is a force of nature and she acts in such a visceral manner, using her entire body, that we were actually feeling it. Her handling of the fioritura was nothing short of dazzling.

Anna Reinhold's Marzia was a different kind of performance. Vivaldi did not give this character much to sing in the way of memorable arias but she was incredibly musical in the recitativi. Her voice is on the slender side and was overwhelmed by the orchestra when she was in the middle and lower part of her range. At the upper register she came through perfectly.

Marguerite Krull performed the pants role of the prince Arbace, an ally of Cato's, who was promised Marzia's hand. It was painful to watch her reject his advances, even as she occasionally seemed to lead him on. But, Marzia is in love with Caesar and will defy her father and the entire world to have him.

As the eponymous Cato, tenor Thomas Michael Allen gave an excellent portrayal of the stubborn holdout against Caesar, but the deck is stacked against him. Without substantial arias to show off, he was obliged to use the recitativi to convey both his higher quality of idealism and his negative quality of stubbornness.  His unsympathetic character was difficult to relate to but that seems to us to be the mark of a fine performance.

Costume Consultant Sara Jean Tosetti dressed all the characters in modern attire and the nearly bare stage (a simple metal throne for Cato and a few upturned sarcophagi) was sensitively lit by Lighting Designer Amith Chandrashaker--a simple wash of color on the back wall, corresponding to the mood of the scene.

Opera Lafayette will return in February with Emmanuel Chabrier's Une Education Manquée. We are filled with anticipation for another major success.

(c) meche kroop

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Talise Trevigne and Sophie Junker (photo by Louis Forget)

There is nothing secret about our affection for Opera Lafayette and our excitement when they come up from Washington D.C., always bringing a delicious confection for our delectation.  Founded twenty years ago by Conductor and Artistic Director Ryan Brown, this highly regarded ensemble of period instrumentalists specializes in neglected French masterpieces of the pre-classical and classical period.

Last night, comfortably ensconced in the Florence Gould Hall of the French Institute Alliance Française, we totally forgot that we were in New York City in the 21st c.  We were transported to the newly born 19th c. in New Orleans (a time and place of which we are inordinately fond, as regular readers will recall). We are surrounded not by New York opera lovers but by a tri-cultural audience eager for the latest import from France, particularly from l’opéra comique. The pieces were closer to our present day musical theater than they were to opera which generally comprised tragédie lyrique, telling of gods, goddesses and heroes. These confections focused on the "common folk".

André Grétry was one of the musical superstars of the age and his L’Épreuve Villageoise premiered in Versailles in 1784 as a more serious work under a different title. Queen Marie-Antoinette, known to play at the simple country life herself, shared with the attendant aristocracy a lack of interest in the noble characters, preferring the subplot which was written for comic relief.  Thus, the romantic intrigues of the rustic characters were extracted, retitled, and performed regularly in France and then exported all over the world with a new title. These light-hearted works of the period had small casts and simple sets with spoken dialogue that was easy to translate. Thus they became, with the help of the Marquis de Lafayette, representative of French culture worldwide.

This point was made during the overture as the gaily costumed characters manipulated the three curtains on which were painted a small house, a large plantation, and a shaded glen. Placards in several languages announcing the work were exchanged several times with the ultimate one announcing the work as being performed at the St. Pierre theater in New Orleans. One got the impression of a traveling team of vaudevillians.

The story is a simple one. Young Denise (Pascale Beaudin) is being courted by two men—the farmer André (tenor Francisco Fernández) whom she loves but whose jealousy has troubled her, and Monsieur La France (baritone Thomas Dolié), the pompous overseer of a plantation who had previously courted her mother Madame Hubert (mezzo-soprano Talise Trevigne). Mother and daughter collaborate to teach both men a lesson.

The vocal lines and text (by Pierre Desforges) set Monsieur La France apart in both style and content from the three “peasants” who sang more simply. Although the solos were wonderful we were most interested in the blending of voices in the trios and quartets. The dance numbers were colorful and captivating, as choreographed by Aaron R. White, whose own dancing was nimble and brilliant.  Kendra Rai’s costume design was perfect—a kind of glorified representation of plantation workers. Slavery was never indicated!

Nick Olcott’s direction kept things moving and motivated, effectively using the cutouts in the hanging curtains (set design by Luciana Stecconi) for characters to spy on one another. The sextet of choristers added greatly to the proceedings—not just vocally but choreographically. 

The period instrument orchestra astonished us with their virtuosity. The strings were sweet with Claire Jolivet as Concertmaster. We loved the sound of the valveless horns, as well as the period oboes and flutes. Andrew Appel sounded just fine on the harpsichord.

What fun it was to pretend we were in the “there and then” instead of the “here and now”!

© meche kroop

LOVE AND MARRIAGE, LOVE AND MARRIAGE...

