tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51426486211535241412024-03-05T04:26:58.034-06:00Operatic Saint LouisNews, reviews, sneak peeks, interviews and looks backstage on all things opera in our fair city...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger315125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-51886252981139052652019-05-30T20:40:00.004-05:002019-05-30T20:41:39.468-05:00Lorenzo Da Ponte<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yxF9XNhjn6Ggo73FkGzd5_5ifL9wLE4bVPESNyxpSKKZrEXCCtiutNTvv-YIUmb4zoR8HA4IlNITIf_-TQZWjLb65GZKCrf9QA8lRsckU-bSR9zApuvjaPu7R5i2GuwkIZu4PkwBNbCS/s1600/lorenzo-da-ponte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="460" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yxF9XNhjn6Ggo73FkGzd5_5ifL9wLE4bVPESNyxpSKKZrEXCCtiutNTvv-YIUmb4zoR8HA4IlNITIf_-TQZWjLb65GZKCrf9QA8lRsckU-bSR9zApuvjaPu7R5i2GuwkIZu4PkwBNbCS/s400/lorenzo-da-ponte.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lorenzo Da Ponte (<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">1749–1838) wrote the libretto for Mozart's <i>The Marriage of Figaro</i> in 1786.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Michael Rose writes in <i>The Birth of An Opera</i>:</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[When da Ponte arrived in Vienna in 1781, he] was thirty-two years old, penniless, unknown, and so far without a libretto or even a play to his credit. Born Emanuele Conegliano, he came from a Venetian Jewish family which had converted to Christianity for practical reasons, had received a thorough education as the protege of his local bishop and been ordained as a priest at the end of it.</span></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An attractive, witty and plausible young man, with a growing reputation as a poet and a taste for liberal politics and married women, he never once allowed his priestly vocation to interfere with his amorous adventures, which were numerous, complicated and risky.</span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-70022737694646480502016-11-06T11:56:00.000-06:002016-11-06T11:56:06.786-06:00Winter Opera uncorks a sparkling "Merry Widow"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RWv_z1xa0-ShZPB5UILMKzMjORphyphenhyphenyIng3qmISlJUZ-CmWYD0Mdvzfnk2-WyawGZPsGNmTDO8bgGEWgYRXJ3G5zBpiSCcMOUPG9JdHYs408mrD96fIMpl18v-5LovYnwwVkqu3IjFY5O/s1600/merry-widow_H9A8241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RWv_z1xa0-ShZPB5UILMKzMjORphyphenhyphenyIng3qmISlJUZ-CmWYD0Mdvzfnk2-WyawGZPsGNmTDO8bgGEWgYRXJ3G5zBpiSCcMOUPG9JdHYs408mrD96fIMpl18v-5LovYnwwVkqu3IjFY5O/s400/merry-widow_H9A8241.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: start;">Kathy Pyeatt and the ensemble</td></tr>
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This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://www.kdhx.org/component/tags/tag/76-chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic. </div>
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As the first catalogs of Christmas made their way to our recycle bin last, <a href="http://winteroperstl.org/" target="_blank">Winter Opera</a> opened an early Christmas present for opera lovers last weekend (October 28 and 30, 2016) with a production of Franz Lehár's durable 1905 comic operetta The Merry Widow. As bubbly as champagne and as bright as a Christmas tree, this charming and entertaining show was one of the company's best. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly Janz and Jack Swanson</td></tr>
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If you've never seen it either on stage or in one of its many film incarnations, know that the story of <i>The Merry Widow</i> revolves around Hanna, a youngish widow from the fictional Balkan nation of Pontevedro, who became a millionaire when her much older husband died on their wedding night. Living the high life in Paris, she's actively courted by young men with their eyes on the twenty million franc prize, but she secretly yearns for her first love, Count Danilo, who was forbidden to marry her many years ago by his snobbish family.<br />
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Now a minor official in the Pontevedrian embassy trying to drown his torch for Hanna in champagne and grisettes at Maxim's, Danilo is ordered by the ambassador, Baron Zeta, to woo Hanna and marry her, thereby keeping her millions from leaving the country. But, of course, Danilo's pride won't let him say those "three little words" to Hanna.<br />
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You know where this is all going, right?<br />
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There's also a subplot concerning Zeta's young wife Valencienne and her brief fling with a young Frenchman, Camille de Rosillon, as well as a recurring gag about the obsession of the embassy attache, Njegus, with the girls at Maxims. Needless to say, all ends happily with a big party.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy Pyeatt and Clark Sturdevant</td></tr>
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First and foremost among this production's many virtues is the uniform strength of its cast. Winter Opera has been somewhat uneven in this regard in previous the past, but this time around everyone is simply perfect, beginning with soprano Kathy Pyeatt, who demonstrated how to “glitter and be gay” (or quote a song title from <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide_(operetta)" target="_blank">Candide</a></i>) in the crucial role of Hanna. Her voice was liquid gold all the way to the top of its range, making the popular second act aria “Vilja” a thing of beauty. She's also a fine actress, always in character even when not in focus.<br />
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Tenor Clark Sturdevant was a perfect match for Ms. Pyeatt as Danilo. The role lies a bit low for most tenors and is not infrequently sung by a baritone with a solid head voice, but Mr. Sturdevant sounded entirely comfortable with it. He, too, had solid acting chops, which gave the scenes between him and Ms. Pyeatt a convincing reality.<br />
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Among the supporting cast, mezzo Holly Janz stood out as Valencienne. The role is written for a soprano but-as both her singing here and a quick glance at her biography demonstrated-Ms. Janz is comfortable with soprano roles as well. Tenor Jack Swanson was an excellent vocal match for her as Rosillon, and their scenes together had real charm.<br />
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Baritone Gary Moss was a comically clueless Baron Zeta. I'm not sure why he was the only Pontevedrian with a vaudeville "Balkan" accent, but he certainly made it work for him. Baritone Curtis Shoemake was also a delight as the excessively enthusiastic Njegus.<br />
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The chorus is important in Merry Widow, and Chorus Master Nancy Mayo can take pride in how well her forces did their jobs, singling clearly and with impressively precise elocution. It helped that the (uncredited) English translation sounded very natural, often making the English supertitles unnecessary.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtBF2nu_rXssr8NXYaHnUjMdIlgaWJDIMGPflvdn01pDYFwKzh3CiKFYwhOD1tHNLrzoxKXmJeAqsN1ZQcFrA5TXRKFxY1mNNn9xjrOd9VzNR6QqzHOs9DeBjM66C9rDuvG9uXDG9_aeq/s1600/merry-widow_H9A9236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtBF2nu_rXssr8NXYaHnUjMdIlgaWJDIMGPflvdn01pDYFwKzh3CiKFYwhOD1tHNLrzoxKXmJeAqsN1ZQcFrA5TXRKFxY1mNNn9xjrOd9VzNR6QqzHOs9DeBjM66C9rDuvG9uXDG9_aeq/s320/merry-widow_H9A9236.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curtis Shoemake and grisettes</td></tr>
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Director Dean Anthony clearly has a good eye for what works well on a stage. His blocking always made sense and his pacing was unfailingly right and his choreography did an excellent job of keeping the real dancers front and center in the second act party scene while providing easily executed steps for the non-dancing singers in big ensemble numbers. The minstrel show-style tambourine number for the male principals in "Girls, Girls, Girls" was also an inspired (and well executed) bit of comedy.<br />
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Scott Schoonover did his usually fine job conducing the orchestra in a generally very well played reading of Lehár's unforgettable score. There were a few bits of sloppy brass intonation at the very beginning when I saw the show on Sunday, but otherwise the band sounded quite good. I wosj Mr. Schoonover hadn't decided to cut the engaging overture, though.<br />
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Scott Loebl's sets were nothing short of beautiful, with a wonderful <i>trompe e'loeil</i> backdrop for the Pontevedrian embassy that looked positively three dimensional. JC Krajicek's lavish and colorful costumes added to the overall visual richness of this production.<br />
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Ultimately, the worst thing to be said about Winter Opera's <i>Merry Widow</i> is that there were only two performances of it. If Winter Opera is going to continue producing work of this quality, it really needs longer runs. For more information on the current season, including the annual Holidays on the Hill concerts on December 6 and 7, visit <a href="http://winteropera.stl/" target="_blank">the company's web site</a>. Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-15410740310013840692015-11-05T11:30:00.000-06:002015-11-05T15:04:56.541-06:00"Oh misery me": The problems of "Yeomen of the Guard" are unsolved by Winter Opera<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contemporary Yeomen in period costume at the Tower of London</td></tr>
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Gilbert and Sullivan operettas follow a fairly predictable format—so much so that Anna Russell once made it the basis for a sixteen-minute comedy routine on <a href="https://youtu.be/wUvdFMO4Xgg" target="_blank">"How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera."</a> The one oddball in the G&S canon is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yeomen_of_the_Guard" target="_blank">"Yeomen of the Guard,"</a> a somewhat indifferent production of which opened <a href="http://winteroperastl.org/" target="_blank">Winter Opera</a>'s current season the weekend of October 30th.<br />
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"Yeomen" comes at a time in Gilbert and Sullivan's partnership when Sir Arthur Sullivan was beginning to see himself as a victim of his own success. Like his literary contemporary Arthur Conan Doyle, Sullivan felt that his popular works were overshadowing his more serious efforts. As Doyle would come to resent Sherlock Holmes, Sullivan was beginning to resent his comic collaborations with Gilbert. So when Gilbert proposed a more serious libretto, Sullivan jumped at the chance.<br />
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First performed in 1888, "Yeomen" wasn't a total departure from the familiar formula. There are disguises, complex plot reversals, and a fair amount of comedy. But the satirical jabs at British institutions are absent and the ending is, if not really tragic, at least unhappy. The result is an uneven mix of Gilbertian absurdity and unconvincing drama that never really works as either comedy or tragedy. Its appeal has always escaped me.<br />
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Set in the Tower of London in the 16th century, the story of "Yeomen" revolves around Colonel Fairfax, who is about to executed for sorcery on the basis of false testimony from an evil cousin who plans to inherit Fairfax's fortune if Fairfax dies unmarried. Fairfax offers 100 crowns to any woman who will marry him, sight unseen, and so cheat his cousin of his ill-gotten gains. Elsie Maynard, a young singer more or less betrothed to the jester Jack Point, takes him up on the offer in order to buy medicine for her ailing mother.<br />
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Unknown to Fairfax, his old friend Sergeant Meryll and daughter Phoebe have hatched a plot to save his life by disguising him as Meryll's son Leonard, newly arrived to take a position as one of the Tower guards (the "Yeomen" of the title). Once sprung from prison, Fairfax woos Phoebe and then, still disguised as Leonard, seduces Elsie while pretending to be helping Jack Point woo her.<br />
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By the end of the opera both Phoebe and her father are trapped in dreary marriages to (respectively) the loutish jailer Wilfred Shadbolt and the bloodthirsty Tower housekeeper Dame Carruthers as the price for keeping their plot secret. Fairfax claims Elsie and poor Jack Point falls senseless to the stage.<br />
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In short, no good deed goes unpunished and Fairfax, an ingrate if ever there was one, goes on his merry way.<br />
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The inadequacies of the libretto aside, Sullivan produced some wonderful music for "Yeomen," including an artfully constructed overture which was, alas, cut in half for this production. Most of the other optional cuts were apparently made as well, bringing the show in at under two and one-half hours, including intermission. Unfortunately, the slow pacing and static staging by director John Stephens made it feel longer.<br />
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As is often the case with Winter Opera, there were some truly fine voices in this cast, with mezzo Amy Maude Helfer leading the pack as a completely engaging Phoebe. She displayed a fluid, smooth voice and impressive acting skills. Soprano Eileen Vanessa Rodriguez was an excellent Elsie and bass James Harrington brought a welcome touch of dry humor to the role of Sergeant Meryll.<br />
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As Jack Point, baritone Andy Papas had the kind of rich, powerful voice that one doesn't often hear in the "principal actor" roles in Gilbert and Sullivan. He did well by Point's patter numbers, although he made the character a bit more querulous than I would have liked.<br />
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There were vocally strong performances as well from tenor Clark Sturdevant as Fairfax, contralto Sharmay Musacchio as a rather young-looking Dame Carruthers, and bass-baritone Adrian Rosas as the one historically based character, Tower Lieutenant Sir Richard Cholmondeley. Baritone Gary Moss sang well as Shadbolt and had some nice comic business, but insisted on delivering all his lines facing downstage, even when interacting with other characters, which simply looked bizarre.<br />
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The chorus was small but mighty; credit Chorus Master Nancy Mayo for that.<br />
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Scott Schoonover did his usual polished job conducting the orchestra, which generally did quite well by Sullivan's music, that annoying cut in the overture not withstanding. The fact that the Viragh Center has an actual orchestra pit also eliminated some of the balance problems you sometimes encounter in performance spaces that weren’t designed with musical theatre in mind.<br />
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Scott Loebl's set gave a nice sense of the Tower's imposing presence while still leaving lots of playing space available and JC Krajicek's costumes evoked the period quite effectively.<br />
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If "Yeomen of the Guard" was not, on the whole, one of Winter Opera's better efforts, the bulk of the blame must fall to Mr. Gilbert for producing a libretto that was neither fish nor fowl. "Yeomen of the Guard" is a problematic work, and this production didn't solve it.<br />
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Winter Opera's season continues with Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte" January 22 and 24 and concludes with Verdi's "Il Trovatore" March 4 and 6. There's also a festive "Holidays on the Hill" concert December 8 and 9 and Dominic's on the Hill. For more information: <a href="http://winteroperastl.org/" target="_blank">winteroperastl.org</a>.<br />
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This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-39221251348473021652015-08-03T21:00:00.000-05:002015-08-03T21:00:00.843-05:00A dark, driven "Rigoletto" at Union Avenue Opera<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jordan Shanahan and Lacy Sauter<br />
Photo: John Lamb</td></tr>
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<a href="http://unionavenueopera.org/" target="_blank">Union Avenue Opera</a> is following up on its highly praised <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/from-the-zenith-of-18th-century-opera-to-the-fiery-gates-of-hell" target="_blank">"Don Giovanni" </a>with an impressive production of Verdi's 1851 tragedy, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoletto" target="_blank">"Rigoletto."</a> From the ominous brass fanfares that open the prelude to Rigoletto's final despairing howl of "La maledizione" ("the curse"), Tim Ocel's knowing direction drives this "Rigoletto" to its tragic conclusion with the relentless energy of a runaway train.<br />
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Implacably dark and menacing, this tale of men behaving incredibly badly is dominated by low voices—basses, baritones, contraltos, and mezzos. The prevalence of those darker and richer sounds is a characteristically smart theatrical decision by Verdi; it lends a sense of inescapable weight to the story of a revenge plot gone horribly wrong.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_bDMD2J-oouQ58MSq2p9O6xVk4ZR-NdPfz9bQ4K0qfsNBzZ0RhHDiifVoONgTpUWj9dmF4sQ0lKfhGK-EguqAYwAxy5Jm2JBHlS7BaUBNYvxFaNDACLLs9f8eXAEqwhTybgK3XkuvrbC/s1600/UAORigoPrint02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_bDMD2J-oouQ58MSq2p9O6xVk4ZR-NdPfz9bQ4K0qfsNBzZ0RhHDiifVoONgTpUWj9dmF4sQ0lKfhGK-EguqAYwAxy5Jm2JBHlS7BaUBNYvxFaNDACLLs9f8eXAEqwhTybgK3XkuvrbC/s320/UAORigoPrint02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jordan Shanahan and James Callon<br />
Photo: John Lamb</td></tr>
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That only works, of course, if you have strong singers for those roles. Happily Union Avenue has them in abundance here, with pride of place going to baritone Jordan Shanahan in the title role. If you've seen UAO's <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/union-avenue-operas-das-rheingold-is-downsized-but-still-in-business" target="_blank">"Rheingold,"</a> <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/union-avenue-opera-theatre-siegfried" target="_blank">"Siegfried,"</a> or <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/dead-man-walking-not-for-the-faint-of-heart-or-mind" target="_blank">"Dead Man Walking,"</a> you already now that Mr. Shanahan boasts both a big, wide-ranging voice (with solid bottom notes that sound more like the work of a bass-baritone) and an approach to acting that allows him to completely inhabit his characters. His horror movie makeup is so obviously artificial that it's a bit distracting, but the fierce commitment of his performance makes that a minor issue.<br />
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As the feckless (if not downright sociopathic) Duke who callously seduces, assaults, and then abandons Rigoletto's daughter Gilda, tenor James Callon is just as smugly repellent as he should be. He had a couple of rough notes in the second and third acts on opening night, but otherwise sang with admirable clarity garnering the expected applause with popular arias like "La donna è mobile".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Callon and Mark Freiman<br />
(rear)<br />
Photo: John Lamb</td></tr>
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Soprano Lacy Sauter, who was such a heartbreaking Blanche in <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-union-avenue-opera-theatre" target="_blank">"Streetcar Named Desire"</a> last season, returns to UAO as Gilda, whose absurdly self-sacrificing nature leads to the opera's tragic conclusion. The very implausibility of the character is, in my view, a real obstacle for any actress, but Ms. Sauter manages to pull it off with a convincing characterization and a voice that easily navigates the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloratura_soprano" target="_blank">coloratura</a> passages in the famous "Caro nome" aria in Act I.<br />
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Bass-baritone Patrick Blackwell is the doomed Count Monterone, whose dying curse falls heavily on Rigoletto and bass Mark Freiman is the ironically principled assassin Sparafucile. They're both compelling actors, with big, powerful voices that fill the UAO space. There's fine singing as well by Mezzo Kristee Haney, darkly seductive as Sparafucile's sister and partner in crime Maddalena. <br />
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This is, in short, a very strong cast, right down to the smallest walk-ons. That includes Debby Lennon as Gilda's nurse Giovanna, Andy Papas as the put-upon Count Ceprano, Anthony Heinemann the sneering courtier Borsa, and Robert Garner as Marullo, whose momentary attack of conscience, while not explicitly called out in the libretto, nevertheless makes good dramatic sense.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patrick Blackwell<br />
Photo: John Lamb</td></tr>
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Union Avenue's chorus sings with impressive power and clarity. Under Scott Schoonover's usual expert direction the orchestra sounds impressive despite its small size and the vocal/instrumental balance is quite good.<br />
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Tim Ocel has demonstrated on more than one occasion that he knows how to handle the unique demands of the operatic stage—most recently in UAO's stunning <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/union-avenue-operas-la-traviata-is-the-toast-of-the-town" target="_blank">"La Traviata"</a> last season. He has done it again with this "Rigoletto," maintaining a sense of tragic inevitability while still allowing the big musical moments to breathe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristee Haney and Mark Freiman<br />
Photo: John Lamb</td></tr>
