Soon after it's disastrous premiere in 1853, La Traviata became one of the most widely performed operas in the standard repertoire and with Verdi's 200th Birthday this year it is the #1 performed opera in the world for the 2013-2014 season. Beyond the obvious appeal of Verdi's melodies, Alexandre Dumas' story of heartbreak, and the classic tale of redemption, is the integral theme of women's role in society. The Lyric Opera of Chicago had the chance to say something that is both culturally pertinent and dramatically artistic with their latest production of La Traviata running through December 20th. Unfortunately that did not come to fruition as I hoped given the many skips and squeaky wheels that kept the performance from achieving that end.
La Traviata is the story of a beautiful courtesan named Violetta Valery who, the audience will soon learn, is dying of consumption. She is a kept woman of the wealthy Baron Douphol and enjoys her role as high society party goer which helps draw her attention away from the sad inevitably that she will be confronted with in the near future. Violetta is introduced to a young admirer named Alfredo Germont who has pined for her from afar. He quickly declares his love and is met with frivolous laughter on the part of Violetta. He continues to shower her with affection to which she soon becomes infected by. As dawn approaches he and the other party hoppers leave and Violetta faces off against her own fears of love, life, and death.
Time passes and we see Violetta in love with Alfredo and with life looking to the future. Love is quickly interrupted by Alfredo's father who pleads with the sickly courtesan to leave his son for the sake of their family honor. She finally gives in to Germont Pere and accepts her plight of the fallen woman unable to attain happiness. Alfredo thinks her unfaithful and seeks revenge at a party Violetta is to attend along with her former lover, Baron Douphol. Alfredo lucky in cards yet unlucky in love, humiliates her and in his embarrassment flees the party. The final act takes us back to Violetta's room where she lays in wait for either Alfredo or death, which ever is to arrive first. Alfredo makes it in time accompanied by his guilt stricken father with barely enough time to refresh their mutual love before she succumbs.
The part of Violetta Valery was beautifully sung by the radiant Latvian lyric soprano, Marina Rebeka in her Lyric Opera debut. She sang with a great range of dynamics without breaking the melodic line, ever so important to Verdi's music. Ms. Rebeka easily projected in to the large civic opera house and sounded in wonderful voice as she easily danced her way through the vocal acrobatics of the psychologically conflicted recitative and aria, "Ah, fors'è lui - Sempre libera". Her stage movement was fluid and uninhibited during the more vocally challenging parts of the role, yet at times stale and stiff in the more dramatic acting moments act 2.
Ms. Rebeka was still vocally fresh sounding at the beginning of act 3, but did show signs of fatigue near the end, which I can not blame her for given the difficulty of Violetta and the endurance required to sing it.
Alfredo Germont was sung buy international tenor, Joseph Calleja who was last heard at the Lyric in the role of Rodolfo. There are two things I should admit with respect to my thoughts on Mr. Calleja. I had heard him in La Boheme last season opposite Anna Netrebko and I was not impressed. During that performance he sounded tired which became more evident with each one of his entrances to the point where his vibrato was wide and his tone shallow and brittle. His performance of Alfredo was much better than that of his Rodolfo. My second admission is that I am not an ardent fan of his voice. Many critics describe it as a throwback to the golden era of opera with his tight squillo vibrato and bright tone, but there seems to be an ever present edge that robs it of its depth. Mr. Calleja sounded a bit tight at the beginning of the performance, but slowly warmed up as the night went on. Unfortunately it wasn't until the last act that he sounded his best. To be fair, he sang with sensitivity and dynamic variation and was in good voice from top to bottom, but consistently clipped off the ends of musical phrases which gave the impression that he was anticipating the breath too quickly. His acting was stiff, a theme shared by most all of the players. Mr. Calleja consistently dashed off stage during his exits as if the character had pressing matters in town that required his immediate attention, or taxi carriages were in short supply in Paris during the mid 19th century.
The part of Alfredo's father, Giorgio Germont, was sung by baritone and Ryan Center alumni, Quinn Kelsey, whose performance I thoroughly enjoyed in last season's Simon Boccanegra. Mr. Kelsey has become an internationally renowned Verdi baritone with his beautifully rounded and dusky tone. Mr. Kelsey's voice is nicely connected with an easy sounding upper register which has no problem projecting in to the house, yet maintains its sweetness. Still, I was disappointed by how Mr. Kelsey chose to sing much of his showcasing moments, such as the famous act 2 aria, "Di Provenza il Mar, il suol", with a Verdian sprech stimme making him sound choppy and disconnected. Although this stylistic choice may give the audience an aural appearance of an older man, it robs the singer of color and depth of sound which, in my humble opinion is needed in a part like Germont. Mr. Kelsey's dramatic interpretation was quite one sided and brutish, as if Alfredo's father was not an educated Parisian, but a disciple of Russian Tsar, Peter the Great. Given the consistency of placid acting evident in the absence of sensitivity towards a humiliated and dying woman, one has to question if this shortcoming is the responsibility of the performers or an absence of proper stage blocking and overall vision.