Jeffrey Thompson and members of The New York Baroque Dance Company (photo by Louis Forget)

Thanks to Opera Lafayette, whose visits from Washington, D.C. are always welcome events, we were transported to  mid-18th c. France.  We were celebrating the marriage of the Dauphin with Maria-Josepha of Saxony; the culmination of a week of festivities was a piece d'occasion called Les Fetes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour, ou Les Dieux d'Egypte.  The marriage was a hasty one and Jean-Philippe Rameau had very little time to prepare so he pressed into service a heroic ballet in three parts he had just composed with libretto by Louis de Cahusac.  The work had been written for The Royal Academy of Music and all that needed to be added to suit the occasion was the prologue--a staging of the reconciliation of Amour (god of love) and Hymen (god of marriage).

Amour (adorable soprano Kelly Ballou, an audience favorite) pouts and sulks, fearful of Hymen's potential constraints.  Hymen (mezzo Laetitia de Beck Spitzer Grimaldi) reassures her and all ends happily under the watchful eye of Le Plaisir (tenor Aaron Sheehan).  The segment was directed and choreographed by Catherine Turocy whose excellent dancers from The New York Baroque Dance Company portrayed Les Grǎces in correct period style with joy and élan.

Act I comprised the story of  Orthésie, an Amazon Queen (soprano Claire Debono) who must overcome the objections of her aggressive confidant Mirrine (soprano Ingrid Perruche) in order to accept the offer of love from the god Osiris (tenor Jeffrey Thompson).  In this production (we have seen no other!) the Amazons have become South Asians, thrillingly danced by Kalanidhi Dance, whose director Aniradha Nehru choreographed and directed that segment with gorgeous exoticism.

For Act II, Sean Curran directed and choreographed the story of Canope, god of the Nile River (bass Francois Lis) who chastises his followers because they plan on a human sacrifice to appease him.  The proposed victim is the woman he loves and has courted under the guise of a mortal; her name is Memphis (Ms. Perruche) and she is ready to be sacrificed but Canope arrives at the last minute to save her.  Canope even gets in a line about gods wanting nothing to do with "odious priests".  Now there's a deus ex machina for you!  William Sharp lent his fine baritone to the role of the High Priest. The Sean Curran Company effectively portrayed the flowing river.

Catherine Turocy directed Act III, the story of Orie (Ms. Debono) who is in love with Aruéris, God of the Arts (Mr. Thompson) and wants to be loved for her beauty.  He must persuade her to express herself artistically which she does with some thrilling trills in her aria. Now he can love her for her art!  Ms. Grimaldi portrays a shepherdess and that shepherd whose tender tenor we would recognize anywhere was none other than recording artist Kyle Bielfield who contributes so much to the New York opera scene!

The voices were all topnotch but we must single out Mr. Thompson and Mr. Bielfield, not only for the purity of their voices but for their superlative French diction, for which no titles were necessary.  Ryan Brown conducted the lovely music with Andrew Appel providing the harpsichord continuo and Loretta O'Sullivan providing the cello continuo.  The music was sometimes restrained and at other times exploded into wild abandon--all of which was reflected in the choreography.

The success of the evening rested not only upon the musical and terpsichorean values but also on the visual.  The exotic costumes by Jennifer Tardiff Beall were nothing short of resplendent while The New York Baroque Dance Company provided their own costumes, equally gorgeous.  Masks and "Hymen's gift" were attributed to Jane Stein.  We believe that gift refers to the delightful scene-stealing ostrich prancing on human legs!  There was only one small false note in the entire three-hour evening.  In the last act Mr. Curran's choreography with its post-modern gestures seemed inapropos and intrusive.  Strangely, Ms. Nehru's choreography fit right in since it reflected the music.

We can scarcely wait for Opera Lafayette's return in May with Andre Grétry's "L'Épreuve villageoise".

© meche kroop

OPERA LAFAYETTE DOES RAMEAU

Gaële Le Roi, Kelly Ballou, Olivier Baumont, Laetitia de beck Spitzer, David Newman, Andrew Appel, Donna Fournier, and Ryan Brown

Ever since Opera Lafayette brought their imaginative opera double-bill to the Rose Theater in January (review can be found by using the search bar) we have eagerly awaited their return.  Friday night at Weill Recital Hall, they presented Part I of Celebrating Rameau: The Salon.  We will have to wait until next fall for Part II which will be a staged premiere of Rameau's ballet héroïque-- Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour ou Les Dieux d'Égypte.

Our experience with opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau is confined to a production of Platée in Santa Fe in 2007 and one several years earlier at the New York City Opera which we enjoyed tremendously.

