Operatic Saint Louis: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Rehearsal of UAO's "Die Walküre"

Rehearsals are underway for Union Avenue Opera's Die Walküre, the second part of Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle. UAO's artists arrived in St. Louis on Monday to begin the three-week rehearsal process. Take a look at Conductor Scott Schoonover leading Soprano Alexandra LoBianco and Bass Timothy Bruno in musical rehearsal.

Alexandra LoBianco
Photo © Phil Touchette, 2013
All Rights Reserved

LoBianco returns to UAO, singing the celebrated role of Brünnhilde. Her previous critically-acclaimed performances at UAO include Leonora in Il Trovatore (2009) and the title role in 2011's Turandot.

Timothy Bruno

Photo © Phil Touchette, 2013

Bruno, who has sung for Cincinnati Opera, Toledo Opera and Opera Saratoga, makes his UAO debut as Wotan, ruler of the Gods.

Nancy Mayo

Photo © Phil Touchette, 2013

Rehearsal Pianist Nancy Mayo returns after several seasons with UAO.

Alexandra LoBianco & Timothy Bruno

Photo © Phil Touchette, 2013

LoBianco and Bruno rehearse the duet between Brünnhilde and Wotan at the conclusion of the opera.

Die Walküre runs August 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 8pm. Venue: Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Production sung in German with projected English supertitles. Get your Tickets online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Review of Union Avenue Opera's "Madama Butterfly"

It has been ten years since Union Avenue Opera presented Puccini’s 1904 “Japanese Tragedy” “Madama Butterfly”, and if the current production is any indication, they have waited far too long. Musically and dramatically it’s solid work, with eye-catching sets and costumes to boot.

Honesty compels me to admit I have never been a great admirer of “Madama Butterfly”. On the one hand, I have always regarded Pinkerton, the sailor who seduces and abandons the title character, as the prototypical Ugly American. Arrogant, self-centered, and chauvinistic, he's a sort of seagoing Rush Limbaugh. On the other, the Geisha Cio-Cio-San (a.k.a. Madama Butterfly) displays, as written, a degree of naiveté which, despite her youth (she’s supposed to be fifteen when she marries Pinkerton), borders on the delusional. As a result, the tragedy has always struck me as a bit forced.

Still, even I get a bit choked up in the opera’s final pages. From the scene in which the abandoned Butterfly prepares to take her own life after a tearful farewell to the son she has conceived by Pinkerton (and which poverty now obliges her to give up to Pinkerton and his American wife) to the final moment when Pinkerton, unable to deny what he has done, collapses in a heap of grief and guilt over Cio-Cio-San’s body, it’s pathos all the way, folks. This is Puccini, after all, and for me, at least, the emotional pull of his music is what raises “Butterfly” above the level of sordid melodrama.

And, of course, the moral issues it raises about power and principle are as valid now as they were over a century ago, both on the personal and national levels.
First-rate singing and acting by Union Avenue’s cast go a long way towards mitigating what I see as the opera’s weaknesses. Soprano Ann Wazelle’s Butterfly has just a bit more maturity and backbone than one usually sees in the role, which gives her character a bit more depth and Butterfly’s suicide an interesting element of defiance. She seemed to have a bit of difficulty belting out some top notes on opening night (although her high pianissimos were lovely), but was otherwise in excellent voice. I was not surprised to learn that she has substantial theatrical credentials as well as musical ones.

The role of Pinkerton is a familiar one for tenor Mathew Edwardsen, and he plays it with assurance and conviction. His journey from smug (and slightly racist) arrogance to guilt and remorse is entirely believable, despite the fact that Giuseppe Giacosa’s libretto has most of it happening offstage. And his voice is clear and seamless throughout its range.

Baritone Robert Garner is a warm Sharpless, whose warnings about Pinkerton’s immorality fall on deaf ears, and alto Debra Hillibrand is a sympathetic Suzuki, Butterfly’s wise and long-suffering maid and, eventually, her only real friend. Tenor Marc Schapman brings the role of the ethically flexible marriage broker Goro to credible comic life and bass David Dillard has a small but potent cameo as The Bonze, who excoriates Butterfly for converting to Christianity.
Even the smallest named roles, in fact, were well sung and acted effectively. That’s a sure sign of quality, in my experience.

