Living at the Opera

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Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) Pesaro (1) La Cenerentola:

From Seen and Heard International
By: Bernard Jacobson; Picture © Rozarii Lynch / Seattle Opera

Seattle Opera, soloists, cond. Asher Fisch, dir. Peter Kazaras, set and costume designer Robert Israel, lighting designer Duane Schuler, chorus master Beth Kirchhoff, Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle, 31.7.2010 (BJ)

Annalena Persson (Isolde) and Clifton Forbis (Tristan)

Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which opened Seattle Opera’s 2010-2011 season in a new production by Peter Kazaras, is justly regarded as the most influential work in the history of music since the mid-19th century. Whether that redounds entirely to its credit is a fair question.

As a consequence of the chromaticism that the composer took further here than in any other of his works, the music suffers from a pervasive lack of harmonic pulse. Vitiated by the absence of a truly propulsive bass line, everything happens on the beat, with a squareness that stands in stark contrast to Brahms’s combination of equally striking harmonic invention with life-giving rhythmic flexibility. The ultimate legacy of what Wagner achieved here may be found in 20th-century atonality, and only those untroubled by the want of real movement in the music of the Second Viennese School can reasonably regard Tristan’s influence as a good thing.

Such stylistic considerations aside, however, there could hardly be any doubt of the overwhelming sonic glory the opening-night performance achieved under Asher Fisch’s masterful baton. The orchestral sound, crucial in any Wagner opera, was magnificently full, rich, and delicately nuanced, from soaring strings, plangent woodwinds, and threatening drums and heavy brass to offstage hunting horns and a solo on a Holztrompete, or wooden trumpet, borrowed for the occasion. With this sumptuous support, every voice projected a quality to match that of any operatic cast in the world.

As Isolde, Swedish soprano Annalena Persson, making her US debut, unfurled a securely centered tone that could dominate the ensemble with apparent ease. There is an edge to her sound, but an edge that thrills rather than disturbs. And for once we could watch a singer whose slim, tall figure and facial beauty made a truly credible Isolde. Her worthy partner as Tristan was Clifton Forbis, a tenor with a warm baritonal tinge to his voice, and equally adept in portraying the intermingled torment and ecstasy of his role.

Brangäne and Kurwenal were those familiar company favorites, Margaret Jane Wray and Greer Grimsley. The smaller roles of Sailor, Shepherd, and Steersman were well taken, and Danish bass Stephen Milling, as King Marke, revealed perhaps the richest voice of all.
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What do Nelson Riddle, that composer and music arranger extraordinaire and the University of Arizona’s Orchestral and Conducting program have in common? A lot, it seems.

In 1998, the University of Arizona foundation received a gift from the estate of Riddle’s widow, Naomi, establishing the Nelson Riddle endowed chair. A. Edward Ezor, Naomi’s executor, saw to it that the gift also included more than 500 of the composer’s musical scores, royalties from his works, letters and photographs. In 2000, this tremendous financial boost led to the hiring of Thomas Cockrell, a well-respected teacher and conductor on the faculty of the University of California, Irvine, before coming to the U of A. Since that time Cockrell has served as the Nelson Riddle Endowed Chair in Music, as well as, the director of orchestral activities and music director of the U of A Opera Theater.

At that time, little did anyone on the U of A music school faculty know an unexpected benefactor, in the person of James E. Rogers, was going to extend the school’s musical recognition to an even higher artistic level. In 2007, Rogers, a graduate of the University and already a well-known donor (the university’s law school bears his name) was to fulfill a long-held dream of fostering a conducting program at the music school.

The James E. Rogers Institute for Orchestral and Opera Conducting opened in August, 2008, with funding of $1.8 million that was to be doled out over a ten year period. Even better news was the fact Cockrell’s guiding hand would oversee the educational and musical experiences of Jackson Warren and Keitaro Harada, the first conducting students to enroll in the program.

Outsiders might think with that amount of money available and the temptation for the music school to show off its growing notoriety, Cockrell would fill the program with more than two students. But the conductor’s good judgment and varied musical experiences proved with only Warren and Harada in the program, he could offer them a wider variety of musical experiences that would give them solid conducting careers in the future.

Cockrell’s approach has paid off handsomely for Warren and Harada. Both men have been conducting fellows with the Arizona Opera and the Tucson Symphony during their time with the program. Cockrell has also seen to it that they have had opportunities to speak before professional music groups and to organize a variety of orchestral programs. It’s all part of the requirements in today’s musical world for emerging conductors. “They need to have more skills than just to stand on the podium,” said Cockrell.

To finish off their studies at the University, both men have challenging jobs for the summer. Warren is an assistant conductor with Opera in the Ozarks in Arkansas for their 2010 season. And Harada has been invited by the Boston Symphony Orchestra to be a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox, MA.
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From Seen and Heard International
By: José M Irurzun; Picture © Bayerischen Staatsoper / Wilfried Hösl

Soloists, Bayerisches Staatsorchester. Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper. Conductor: Marco Armiliato. Nationatheater, Munich 19. 7.2010. (JMI)

Juha Uusitalo (Scarpia) and Karita Mattila (Tosca)

What a great pleasure it is to attend Munich’s Summer Opera Festival year on year, one of the most important events in the calendar. Although Munich probably lacks the glamour of Salzburg or the mystic ambiance of Bayreuth, its quality is second to none as far as I am concerned. My stay in Munich however, began with an almost all star Tosca, which unfortunately failed to meet my expectations.