The comprimario roles were mostly sung by Ryan Center young artists with mixed results. Young baritone, Nicholas Pallesen sang the role of Baron Douphol. Mr. Pallesen has a lovely, bright tone that I look forward to hearing more of, although I prefer a darker sounding voice for this role given the fact that the Baron is middle aged. Mezzo soprano, Julie Ann Miller stood out in the role of Violetta's maid, Annina. She sang with a connected line and lovely tone that blended well with that of Marina Rebka.
Conducting the Lyric orchestra was international Maestro, Massimo Zanetti, considered to be a Verdi specialist. The Lyric Opera Orchestra sounded beautiful as always, but much like the performance of Parsifal that I heard last month, I didn't feel that Maestro Zanetti brought more out of the orchestra than was already there with respect to interpretation. Early on during the act 1 party scene, the orchestra and chorus were unmistakably off from each other which was quite surprising at this level of production. I would have expected something like this from early performances of a long running Broadway production that was still gaining traction, but not from a top tiered opera house ensemble and well respected conductor.
Making her Lyric Opera directing debut in the production was New York based associate artistic director at Theater for a New Audience, Arin Arbus. Her previous directorial experience in opera was with the HGO in their production of The Rape of Lucretia. I thoroughly enjoyed the sets by Riccardo Hernandez and costumes by Cait O'Connor (especially that of the over sized puppets), but was disappointed by the unrealized dramatic potential. As mentioned in the beginning of this review, although La Traviata is timeless, the story of women's plight in the 21st century in the hands of the right director can add an energy and life that so many operatic productions are desperate to acquire. This production missed those opportunities as evident in the party scene of act 2 where Ms. Arbus missed blocking opportunities to convey the strangling effect of being a courtesan had on Violetta and having to withhold her true feelings for Alfredo. Operatic audiences have always been asked to extend quite a bit of leeway with respect to suspension of disbelief, but the unrealistic staging and lack of sensitivity towards the action became ridiculous. Characters squabbled with one another as Violetta lay unconscious or dying which made them appear unsympathetic and cruel, rather than repentant and guilt stricken as Verdi intended.
Even with these obvious blemishes, I enjoyed Lyric Opera's production of La Traviata because of the higher than normal caliber of singing and the obvious star of the show being the birthday boy, Giuseppe Verdi. I did not shed any tears in the moments that I should have, so might I suggest that audience members take advantage of the 2 intermissions and indulge in an extra libation or two before the last act.
The Lyric Opera's production of Richard Wagner's last operatic work, Parsifal, may explain why the composer was reluctant to let it out of his proverbial sight of Bayreuth, even after his death in 1883. It is based on the 13th century long poem about the Arthurian knight, Percival written by Wolfram von Eschenbach. The story takes place in northern Spain during the middle ages. The curtains opens on Gurnemanz and his fellow knights of the Monsalvat kingdom, who guard the holy grail. It is explained that the king, Amfortas, in looking to end the conflict between Monsalvat and the kingdom of the fallen knight, Klingsor, was injured with a Christ like wound to his side with the same spear that Amfortas had been entrusted to look after. He is stricken with eternal suffering and must perform ritualistic acts to honor and protect his Kingdom which causes him great pains. An innocent fool, hunting in the forest happens upon the knights and learns of the prophecy and how a chosen one will right the wrongs of the past and bring peace to the kingdom. The chosen one must remain pure and refuse the amorous advances of woman that may lead him astray from his quest, which is to procure the spear that pierced Christ during his crucifixion and return it to Amfortas.
With an epic drama as this, adapted in to an epic opera like Parsifal, one would expect the performances to be epic as well. Unfortunately they were not. Even though the cast was filled with star studded names and promising careers, the performance fell short of what it could have been. There were no major breakdowns or cast changes due to inability on the part of the singers, but it was a simulacrum of Wagner rather than a Bayreuth certified Parsifal.