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Kyra Bishop's deliberately shabby set with its peeling plaster and exposed lathe and Teresa Doggett's intentionally drab costumes (only Rigoletto has any real color) are presumably intended to underline the moral decay that pervades Francesco Maria Piave's libretto. If so, they do the job admirably. Paige Seber's lighting, however, is so dim that faces are sometimes lost. I'm not sure that the darkness of "Rigoletto" needs to be that visible.<br />
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Union Avenue Opera's admirable "Rigoletto" runs through August 9th at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. The opera is sing in Italian with projected English text. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8, although given that parking on the lot is at a premium, you'll want to get there by 7:30 if possible. For more information, visit <a href="http://unionavenueopera.org/" target="_blank">the company's web site</a>.<br />
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This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-16918260357306740102015-06-21T22:19:00.000-05:002015-08-03T00:03:48.175-05:00Singing as Olympic sport in Opera Theatre's "Richard the Lionheart"<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tim Meady<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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If you're in the mood for an evening of singing so incredible that you'll wonder why it isn't an Olympic sport, then allow me to recommend Opera Theatre's production of the American premiere of Handel's "Richard the Lionheart" (original Italian title: "Riccardo primo, re d’Inghilterra"), final performances of which are this Wednesday at Friday at 8 at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus.<br />
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Written in London (where Handel's Italian-language historical operas were all the rage) for the Royal Academy of Music's 1726/27 season, "Richard" was intended, in part, as a celebratory work for the coronation of England's King George II. As a result it turns England's feckless Crusader king into an absurdly noble romantic figure and suffers (in my view) from an overdose of English Jingoism in its final act.<br />
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Yes, that’s right: an opera written in Italian by a German-born composer celebrates the English virtues of George II, a German-born King. It’s enough to make your head spin.<br />
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One other thing that might make your head spin if you're not an opera and/or classical music fan is that fact that the male leads in "Richard the Lionheart" (Richard and the Syrian prince Oronte) are sung not by tenors but by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertenor" target="_blank">countertenors</a>—men who sing in the mezzo-soprano or alto range. That's because in Handel's day it was fashionable for these parts to be sung by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Castrato" target="_blank">castrati</a>—male singers who were castrated before puberty and whose voices, therefore, never dropped in pitch.<br />
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Handel had a couple of the great castrati of his era to work with in this opera, so Richard and Oronte's arias are flashy and absurdly difficult, filled with elaborate, rapid passages and florid ornamentation. Opera Theatre has, happily, two fine singers in the roles: Tim Mead as Richard and Tai Oney as Oronte. Mr. Mead is clearly the stronger of the two, with a powerful, wide-ranging voice and a convincingly forceful stage presence, although Mr. Oney is no slouch. Their respective calls to arms in the third act are a highlight.<br />
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The story of the opera is based on a real incident in 1191 in which Richard's fiancée, Berengaria of Navarre, was shipwrecked off the coast of Cyprus and held hostage by the island's ruler, Isaac Komnenos. Richard conquered the island and got her back. The opera changes Berengaria's name to Costanza and adds a subplot in which Isaac (Isacio in the opera) tries to pass off his daughter Pulcheria as Richard's intended, much to the distress of Pulcheria's lover Oronte.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L-R: Susannah Biller and Devon Guthrie<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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It's silly stuff and stage director Lee Blakeley has tacked on an unconvincingly dark ending that flatly contradicts the text and the music, but nothing can detract from the fine singing and acting of this cast.<br />
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I've already praised Mr. Mead and Mr. Oney. Soprano Susannah Biller has a crystal-clear coloratura that navigates the music with ease, while soprano Devon Guthrie has an equally impressive but darker tone that works well for Pulcheria. Bass-baritone Brandon Cedel radiates menace as Isacio and bass Adam Lau is warmly sympathetic as Costanza's cousin Berardo. Both have formidable voices that project well.<br />
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Grant Llewellyn conducts the appropriately small orchestra with great flair and sensitivity. Their playing is perfection, with shout-outs to Laura Osterlund on sopranino recorder for her wonderful work on Costanza's "swallow" aria, and to Simon Martyn-Ellis, whose archlute adds a nice bite to the continuo part played by Damien Francoeur-Krzyzek on harpsichord and Melissa Brooks on 'cello.<br />
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For the full Opera Theatre experience, come early and have a picnic or a drink on a table on the lawn. For details on "Richard the Lionheart" and the other three operas this season, visit <a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">the company web site</a>.<br />
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This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-20775662609618061052015-06-12T22:00:00.000-05:002015-06-12T22:00:02.420-05:00Opera Preview: An e-chat with James Robinson, director of "Emmeline" at Opera Theatre<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Robinson<br />
experienceopera.org</td></tr>
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Opera Theatre's fourth production of the season is the local premiere of Tobias Picker's 1996 "Emmeline," which has a book by poet J.D. McClatchy, based on the novel of the same name by Judith Rossner. I spoke with stage director James Robinson about the piece via email this week.<br />
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<b>Chuck Lavazzi:</b> <i>"Emmeline" is the story of a young textile mill worker who is seduced by her employer's son-in-law, gets pregnant, and is forced to give up the baby. Two decades later she unwittingly meets and marries the young man who turns out to be her son. That kernel of story, it seems to me, resonates on both a deep psychological level with its overtones of Oedipus as well as on a political and social level. What aspects of the opera do you find most compelling and why?</i><br />
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<b>James Robinson:</b> I've always been drawn to stories about "the other" in a society. "Emmeline" is certainly about someone who through no fault of her own has become a pariah, an outcast. It's certainly a deeply psychological story that has strong ties to "Oedipus," but it's also the tale of a woman who is really looking and longing to be loved. Obviously, she is taken advantage of by McGuire, the employer's son-in-law who not just takes advantage of her and, to be blunt, he rapes her. McGuire knows that young Emmeline, who has just come to work in the mills, is lonely and he suggests that he can become a father figure to her (knowing that she desperately misses her father and family). What's masterful about the way McClatchy and Picker have approached this situation is that the audience is almost fooled into believing this is a traditional romantic situation — the text is like a love duet and the music is achingly romantic. Then you have to say, "Wait a minute, she's 14 and he's at least twice her age!" Of course, when she finally falls in love with Matthew we again are hoping that she finds true love. Again, it turns out very badly and both librettist and composer know how to deliver a real punch in the gut. So I think these elements are really interesting. In a sense, "Emmeline" with its taut libretto and stunning music is like an opera by Janacek. It follows that composer's masterworks like "Katya Kabanova" and "Jenufa". <br />
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I guess on another level, I love the fact that this is an American opera set in New England and it's rooted in a real time and place. Historically, the mills of Lowell, MA were fascinating in terms of the girls who were sent to work there and what it meant — both good and bad — to industry in the US. I also enjoy presenting operas that shed light on times and places that are not commonly familiar to most people.<br />
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<i>Speaking of the music, in the New York Times review of the 1998 City Opera production, Bernard Holland (who liked the score quite a lot) wrote that the composer "has a true ear for lyrical run-on musical sentences. They ride gracefully and take interesting directions." I'm not entirely sure what he means by that. Now that you've spend so much time with the music, and you tell me what you think he was getting at there?</i><br />
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I would say that Picker has written some really wonderful lyrical passages that are not entirely predictable. "Emmeline" is a very tuneful score and the vocal writing plays off of a lot of solo writing in the orchestra. I would say it's one of the great strengths of the piece because you never really know where the lines are going. So in a sense it's very much like the way people speak or think — there's a great deal of spontaneity that keeps you wondering where things are heading. This as opposed to a more formulaic pattern of vocal writing.<br />
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<i>It sounds like even though Picker studied with some aggressively "modernist" composers like Elliott Carter and Milton Babbitt, he has personally gone back to a more tonal style of composition. Is this something you see happening frequently in the contemporary opera world?</i><br />
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Interestingly, I have come across many composers who worked with some hardcore modernists over the years but who have opted to compose in a more lyrical even tonal style. There is a rigorous element to Picker's music that certainly reflects some of his earlier compositions but I think this has less to do with atonality and more to do with rhythm. "Emmeline" is, in fact, an extremely tonal score but there are some extremely complex rhythmic patterns used throughout. <br />
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<i>Yes, I think something similar is happening in the concert world as well. I've been hearing a lot of "new music" lately that seems to recognize that the war against tonality that the serialists started has been lost. That's a positive development in my book.</i><br />
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I've seen the same thing. I'm not sure it's a complete rejection of brutal atonality as many of these newer/younger composers are employing certain techniques but in a more personal way and with music rooted in tonality. There's also a lot of fusion of styles that I think is very interesting. You hear influences of jazz, rock and international music. The real pros know how to bring these things together to create their own voices. <br />
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<i>Last question: "Emmeline" is, as you say, a layered and complex piece. What are you hoping audiences will take away from it, emotionally and/or intellectually?</i><br />
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I'm hoping the audiences for "Emmeline" will find it a riveting story with really gorgeous music (and terrific performances). True, it's a dark story but it's also quite a moving story that resonates on so many levels. Someone I know saw a dress rehearsal (and she's not a huge opera fan) and wrote me the most incredible note about how the opera touched her deeply on levels of love, religion, passion, taking advantage of children, etc. Is the story too dark? I don't think so. After all, we know pretty early on that Cio Cio San, Mimi and Tosca are not going to have an easy time of it.<br />
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<i>"Emmeline" opens Sunday, June 14, and runs through June 27. For more information, visit the <a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">Opera Theatre web site</a>. </i>Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-87034574710559284722015-06-03T23:05:00.000-05:002015-08-03T00:03:34.597-05:00Puccini's music and Opera Theatre's performers star in "La Rondine"<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Act II quartet and chorus<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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Puccini’s romantic drama "La Rondine" was something of a problem child for the composer. Opera Theatre's utterly splendid production of the original 1917 version (there are thee altogether) illustrates the issue: Giuseppe Adami's clunker of a libretto. As beautifully sung, impeccably acted, intelligently directed, and generally entertaining as this "La Rondine" is, there's just no getting around those words.<br />
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The opera's history was troubled from the beginning. The original request from Vienna's Carltheater in 1913 was for an operetta. Puccini asked for (and got) permission to instead write a genuine opera, but lighter in tone than his tragic masterpieces. When he offered the finished product to his publisher Tito Ricordi in 1916, Ricordi turned it down. Yet when it was published by Ricordi's rival Lorenzo Sonzogno, Ricordi (as stage director Michael Gieleta relates in his program notes) "spread bad word of mouth about 'La rondine'...with such zeal that even a century later, both experts and amateurs retains all sorts of 'opinions' on what 'La rondine' was and wasn't."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney Mancasola and John McVeigh<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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It was revised twice after its premiere (the final version was mounted by OTSL back in 1996), but no revision of it has ever achieved the popularity of "La Boheme" (which it somewhat resembles, at least in the second act) or Puccini's other operas. Until very recently it was still not uncommon to see it dismissed as "Puccini's operetta."<br />
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In both the first and third versions, the libretto of "La Rondine" is often so cryptic that it's nearly telegraphic. "We are given minimal background information concerning the characters," observed Mr. Gieleta in <a href="http://stageleft-stlouis.blogspot.com/2015/05/opera-preview-stage-director-michael.html" target="_blank">an interview with me</a> during tech week, "as if the piece was prompting the audience to figure the actual storyline out for themselves from the scraps of textual evidence. In that context, La Rondine is reminiscent of a good theatrical play in which the author renounces traditional omniscience and where the public is free to interpret the scarcely narrated facts in their own way." Unfortunately, it also makes some of the characters' decisions a bit baffling.<br />
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The story is basically “Traviata lite”. Magda, a “kept woman”, leaves her rich, middle-aged lover Rambaldo and her lush life in Paris to take up with Ruggero, a young hunk from the sticks. Unfortunately the young hunk is, as written, far too painfully naive to be sympathetic, and the rich lover little more than a cipher, which makes Magda's decision to leave them both seem more immature and petulant than tragic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0c7n7oaR6fc1vUvD5JYHVsCQQB0B0FFuyaQN4zxewi8f7aJNuRgeg988ImNLzytHbyNy0bh3GK1qlc1RpPYWWDFvl9r0b97HrmeMQ1sncf86Moiq_qVFo3kj1jGE0c5U7pmzSx44cr1Sj/s1600/Rondine10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0c7n7oaR6fc1vUvD5JYHVsCQQB0B0FFuyaQN4zxewi8f7aJNuRgeg988ImNLzytHbyNy0bh3GK1qlc1RpPYWWDFvl9r0b97HrmeMQ1sncf86Moiq_qVFo3kj1jGE0c5U7pmzSx44cr1Sj/s320/Rondine10.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corinne Winters<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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That said, this is such an impressive production in every way that I mostly found myself able to suspend disbelief and revel in the many wonderful individual moments. The ecstatic "toast to love" in the second act, with the full chorus in full voice, is but one of many examples. One does not, in the final analysis, go to a Puccini opera for the intelligence of the libretto but for the emotional power of the music. And "La Rondine" has that in abundance.<br />
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This production also has bravura performances in abundance, led by soprano Corinne Winters as Magda. She has, in her lower register, the kind of richness I associate with mezzos or altos, while still retaining a crystal clear <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_voice" target="_blank">head voice</a>. Her first big aria in Act I ("Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" in the original Italian) was a real show stopper, drawing enthusiastic applause from the opening night audience. Better yet, her acting is completely convincing, even in the drawn-out melodramatic renunciation of Ruggero in the third act.<br />
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As Magda's maid Lisette, whose expectations of music-hall stardom prove to be wildly unrealistic, soprano Sydney Mancasola also displays a wonderfully clear voice with great top notes, along with a sure comic sense. Tenor John McVeigh turns in an equally fine performance as the poet Prunier, Lisette's on again/off again lover, with yet another fine, strong voice and a convincingly sympathetic character.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corinne Winters and Anthony Kalil<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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In the role of Ruggero, tenor Anthony Kalil did not sound as vocally powerful to me as the rest of the principals, but otherwise turned in a respectable if somewhat monochromatic performance. There is, I think, a bit more variety to Ruggero's character than I saw, at least on opening night. Still, he certainly holds his own with Ms. Winters, Ms. Mancasola, and Mr. McVeigh in that rapturous quartet-and-chorus number in the second act. <br />
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Bass-baritone Matthew Burns isn't given much to do as Rambaldo, but even so he manages to suggest that there is more to his character than the libretto indicates, and does so with a robust and well-focused voice. Sopranos Ashley Milanese and Elizabeth Sutphen and mezzo Hannah Hagerty all provide well-sung cameos as Magda's friends Yvette, Bianca, and Suzy.<br />
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Mr. Gieleta direction is unfailingly sure-footed, creating powerful stage pictures, clarifying character, and generally serving the material remarkably well. Alexander Dodge's and Gregory Gale's costumes beautifully conjure up both Belle Époque Paris and the seaside resort to which Magda and Ruggero flee in the third act, assisted by Christopher Akerlind's dramatic lighting design. This is a "La Rondine" that looks as good as it sounds.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John McVeigh, Corinne Winters and ensemble<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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Speaking of how it sounds, OTSL Music Director Stephen Lord conducts the orchestra with the assurance we have come to expect of him over the years, while the ensemble of (mostly) St. Louis Symphony musicians responds with powerful, impeccable playing. Puccini's entrancing score comes through in all its glory.<br />
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"La Rondine" may never get as much respect as Puccini's more famous works, but it deserves to be seen, if only because it's one of the few Puccini operas in which the heroine isn't either a hapless victim or clueless enabler of badly-behaved men. Say what you will about Magda, she ultimately chooses her own road, even if her reasons are not always clear. And when her story is told this well—to say nothing of this beautifully sung—it’s a reminder of why we love opera in the first place.<br />
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The Opera Theatre of St. Louis production of "La Rondine" continues through June 28 in rotating repertory with three other operas at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. More information is available at <a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">the opera theatre web site</a>.<br />
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This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-46048170936288720072015-05-27T21:10:00.000-05:002015-05-27T21:10:00.199-05:00Opera Preview: OTSL's MIchael Gieleta on the modermism of Puccini's 'La Rondine'<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Gieleta<br />
michaelgieleta.com</td></tr>
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This Saturday, May 30th, <a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">Opera Theatre of St. Louis</a> presents Puccini's rarely seen "lyrical comedy" "La Rondine" ("The Swallow") in the original 1917 version. The opera has only been seen once before on the OTSL stage—in 1996, when the company presented the American premiere of the third (1921) version. I interviewed stage director Michael Gieleta via email during the final week of rehearsals.<br />
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<b>Chuck Lavazzi:</b> <i>Puccini famously left "La Rondine" in a bit of a mess when he died, with three different performing versions available. OTSL has decided on the original 1917 version, which seems to be a popular choice. What were the factors the led you and your collaborators to pick this one as opposed to the other two?</i><br />