This is the production that had its premiere at New York’s Metropolitan last September, where it was caused an almighty scandal. The truth is though – at least my truth – is that while different people might like it or hate it, there’s nothing terribly scandalous about it and I can only assume that New York’s reactions to it had more to do with the disappearance of Franco Zeffirelli’s old and much loved production, which seemed to be set as an integral part of the Metropolitan’s structure.

First of all, this is a traditional production, less spectacular than some others, but it follows the libretto faithfully; a rather spartan church in the first act, the Farnese Palace in the second – although it might just as easily be a less that luxurious room in a hotel, and finally a terrace on the fortress, but without the famous statue of the Angel. Costumes are appropriate to the time of the action, and are quite appealing as far as Tosca goes. The lighting could be improved, especially in the first two acts and the stage direction has some interesting details here and there but nothing radical since the three protagonists are what they have always been in so many other productions. The more personal touches happen in Act II, where Scarpia is entertained by a few women of easy virtue, before being stabbed several times by Tosca. Luc Bondy takes away the chandeliers and the crucifixes at the end of the Act, showing Tosca lying on the couch for the last few bars, calming herself by using the Marchesa Atavanti’s fan. It seems that she is not in any hurry to rescue Cavaradossi, even though there are only a few hours (Scarpia says one hour) of life left to him. In fact, she wears a different costume in Act III, presumably having had ample time to go to their villa to change her clothes. Her choice of costume did not seem the particularly suited to take “una tartana por Civitavecchia” either, but the third act remains totally traditional. In short then, the production is fairly conventional, less spectacular than some and not completely convincing at times but it’s certainly no kind of Eurotrash.
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From Seen and Heard International
By: José M Irurzun

Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Conductor: Michele Mariotti, Teatro Real de Madrid 29. 6.2010 (JMI)

Teatro Real’s ‘Great Voices’ cycle comes to an end with this concert featuring two of Madrid’s most well loved singers. The concert raised great expectations, especially after Leo Nucci’s triumph in another concert in Bilbao a few weeks back. The Madrid concert was truly spectacular and I have never seen the Teatro Real audience as excited before, a real madhouse.
The first outstanding performance of the evening came from conductor Michele Mariotti, who at 31 is already a splendid maestro. In addition to accompanying the singers with much care and delicacy, he also provided some excellent overtures. If he was very good with La Favorita, his interpretation of the prelude to La Traviata was truly breathtaking and he also gave two other outstanding performances of the overtures to Luisa Miller and Nabucco. He was not quite at the same level of quality – it is true – in I Capuleti but he drew a wonderful result from the orchestra, which has, in fact, improved remarkably in the last two years.

The program was quite demanding for the two singers on stage. Rather than arias, they mostly sang full scenes, ending with real firework encores, as if they had not sung enough during the official concert.

Patrizia Ciofi is one of those singers whose performances must be taken as a whole. Her voice is not spectacular in volume or timbre, her top notes don’t leave the audience breathless, nor is her figure full of “charm” and “glamour” either. She possesses none of these qualities in especially large doses, but all of them are present in her performances all of the time, coupled with a capacity for communication that makes her one of the world’s few singing artists. This is not a singer made for studio recordings, but an artist – here is the word again – to be enjoyed in full on on the stage. After a good prison scene from Maria Stuarda, she sang “Il faut partir” from La fille du Régiment, where she was as exciting as usual in the role of Marie. She finished the concert’s first half with the duet betweeb Lucia and Enrico, in which both she and Leo Nucci brought the house down with a marvellous “Si tradirmi tu potrai”. She was superb when singing Violeta’s scene in Act I from La Traviata.
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From Seen and Heard International
By: Harvey Steiman; Pictures © Cory Weaver

Wagner, Die Walküre: Soloists, chorus and orchestra, Donald Runnicles, conductor. San Francisco Opera, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. 22.6.2010 (HS)

Valkyries parachuting down in aviatrix garb, warriors dressed in World War I uniforms, Wotan as a three-piece-suited captain of industry, and Valhalla as a vaguely Art Deco high-rise overlooking a Gothan-like city set San Francisco Opera’s newest installment of Wagner’s Die Walküre firmly in the first half of the 20th century. It was a time of conflicts between good and evil that made it seem as if the world could come to an end, which is more or less what Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen is all about, and why this co-production with Washington Opera, updated in several details since its debut in 2007 there, works on many levels.

Michael Yeargan’s set designs remain sketchy enough to integrate with the overall thrust of Wagner’s drama, in which Wotan’s optimism that he can sort out his problems and save the world are shot down, only to find a glimmer of hope that a yet-unborn Siegfried could save the game in the next two chapters. Francesca Zambello’s direction focuses tightly on the personal interactions of the characters, right down to a brilliant team of eight valkyries that not only sang spectacularly well but created unmistakably individual characters.