Making his Lyric Opera debut in the marathon like role of Gurnemanz is bass, Kwangchul Youn. Mr. Youn's voice has a beautiful, deep, and rich tone which has no problem carrying over Wagner's expansive orchestral textures, but his vibrato is consistently unsteady and warbly in the middle register up through the passaggio which taints its innate beauty. This is a signature role of his and one of many that he has performed at Bayreuth over the past 17 years. An achievement that carries with it an extremely high expectation which, in my opinion was not present given how ungrounded he sounds. I wondered if this was something new given the fact that Mr. Youn has been singing the heaviest of Bass repertoire throughout his lengthy career, but in listening to older recordings of him, it sounds as if this unsteady vibrato is a signature of his as well.
In the role of the conflicted seducing sorceress, Kundry, is dramatic Mezzo Soprano, Daveda Karanas. Ms. Karanas possesses a bright and brilliant sound that, for me lacked the depth of color needed for this role. Ms. Karanas who is still at the beginning of an international career sounded a bit immature for a role that would better suited for her later on. Her voice was uneasy and strained in the top of her range, especially when having to be heard over Wagner's wall of sound. In all honesty I do prefer a mezzo voice similar to that of Waltraud Meier, although she too, had difficulty in the upper range of this role.
Playing the titular role of Parsifal was tenor, Paul Groves. When I first read the brochure for the 2013-14 Lyric opera season last winter, I was surprised to see that Mr. Groves was going to be singing Wagner, as I remembered him to be more on the Lyric side. After hearing him in this role on opening night, my initial thoughts were confirmed. Mr. Groves has a lovely voice with a beautiful tone, but it is a suit that is not tailored to his abilities. His voice has difficulty battling the huge orchestra and for the most part could barely be heard when singing in his upper register. Once again his voice is beautifully agile, but it does not have the qualities and size even for a lighter Wagnerian role such as Parsifal.
World renowned baritone, Thomas Hampson sang the role of the wounded King, Amfortas. Much like the wound in Amfortas' side, it pains me to express the following. Mr. Hampson's performance was for the most part, well executed vocally, with some difficulty in forte sections, which may have been due to the fact that his voice (not to sound like a broken record) does not carry the size needed for Wagner, even though Amfortas is not necessarily a huge role, in weight and scope. Another contributing factor may be with the fact that Mr. Hampson comes across as extremely focused on the dramatic side of his performance which takes away vocally. There were times when the character's affliction seemed to effect Mr. Hampson's singing, as he sounded strained when faced with the task of projecting over the orchestra in his upper range. In the end, I enjoyed his interpretation and I must say, that it is awfully difficult to not like Mr. Hampson performances. Call it an eternal affliction if you will.
In my humble opinion, there were two "Wagnerian" ready singers in the cast and Tómas Tómasson who sang the role of Klingsor was one of them. Unfortunately he was the only one that encompassed every aspect of what a Wagnerian performance should display. His voice projected nicely and his singing adhered to the style needed for the role of the evil King.
Runi Brattaberg in his Lyric debut, sang the role of Amfortas' father, Titurel. It is a small part, but once again, Mr. Brattaberg's tone was lacking in depth which didn't help projecting in to the large opera house. His tone was insecure and warbly which begs the question; What is a Wagnerian sound in the 21st century?
The singers who comprised the Flower-maidens sounded beautiful and had wonderful blend with each other. The music in the 2nd Act when the Flower maidens appear adds a wonderful layer to Wagner the composer. When one thinks of Wagner, a French horn or a horned helmet comes to mind. What's interesting is that the music in this section, although complex and thick in texture, remains light and melodic emphasized by the voices it was composed for. Once again, the singers who made up the Flower maidens did a wonderful job. Additionally, the staging of the scene literally brought out the colors and feel of the music as well as the drama depicted in the story of Parsifal meeting "Flower Maidens" in a garden after having defeated their lovers in battle.
The Lyric Opera Chorus was wonderful, especially the virile sound of the men in the 1st Act. As was the case in Lyric's production of Otello, the director had the chorus off stage in a few sections, which left me wanting as they were at times covered up by the large orchestra.
Sir Andrew Davis, no stranger to conducting at the Civic Opera House, was at the helm once again which made the orchestral interpretation all the more disappointing. The ensemble itself sounded wonderful, but I felt that Wagner was left to conduct the piece himself, while Sir Davis was, how shall I put it...
...administering communion.