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<b>Michael Gieleta</b>: I don't think Puccini's lateral takes on "La Rondine" are any different from his takes on "Madama Butterfly," or of many now-famous American musicals which, for different reasons, get written and rewritten before, during and after they reach Broadway/the West End. It's not untypical of the composers' creative process and of its response to the various kind of pressure from the publishers, producers and the initial press feedback. Lastly, there are the stars who demand an extra "number" (be it "Send in the Clowns" or "Una furtiva lagrima") before the final curtain. Does anyone ever perform the Berlin version of Ibsen's "Doll's House" at the end of which Nora decides to stay with the husband and the children in order to keep the family hearth alit?<br />
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OTSL considered the original, Monte Carlo-premiered version of "La Rondine" most immediate and straightforward and that was the version it was decided to go along with. It may mean that our male lead misses out on his "Parigi è una città dei desideri" Act One aria introduced in the later versions, but he more than makes up for it later in the opera!<br />
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<i>"La Rondine" doesn't seem to get as much attention as Puccini's more famous operas. Why do you think that might be?</i><br />
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It's an interesting question that could be asked in reverse: why is it that "Tosca," "Butterfly," and "Bohème" have been more present in the repertoire than "Manon Lescaut," "The Girl of the Golden West," "Il Tabarro," "La Rondine" or even "Turandot"?<br />
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What makes "La Rondine"'s rare appearance in the rep even more particular is the fact that, unlike some of the titles above, "La Rondine" has a genuine "hit", "Qu'il bel sogno di Doretta". Furthermore, it is one of Puccini's most loved, performed and enduring arias. The biographical background of the premiere of the piece is an unusual one too; I've written about it at length in the programme note.<br />
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What is important is that some titles, some composers and some authors simply come in and out of fashion. It's up to each generation to find their sung or unsung heroes according to that generation's sensitivities towards beauty, drama and music. If you stand outside the famous Paris Opera House, you may as well ask what the busts of Spontini, Halévy, Meyerbeer and Auber are doing next to those of Mozart, Beethoven and Rossini.<br />
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<i>As you write in your program note, "La Rondine" was often referred to (inaccurately and dismissively) as Puccini's "operetta," but that this is finally changing. Do you think the attitudes of the protagonist Magda might play a part in that? She seems a bit less inclined to play the victim than Puccini's more well-known heroines, which would make her more plausible to a contemporary audience.</i><br />
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As "La Rondine" is being reappreciated in the modern day, the contemporary audiences get a chance to directly experience this paradox: whatever monikers were applied to the opera in the past, they are not necessarily substantiated by the work itself.<br />
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Magda is no victim at all; she takes responsibility for her choices and she sticks to those choices. We are given minimal background information concerning the characters as if the piece was prompting the audience to figure the actual storyline out for themselves from the scraps of textual evidence. In that context, "La Rondine" is reminiscent of a good theatrical play in which the author renounces traditional omniscience and where the public free to interpret the scarcely narrated facts in their own way. To quote Puccini's contemporary playwright Luigi Pirandello: "it is so, (if you think so)". That's the spirit, I believe, in which Puccini and Adami were writing "La Rondine."<br />
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<i>So it is, in some ways, a very modern work.</i><br />
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<i>Last question: the last opera you directed here in St. Louis was Smetana's "The Kiss" <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/the-kiss-spreads-joy-at-opera-theatre" target="_blank">back in 2013</a>. At the time, I couldn't help noticing that the heroine, Vendulka, was a refreshingly independent-minded woman with attitudes toward the opposite sex and marriage that sounded very modern, given that the opera premiered in 1876. As a director, are you drawn to libretti that (unlike so much of 19th century opera) feature strong-willed heroines? Or am I just reading too much into this?</i><br />
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I'm very flattered, Chuck, that you have noticed the parallel. I see myself as a storyteller and an interpreter of the material left over by the composer and the librettist. It's Smetana and Puccini (and countless others) who put strong-willed women at the centre of their works. "La Rondine" is quite unusual in Puccini's cannon as it does not have a pre-existing literary source. But that gives both the artists and the audience a wider scope for unbiased interpretation. There's much less play-like realism in "La Rondine" (as opposed to such intricately crafted theatrical set-ups as those found in "Tosca" or "Butterfly," based respectively on plays by Sardou and Belasco); such absence of narrative certainties makes my job all the more demanding, it enriches the rehearsal process and prompts us all in the rehearsal room to stretch our imagination beyond the factual succinctness of the stage directions in the score.<br />
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<i>Ticket information for "La Rondine," the season's other operas, and information on the entire OTSL experience (including picnic suppers on the lawn before the shows) is available at <a href="http://www.opera-stl.org/">Opera Theatre of Saint Louis</a>.</i><br />
<br />
This article originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/reduced-wagner-still-packs-a-punch-in-union-avenues-walkure" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-44693166672418945342015-05-26T21:52:00.000-05:002015-05-26T21:52:00.225-05:00Dr. Bartolo on the verge of a nervous breakdown: a review of Opera Theatre's "Barber of Seville"<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NKAG1SilqpUjGNm7Fq5OFV61Qkmik2JZ3Hmv83Cdk-BPNm1CpqPYO5D0FkQYR7TAN2CLqviov6KP-MP0W3OWG0gwnPzDGR2UewZnCFeChr9Vvy0wLM68ENk2LDCuBwxAGSvmUN1KQ1eY/s1600/BARB_1611a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NKAG1SilqpUjGNm7Fq5OFV61Qkmik2JZ3Hmv83Cdk-BPNm1CpqPYO5D0FkQYR7TAN2CLqviov6KP-MP0W3OWG0gwnPzDGR2UewZnCFeChr9Vvy0wLM68ENk2LDCuBwxAGSvmUN1KQ1eY/s400/BARB_1611a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan Beyer as Figaro<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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Stage director Michael Shell, conductor Ryan McAdams, and the cast of <a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">Opera Theatre of Saint Louis</a>' "Barber of Seville" can all congratulate themselves on a job well done. Kelley Rourke's translation/adaptation of the original libretto and Mr. Shell's visual concepts take a few liberties as they move the action up to (roughly) the mid-1960s, but I felt that none of them violated the intentions of either the original opera or, for that matter, the Beaumarchais play that started it all. The result it a loopy, slightly surreal, and highly engaging take this comic opera classic. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily Fons as Rosina and <br />
Dale Travis as Dr. Bartolo<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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In <a href="http://stageleft-stlouis.blogspot.com/2015/05/opera-preview-conversation-with-michael.html" target="_blank">an email interview with me</a> prior to the opening, Mr. Shell—who originally created this production <a href="https://www.operaphila.org/whats-on/on-stage-2014-2015/barber-of-seville/" target="_blank">for Opera Philadelphia last fall</a>—said that he set out to create a "Barber" that was "vibrant, energetic, and very Spanish". He took as his point of departure the animated and colorful films of Spanish director <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Almod%C3%B3var" target="_blank">Pedro Almodóvar</a>, which, as he writes in his director's notes in the program, "have all the elements of a Rossini opera. Almodóvar is brilliant at walking the line between dramatic comedy and melodramatic absurdity. His films, rich with a vintage feel, are also deeply embedded in Spain and Spanish culture."<br />
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The updated bits are always funny and sometimes inspired. When, for example, Almaviva enters Bartolo's house in Act II disguised as a singing teacher so he can flirt with Rosina, he does so with a sitar and Yoga poses. Rosina's music master Don Basiliso becomes a smarmy nightclub singer, complete with a mic and an absurd Salvador Dali mustache. And the officer of the watch and guards who enter at the height of the comic chaos at the end of Act I are nothing short of living Warner Brothers cartoons, with wacky choreography courtesy of the ever-reliable Seán Curran.<br />
<br />
And then there's the thunderstorm sequence in Act II that Rossini inserted to imply the passage of time between the scene in which Rosina, Figaro, and Almaviva plot Rosina's escape and the actual escape itself. Usually, the stage is bare. In this case, it's filled with the nightmare Bartolo has after downing one too many drinks from his bar. Dancing roosters figure prominently.<br />
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Shoko Kambara's candy-colored sets and Amanda Seymour's gaudy costumes add to the vivid cinematic imagery.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Tiesi as Almavivia, Emily Fons as <br />
Rosina, and Jonathan Beyer as Figaro<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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So, yes, there's plenty of action in this "Barber." And while some of it is only tangentially connected to the story, it's never allowed to draw attention from the singers and it always serves the comedy well. Even when, as in the Act I finale, there's a lot of movement going on, it's kept mostly upstage, so it's easy to keep the focus on the principals. This is a production that respects the intelligence of its audience and doesn't assume that we need to be constantly distracted in order to be entertained.<br />
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With the exception of bass-baritone Dale Travis as Bartolo, this cast is entirely new to Opera Theatre. It's always a pleasure to see some new faces on the stage, especially when they're this good.<br />
<br />
Baritone Jonathan Beyer is Figaro, the versatile fixer who can arrange an assignation as easily as he can shave your beard. Mr. Beyer created this role in the Opera Philadelphia production, and he clearly couldn't be more comfortable in it. He's a tall, commanding comic presence on the stage with a versatile voice that's more than up to Rossini's demands. His "Largo al factotum" was gracefully done, and without the excessive ornamentation that some singers are prone to give it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Tiesi as Almavivia<br />
Jonathan Beyer as Figaro<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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Christopher Tiesi is the lovelorn Almaviva, with a ringing tenor and a feel for comedy that makes him an ideal foil for Mr. Beyer's Figaro. The fact that he's so much shorter than Figaro also creates some amusing "Mutt and Jeff" images in their scenes together.<br />
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Mr. Travis is another big actor with an equally large voice, and it serves him well as the comically pompous Bartolo. He delvers Rossini's rapid patter songs with ease and impressively precise diction. South Korean bass-baritone Jeongcheol Cha rounds out the principal male cast as the wily (if ineffectual) Basilio. His "gossip" aria "La calunnia è un venticello" was a first-act highlight.<br />
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Mezzo-soprano Emily Fons is Rosina. The role was originally written for a contralto, but sopranos and mezzos have done well with it over the years, and Ms. Fons sounded entirely comfortable with it, giving us an "Una voce poco fa" in Act I that was both beautifully sung and hilariously in character. Soprano Eliza Johnson only has one short aria ("l vecchiotto cerca moglie" in Act II) as the maid Berta, but she makes it a charming little character bit.<br />
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There are fine performances as well from baritone Benjamin Taylor as Almaviva's friend Fiorello, baritone Jonathan McCullough as the increasingly rattled Officer at the end of Act I, tenor Todd Barnhill as the Notary, and tenor Geoffrey Agpalo as the servant Ambrogio.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpC2lCAHAfVPyIUOffWiWZHu2BUjv9NevA07jAW6mkQnjOI_gWKltCbWmI7a8Uidxqt0hzXj1zQSnqGUeGtXfcQq8mJ1us5P7QF3Jz8-GNoN-OWCBsqJ8sCc7n8pCZVAwYIiRikTwsC8r5/s1600/BARB_3877a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpC2lCAHAfVPyIUOffWiWZHu2BUjv9NevA07jAW6mkQnjOI_gWKltCbWmI7a8Uidxqt0hzXj1zQSnqGUeGtXfcQq8mJ1us5P7QF3Jz8-GNoN-OWCBsqJ8sCc7n8pCZVAwYIiRikTwsC8r5/s320/BARB_3877a.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christoper Tiesi as Almaviva<br />
Emily Fons as Rosina, and <br />
Jonathan Beyer as Figaro<br />
Photo: Ken Howard</td></tr>
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Down in the orchestra pit, conductor Ryan McAdams does well by Rossini's infectious score, beginning with a performance of the overture that was both rousing and nuanced. There were a few moments on opening night when the orchestra and the singers sounded not entirely in synch, but on the whole it all came together splendidly.<br />
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The projected English text was a bit spotty on opening night, but given how clearly everyone in this cast enunciates I didn't find that to be an issue. The bottom line is that the things that really matter all work very well in this production, making it a lively and enjoyable opener for OTSL's 40th anniversary season.<br />
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The Opera Theatre of St. Louis production of Rossini's "Barber of Seville" continues through June 27 in rotating repertory with three other operas at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. The opera is sung in English with projected English text. For ticket information: <a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">experienceopera.org</a>.<br />
<br />
This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/reduced-wagner-still-packs-a-punch-in-union-avenues-walkure" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-91618467716262084572015-05-19T23:17:00.000-05:002015-05-19T23:17:00.504-05:00A conversation with Michael Shell, stage director for Opera Theatre's "The Barber of Seville"<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WGSzYgfyJeVPyAOpA6gUBwSBoncxvYfK2ugyXpaqQ_2haiGZISKTmggEJ5IZl2bV_e9pa4aPMm8GZCqDtAhrZ6HJW2TabnARlsiA9rfj_TFPtN-Im7rjizGgVffx0DfaDiIZifS6TaQi/s1600/mshellshot5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WGSzYgfyJeVPyAOpA6gUBwSBoncxvYfK2ugyXpaqQ_2haiGZISKTmggEJ5IZl2bV_e9pa4aPMm8GZCqDtAhrZ6HJW2TabnARlsiA9rfj_TFPtN-Im7rjizGgVffx0DfaDiIZifS6TaQi/s320/mshellshot5.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Shell<br />
michaelshelldirector.com</td></tr>
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<a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">Opera Theatre of St. Louis</a> opens its 2015 festival season with Rossini's popular comic opera "The Barber of Seville" on Saturday, May 23rd. The production, which will run through June 27th, will alternate with three other operas on the main stage of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. <br />
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This will be OTSL's sixth production of the opera. In an email interview, I asked stage director Michael Shell (who directed Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte" for OTSL <a href="http://stageleft-stlouis.blogspot.com/2012/06/everybodys-doin-it-now.html" target="_blank">back in 2012</a>) what to expect in this latest version of the Rossini classic.<br />
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<b>Chuck Lavazzi (CL):</b> <i>When this production made its first appearance with Opera Philadelphia last October, the reviewer for PhillyNow praised its "modernist set design and colorful costumes". How would you describe the look of this new "Barber"?</i><br />
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<b>Michael Shell (MS):</b> I would describe the look of new production as vibrant, energetic and very Spanish. The music is vibrant and energetic/rhythmic. I wanted the look and feel of this production and the way we tell the story to match the vibrant rhythmic quality of the music. This is not Beaumarchais's "Barber of Seville." This is very much a Rossini comedy in the best sense. It walks the line between reality and absurdity and I wanted an environment that could sustain and allow for both. The updating of the piece, using the films of Pedro Almodovar as a jumping off point, helped give us a different way to look at the whole. Not to ignore any aspect of what was there, but allow us to go to a variety of different places.<br />
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<b>CL:</b> <i>How does that vision of "Barber" influence the way you direct your singers? Is there a particular acting style you're going for that might be different from a more traditional production?</i><br />
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<b>MS:</b> I always come from a place of what does the character want and how do they get it. That is the most important thing. What changes because of this take on the show, is the how. How they go about achieving their goals becomes just as important as what the goals or objectives are. How does Bertha, for example, who I feel really loves Bartolo, go about getting him to notice her. The Count's disguise as Don Alonso allows the meaning of his words at the top of Act II "Peace and joy and understanding" to go to a different place in order to trick Bartolo. <br />
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<b>CL:</b> <i>Yes. Actors can never go wrong asking "what's my objective in this scene?" regardless of whether there's music behind them or not.</i><br />
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<b>MS:</b> Absolutely!! I agree completely. Tends to not be the first thing that opera singers ask, but I am fortunate that this cast was very interested in discussing and working towards that so that we could make interesting choices on how to go about achieving their objectives. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shell's "Cosi fan Tutte" at OTSL, 2012<br />
experienceopera.org</td></tr>
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<b>CL:</b> <i>The notion of what's funny varies among cultures and often changes over time. Directors of Shakespeare's comedies, for example, often find themselves faced with a real challenge in keeping the shows funny for a modern audience when the references for so many of the jokes have been lost over the centuries. Do you find a similar challenge in 18th and 19th century comic operas? How do you deal with it, if so?</i><br />
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<b>MS:</b> In terms of comedies, the good comedic operas by Mozart or Rossini for example, have tapped into something that is universal and still relevant to us today. So while my choice of setting for this production is updated, and it certainly allows us to be somewhat anachronistic at times, the whole point was to tap into that universal humor that is intrinsic in the piece. And perhaps by putting it in a setting that is distant but still closer to our time than the original period, it may be more humorous to some people who might not be enticed by a traditional telling. The new touches that make it perhaps more humorous are only able to work because we have found situations that match the ones in the piece. For example - In discussion the characters with my team, we decided that because Bartolo is so blind to not only the fact that Rosina could never love him, but somewhat oblivious to everything that is going on around him, that he should be an eye doctor. And in our efforts to keep the character of Rosina from being just this bored, sometimes petulant girl, in this production, we thought that Bartolo would make her be his medical assistant / secretary in order to keep an eye on her. So in his aria near the end of Act I, we introduce a patient into the mix while Bartolo is fuming with anger at Rosina. So he is having to deal with this patient and Rosina at the same time. The exam gets out of control as he loses his cool with Rosina. <br />
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This is in no way saying that a traditional telling of this piece is equally as funny. But I figured that it might be interesting to explore a new side of this piece to do what you said about keeping it funny for a modern audience. <br />
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<b>CL:</b> <i>One last question: OperaBase shows "Barber" as the eighth most performed opera in the world right now and the third most performed comedy, right behind Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro." What do you think is behind that continuing popularity?</i><br />
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<b>MS:</b> To answer your question - I think I can sum that up with one word : JOY. There is so much joy in the spirit of the piece that I think that is why it has stood the test of time. There is joy in the story, in the characters and especially Rossini's music. It is just a lot of fun to be in this world. And what I hope our production has done has created a world, that may be different than the normal one, but a world that the audience wants to be in and be a part of. <br />
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For ticket information on "The Barber of Seville," the season's other operas, and information on the entire OTSL experience (including picnic suppers on the lawn before the shows): <a href="http://experienceopera.org/" target="_blank">experienceopera.org</a>.