All that would matter little if the music did not come through. Conductor Donald Runnicles, who led complete Ring cycles in 1990 and 1999 when he was music director of this company, shaped a muscular, vital, no-holds-barred performance from the orchestra. Nearly note-perfect, the pace and phrasing propelled the action nicely and inspired some superb singing.

Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde) and Christopher Ventris (Siegmund)

Act I belonged to Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek, in her house debut. Her Sieglinde, which she has sung at both Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera, oozed vulnerability even as she made the melodic lines gleam. As a Siegmund just a few decibels short of heroic, English tenor Christopher Ventris still managed to create a believable character and ride the musical lines effortlessly. His “Winterstürme” had a beautiful arc, and the final duet melded well with Westbroek.

From the first moments, this production made effective use of moving images, starting with a mad run through the forest seen from Siegmund’s eyes, projected onto a forward scrim. Changing sky views on the rear scrim added to the visual richness. In Act I the walls of Hunding’s hut open to reveal a gigantic moon rising against a dark blue sky, followed by red and orange pre-dawn skies.

As Hunding, bass Raymond Aceto manhandled Sieglinde, aptly demonstrating and why she wants out. His dark voice carried plenty of menace.
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From Seen and Heard International
By: Harvey Steiman

Soloists, chorus and orchestra of San Francisco Opera, Nicola Luisotti, conductor. War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, 9.6.2010 (HS)

Deborah Voigt has proven herself formidable in Wagner roles such as Sieglinde in Die Walküre or Senta in Die Fliegende Hollander, and Strauss heroines such as the Prima Donna in Ariadne auf Naxos or the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau Ohne Schatten. In her role debut as Minnie in Puccini’s Fanciulla del West at San Francisco Opera last week, not so much, at least not vocally.

The company has been billing this as “The Girl of the Golden West” and cleverly promoting it as “the original spaghetti western.” Puccini set the scene in California’s Gold Rush, a time and place that must have been as exotic to him as the Japan of Madama Butterfly or the China of Turandot. Voigt, familiar to San Francisco audiences since her days here as an Adler Fellow, brings a straightforward American openness to the character, along with warmth and real charm. You can understand why the miners in the story would love her good-hearted saloonkeeper.

Unfortunately, the vocal demands do not suit her strengths. Heard on the production’s opening night June 9, her singing was blunt, lacking in Italianate legato and in the ebb and flow that makes Puccini’s music so immediate and enthralling. Dramatically, the big crowd scenes never jelled musically because she could hold the center vocally. The more intimate scenes, such as the love duets with tenor Salvatore Licitra and the confrontation with baritone Roberto Frontali, revved up to a higher intensity, but the difference between her choppy melodic lines and the plangent phrases of the two Italians created a wide gulf.

As the bandit and love interest Dick Johnson/Ramerrez, Licitra wielded a robust tenor that may have pulled back a tad on the top notes but played out the shapely lines with clarity and refinement. His Act 3 arietta, “Ch’ella mi creda,” was a moment of sweetness and glory. Frontali played and sang Rance, the sheriff with an unrequited yen for Minnie, with an emphasis on power over refinement. He made a frightening nemesis for Voigt’s Minnie.
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Gallery A of “Il matrimonio segreto”
Gallery B of “Il matrimonio segreto”

If an audience’s enthusiastic response to an opera performance can be taken as an indicator of a successful production, then the U of A’s Opera Theater presentation of Domenico Cimarosa’s 1792 opera buffa, Il matrimonio segreto can be considered as one of its best.

Cast 4/8 4/10
L to R: Asleif Willmer- Carolina • Katie Vanderhooning- Elisetta • Mackenzie Romriell- Fidalma • Greg Guenther- Count Robinson • Chris Herrera- Geronimo • Dennis Tamblyn- Paolino

This enthusiasm for Il matrimonio can be traced back to its premiere in 1792 at the court of Emperor Leopold 11 in Vienna. Leopold commissioned Cimarosa to write an Opera buffa and was so pleased with the results he requested a repeat performance the same evening- after a sumptuous dinner, of course.

The opera was an immediate hit with the public and up until the end of the 18th Century, it was performed over 70 times in Vienna alone.

Cast 4/9 4/11
L To R: Erika Burkhart- Carolina • Angeline Chairez- Elisetta • Seth Kershisnik- Count Robinson • Orquídea Guandique- Fidalma • Kyle Connor- Geronimo and Alan Stevens- Paolino

Fast forward to April, 2010, to the Opera Theater’s four performances at Crowder Hall where audiences discovered to their delight that Artistic Director Charles Roe and Musical Director Charles Bontrager had woven an aura of deja vu into their interpretation. They decided to execute the set and fit the costumes to an elegant acting style that seemed right out of what the production looked and sounded like in 1792.

In today’s operatic climate, with so many loony revisionists puncturing unrelated, chaotic holes into many operatic masterpieces, Roe and Bontrager came up with a radical idea; they opted for a traditional interpretation. It proved to be a very astute decision.
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The following photos are courtesy of the University of Arizona Opera Theater. ©
Show dates: April 8th and April 10th, 2010

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