Anyone familiar with Wagner knows that it's going to be a long night. All the more reason to use those orchestral moments to bring out the dramatic subtext as Wagner intended. There were so many missed opportunities in dynamic shading alone, it was as if, Sir Davis thought that the sounds swelled on their own. In Act 3, we see an unknown knight appear on stage. Wagner gives us the dramatic tension as long as the conductor gets the orchestra to create it with a sforzando/mp that crescendos and back again into a diminuendo as we, the audience question what is to come next. I feltas though I ordered a decadent 3 scoop hot fudge sundae, only for Sir Andrew Davis to bring out a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The best vanilla ice cream I've had in a long time, but still only vanilla ice cream.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sparse staging of John Caird and design of Johan Engels & Duane Schuler. They did less when there were more bodies of stage and more with few. The dull green scape of Act I set the tone which then gave way to the spectacular brightness of Act 2 with the Flower Maidens which I felt did great justice to Wagner's music. The evil Kingdom of Klingsor was a mixture of the famous Bayreuth stagings of Tristan & Isolde of the 60's fused with modern touches and classical theater representation. It was dramatic in its visual presentation without overshadowing the fact that opera is first and foremost an aural medium.
If one truly wants a strong idea of what this opera may have been intended to sound like, after hearing the Lyric Opera's production, I would suggest listening to the 1962 recording at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus for which is was composed with true Wagnerian singers conducted by Hans Knappertsbusch, who incidentally worked with Richard Wagner's son, Siegfried, at Bayreuth.
The Lyric Opera's production of Otello had already seen it's share of drama with an opening night substitution for Baritone, Falk Struckmann who was replaced as Iago after the first act due to a severe allergy attack, which was to be followed by a back injury to renowned tenor, Johan Botha which required immediate attention. Although Mr. Struckmann recovered, it was announced on Monday that Botha would not be able to sing in the last two performances. In both cases, the singers chosen were more than substitutes in their own right. By the time Tuesday's performance was about to begin, I was quite interested to hear how things would progress given that the roles of Otello and Iago are some of the most difficult in the standard operatic repertoire. I must admit that I had some preconceived notions with regard to Mr. Struckmann as I had heard excerpts of his singing, but only on recording. I prepared myself for the possibility of a bumpy ride as the curtain raised on the opening scene of Otello's boat fighting storms to make it in to port.
Verdi's penultimate opera, Otello is based on the Shakespearean play of the same name with the libretto being adapted by composer and once outspoken critic of Verdi himself, Arrigo Boito. The story of Otello to me, is a character study in to the facets of personality and how one's perception of others and themselves can greatly effect their actions, no matter how rooted in truth or insecurity they may be.
The drama starts off on the island of Cyprus as the locals await the return of their governor, Otello, after having defeated the Turks in battle. It looks as if the ship may go under due to the storm, but to everyone's relief with the exception of Iago, makes it in to port. The main action deals with Iago's plan to convince Otello that his bride, Desdemona, is unfaithful and really love with the young Captain, Cassio, which of course, is not true.
Clifton Forbis sang the role of Otello in the place of Johan Botha, as mentioned earlier. From the moment he stepped on to the stage, it was obvious that Mr. Forbis was committed to the part of Otello, evident by the energy he gave, not only when singing, but in reaction to everyone and everything around him. His voice in the beginning seemed a bit timid, but one can only speculate as to his state of mind having to step in to this difficult situation with short notice. Mr. Forbis' upper register was very strong and his high notes sounded like metallic lightning bolts that cut through Verdi's thick textures and thunderous fortes. His middle and lower ranges left much to be desired for my ears as he sounded a bit warbly and tired through the first 2 acts. Those parts of his voice warmed up a bit in the 3rd act which was impressive given that the top of his voice didn't seem to tire the whole way through.
The part of Iago was sung by dramatic Baritone, Falk Struckmann who was heard opposite Johan Botha in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Otello, featured in HD broadcast the previous season. Mr. Struckmann, like Mr. Forbis, was committed to the characterization of the scheming Iago. The quality of his voice, although not beautiful in my humble opinion, illustrated the cut throat mentality as heard in the baritone's 2nd act aria, "Credo in un Dio crudel".
Mr. Struckmann had no problem being heard above the orchestra regardless of their volume, but once again, was not as pleasing as I would hope for. His voice is a bit brutish and at times disconnected, not only in line, but with regard to dynamics. When singing piano, Mr. Struckmann's voice lost its color and tone quality. He resorted to falsetto when singing quiet phrases sitting in the passagio. An additional difficulty was the blend of Mr. Struckmann's voice with Mr. Forbis. The dramatic action of the second act deals mostly with the execution of Iago's plan to exploit Otello's insecurities. At the end of the act, Otello and Iago sing a powerful duet, "Sì, pel ciel marmoreo guiro".
Mr. Forbis' silvery tenor and Mr. Struckmann's rough air splitting baritone did not compliment each other, instead sounding like 2 soloists standing next to each other. I can't put fault on the singers themselves given that Mr. Forbis was a late substitution, but I'd be curious if the Lyric Opera management had given much thought to this.