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<br />
This article originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/reduced-wagner-still-packs-a-punch-in-union-avenues-walkure" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-87084699657327843212015-05-10T16:59:00.000-05:002015-05-18T23:19:19.267-05:00Review of 'Aida" in concert with The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmLuSsRJxxrpDNG-rOPeN7tVV-vVom_Qiwk8Jt-NeXCfbMDG66BdWhGUJMFdRM0EvR6HZfsWQOGg1Mjog12WfWDcdWmsktG6Ba7mTIJVHDQ-StxhGrivplBMT9rApuwjeFlPMI_z2Cb6a/s1600/slso-aida01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmLuSsRJxxrpDNG-rOPeN7tVV-vVom_Qiwk8Jt-NeXCfbMDG66BdWhGUJMFdRM0EvR6HZfsWQOGg1Mjog12WfWDcdWmsktG6Ba7mTIJVHDQ-StxhGrivplBMT9rApuwjeFlPMI_z2Cb6a/s400/slso-aida01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Aida" at Powell Hall<br />
stlsymphony.org / Eddie Silva</td></tr>
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In the hands of a lesser composer, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida" target="_blank">"Aida"</a> might have been a classic potboiler—cheap yard goods written on commission and quickly forgotten. But Verdi was a thoroughgoing man of the theatre with a keen sense of what worked on stage. Moreover, by the time he wrote "Aida" in 1870 he was a mature artist with a string of hits to his credit. The result is a work, in the words of British opera scholar <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Budden" target="_blank">Julian Budden</a>, "in which the various elements—grandeur, exotic pictorialism, and intimate poetry—are held in perfect equilibrium and from which not a single note can be cut."<br />
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If you want to see for yourself just how right Mr. Budden was, hie yourself down to Powell Hall this weekend to see and hear the remarkable concert version of "Aida" being presented by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the impeccable direction of David Robertson. Distinguished by virtuoso performances from the orchestra and Amy Kaiser's splendid chorus and an international cast of strong singers—most of whom are also respectable actors—this is an "Aida" that demonstrates that great opera is also great musical theatre.<br />
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"Aida," as Mr. Budden says, has it all: romance, treachery, tragedy, and a stunning Act II finale complete with offstage brass, ballet music, and what Shakespeare's Othello (in his famous "farewell to arms" speech) called the "[p]ride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war." The final scene—in which the doomed lovers Aida and Radamès slowly expire in a sealed tomb while Amneris bitterly regrets her part in their destruction and the offstage chorus sings a hymn to "immenso Ftha"—is a brilliantly conceived coup de theatre, calculated to bring a lump to the most stoic of throats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGA38GXiUkJ9RdsJIb5p-SxNttk1AZdAWMmL34g83EgG64IEiW6YG2MsDSXuR3l31FxKP1HwTCPd6-1R3cqI2cfP3dEB13E89Iah6gj5TllsTHteW7miWP4EKixQH3V0Wsz2Fxpr_pzbd/s1600/polombi-Portrait+Grey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGA38GXiUkJ9RdsJIb5p-SxNttk1AZdAWMmL34g83EgG64IEiW6YG2MsDSXuR3l31FxKP1HwTCPd6-1R3cqI2cfP3dEB13E89Iah6gj5TllsTHteW7miWP4EKixQH3V0Wsz2Fxpr_pzbd/s200/polombi-Portrait+Grey.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antonello Polombi<br />
liricopera.com</td></tr>
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Well, it did to mine, anyway.<br />
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The cast for this production is headed by soprano Lucrecia García and tenor Antonello Palombi as the doomed lovers Aida and Radamès. Mr. Palombi was clearly the most intensely focused actor in this cast, completely in character as soon as he walked on stage. You could see his concentration in little things, like the way he stayed "in the moment" for a beat or two after he cut off that high A at the end of "Celeste Aida," or the way he reacted to what other characters were doing even when he wasn't in focus. <br />
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He also displayed that rich, powerful voice that has gotten him rave reviews elsewhere in the past. Reviewing his Manrico in Seattle back in 2010, for example, the Opera Warhorses blog <a href="http://www.operawarhorses.com/2010/01/18/seattles-trovatore-standing-ovations-for-antonello-palombi-lisa-daltirus/" target="_blank">praised</a> the "strength and beauty" of his voice, dubbing him "a true <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor#Dramatic_tenor" target="_blank"><i>tenore di forza</i></a>" (the "dramatic tenor" Verdi said was required for his leading roles). I'd have to agree. Even in the overly reverberant acoustic fog of Powell Hall's upper reaches, he came through loud and clear.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErh591Qc1lb0FjewkW4r5_5fNu-N9m7qpWYxrtvgptGnmqyfrxQCRPT2ZHXLGesQqUvNWSSCS6LvC4nlt4VM90KtonefCMNBiqAxx-C1qj3bA5XPcrFZO0kiww-Y0dspLtxzlu_S5WpeG/s1600/Garcia_2_610_300_c1_center_center_0_-0_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErh591Qc1lb0FjewkW4r5_5fNu-N9m7qpWYxrtvgptGnmqyfrxQCRPT2ZHXLGesQqUvNWSSCS6LvC4nlt4VM90KtonefCMNBiqAxx-C1qj3bA5XPcrFZO0kiww-Y0dspLtxzlu_S5WpeG/s320/Garcia_2_610_300_c1_center_center_0_-0_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucrecia Garcia<br />
imgartists.com</td></tr>
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Ms. Garcia's Aida was more dramatically restrained but still entirely compelling. Her "Ritorna vincitor" was right on the dramatic money and her death scene with Mr. Palombi, as noted, was truly moving. She, too, has the kind of precision and gravity-defying vocal power needed to fill a big hall. Reviewing her Odabella in the Teater an der Wien's production of Verdi's Attila back in 2013 for bachtrack.com, Chanda VanderHart <a href="http://bachtrack.com/review-theater-an-der-wien-verdi-attila-konwitschny" target="_blank">accurately described</a> her as having "a color and metal to her tone reminiscent of a young <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leontyne_Price" target="_blank">Leontyne Price</a>"—a telling comparison, given that Ms. Price (who retired from the stage in 1985) was one of the great Aidas of her time.<br />
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Russian mezzo Ekaterina Semenchuk also turned in an exciting performance as Amneris, whose insane jealousy destroys the lives of everyone—hers included. Like Mr. Palombi, she is always in character and always credible. She has a powerhouse of a voice, with an appropriately rich and dark bottom and solid top notes.<br />
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Basses Alexander Vinogradov and Soloman Howard bring impressive gravitas to the roles of the High Priest Ramfis and the Pharaoh, respectively. Soprano Sarah Price makes a strong impression as the High Priestess and tenor Dennis Wilhoit, while not quite in the same vocal league as the rest of the cast, is nevertheless and excellent Messenger.<br />
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As Aida's father Amonsasro, King of Ethiopia, baritone Gordon Hawkins is vocally impressive, with an opulent voice that projects well, but (at least of Thursday night) seemed not to be acting the part at all. Even in the Act III duet "Rivedrai le foreste imbalsamente," where he's excoriating Aida and reminding her of the horrors inflicted on Ethiopia by the Egyptians, his only emotional setting appeared to be "stolid."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amy Kaiser<br />
stlsymphony.org</td></tr>
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Amy Kaiser's chorus displayed that mix of power, finesse, and precise diction that I have come to expect of them over the years. Their singing in the big triumphal scene that concludes Verdi's Act II was thrilling, of course, but their offstage work in the final moments of the last act was equally impressive.<br />
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The musicians of the SLSO performed heroically here. With intermission, "Aida" runs just over three hours, so it requires a lot of stamina as well as skill. It got both on Thursday night, along with some fine work by individual players to whom Verdi has given some notable solos. That included (among others) Principal Harp Allegra Lilly at various points in the first act; Principal Flute Mark Sparks and fellow flautists Jennifer Nichtman and Ann Choomack in the dance of the priestesses from I,2; and Tzuying Huang on bass clarinet during Amneris' aria at the top of Act IV. The offstage brass during Act II were also very effective.<br />
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Mr. Robertson pulls all this together in a wonderfully nuanced interpretation, with generally quite good balances between the orchestra and vocalists. If the latter were at times overwhelmed, it was more a matter of Powell Hall's acoustics than anything else. His tempi for some of the ballet sequences would probably have been too brisk for live dancers, but in a concert setting like this one they worked just fine and were exciting to hear.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://skatytucker.com/" target="_blank">S. Katy Tucker</a>'s video projections on the back and sides of the stage were a major asset when creating virtual scenery like the stunning Temple of Vulcan in I,2 (complete with remarkably realistic flaming torches) or the exterior of the royal palace in II, 2. They also provided nicely synchronized animation to accompany those ballet sequences. <br />
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They were, however, more of a detriment when they pulled focus from the singers—which they did far too often. When Radamès is singing about wanting to build Aida a throne next to the sun ("un trono vicino al sol"), we really don't need to see animated sunbeams any more than we need to see blooming flowers when, in II,2, the women of the chorus sing of crowning Radamès' brow with lotus and laurel. And we certainly don't need an animated eye looking back and forth between singers. Less gilding of the visual lily would have been more effective.<br />
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The St. Louis Symphony's celestial "Aida" brought the regular concert season to a splendid close. For ticket information on other SLSO events: <a href="http://stlsymphony.org/" target="_blank">stlsymphony.org</a>.
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<br />
This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/reduced-wagner-still-packs-a-punch-in-union-avenues-walkure" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic.
Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-27543085847126094202015-05-07T17:56:00.000-05:002015-05-09T16:44:29.195-05:00Preview of "Aida" in concert at the St. Louis Symphony, May 7 and 9, 2015<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soprano Lucrecia Garcia<br />
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The on-line version of the Oxford Dictionary <a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us" target="_blank">defines</a> a "potboiler" as a "book, painting, or recording produced merely to make the writer or artist a living by catering to popular taste." Verdi's 1871 opera <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida" target="_blank">"Aida,"</a> a concert version of which closes the St. Louis Symphony season this weekend, probably meets that definition to some extent since it started out as a purely commercial endeavor. But Verdi quickly became enthusiastic about the project, and "Aida" transcended its origins.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Verdi conducting "Aida" in Paris, 1881<br />
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Commissioned by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isma%27il_Pasha" target="_blank">Isma'il Pasha</a>, Khedive of Egypt from 1863 to 1879, "Aida" had its premiere on Christmas Eve 1871 at the Khedive's new 850-seat grand opera house in Cairo. As befitted the occasion, it was a massive, eye-popping spectacle—a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_opera" target="_blank">"grand opera"</a> in the tradition of Meyerbeer with elaborate (and historically accurate) sets and costumes by French Egyptologist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Mariette" target="_blank">Auguste Ferdinand Mariette</a> who had written the story that was the basis for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Ghislanzoni" target="_blank">Antonio Ghislanzoni</a>'s libretto. Verdi was reportedly annoyed that the Cairo audience was strictly limited to critics and dignitaries, though, and is said to have regarded the opera's first non-Egyptian performance—in Milan at La Scala in 1872—as the work's "real" premiere.<br />
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"Aida" is more than just spectacle, of course. The story, as Julian Budden writes in the 1989 edition of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Opera-Norton-Grove-Handbooks/dp/0393028100" target="_blank">Stanley Sadie's "History of Opera,"</a> "is unusually simple, presenting the time-honored conflict of love versus duty in time of war...set forth in a score in which the various elements—grandeur, exotic pictorialism, and intimate poetry—are held in perfect equilibrium and from which not a single note can be cut." <br />
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Not surprisingly, then, popular and critical acclaim followed hard upon the Milan opening. As Paul Schiavo writes <a href="http://www.stlsymphony.org/globalassets/connect-files/sls-april15-insert5-5-final.pdf" target="_blank">in his SLSO program notes</a>, "subsequent productions...quickly placed Aida in the forefront of the operatic repertory. It has never relinquished its position there, and seems unlikely ever to do so." <br />
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Much of this is due to the fact that Verdi was a thoroughgoing man of the theatre with a keen sense of what would and would not work in performance. "At all stages of the formation of the libretto," wrote Gordon Stewart in his notes for the <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Verdi-Price-Vickers-Gorr-Merrill-Tozzi-Rome-Opera-House-Orchestra-And-Chorus-Solti-A%C3%AFda/release/1737427" target="_blank">classic 1962 recording of "Aida"</a> with Leontyne Price, "Verdi altered, suggested, removed. He was always a bully where librettists were concerned, but he had never indulged himself as much as he did in 'Aida'. Not only was the general shape of the opera, the interplay of the human relationships, his concern, but the details of the words—the rhythms of the verse and even whole lines—owe something to him."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Album cover of the 1962 "Aida"</td></tr>
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You can see that in the detailed 92-page production book (<i>disposizione scenica</i>) for "Aida" which, as Roger Savage and Will Crutchfield observe (in Sadie, op. cit.) "is virtually a moment-by-moment dramatic analysis" that is "essentially the work of Verdi himself." The book includes "the most detailed directions for the exact composition of processions and scenes of pageantry...with stage movement and interpretive directions running right through the solo arias (even including the number of steps to be taken)." You can see <a href="http://www.ricordicompany.com/en/page/66///" target="_blank">a sample page</a> at the web site of Verdi's publisher, Ricordi. Verdi never went as far as Wagner, with his concept of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesamtkunstwerk" target="_blank"><i>Gesamtkunstwerk</i></a> (roughly, "total work of art") in which the composer was responsible for every aspect of the work, but he certainly came close.<br />
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You don't get all that in a concert performance, of course, but the SLSO isn't going to ask you to rely entirely on your mind's eye. According to <a href="http://shop.stlsymphony.org/single/EventDetail.aspx?p=4463" target="_blank">the SLSO web site</a>, the concerts will be "enhanced by innovative lighting projection by designer <a href="http://www.skatytucker.com/" target="_blank">S. Katy Tucker</a>...a renowned artist known for her design work at Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Opera, Sydney Symphony and more." In <a href="https://youtu.be/O2OHPcw_8jQ" target="_blank">a promotional video</a>, SLSO music director David Robertson says that as a result "Powell Hall will be transformed into this incredible sort of temple of music and evocation of the magic landscape that Verdi created." <br />
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Given that none of our local opera companies have the stage facilities for something as grandiose as "Aida," this is probably the closest we're likely to get to a full production in St. Louis without hopping into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS" target="_blank">Dr. Who's TARDIS</a> and traveling back to 1917, when <a href="http://www.muny.org/48-history/on-this-day/388-june-8-1917" target="_blank">the opera was presented at the Municipal Theatre</a> (now The Muny) in Forest Park.<br />
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<b>The Essentials:</b> David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, soprano Lucrecia Garcia, and an international roster of soloists in a complete concert performance of Verdi's "Aida" Thursday and Saturday at 8 p.m., May 7 and 9. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center and the Saturday performance will be broadcast on <a href="http://stlpublicradio.org/" target="_blank">St. Louis Public Radio</a>. For more information: <a href="http://stlsymphony.org/" target="_blank">stlsymphony.org</a>.Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-50026667109673469292014-08-22T10:00:00.000-05:002014-08-22T10:00:03.529-05:00Anna Russell Explains The Ring Cycle<div style="text-align: justify;">
Think you'll be confused by the plot of <b><i>Siegfried</i></b> without having seen <i>Das Rheingold</i> and <i>Die Walküre</i> first? Fear not! Let British humorist <b>Anna Russell </b>get you up to speed with her succinct, hilarious analysis of Wagner's Ring Cycle:</div>
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<b><i>Siegfried </i></b>opens <b>August 22</b> and runs August <b>23</b>, <b>29</b> and <b>30</b> at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in German with projected English supertitles. <b>Tickets</b> may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/">www.unionavenueopera.org</a> or by calling <strong>314-361-2881</strong>.</div>
Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-4604349252851495672014-08-21T14:00:00.000-05:002014-08-22T11:39:03.188-05:00"Siegfried" Opens Tomorrow at Union Avenue Opera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clay Hilley<br />
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014<br />
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<b>Union Avenue Opera</b>'s four-year journey through Richard Wagner's <i>Ring Cycle</i> continues after the critically lauded Die Walküre from last season with the third opera in the cycle: <b><i>Siegfried</i></b>.<br />
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Swords are re-forged, dragons slain, a sleeping maiden awakened, treasures reclaimed, and justice dispensed as the power of the gods continues to dwindle. The fearless hero <i><b>Siegfried</b></i>, grandson of Wotan, is destined for greatness as he faces a multitude of challenges, including winning the love of Brünnhilde. <i>Siegfried </i>is a wonderful fairytale with the requisite happy ending ... for the moment at least. <i>Siegfried</i> is reduced and adapted by English composer Jonathan Dove. His masterful cuts condense the opera in length to under three hours and will be enhanced by video projections befitting the magnificent grandeur of the <i>Ring Cycle</i>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jordan Shanahan and David Dillard<br />
Photo © John Lamb, 2014<br />
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<b>THE CAST</b></div>
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Tenor <b>Clay Hilley</b> makes his UAO debut in the title role. He comes to us after engagements as Father Grenville in <i>Dead Man Walking </i>and Radames in <i>Aida</i>. Soprano <b>Alexandra LoBianco</b>, joins him onstage, making her return to the role of Brünnhilde. Last seen as Goro in last season's <i>Madama Butterfly</i>, Tenor <b>Marc Schapman</b> sings the role of Mime, a dwarf that raises the story's hero. Also returning from the <i>Butterfly </i>cast, Baritone <b>David Dillard</b> portrays The Wanderer--the head god Wotan in disguise. Bass <b>Nathan Whitson</b>, Hunding in last season's <i>Die Walküre</i>, returns in the role of the giant-turned-dragon Fafner. Two artists return to roles previously sung in 2012's <i>Das Rheingold</i>: Mezzo Soprano <b>Cecelia Stearman</b> as Erda and Baritone <b>Jordan Shanahan</b> as Alberich. Soprano <b>Kate Reimann</b> sings the role of the Forest Bird.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cecelia Stearman<br />
Photo © Teresa Doggett, 2014 | All Rights Reserved</td></tr>
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<b>THE CREW</b></div>
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UAO Artistic Director and Conductor <b>Scott Schoonover</b> leads the orchestra. Stage Director <b>Karen Coe Miller</b> returns after <i>Das Rheingold</i> and <i>Die Walküre</i> to continue her work on the reduced Ring Cycle. <b>Allyson Ditchey</b> serves as Stage Manager. The design team includes Set and Lighting Designer <b>Patrick Huber</b>, Video Projection Designer <b>Michael Perkins</b>, Costume Designer <b>Teresa Doggett</b> and Production Manager <b>Sean Savoie</b>. Pianist <b>Nancy Mayo</b> serves as repetiteur.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexandra LoBianco<br />
Photo © Teresa Doggett, 2014 | All Rights Reserved</td></tr>
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<b>FRIDAY NIGHT <br />LECTURE SERIES</b></div>
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<b>Glen Bauer, Ph.D.</b>, Associate Chair of the Webster University Music Department, will give a lecture one hour before each Friday performance (August 1st and 8th at 7:00pm) in the Fellowship Gallery of Union Avenue Christian Church. Lectures are <b><i>free</i></b> and open to the general public; no ticket to the performance required.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marc Schapman and Clay Hilley<br />
Photo © John Lamb, 2014<br />
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<b>OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION</b></div>
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Want a chance to eat, drink and schmooze with cast and crew of <i>Siegfried</i> on Opening Night? UAO hosts an <b>Opening Night Reception</b> on Friday, August 22nd after the performance at <b>Tavern of Fine Arts</b>. <a href="http://unionavenueopera.org/?page_id=4" target="_blank">Click here</a> for more information.<br />
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<b>"SIEGFRIED" IN THE MEDIA</b></div>
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<b>Sarah Bryan Miller</b> of the <i>St. Louis Post-Dispatch</i> <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/at-union-avenue-opera-siegfried-holds-no-terrors-for-tenor/article_24821bb7-60ce-57a5-8ad4-9bb08d587198.html" target="_blank">covers</a> the production, interviewing Clay Hilley.<br />
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<b>Gerry Kowarsky </b>and <b>Marc Bretz</b> of <i>Two on the Aisle</i> <a href="http://www.hectv.org/video/15344/august-21-2014/#!/interview-of-alexandra-lobianco-soprano-and-karen-coe-miller-director-of-union-avenue-opera/">sit down</a> with Karen Coe Miller and Alexandra LoBianco to discuss <i>Siegfried</i> and the Ring Cycle.<br />
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<b><i><br /></i></b><b><i>Siegfried</i></b> opens tomorrow, August 22nd, and runs August 23, 29 and 30 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in German with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/">www.unionavenueopera.org</a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-32316631652402975032014-08-05T11:42:00.000-05:002014-08-07T12:09:34.852-05:00The Critics on "A Streetcar Named Desire"<b>Union Avenue Opera</b>'s production of <i><b>A Streetcar Named Desire</b></i> concludes its run this weekend. Here's a sample of what Sarah Bryan Miller of the <i>St. Louis Post-Dispatch</i>, Gerry Kowarsky of <i>Two on the Aisle</i>, Steve Callahan of <i>BroadwayWorld</i>, Gary Scott of KDHX and Mark Bretz of <i>Ladue News</i> have to say about the production. [NOTE: More reviews to come. Stay connected to this blog for later updates.]<br />
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<a href="http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-makes-a-welcome-stop-at-union/article_cd5846c4-52b3-550c-b95c-afa398f5cad9.html" target="_blank"><b>Sarah Bryan Miller</b></a>:<br />
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<i>"...a musically and dramatically worthy production of André Previn's 'A Streetcar Named Desire'...</i> </blockquote>
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<i><b>Lacy Sauter</b> captured the character of Blanche...[her] voice is lovely and well-produced...She made the most of her aria “I want magic,” a beautiful moment in a largely generic score... <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b> is clearly a performer with a future; she is vocally and dramatically secure, attractive and thoroughly musical... <b>Bernardo Bermudez</b> was an appropriately hunky Stanley, with a big, burnished baritone and excellent diction... <b>Anthony Wright Webb</b>’s Mitch was beautifully drawn and sung...He offered both a lovely lyric tenor and believable heartbreak... Conductor <b>Kostis Protopapas</b> had a sure grasp of the score, and led his forces with clarity and energy, in a notable performance... UAO’s small stage was perfect for this intimate production. Set designer <b>Kyra Bishop</b> used it well... <b>Teresa Doggett</b>’s authentic costumes suited the characters admirably... Stage director <b>Christopher Limber</b> used the cast and the set to good advantage."</i></blockquote>
<a href="http://www.hectv.org/video/15343/august-7-2014/#!/review-of-a-streetcar-named-desire/" target="_blank"><b>Gerry Kowarsky</b></a>:<br />
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<i>"The Union Avenue production is so strong... <b>Kostis Protopapas</b> draws fine playing from the orchestra while keeping the sound and balance with the voices at a pace which fits the action... <b>Lacy Sauter</b>'s Blanche DuBois is beautifully sung and highly sensitive to her emotional states... <b>Bernardo Bermudez</b> has the swagger of Stanley Kowalski... <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b>'s Stella Kowalski is believable both as Stanley's and Blanche's sister... <b>Anthony Webb</b> admirably projects the sweetness and naiveté that sparks Blanche's interest and makes Mitch vulnerable to her artfulness... <b>Kyra Bishop</b>'s set...cleverly uses all the space available on the Union Avenue stage... The opera is a worthy evocation of the story's emotions...</i></blockquote>
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<i>If you have any interest at all in the opera, now is the time to see it. Who knows when our next chance will be?"</i></blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/BWW-Reviews-A-STREETCAR-NAMED-DESIRE-Shines-at-Union-Avenue-Opera-20140805" target="_blank">Steve Callahan</a></b>:<br />
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<i>"'Streetcar' ranks at the very top of the many Union Avenue productions I've enjoyed...</i> </blockquote>
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<i> Scenery by <b>Kyra Bishop</b> and lighting by <b>Sean Savoie</b> beautifully fulfill everything one might wish for this classic Williams drama... Costumer <b>Teresa Doggett</b>...continues her long tradition of perfection... [S]tage director <b>Christopher Limber</b> creates what to me is the best staging of any production I've seen at Union Avenue... <b>Lacy Sauter</b>, as Blanche, and <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b>, as Stella, both have gorgeous clear lyric soprano voices... Miss Sauter shows a wonderfully mature control and subtlety...[Giaquinto's] serenely blissful vocalise after that reconciliatory night with Stanley is one of the high-points of the evening... Baritone <b>Bernardo Bermudez</b> is very much at home in the role of Stanley...a splendid job... [<b>Anthony Webb</b>'s] pure and smooth voice perfectly convey's Mitch's shy gentleness... <b>Johanna Nordhorn</b>, as the neighbor Eunice, merits a special nod of praise... <b>Kostis Protopapas</b> deftly leads his singers and orchestra into a performance of great beauty..."</i></blockquote>
<b><a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-union-avenue-opera-theatre" target="_blank">Gary Scott</a></b>:<br />
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<i>As always, Union Avenue provides a first-rate production... <b>Lacy Sauter</b> and <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b>...are both gifted with powerful and unfailing voices, unwavering in accuracy... <b>Bernardo Bermudez</b> and <b>Anthony Wright Webb</b> [both] resonated with warmth and vigor, exuding a rugged yet vulnerable rawness that just might have pleased Tennessee Williams... <b>Kostis Protopapas</b>...held together onstage and below an eclectic score that fused together classical harmony with occasional forays into jazz, Impressionism and atonality...</i></blockquote>
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<i>This is an opera worth seeing, and worth pondering... </i><i>The tormented and searching characters brought to life by Tennessee Williams, whose creative spirit was in part forged in St. Louis, bring us face to face with the underside of human life that resides uncomfortably among us and, sometimes, within us.</i></blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.laduenews.com/diversions/arts-entertainment/operatic-form-fits-a-streetcar-named-desire-opera-review/article_5a590028-1c09-11e4-86ea-001a4bcf6878.html" target="_blank">Mark Bretz</a></b>:<br />
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<i>"...a strong and sobering production under the incisive direction of <b>Christopher Limber</b> in his Union Avenue Opera debut... Limber and conductor <b>Kostis Protopapas</b> quickly immerse the audience into the drama with Previn’s sometimes brash, sometimes mournful composition... <b>Kyra Bishop</b>’s scenic design and props beautifully set the table for Williams’ nuanced dialogue...[her] eye for detail supplements the sorrowful tale... <b>Bernardo Bermudez</b> and <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b> share sparks of chemistry that show how Stanley’s primordial impulses brings out Stella’s lusty, earthy nature... <b>Lacy Sauter</b> also is highly effective as she fills Blanche with delusions of grandeur and affectations of elegance that hide her sordid past... <b>Anthony Wright Webb</b> is particularly noteworthy...His singing is tender and heartfelt, making Mitch in some ways the most affected character of all...</i></blockquote>
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<i>Union Avenue Opera’s presentation of </i>A Streetcar Named Desire<i> demonstrates the versatility of Williams’ classic tale of misbegotten love and emotional instability in compelling fashion... Rating: 5 on a scale of 1-to-5."</i></blockquote>
<b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b> concludes its run this weekend: August 8 and 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. <b>Tickets</b> may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/">www.unionavenueopera.org</a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-39144984913012425062014-07-31T10:00:00.000-05:002014-07-31T10:21:11.416-05:00The St. Louis Premiere of "A Streetcar Named Desire" Opens Tomorrow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacy Sauter<br />
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<b>Union Avenue Opera</b> continues its 20th Anniversary Season this Friday with the St. Louis Premiere of André Previn's <i><b>A Streetcar Named Desire</b></i> running August 1, 2, 8 and 9. This production marks UAO's second foray into contemporary American opera after its critically-acclaimed 2011 production of <i>Dead Man Walking</i>.<br />
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Desire is taking on a new rhythm as Tennessee Williams' play sizzles onto the stage. Set against the backdrop of steamy New Orleans, this scintillating Streetcar adds a new level of drama and excitement to Williams' enduring portrait of sex, class and secrets. Southern belle Blanche DuBois moves to her sister's cramped apartment, creating all the wrong kinds of sparks with her brutish brother-in-law Stanley. When dark truths about her past begin to emerge, Blanche's world comes apart at the seams in a spiral of violence and madness.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernardo Bermudez<br />
Katherine Giaquinto<br />
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Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014<br />
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<b>THE CAST</b></div>
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Several artists make their UAO debut: Soprano <b>Lacy Sauter </b>as Blanche DuBois, Soprano <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b> as Stella Kowalski, Baritone <b>Bernardo Bermudez</b> as Stanley Kowalski, Tenor <b>Anthony Webb</b> as Harold "Mitch" Mitchell, Mezzo-Soprano <b>Johanna Nordhorn</b> as Eunice Hubbell, Tenor <b>Robert Norman</b> as Steve Hubbell and Mezzo-Soprano <b>Natanja Tomich</b> as the Flower Woman.<br />
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Also appearing in the production are UAO's <i>Crescendo</i> participant Tenor <b>Jimmy Stevens</b> (singing his first role at UAO) as the Young Collector, Tenor <b>Anthony Heinemann</b> (last seen as Gastone in <i>La Traviata</i>) as the Doctor, Soprano <b>Megan Higgins</b> (last seen in the <i>Traviata </i>ensemble) as the Nurse and actor <b>Josh Saboorizadeh</b> as Pablo Gonzales.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014<br />
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<b>THE CREW</b></div>
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Guest Conductor Kostis Protopapas, who last conducted UAO's 2010 production of <i>La Fille du Régiment</i>, leads the orchestra. Stage Director <b>Christopher Limber</b> makes his UAO debut. <b>MK Jacobi</b> serves as Stage Manager with <b>Claire Stark</b> as Assistant Stage Manager. The design team includes Set Designer <b>Kyra Bishop</b> (UAO debut), Lighting Designer <b>Sean Savoie </b>(UAO debut), Costume Designer <b>Teresa Doggett</b> and Production Manager <b>Sean Savoie</b>. Pianist <b>Nancy Mayo</b> serves as repetiteur.<br />
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<b>FRIDAY NIGHT LECTURE SERIES</b></div>
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<b>Glen Bauer, Ph.D.</b>, Associate Chair of the Webster University Music Department, will give a lecture one hour before each Friday performance (August 1st and 8th at 7:00pm) in the Fellowship Gallery of Union Avenue Christian Church. Lectures are <b><i>free</i></b> and open to the general public; no ticket to the performance required.