Part I could be considered an appetizer; it was a red-letter day for lovers of Rameau.  Two superbly talented harpsichordists, Olivier Baumont and Andrew Appel, joined by Conductor and Artistic Director Ryan Brown on violin and Donna Fournier on viol, treated the audience to several interesting works and also accompanied the four singers--Gaële Le Roi, Kelly Ballou, Laetitia de beck Spitzer and David Newman.

Of the instrumental portion of the evening we were most impressed by some dances from Les Indes Galantes transcribed for two harpsichords; the textures were most compelling.  We would have loved to have seen the various dances performed by baroque dancers.

The vocal music was what we came to hear and the well-chosen singers brought Rameau's music to vivid life. The spectacle on stage was arresting: Baritone David Newman wore a suit and tie, Ms. Le Roi wore lingerie, Ms. Ballou wore office attire and Ms. Spitzer wore an evening gown!  We did not even try to fathom this but just enjoyed the splendid voices.

Mr. Newman sang an Air from the cantata Thétis to open the program and joined the women later on for three canons of which, we were told, the translations were too racy to print.  Naturally, that piqued our curiosity no end but careful listening provided nothing more than a few hints!

Ms. Ballou employed her lovely soprano for the romantic "L'Amante préoccupée"; "No, non le dieu qui sait aimer" sung by Ms. Spitzer, was of a more spirited nature; "Duo Bacchique" allowed Mr. Walker and Ms. Le Roi to exhibit their humorous sides.

The final work on the program was the Cantate pour le Jour de la Saint Louis, an expressive work in which Ms. Le Roi used her highly focused soprano to good advantage, accompanied by Mr. Beaumont and the strings.

It was a brief evening and a true "amuse bouche" as we wait for October 9th and the aforementioned premiere.  The date is already on our calendar.  How fortunate we are to have the D.C. based Opera Lafayette exploring the 18th c. French repertoire and playing it for us New Yorkers on period instruments.

ⓒ meche kroop

COSI FAN LE FRANCESE

Antonio Figueroa, Pascale Beaudin, Jeffrey Thompson, Claire Debono, Blandine Saskiewicz, Alex Dobson

Although we mainly deplore tinkering with the classics, we enjoyed a delightful evening with Opera Lafayette last night.  They presented a clever pairing of Mozart's 1790 Cosi fan tutte in L.V. Durdilly's French translation of Da Ponte's libretto in tandem with Les Femmes Vengées by François André-Danican Philidor which was composed 15 years earlier.  The concept was to show what happened to Da Ponte's four lovers after ten years had passed.  This pastiche made for an evening as long as Tristan und Isolde but far more lighthearted.

It also permitted the use of a single set and a beautiful one at that.  Misha Kachman created a light and airy space--a central room with a room off to each side and a view of an orange tree representing a garden outside; this permitted characters to be closeted away from the main action and to be listening through the walls.  Indeed it seemed as if the Comédie Française had commissioned the opera from Mozart!

Effective lighting by Colin K. Bills washed the set in warm pastels that reflected the sumptuous costumes by Kendra Rai.  Director Nick Olcott kept the action humming along.  A couple arias were sacrificed and spoken dialogue replaced the recitativi.  A non-singing character, a painter, was invented (or borrowed from the second opera) and Gillaume and Fernand were in his studio to pose for a painting; this action was established during the overture.  As it turned out, the painter did have a singing role in the second opera and tenor Jeffrey Thompson was our favorite performer of the evening, both dramatically and vocally.

Ryan Brown, Artistic Director of Opera Lafayette, conducted with gusto and finesse.  Musical values were topnotch overall.  Although Philidor is not Mozart (well, who is?), no apologies were necessary for his tuneful classicism.  Soprano Pascale Beaudin made a fine Fleurdelise and mezzo Blandine Staskiewicz an equally fine Dorabelle.  Tenor Antonio Figueroa and baritone Alex Dobson sang the roles of their suitors Fernand and Guillaume.  When they appeared in their disguises, they were costumed as trappers from Canada, sporting Davey Crockett hats and lots of fringe.  It absolutely worked.

Don Alphonse was sung by Bernard Deletré who has a commanding onstage presence but whose voice sounded a bit frayed.  Claire Debono was a delightful Delphine.  In the second opera she had married the painter and had risen out of the ranks of servant.  Indeed she orchestrated the comic revenge that the two sisters would take on their wandering husbands.  It was interesting that the second opera was taking place ten years later and the costumes were now of the Empire period, even though the opera was composed earlier.

Making a pastiche of the two operas was well conceived; the theme was infidelity and provided a justification for presenting Mozart's beloved opera in French.  We cannot avoid saying that Italian "sings" better; although we are fluent in French we definitely made use of the titles.  Italian is just more singable.

We do hope that the D.C. based Opera Lafayette will return soon to New York with another imaginative evening.

© meche kroop