Scott Schoonover conducted the orchestra with great assurance, and their playing was generally excellent, a few opening night flubs in the winds not withstanding. There was very fine and precise singing from the chorus as well.

Director Jon Truitt creates compelling stage pictures and has, thankfully, not given in to the all too common temptation among opera directors these days to impose an idiosyncratic concept on the piece. He plays it straight and allows Puccini to do the rest. His staging of the famous “humming chorus” that accompanies Butterfly’s poignant nocturnal vigil is particularly effective. As Butterfly sits “like patience on a monument”, the townspeople slowly pass below her with lanterns*. It touchingly underscores her loneliness and the pain of her ostracism.

Teresa Doggett’s costumes are strikingly beautiful, as is Patrick Huber’s set with its sliding paper screens and Japanese watercolor-style backdrop. His lighting sometimes left characters’ faces in shadow at inopportune moments, but I think that might be as much the fault of UAO’s performance space as anything else. It is, after all, a church sanctuary that has only been partly retrofitted for theatre.

Even if, like me, you find parts of “Madama Butterfly” hard to swallow, I think you’ll enjoy this production. Performances continue through July 21st at the Union Avenue Christian Church at Union and Enright in the Central West End. The opera is sung in Italian with projected English text clearly visible throughout the house. For more information: unionavenueopera.org.

*”Twelfth Night”, II-iv

This review originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

The Critics on UAO's "Madama Butterfly"

Union Avenue Opera's production of Madama Butterfly was met with critical acclaim over the weekend. Here's a sample of what Chuck Lavazzi of KDHX, Mark Bretz of Ladue News and John Huxhold of the Post-Dispatch had to say:

Chuck Lavazzi:

"Soprano Ann Wazelle’s Butterfly has just a bit more maturity and backbone than one usually sees in the role, which gives her character a bit more depth and Butterfly’s suicide an interesting element of defiance...[Mathew Edwardsen's] journey from smug (and slightly racist) arrogance to guilt and remorse is entirely believable...his voice is clear and seamless throughout its range...Baritone Robert Garner is a warm Sharpless, whose warnings about Pinkerton’s immorality fall on deaf ears, and alto Debra Hillabrand is a sympathetic Suzuki...Tenor Marc Schapman brings the role of the ethically flexible marriage broker Goro to credible comic life and bass David Dillard has a small but potent cameo as The Bonze, who excoriates Butterfly for converting to Christianity...Director Jon Truitt creates compelling stage pictures and has, thankfully, not given in to the all too common temptation among opera directors these days to impose an idiosyncratic concept on the piece...Teresa Doggett’s costumes are strikingly beautiful, as is Patrick Huber’s set with its sliding paper screens and Japanese watercolor-style backdrop."

Mark Bretz:

"One of the world’s most enduring operas returns to Union Avenue Opera for the first time in a decade in a polished presentation that features several outstanding voices under Jon Truitt’s diligent direction...Ann Hoyt Wazelle’s soaring soprano captures the notes as well as the anguish of the title character’s famous arias...Mathew Edwardsen displays a strong tenor and convincing acting in the role of the hedonistic Pinkerton...Baritone Robert Garner is a vibrant presence as the troubled counsul Sharpless...Debra Hillabrand shines as the dutiful servant Suzuki, while Marc Shapman brings an appropriately sleazy demeanor to the opportunistic Goro...[T]he entire cast looked perfect for the place and the era thanks to Teresa Doggett’s well-thought costume design. That attire blended smoothly with a clever set conceived by Patrick Huber."

"Madama Butterfly is one of the world’s most beloved operas, and devotees of its story and score doubtless will be pleased with Union Avenue Opera’s dutiful representation."

John Huxhold:

"Union Avenue Opera perfectly captured the spirit of this tragic tale...Stage director Jon Truitt had everyone in the cast moving purposely — there was no awkward waiting around for an aria to begin. Nice touches were evident throughout...Of course the focus of the opera is on Cio-Cio-San, and soprano Ann Hoyt Wazelle brought a balance of innocence and resolve to the part...[T]enor Matthew Edwardsen was excellent as the insensitive Pinkerton...Scott Schoonover and his orchestra exactly tracked every breath and phrase shaped by the singers...The chorus and the minor characters matched the quality of the rest of the production."