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<b>OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION</b></div>
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Want a chance to eat, drink and schmooze with cast and crew of <i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i> on Opening Night? UAO hosts an <b>Opening Night Reception</b> on Friday, August 1st after the performance at <b>Tavern of Fine Arts</b>. <a href="http://unionavenueopera.org/?page_id=4" target="_blank">Click here</a> for more information.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2014<br />
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<b>"STREETCAR" IN THE MEDIA</b></div>
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<b>Steve Potter</b> chats with Lacy Sauter, Katherine Giaquinto and Christopher Limber on a recent episode of <a href="http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/union-avenue-opera-presents-streetcar-named-desire" target="_blank"><b><i>Cityscape</i></b></a> on St. Louis Public Radio.<br />
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<b>Sarah Bryan Miller</b> of the <i>St. Louis Post-Dispatch</i> <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/union-avenue-opera-takes-on-contemporary-opera-with-a-streetcar/article_29d710ab-25b2-5700-a6f2-0e8bada0fa8c.html" target="_blank">covers</a> the production, while <b>Judith Newmark</b> of the <i>Post-Dispatch</i> has written a <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/teresa-doggett-is-her-own-one-woman-show-for-life/article_ed0d2b57-194d-546b-8460-098d41444171.html" target="_blank">feature</a> on UAO Costume Designer and Actress Teresa Doggett.<br />
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<b><i>Operatic Saint Louis</i></b> interviews cast members <a href="http://operaticstlouis.blogspot.com/2014/07/interview-with-soprano-lacy-sauter.html" target="_blank">Lacy Sauter</a>, <a href="http://operaticstlouis.blogspot.com/2014/07/interview-with-soprano-katherine.html" target="_blank">Katherine Giaquinto</a>, <a href="http://operaticstlouis.blogspot.com/2014/07/interview-with-baritone-bernardo.html" target="_blank">Bernardo Bermudez</a> and <a href="http://operaticstlouis.blogspot.com/2014/07/interview-with-tenor-anthony-webb.html" target="_blank">Anthony Webb</a> as well as stage director <a href="http://operaticstlouis.blogspot.com/2014/07/interview-with-streetcar-named-desire.html" target="_blank">Christopher Limber</a>.<br />
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<b>Deborah Sharn</b> and <b>Scott Miller</b> of <i>Break a Leg</i> on KDHX <a href="http://kdhx.org/ondemand/podcasts/breakaleg/union-avenue-opera-2014" target="_blank">interview</a> Scott Schoonover about the 20th Season.<br />
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<b><i><br /></i></b><b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b> opens tomorrow, August 1st, and runs August 2, 8 and 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/">www.unionavenueopera.org</a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-72997373373849147582014-07-30T11:00:00.000-05:002014-07-30T11:09:31.603-05:00Interview with Soprano Lacy Sauter<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacy Sauter</td></tr>
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Soprano <b>Lacy Sauter</b> makes her Union Avenue Opera debut in the St. Louis Premiere of André Previn's <i><b>A Streetcar Named Desire</b> </i>singing the role of Blanche DuBois. Ms. Sauter has sung for Glimmerglass Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and, most recently, Santa Fe Opera. Phil Touchette of <i>Operatic Saint Louis</i> recently interviewed Ms. Sauter on preparing the role of Blanche and her experience in this production.<br />
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<i>Throughout the piece, there is a sharp personality clash between Blanche and Stanley. What do you believe is the source of their animosity towards one another? Why does their relationship escalate into a tragic conclusion?</i><br />
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Blanche and Stanley’s characters represent the conflict between fantasy and reality. Throughout the opera, Blanche is desperately trying to keep up appearances while Stanley is eager to tear them down and reveal the truth. Blanche tries to be coy and flirt with Stanley because this is the only way she knows how to interact with men anymore, but her ploys are lost on Stanley and this is essentially a blow to her very delicate ego. Their relationship escalates to a tragic conclusion because ultimately reality must prevail. The rape scene unveils both Stanley’s true animalistic nature and how Blanche’s fate tragically depends on the men around her. </blockquote>
<i>Blanche makes an effort to claim herself as highly civilized for her knowledge of art, music and poetry--the latter of which she once taught. Do you believe the character truly knows a great deal, or is she a mere dilettante trying to seem civilized?</i><br />
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Yes, I do believe that Blanche is actually quite knowledgeable about literature, particularly poetry. She was described as being a very sensitive child and I imagine that poetry and literature were her escape from reality when she was younger. I think she definitely has a deeper appreciation for poetry and that is part of what drew her to her troubled young husband.</blockquote>
<i>In the aria “<span class="Apple-style-span">I Want Magic,</span>”<span class="Apple-style-span"> Blanche muses on trying to </span>“give magic”<span class="Apple-style-span"> to people. As you prepared the role, how did you interpret this desire to </span></i><i>“</i><i><span class="Apple-style-span">give magic</span></i><i>”</i><i><span class="Apple-style-span">?</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Blanche’s desire to “give magic” is essentially her way of inviting others to join her in her fantasy world. She desperately wants to escape from reality so she has imagined and reinvented herself in a new “light” and this is how she wishes others to view her. “I do misrepresent things. I don’t tell the truth. But I tell what ought to be the truth. If that’s a sin then let me be damned for it.” She feels justified in her deceptions because she honestly believes that she is giving people what they really want.
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span">Why do you think Blanche has a preoccupation with light, especially bright </span>“<span class="Apple-style-span">ugly</span>”<span class="Apple-style-span"> light? Does this point to any deeper personal issues?</span></i><br />
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Blanche’s self-esteem has come to depend on her ability to get attention from men. She has gone through a lot of traumatic events and suffered from alcoholism and this has perhaps aged her more quickly. She talks about her lost husband and that when she found love it was like a bright light had been turned on in the world and since his death everything has been dimly lit. Light for Blanche represents both her innocence and her sense of reality, both of which she has lost. She covers the light bulb with a paper lantern to soften the harsh light, just as she creates an illusion of who she is to cover up the harsh reality that has been her life.</blockquote>
<i>Does the brief courtship between Mitch and Blanche seem based on mutual attraction? Are her motivations with Mitch entirely virtuous?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blanche sees Mitch as her last chance at salvation and happiness. He is not her ideal match, but he is a good man and he could give her some security in life. He is a gentleman and they share a connection for they have both lost someone they loved. Especially in this production, the relationship between Blanche and Mitch is treated as a real possibility for both of them to be happy. Their moments together add a bit of lightness and romance to what is otherwise a very dark story.</blockquote>
<i>In your time away from rehearsal, have you had opportunities to explore St. Louis?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I have enjoyed my time in St. Louis. On a previous trip, I actually had the chance to go up into the Gateway Arch which was very fun. I am really enjoying all of the restaurants and cute shops on Euclid and exploring Forest Park. I am looking forward to the week off in between shows to do some more exploring!</blockquote>
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________________</div>
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You can learn more about Lacy by visiting her website <a href="http://lacysauter.com/">LacySauter.com</a> and following her on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/LacySoprano/" target="_blank">@LacySoprano</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b> opens Friday, August 1st and continues its run Aug 2, 8 and 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/"><b>www.unionavenueopera.org</b></a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.<br />
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Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-28488668575076959162014-07-30T10:00:00.000-05:002014-07-30T10:08:29.932-05:00Interview with Tenor Anthony Webb<div style="text-align: left;">
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Tenor <b>Anthony Webb</b> makes his Union Avenue Opera debut in <i><b>A Streetcar Named Desire</b> </i>singing the role of Harold "Mitch" Mitchell. He last performed in St. Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre Saint Louis, where he sang the role of Pirelli in <i>Sweeney Todd</i>. His recent repertoire includes the roles of Sam in <i>Susannah</i>, Count Almaviva in <i>Il Barbiere di Siviglia</i> and Wagner/Nereus in <i>Mefistofele</i>. Phil Touchette of <i>Operatic Saint Louis</i> recently interviewed Mr. Webb on preparing the role of Mitch and his experience in this production.<br />
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<i>Why do you think Mitch is drawn to Blanche? Could it be that her airs and pretense excite him as something different than most of his female contemporaries in New Orleans or is there something deeper? </i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I think it's much deeper. Mitch talks a lot about his mother and I feel that his every action is motivated by his relationship with her. She wants him to settle down and find a nice girl to spend the rest of his life with. Blanche, being new to the scene, is another means to that end. She is beautiful and confident in ways he's never experienced, and she's certainly not like any other girl he has even dated. I think this excites him very much.</blockquote>
<i>Do you believe that the brief courtship between Mitch and Blanche is based in mutual attraction? Are Mitch's motives entirely virtuous?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mitch is extremely attracted to Blanche and there is no hidden agenda in his actions. He wants, almost desperately, to love her and for her to know of his love. He is extremely uncomfortable in his dealings with her because she is unlike any girl he has ever been with and I think he works so hard to make her "the one" that it heightens his nervousness.</blockquote>
<i>Towards the end of the piece, Mitch develops anger towards Blanche when previously he'd been at least enamored of her. Why does this happen? Do you believe his anger is fully justified or is he manipulated by Stanley to feel that way?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blanche has lied to him. She lied about her past, about nearly everything, and Mitch is devastated. It starts off as anger--sheer anger at being deceived--but then that need to take care of her (like he does his mother) takes over. He then tries to become something he is not because he believes that is what Blanche wants. Again, Mitch will do anything he thinks he must in order to win her over, but then he goes too far and gets too rough. He is absolutely justified in this anger because of her lies, and this is crippling to Mitch. Stanley surely doesn't help the situation. I don't think Stanley manipulates Mitch knowingly, but his words are certainly a dagger in Mitch's heart.</blockquote>
<i>Have you found that this character compares in any way--musically or dramatically--to roles you have previously sung?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
No, Mitch is unlike anything I've ever done before and it's amazing. I am loving playing Mitch!</blockquote>
<i>Which musical passages in Andre Previn's score define your character and his motivations? What parts of the score stand out or especially intrigue you?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I think Mitch's arioso "I'm not a boy" in Act Two is certainly his defining moment. It's his moment to finally open up to Blanche and profess--in a roundabout sort of way--his love for her but she doesn't hear it that way. His mini-sonnet about love just conjures up all the memories of her first love and it's in this scene that I think Previn really brings the best music of the score.</blockquote>
<i>You are no stranger to St. Louis, having previously sung for Opera Theatre. Do you have any favorite places to see and things to do in your free time while you're in town? How has the experience at Union Avenue Opera been so far?</i><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I love St. Louis! I really enjoyed my time here in 2012 working on <i>Sweeney Todd</i> at Opera Theatre Saint Louis and I'm falling in love with this city all over again being here for <i>Streetcar</i>. I love Forest Park--all of the free things to do there are amazing. I've been staying near the Central West End which is another area I really enjoy. I'm a big "foodie" so all of the things that Euclid Avenue has to offer are so wonderful, and even better because it's all within walking distance. My experience at Union Avenue Opera so far has been nothing short of wonderful. The cast, the staff, everyone is just amazing. This is a truly special company and I'm so honored to be here!</blockquote>
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________________</div>
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You can learn more about Anthony at his website <a href="http://anthonywebbtenor.com/">AnthonyWebbTenor.com</a> and by following him on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/TenorWebb/" target="_blank">@TenorWebb</a>.<br />
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<b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b> opens Friday, August 1st and continues its run Aug 2, 8 and 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/"><b>www.unionavenueopera.org</b></a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.<br />
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Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-26062091763699162042014-07-29T11:00:00.000-05:002014-07-29T11:00:01.231-05:00Interview with Baritone Bernardo Bermudez<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bernardo Bermudez</td></tr>
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Baritone <b>Bernardo Bermudez</b> makes his Union Avenue Opera debut in <i><b>A Streetcar Named Desire</b> </i>singing the role of Stanley Kowalski. Born and raised in Venezuela, Bernardo currently lives in Los Angeles and has built an operatic career singing a variety of roles including Figaro in <i>Il Barbiere di Siviglia</i>, Papageno in <i>The Magic Flute</i>, Count Almaviva in <i>Le Nozze di Figaro</i> and Scarpia in <i>Tosca</i> among several others. Phil Touchette of <i>Operatic Saint Louis</i> recently interviewed Mr. Bermudez on preparing the role of Stanley and his experience in this production.<br />
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<i>What sort of artistic challenges do you encounter in preparing and performing works from the newer American opera repertoire, like Streetcar, compared with that of the Italian, French and German repertoire?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This wonderful piece is actually a lot different than the standard operatic rep, not only dramatically but also technically. Musically at the beginning it was a challenge, because there are sections of the music where the is not much connection to the orchestra, so it takes a little longer to learn the music and build it into my muscle memory. Moreover, Previn composed more rhythmically challenging music for Stanley since he is the antagonist character, in contrast to the protagonist roles which have not necessarily less challenging music but at least more lyrical.</blockquote>
<i>In a production with limited rehearsal time, singers sometimes meet their scene partners for the first time and must develop a backstory and onstage chemistry--an element crucial to the passionate, volatile relationship between Stanley and Stella. How has this process worked between you and Katherine Giaquinto?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In this occasion, it has been very easy. I was lucky enough to have met Ms. Giaquito in Los Angeles prior to arriving in St. Louis, and we got an opportunity to work though some of our musical sections prior to rehearsal, and she is a delightful person to work with. In addition, our director Mr. Limber, our conductor Maestro Protopapas, and the rest of the cast have been very vocal about their relationships and backstories which makes the process so much easier in the long run. Also, all the cast members are such strong actors that is easy to feed off one another, making the piece come alive and stay energized.</blockquote>
<i>Throughout the opera, Stanley and Blanche have an adversarial family dynamic. What is the source of their animosity towards one another? Why does their relationship escalate into such tragedy by the end of the opera?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I feel Stanley and Blanche come from very different places socially, but they both have very strong personalities and resort to their primal instincts. Ultimately it comes down to Blanche challenging to fracture Stanley's way of life and his relationship with Stella and his friend Mitch.</blockquote>
<i>When working through the character's motivations, do you find that Stanley is deliberately cruel or merely straightforward with everyone he meets? Why does he treat Blanche especially brutally?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I feel Stanley is this way all the time. He has a strong personality and is a very likable character. In both the play and opera, he often describes himself as knowing a lot of people like lawyers, jewelers, the supply man at the plant, etc. But Blanche is here to challenge all this by disrupting his way of life and the control he has over the others--for example when Stella starts to challenge Stanley and order him around, and become more independent. This is something that Stanley does not tolerate and ultimately pushes him to his most primal physical and mental state of being.</blockquote>
<i>Composer Andre Previn helps define certain characters with an aria, arioso and, most often, recitative. How does Previn define your character musically? How is Stanley differentiated from the other characters?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As I mentioned before Previn does a wonderful job at describing the different between the two types of characters. Protagonists like Blanche, Stella and Mitch have lyrical music and arias. In contrast, the antagonist character Stanley has no arias and more rhythmic, faster music, except for a small lyrical section he sings during a duet with Stella. It is evident that the music is emotionally motivated. The internal feelings of the characters define the music and tempos of the piece.</blockquote>
<i>This production marks your debut with Union Avenue Opera. Have you
been able to explore St. Louis in your time away from rehearsal?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Though
the rehearsal process has been intense for this production, I have been
fortunate enough to have been able to experience a bit of what St.
Louis has to offer. I have gone on several runs through Forest Park and
also a driving architectural tour of the different areas of the city. It is remarkable to see all the beautiful brick work that is present
here.</blockquote>
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You can learn more about Bernardo by visiting his website <a href="http://BernardoBermudez.com/">BernardoBermudez.com</a>.<br />
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<b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b> opens Friday, August 1st and continues its run Aug 2, 8 & 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/"><b>www.unionavenueopera.org</b></a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.<br />
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Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-71108240173400303922014-07-29T10:00:00.000-05:002014-07-29T10:00:04.231-05:00Interview with Soprano Katherine Giaquinto<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katherine Giaquinto</td></tr>
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Soprano <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b> makes her Union Avenue Opera debut in the St. Louis Premiere of André Previn's <i><b>A Streetcar Named Desire</b> </i>singing the role of Stella Kowalski. Originally from Canada and now residing in Los Angeles, Katherine's background was in television and film acting before discovering and pursuing opera, in which she has sung the roles of Susanna in <i>Le Nozze di Figaro</i>, Fiordiligi in <i>Così fan tutte</i> and Musetta in <i>La Bohème</i>, among many others. Phil Touchette of Operatic Saint Louis recently interviewed Ms. Giaquinto on preparing the role of Stella and her experience in this production.<br />
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________________</div>
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<i>In a production with limited rehearsal time, singers meet their scene partners often for the first time and must develop a backstory and onstage chemistry--an element crucial to the passionate, volatile relationship between Stanley and Stella. How has this process worked between you and Bernardo Bermudez?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This was something I was very aware of coming into the production, knowing that the relationship between Stanley and Stella is so central to the story. I knew that Bernardo and I were going to be "getting up in each other's business," so to speak. Usually what happens in a production is that on Day One of staging you have a little conversation with each other and just check in, asking permission to get close, to touch, hug or kiss as the scene requires. I also like to express that I'm okay going with whatever instinct my scene partner would want to follow. I'd much rather discover something amazing in these characters' relationship than play it safe during staging because it might feel a little awkward at first. For Bernardo and I, we had a publicity photo shoot right before we began staging in which we recreated the embrace right after the infamous "STELLLLLAAA!!!" scene, and that helped to break the ice a little. Then we continued to get more comfortable with each other as staging went on. Bernardo is such a kind person that it's very easy to trust him in any scene that's either romantic or even violent between these two characters. </blockquote>
<i>The sisters Blanche and Stella grew up in southern aristocratic society in which chivalry and manners are paramount. Why, then, do you think Stella married a man given to less than gentlemanly behavior which repulses her sister Blanche?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Though Stella comes from a genteel background, I think she is really quite a bit more grounded and earthy than Blanche. When we meet her in the time frame of the story her behavior shows her to be a lusty woman who is quite happy in this rough and tumble world of New Orleans. I think in Stanley she found the first man who made it okay for her to embrace her sensuality, rather than be ashamed of it as Blanche is. I think she's thrilled by Stanley's strength and exaggerated maleness. She also brings out a tenderness in Stanley that no one else does - something probably only she gets to witness behind the closed curtains of their bedroom - and this gives her a certain feeling of power. We actually see very little of their love story as it was, before everything is soured by Blanche's arrival. But I think Stella and Stanley are really madly in love with each other.</blockquote>
<i>Stella has been portrayed in a variety of ways. Kim Hunter in the Elia Kazan film seems feisty while Elizabeth Futral in the opera's premiere tends towards the submissive--though both were warm towards their respective Blanches. How has it been to balance the devoted wife and protective sister in Stella?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Stella's main struggle is having to choose between the man she loves beyond reason, and her sister. In the end she chooses Stanley, and it's part of Blanche's downfall. I think that's Stella's tragedy. Often I hear people describe Stella as passive, and I recognize it's hard to compare her to the towering literary figures of Stanley and Blanche. But I don't see her as passive at all. I think she's massively conflicted and presented with an impossible task - she can't keep both of these people happy. Also, one way to view the story is that Blanche and Stanley are basically fighting for Stella's soul - her love and loyalty. In that case, she's the pivotal point of this relationship triangle.</blockquote>
<i>As you sing through the score, what musical passages fascinate or intrigue you about your character?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Stella actually has the first aria of the show. It's short and sweet, and the text is taken from the passage in which she describes how hard it is for her when Stanley travels away for business. She says, "I can hardly stand it when he's away for a night. And when he's away for a week I nearly go wild." The music is lyrical and sensuous, and for me it was a big clue into her character. I think we often have a hard time imagining a woman from the 40s as a sexual being, but it's right there in the Williams' text, and Previn has brought it to life in Stella's music. After all, the title is <i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i>, and I think that applies very much to Stella as well.</blockquote>
<i>How does Stella compare musically or dramatically to the roles you have previously sung, if at all?</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Stella is new territory for me in some ways because I often play strong, smart, self-possessed women like Fiordiligi, Musetta, or Susanna in <i>Figaro</i>. Stella is much more feminine, in the deepest sense of the word. She is often more receptive than active, and I've had to work to find out how this character would express things like anger or upset in less overt ways than are my natural instincts. Musically, we've all had to work to find the natural inflections of speech within the prescribed rhythms of Previn's music. The opera is basically sung conversation, with a few lyrical moments inserted here and there. The maestro has been so generous with us musically, always encouraging us to find a natural way of expressing the text, rather than be worried about being robotically accurate.</blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katherine & Lacy Sauter in the<br />
Central West End</td></tr>
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<i>'Streetcar' marks your debut with Union Avenue Opera. How has the UAO experience been so far? Have you been able to explore St. Louis in your time away from rehearsal?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Honestly, I've been having such a fabulous time here. Everyone at UAO has been welcoming, generous, and totally on top of their game. My host family is wonderful and has made me feel right at home. I've been so impressed with the abundance of history, art and culture in St. Louis. I'm staying right by Forest Park and I can't wait for our week off so I can go explore the art museum, the zoo and the science center. It's also a fabulous coincidence to be performing <i>Streetcar</i> in St. Louis, which is so rich with Tennessee Williams history. On our first day here Lacy (Blanche) and I stumbled across a bronze bust of Williams just a few blocks from where we're staying. We took pictures with it!</blockquote>
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________________</div>
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You can learn more about Katherine by visiting her website <a href="http://KatherineGiaquinto.com/">KatherineGiaquinto.com</a>, following her on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/operakat" target="_blank">@OperaKat</a> and checking out her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katherine-Giaquinto-soprano/221393831250911" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b> opens Friday, August 1st and continues its run Aug 2, 8 & 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/"><b>www.unionavenueopera.org</b></a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.<br />
<br /></div>
Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-72807808533594785072014-07-28T10:00:00.000-05:002014-07-28T10:00:02.513-05:00Interview with "A Streetcar Named Desire" Director Christopher Limber<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christopher Limber</td></tr>
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Stage Director <b>Christopher Limber</b> makes his Union Avenue Opera debut with the St. Louis Premiere of <b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b>. In addition to directing, Christopher is an accomplished professional actor, musician, theatre teacher and award-winning playwright. Phil Touchette of <i>Operatic Saint Louis</i> recently interviewed him on the task of staging André Previn and Philip Littell's adaptation of a Tennessee Williams classic.<br />
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<i>Though you have many directorial credits in St. Louis, this production will be your first with Union Avenue Opera. What was there about the operatic adaptation of </i>A Streetcar Named Desire<i> that intrigued you to take on this project?</i><br />
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This is a musically large operatic telling of a small American story. This is what opera and what Tennessee do best – add the heightened and recognizable truth of our inner emotional lives to the stage, with the music of poetry. In opera we have as well the dazzling power of great voices and a full orchestra.
Poets and composers feed our need to understand and articulate our deepest longings and surprises. Inside my body, heart and mind, I experience life as emotionally powerful and extraordinary as an opera. I think that is why we love it. Opera gives full voice to own inner experience of life. Think of it – it takes a full stage full of singers and an orchestra to embody what we often feel inside our skin almost on a daily basis.</blockquote>
<i>Does your process of preparing an opera differ at all from that of a straight theater piece?</i><br />
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The basics are the same – exploration of character and story and how those are told visually through staging; working with designers to create a world of the piece that embraces and articulates every human component of the piece. But then, there is the glorious addition and complexity of music. Though the cast is small, they demand a powerful musical palate individually and must work extremely well as an ensemble. Union Avenue Opera has cast wonderful singers who also are excellent actors. I adore working with these remarkable folks. They are all inspired and disciplined – and they do their homework. The conductor, Kostis Protopapas is not only a superior musician, he is also a perceptive and highly creative theatre professional. He know how to tell a story onstage. Our collaboration has been rich and effective.</blockquote>
<i>André Previn's score seems to consist heavily of recitative. Do you think Previn used this musical device in order to give Philip Littell's libretto the same kind of textual rhythm as a spoken play?</i><br />
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I think this opera stretches the traditional operatic form in good ways. The libretto is a distillation of the play and beautifully made. The rendering of Streetcar’s dialogue is not expositional; it is relational and interactive. It is not just necessary for imparting information to set up scenes duets, arias and quartets – it is all about expressing the relationship and events, that is, the wants, desires and emotional responses of the characters, in <i>relationship</i> to each other and in the moment. These characters don’t simply talk about how they feel and what they want. They feel a need and pursue what they want and hope to receive in the moment. It is emotionally active and full. These characters affect and change each other throughout and it must be immediate and compelling. In rehearsal we have wrestled and delighted in the exploration of how music articulates poetic dialogue and what I call “rebounding”: the back and forth of dialogue and the dynamics of heightened emotional response. There are many two-, three-, and four-measure instrumental expressions and transitions between lines of dialogues. Like a Pinter Pause these musical Previn moments articulate the inner life and experience of the characters. These are all thoughtfully designed and placed to drive the piece emotionally forward, but always in relationship to each of the characters, one to the other in within moments of each scene.</blockquote>
<i>Did you find moments in Previn's score that shed new light on any previous conceptions or ideas you had about the story?</i><br />
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The journey of Blanche is experienced by the audience in–I believe–a full and immediate emotional splendor: her initial psychological fragility, her need and determination to win her sister’s love by “saving” her from an animalistic immigrant “Polack” husband who she looks down upon. Then Stanley, feeling his home kingdom challenged, assaults her, first psychologically and then physically, and destroys her sanity. All of this is beautifully articulated in the text – in dramatic action and embellished and portrayed musically. Previn states that the play has the story and emotional expanse of an opera. It is ready to be one.
Then, there are Williams’ theatrical images: the Flower Woman, a premonition of death, the wrenching telling of Blanche’s husband’s suicide, the final haunting moments of the opera which offer the beginning of Blanche’s final journey in a wonderfully simple but extended way. These experiences within the opera offer the audience moments of emotional experiences which, I feel, are often in the play’s after-show residual intellectual discoveries by the audience about Blanche. This is what Opera does best: cut straight in performance to the emotional core of character and events. We feel the discovery rather than simply understand it intellectually.</blockquote>
<i>Are there any scenes or moments in the opera that have been especially inspiring or rewarding to work through in the staging process?</i><br />
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There are too many to mention. It has been a constant process of revelation and discovery. This company is highly creative, disciplined and generous — with each other, the conductor and me. The collaborative dynamic of this process has been most rewarding. There are also many rehearsal moments, when I feel Williams, Previn and Littell are sitting right there and joining the conversation.
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<i>Conversely, have there been any scenes that pose difficulties or challenges?</i><br />
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It is a quick process but as Leonard Bernstein notably observed: “To achieve great things, <i>two things are needed</i>: a plan, and not quite enough time.” In the arts you quickly learn to use every element of process to your advantage. This is the difference a professional ensemble knows how to make.</blockquote>
<i>The theatrical space of Union Avenue Opera can pose a challenge to directors and set designers. In working with set designer Kyra Bishop, how did you arrive at a design that offers an authentic feel for New Orleans on the UAO stage?</i><br />
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Kyra is visually imaginative. She has brought the outside world of New Orleans which surrounds the Kowalski Apartment all around and then inside – into the layered effects of the design. The backdrop is an abstract expression of New Orleans – inside on the walls you see years of lives past in the layers of paint and wall-paper brick which are disintegrating together. We see through the curtain that divides the two shabby rooms as we see inside ourselves and others. We have used the small stage to our advantage – to heighten the heat in the air, the body’s passions and the heartfelt battles – between the characters in close proximity to each other.</blockquote>
<i>Besides the well known aria "I Want Magic" sung by Blanche, what other musical moments should audiences listen for?</i><br />
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There are so many, and they flow in and out of Previn’s beautifully orchestrated dialogue recitative seamlessly throughout all three acts. For example: Stella’s recollection “like a Child” in Act One, of Stanley’s homecomings, Mitch’s description of love, “You know it’s the right thing” in Act Two; and Blanche’s tale of her husband’s tragic end. Equally affecting and dramatically potent is Blanche’s imminent fall into lunacy placed in undeniable motion with the Flower Seller, as she succumbs to her fantasy world and then, resigns herself to in her final aria about spending the rest of her days “on the sea.” These are some of many transcendent musical moments which offer new understandings into characters, which for all of us who know and love this play, have considered for years. </blockquote>
<i>What would you say to the "man on the street" to encourage them to attend this opera?</i><br />
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<i>Streetcar</i> is, above all, emotionally eloquent and supports the large romantic expressionism of Previn’s musical imaginings. The librettist, Philip Littell has crystalized a faithful and emotionally complex operatic telling. Previn has then added a lush and dynamic musical exploration using the power of music to express our deepest feelings of passion, regret, joy and sadness. </blockquote>
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As Shakespeare is to England, Chekhov is to Russia, Tennessee Williams is – to me – the greatest American dramatic storyteller. In 1947, “Streetcar” raised the bar on Broadway and won the Pulitzer Prize. His language brings to American drama a heightened and poetic expression and power to the lives of small recognizable Americans.