"There have been bigger, splashier, more spectacular productions of this opera, but in its own, tender, diminutive way, UAO’s version can stand alongside the best of them."

Union Avenue Opera's Madama Butterfly continues its run this weekend July 19 & 20 @ 8pm. Venue: Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Blvd, St. Louis. Production sung in Italian with Projected English Supertitles. Tickets and other information: visit unionavenueopera.org.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Union Avenue Opera's "Madama Butterfly" Opens Friday

Ann Hoyt-Wazelle
Photo © Ron Lindsey, 2013
All Rights Reserved

Union Avenue Opera continues its 19th Festival Season this Friday with Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, presented by Raymond James and running July 12, 13, 19 & 20. Puccini's tragic tale of love and heartbreak returns to the Union Avenue Opera stage after its last production in 2003.

In the harbor village of Nagasaki at the turn of the 20th Century, love blossoms between Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly), a young Japanese geisha, and Lt. Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, an American naval officer. Their marital expectations clash in Madama Butterfly as passion and honor reverberate with the explosive force of Puccini's powerful score, featuring Butterfly's famous aria "Un bel dì" and the exquisite "Flower Duet." A mother, alone and banished from her people, Butterfly pines for her husband. He returns only to humiliate and betray her beyond what she can endure.

THE CAST

Union Avenue Opera presents a cast of veteran artists. Soprano Ann Hoyt-Wazelle, who last appeared as Valencienne in 2009's Die lustige Witwe, returns to portray Cio-Cio-San. Tenor Mathew Edwardsen returns to sing his tenth B. F. Pinkerton, a role he first sang when making his company debut in UAO's 2003 production of Butterfly. Last seen as King Melchior in 2009's Amahl and the Night Visitors, Baritone Robert Garner sings the role of Sharpless, U.S. consul at Nagasaki. Tenor Marc Schapman, who sang the role of fire god Loge in last season's Das Rheingold, sings the role of the matchmaker Goro. Returning after her critically-lauded portrayal of Mrs. Patrick de Rocher in 2011's Dead Man Walking, Mezzo Soprano Debra Hillabrand portrays Suzuki, Cio-Cio-San's maid.

Mezzo Soprano Emma Sorenson, who made her UAO debut in the ensemble of Un Ballo in Maschera last season, sings the role of Kate Pinkerton. Baritone David Dillard, who sang Polyphemus in last season's Acis and Galatea, portrays the Bonze, Cio-Cio-San's uncle. Soprano Melissa Payton, Mezzo Soprano Debby Lennon, Soprano Tamara Miller-Campbell and Baritone Paul Robinson sing the roles of Cio-Cio-San's cousin, mother, aunt and uncle (Yakuside), respectively. Tenor Anthony Heinemann, most recently featured in the Jazz Trio of Trouble in Tahiti, sings the role of Prince Yamadori. Last seen in the ensemble of Acis and Galatea, Baritone Nathan Ruggles sings the Imperial Commissioner alongside debut artist Baritone Jay Lucas Chacon as the Registrar. Six year old Vincent Perez, of Evanston, Illinois, portrays Dolore, Butterfly's son. Seventeen local professional singers comprise the ensemble.

THE CREW

Artistic Director and Conductor Scott Schoonover leads a local orchestra in the pit. Director of the Voice Program at University of Indiana-Evansville, Stage Director Jon Truitt makes his Union Avenue Opera debut, having previously collaborated with Maestro Schoonover on productions of The Merry Widow (Muddy River Opera Company) and La Traviata (Asheville Lyric Opera). Lydia Crandall also makes her UAO debut as Stage Manager. Designers Patrick Huber (sets & lighting) and Teresa Doggett (costumes, wigs & makeup) form the design team of Madama Butterfly.

MEDIA

Local media is all aflutter about this Butterfly. Town and Style magazine profiles Union Avenue Opera and its production sponsor Raymond James. Brittany Nay of Ladue News interviews Scott Schoonover on Butterfly and the opera company's future endeavors. Sarah Bryan Miller interviews the maestro and previews the production in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Patricia Rice speaks with cast, conductor and director for the St. Louis Beacon.

DETAILS

Performances of Madama Butterfly run July 12, 13, 19 & 20 at 8pm. Venue: Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd. Production sung in Italian with projected English supertitles. Tickets may be purchased online at www.unionavenueopera.org or by calling 314-361-2881.