The story and relationships in Streetcar contain an emotional grandeur and the dynamic of a real tragedy. </blockquote>
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This is a tale of two privileged sisters from a small Southern town, one clinging to past traditions and one exploring a new passionate life with a tough, Polish, working-class vet set in an earthy, shabby New Orleans apartment – these are all iconic American characters. They have become part of our theatrical vocabulary and they express our deepest emotional everyday existence. We are all extraordinary in our small normal lives. Williams knew this and that is why his characters and stories move us so profoundly.</blockquote>
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<b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire </i></b>opens this weekend on Friday, August 1st and continues its run Aug 2, 8 and 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <b><a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/">www.unionavenueopera.org</a></b> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.</div>
Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-80430199291262371502014-07-25T10:00:00.000-05:002014-07-25T10:00:06.337-05:00Music of "A Streetcar Named Desire"In anticipation of the St. Louis Premiere of André Previn's <b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i></b> at <b>Union Avenue Opera</b>, here are two excerpts from the opera's premiere at San Francisco Opera featuring Renée Fleming as Blanche DuBois. Take a moment to watch and listen, then get your tickets at <a href="http://unionavenueopera.org/">unionavenueopera.org</a> if you haven't already. Don't miss this <i>Streetcar</i>!<br />
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"I Want Magic" from Act Three, Scene Two</div>
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"I Can Smell the Sea Air" from Act Three, Scene Four</div>
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The St. Louis Premiere of <b><i>A Streetcar Named Desire </i></b>opens Friday, August 1st and continues its run Aug 2, 8 & 9 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in English with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at <b><a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/">www.unionavenueopera.org</a></b> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.</div>
Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-62559889998316172252014-07-23T10:30:00.000-05:002014-07-23T10:30:00.566-05:00STL Public Radio's "Cityscape" to Feature "A Streetcar Named Desire" Artists This Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacy Sauter & Katherine Giaquinto</td></tr>
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Friday at Noon, <b>Union Avenue Opera</b> will be featured on St. Louis Public Radio's <b><i>Cityscape</i></b>. Host Steve Potter welcomes Sopranos <b>Lacy Sauter</b> and <b>Katherine Giaquinto</b> (singing Blanche DuBois and Stella Kowalski, respectively) and Stage Director <b>Christopher Limber</b> to discuss UAO's upcoming production of Andre Previn's <i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i>, which will be seen in its St. Louis Premiere.<br />
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<b><i>Cityscape</i></b> airs on KWMU 90.7 at Noon-1pm on Friday, July 25th and will be repeated at 10pm that night. You may also listen to archived audio of the program on <a href="http://www.stlpublicradio.org/">http://www.stlpublicradio.org/</a><br />
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<b>Tickets</b> for upcoming UAO productions start at $32 and are available online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/"><b>http://www.unionavenueopera.org/</b></a> or by calling the box office (open M-F, 10am-3pm) at <b>314-361-2881</b>.Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-25912079108127314372014-07-14T13:29:00.005-05:002014-08-04T14:03:20.256-05:00The Critics on UAO's "La Traviata"<b>Union Avenue Opera</b>'s production of <i><b>La Traviata</b></i> concludes its run this weekend. Here's a sample of what <i>KDHX</i>'s Chuck Lavazzi, Malcolm Gay of <i>Riverfront Times</i>, Mark Bretz of <i>Ladue News</i>, Chris Gibson of <i>BroadwayWorld</i>, Gerry Kowarsky of <i>Two on the Aisle</i> and John Huxhold of the <i>St. Louis Post-Dispatch</i> have to say about the production:<br />
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<b><a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/union-avenue-operas-la-traviata-is-the-toast-of-the-town" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a></b>:<br />
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<i>"Zulimar López-Hernández has a spectacular voice...[B]etter yet she acts the role with total conviction...The standing ovation for her during the curtain call was both enthusiastic and well deserved... [Riccardo Iannello's] Act II aria drew shouts of 'bravo' on opening night... Robert Garner is compelling and sings a beautiful 'Di Provenza il mar' in Act II... [The chorus's] performance of the Act I drinking song 'Libiamo ne' lieti calici' illustrates why this is a popular operatic excerpt, and they make that big Act II finale wonderfully powerful... Tim Ocel directs with a light hand, mostly content to let the opera tell its story without a lot of gimmicks...</i> </blockquote>
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Put it all together and you have a very strong start to Union Avenue's season. Opera lovers should put this on their 'don't miss' list, but opera newbies should give it serious thought as well."</i> </blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2014-07-17/culture/la-traviata-review-union-avenue-opera/" target="_blank">Malcolm Gay</a></b>:<br />
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<i>"[A]rtistic director Scott Schoonover is an operatic alchemist, transforming the restraints of a limited budget into theatrical gold... Particularly outstanding was the contrast between Iannello's intense ardor and López-Hernández's brash coquettishness in 'Un di felice, eterea,' which was soon matched by her defiant vocal agility that played so beautifully against his grounded tenacity in 'Sempre libera'... Garner has a deep, rich voice that wraps around you like a lambskin glove in duets like 'Un di, quando le veneri'... Directed by Tim Ocel, the production makes effective use of the set, opening each act with a portentous image of Alfredo at Violetta's grave... Mark Freiman and Robert Reed sing well in the supporting roles of Baron Douphol and Doctor Grenvile. Similarly, the chorus is populated with strong voices, and its members excel in the matador and gypsy dances of Act Two...</i></blockquote>
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<i>Joined by Iannello and Garner, they deliver the opera's potent final songs with an overwhelming emotional force...It's that sort of grand operatic moment — often felt at UAO — that's usually reserved for the big stage, and with a Violetta like this, there's little doubt López-Hernández will be there soon enough. "</i></blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.laduenews.com/diversions/arts-entertainment/powerful-voices-drive-union-avenue-opera-s-la-traviata-opera/article_e989c9f6-0c6b-11e4-8713-001a4bcf6878.html#.U8Z3fk6F3HQ.facebook" target="_blank">Mark Bretz</a></b>:<br />
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<i>"[López-Hernández and Iannello] display beautiful, rich, resonant voices that amply convey the beauty and majesty of Verdi’s music... They are ably supported by Robert Garner...[whose] deep, powerful baritone delivers some of La Traviata’s most compelling arias in singular fashion... Scott Schoonover’s conducting of the melodious score is robust and exhilarating throughout, receiving expert response from the UAO orchestra. Tim Ocel’s stage direction shrewdly utilizes side entrances to the compact stage as well as eliciting direct, focused performances by his cast... </i></blockquote>
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<i>Schoonover and Union Avenue Opera have contributed substantially to the area’s cultural landscape in the past two decades. This sumptuous interpretation of La Traviata indicates that UAO is as polished and accomplished as ever."</i></blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/BWW-Reviews-The-Union-Avenue-Operas-Exquisite-Production-of-LA-TRAVIATA-20140716#" target="_blank">Chris Gibson</a></b>:<br />
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<i>"Zulimar López-Hernández does outstanding work as Violetta, and her soprano voice is more than up to the demands of the score... [T]he blending of her voice with [Riccardo Iannello's] tenor is simply marvelous. Both are able to convey their emotions and desires vocally as well as through their acting performances... Robert Garner makes an impression as well as Giorgio...he doesn't come across as a villain, but more as a concerned father who may be more misguided in his actions than anything else... </i></blockquote>
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<i>Union Avenue Opera has put together a memorable and moving production of this timeless work that demands your time and attention."</i></blockquote>
<a href="http://www.hectv.org/video/15120/july-24-2014/#!/review-of-la-traviata/" target="_blank"><b>Gerry Kowarsky</b></a>:<br />
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<i>"López-Hernández portrayed Violetta's inner struggles with remarkable power and clarity... Riccardo Iannello was a sweet young man as Alfredo and he had a sweet voice to match... Robert Garner convincingly evinced Giorgio Germont's concern for both his children and eventually for Violetta, too... The ensemble had striking presence... Teresa Doggett's costumes and Maureen Berry's lighting were solid contributions to one of Union Avenue's strongest productions ever."</i></blockquote>
<b><a href="http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/reviews/article_d47d598f-c8f0-52f9-89b7-126a90b4a451.html" target="_blank">John Huxhold</a></b>:<br />
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<i>"Friday night’s opener of Verdi’s 'La Traviata,' demonstrates again that this company is something to celebrate... [Zulimar López-Hernández] looked spectacular in sparkling white and lurid red gowns, and she has a voice to match...her acting was completely convincing... [Riccardo Iannello] has a glorious voice with a clarity and technique that make even the difficult parts sound easy... Robert Garner as Alfredo’s father Giorgio was a strong dramatic presence...his diction was precise and intelligible as it emerged from a resonant and commanding vocal quality... All of the minor roles were excellent — not a weak voice in the bunch — and the chorus of about 25 sounded much larger than its numbers would suggest... Tim Ocel’s stage direction was fluid without any awkward moments, even in long orchestra interludes or when positioning the principals in the final death scene... Conductor Scott Schoonover led the orchestra with precision and with careful attention to all the emotional contours in the score...</i> </blockquote>
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If you can’t make it to New York’s Met or Chicago’s Lyric, check out Union Avenue Opera. You will discover that there are significant operatic pleasures to be had right here at home."</i></blockquote>
<b><i>La Traviata</i></b> concludes its run this weekend: July 18 and 19 at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Performances begin at 8:00pm. Production sung in Italian with projected English supertitles. <b>Tickets</b> may be purchased online at <a href="http://www.unionavenueopera.org/">www.unionavenueopera.org</a> or by calling <b>314-361-2881</b>.Phil Touchettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16637193402330814811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5142648621153524141.post-75555151883349965682014-07-10T22:18:00.000-05:002014-07-10T22:19:10.795-05:00Review of "Porgy and Bess" at the Muny<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cast of "Porgy and Bess"<br />
Photo: Michael J. Lutch</td></tr>
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The main thing you need to know about “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess” is that it's not really the Gershwins' “Porgy and Bess.” Permit me to explain.<br />
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“Porgy and Bess” is a 1935 opera with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, and libretto by Heyward, based on an earlier stage adaptation of his 1925 novel “Porgy” about the tragic love triangle linking the crippled beggar Porgy, the brutish stevedore Crown, and the worldly but not very wise Bess. “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess” is a 2011 <a href="http://stageleft-stlouis.blogspot.com/2014/07/muny-preview-whose-porgy-is-it-anyway.html" target="_blank">musical theatre adaptation</a> of the opera conceived and directed by Diane Paulus with a radically simplified version of Gershwin's score by Diedre Murray and a rewritten book by Susan-Lori Parks that deletes some characters and subplots but leaves the core story intact.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nathaniel Stampley as Porgy<br />
Photo: Michael J. Lutch</td></tr>
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“Porgy and Bess” is a full-scale opera, sung through with a minimum of spoken dialog. Cast in three acts but usually performed in two, it runs over three and one-half hours with intermission. “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess” is a standard musical, with most of the original narrative music replaced with speech. It runs just over two and one-half hours. “Porgy and Bess” has (depending on how its staged) only one or two real dance production numbers and not many built-in applause breaks. “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess” has plenty of both, repeatedly bringing the drama to a halt while the cast poses and the audience claps on cue.<br />
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The result is a work that, compared to the original, feels somewhat downsized and diminished. Ms. Murray's musical edits are at best pointless and at worst pernicious, altering Gershwin's original melodies and rhythms in what seem to me to be arbitrary and unnecessary ways. All of the best-known songs are still there—"Bess, You Is My Woman Now," "A Woman is a Sometime Thing," "I Got Plenty of Nothing," and "It Ain't Necessarily So," among others—but none of them has escaped some tinkering. Some of the composer's most innovative ideas, like the orchestral fugue that accompanies the fight in which Crown murders Robbins, have been edited out of existence or, like the vivid musical depiction of the gathering storm in the second act, drowned out by stage business and sound effects. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bfjYe9_ngJir4WKSqCG39lOrrMUuu1iVgtwSZXcGjMIx89WkLKql3Arv_8xy-0o04xBUlNqIsdxFgAPP3JGFIvtkydslsmAKFC5PmGzW2BWo1A5yA3nUT6iSTTGWuck2dpaxUZAQ3Kji/s1600/PorgyNationalTour5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8bfjYe9_ngJir4WKSqCG39lOrrMUuu1iVgtwSZXcGjMIx89WkLKql3Arv_8xy-0o04xBUlNqIsdxFgAPP3JGFIvtkydslsmAKFC5PmGzW2BWo1A5yA3nUT6iSTTGWuck2dpaxUZAQ3Kji/s1600/PorgyNationalTour5.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denisha Ballew as Serena, Alicia Hall Moran as Bess,<br />
Kingsley Leggs as Sportin' Life<br />
Photo: Michael J. Lutch</td></tr>
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William David Brohn and Christopher Jahnke's arrangements don't help, replacing Gershwin's inventive orchestration with a generic contemporary keyboard-heavy sound. In addition, the brevity of the individual songs and frequent applause cues kills some of the dramatic momentum that the original creates with its continuous flow of melody.<br />
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That's not to say that all of the changes are negative. In Heyward's libretto the residents of Catfish Row often come across as naïve and even simple minded. Ms. Parks has given them a wisdom and dignity that makes them more three-dimensional without substantially changing the story. Some revisions—such as making Bess more actively involved in her own downfall, making Porgy less crippled, or turning Porgy's killing of Crown into an elaborate piece of stage combat involving the entire community—strike me as more questionable, but in general Ms. Parks's contributions add far more than they subtract. <br />
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The result is a work that, while dramatically as good as (and sometimes better than) the original, is far less musically interesting. I don't think it serves George Gershwin very well.<br />
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That's the bad news. The good news is that this touring company is a strong one, with terrific voices and a fine ensemble of actors—something that, to be fair, you don't always get in the opera world. Better yet, most of the principals have some operatic background, so in some ways this cast combines the best of both worlds. It's a large company—26 members—so I'll confine myself to the leads and supporting performers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcDlfQabkd-1SNR-1MDpfQ4WrKmVjWcEa6FOIyYsrVSEPiL9Ap6RYcup6ATVzmJUAYTgEEy8cjsMB6hzTh3U13E_Y0CFpap2YxNDXLdyD9YDDVe1nQfx_odW4K9FLn0rd4e-2xIOhw4CC/s1600/PorgyNationalTour11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcDlfQabkd-1SNR-1MDpfQ4WrKmVjWcEa6FOIyYsrVSEPiL9Ap6RYcup6ATVzmJUAYTgEEy8cjsMB6hzTh3U13E_Y0CFpap2YxNDXLdyD9YDDVe1nQfx_odW4K9FLn0rd4e-2xIOhw4CC/s1600/PorgyNationalTour11.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alvin Crawford as Crown<br />
Photo: Michale J. Lutch</td></tr>
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Nathaniel Stampley anchors the ensemble as a dynamic and strong-willed Porgy. Alicia Hall Moran's Bess has all the self-possessed sexuality the role needs, coupled with a strong undercurrent of sadness that makes her tragic downfall credible. Alvin Crawford is a swaggering and arrogant Crown and David Hughey is a warm and loving presence as the doomed Jake, whose desire to create a better life for his child leads to his death in that second act hurricane.<br />
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As Serena, Denisha Ballew sings a hair-raising “My Man's Gone Now” while Sumayya Ali's Clara makes a strong first impression in “Summertime.” I don't think it makes sense to turn it into a duet with Jake, but that's a separate issue. Danielle Lee Graves completes the trio of strong supporting women as Mariah, Catfish Row's unofficial spokeswoman and wise elder.<br />
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Kingsley Leggs's Sportin' Life is less flamboyant and more physically restrained than is usually the case with this role, which was originally conceived with Cab Calloway in mind and first performed by vaudeville veteran John Bubbles. It's obviously a directorial rather than an acting decision and does result in making the character less comical and more credibly seductive.<br />
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Speaking of direction, Ms. Paulus's downsizing might not be to my taste, but her blocking and pacing are first rate. The sets by Riccardo Hernandez replace the original realistic and oppressive tenement block with simple flats painted to suggest doors and windows. That has the advantage of allowing fast scene changes, although it's not always entirely clear where some scenes are taking place unless you already know the story well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVil5j5cvSToGRM2oiQXXpOEVe4fyLIGnHMrTME35rTaD5ZxEFFkDcvM2FiR6Lgmexye3ffRaucVV-Cpfx2FZg0oc_Oi_SDIvixqwL3mz_7rvwH5w_b6ZdRpMm9IN8uHXR-tbwu1wj_r7/s1600/PorgyNationalTour17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVil5j5cvSToGRM2oiQXXpOEVe4fyLIGnHMrTME35rTaD5ZxEFFkDcvM2FiR6Lgmexye3ffRaucVV-Cpfx2FZg0oc_Oi_SDIvixqwL3mz_7rvwH5w_b6ZdRpMm9IN8uHXR-tbwu1wj_r7/s1600/PorgyNationalTour17.jpg" height="201" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Michael J. Lutch</td></tr>
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The bottom line is that “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess” is a leaner, more streamlined, and unquestionably non-operatic treatment of a work that's generally regarded as Gershwin's magnum opus. If you've never seen the original or you have and can essentially treat this as an entirely different work, I'd say it's worth seeing. Calling it “The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess,” though, strikes me as dishonest, as though the creators wanted the cachet of the Gershwin name without the musical substance that goes along with it. Maybe they should just call it “Porgy and Bess: the Musical.”<br />
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“The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess” runs through Sunday, July 13, on the Muny's outdoor Stage in Forest Park. The show begins at 8:15 nightly. For more information: <a href="http://muny.com/" target="_blank">muny.com</a>.<br />
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This review originally appeared at <a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/theater-reviews/reduced-wagner-still-packs-a-punch-in-union-avenues-walkure" target="_blank">88.1 KDHX</a>, where <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi" target="_blank">Chuck Lavazzi</a> is the senior performing arts critic. Chuck Lavazzihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11648785168147837794noreply@blogger.com0