The part of Desdemona was beautifully sung by soprano, Ana Maria Martinez. Ms. Martinez brought out the delicate nature of Desdemona through her wonderfully connected line and sensitivity to dynamics especially in the middle and upper registers of her voice. She did come across as a bid tepid with regard to her acting in the first two acts, but the part of Desdemona doesn't really heat up that much until Act 3 & 4. Ms. Martinez successfully brought out the anguish and fear that Desdemona feels towards Otello after her public humiliation at his hands. This despondency resolves itself in to acceptance of her death as she awaits for Otello to enter. She sings, the aria known as "The Willow song", which Ms. Martinez sang beautifully with an effortless sounding spin that didn't sound pushed or overly dramatic.
Making his Lyric Opera debut in the role of Cassio was Italian tenor, Antonio Poli. He has a beautiful lyric tenor voice that is even and bright sounding. I was disappointed that the role of Cassio didn't showcase him more and I hope that his association with the Lyric continues given that he has a Chicago connection with Maestro Riccardo Muti.
The comprimario parts were sung by Ryan Center Artists. Baritone, Evan Boyer stood out as Lodovico, the Doge's representative. He has a dark and resonant voice, but lacked a bit of depth which in his defense, may not be a fair assessment without hearing him in a larger role. Julie Ann Miller sang the part of Emilia, Desdemona's servant (and wife to Iago). The role is quite small, but Ms. Miller's voice had a beautiful ring, that once again I wish I get to hear more of.
The orchestra sounded wonderful as it normally does, but I felt that the conductor, Bertrand De Billy allowed the thick textures of Verdi's score to overwhelm the singers, similar to that of the performance of Madama Butterfly a few weeks before. There were moments in the opening chorus when I wished for more singers on stage as it sounded like Maestro De Billy allowed the orchestra free reign in the forte sections upon Otello's arrival. The same was evident in the 3rd Act after Otello slap Desdemona to the disgust of onlookers. Whether or not the volume is exactly what Verdi called for doesn't matter if the chorus and comprimario parts are being drowned out and potentially forced to push themselves over the brink.
The staging and sets of the opera seemed to be historically schizophrenic. By the appearance of the costume design, the dramatic action was set in mid 19th century Europe, as the ladies were dressed as if they had jumped out of a Jane Austen novel and the men clad in Napoleonic military garb. This would've been a perfectly acceptable perspective if the set didn't look like a matchstick version of a back alley tenement apartment building. At one point there was a ceiling fan hanging which I assume was supposed to give the audience a sense of the heat and tension taking place in the scene. Unfortunately, the ceiling fan was not in widespread use until the turn of the century and even then, only in the United States.
This production of Otello at the Lyric Opera was a bit fractured and lacking in cohesive vision, not entirely the fault of the singers, musicians, or behind the scenes team. I left happy with specific performances and pieces, but unsatisfied with the production on the whole.
When thinking of how opera connects with modern audiences the word "classic" sticks out in my mind. A classic is something that stands the test of time because of how it relates to the common audience member regardless of where or when it is performed. Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, currently in production at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, is one of those classics.
There are so many universal elements to this gut wrenchingly beautiful piece composed by Giacomo Puccini, ranging from American colonial interests to the individual desire for love & family. The story of Madama Butterfly is centered around that of the 15 year old former geisha, Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) and her hope to for a secure life. That opportunity appears in the form of an American naval officer, B.F. Pinkerton. In a not so subtle criticism of American foreign policy as well as its egoism, Pinkerton sung by tenor, James Valenti, pays a marriage broker to procure for him a furnished house including an obedient, young Japanese wife. Unbeknownst to Butterfly, Pinkerton has no intention of staying for the 999 years that he has leased the house for. His plan is to return to the United States and find a real American wife. Butterfly is filled with nothing, but hope, faith, and love for her soon to be American husband. She has renounced her old way of life and culture for a new one, that of a dutiful wife. All of these assumptions, which she believes to be truth and law are only a cruel illusion that she will be forced to confront.
The cast was a mixture of beautiful delight and unrealized potential. B.F. Pinkerton is sung, by American tenor, James Valenti, making his Lyric opera debut. Valenti has sung at many of the world's largest opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and The Royal Opera house to name a few. With that in mind, I had high expectations upon his first lines. He has a rich and round lower register that quickly loses depth and color as he moves through the passaggio in to the upper part of his voice. His voice seemed unsteady with the tessitura that often remained in between the middle and upper register. Valenti's voice was often drowned out by Puccini's thick textures and plush orchestral sound, especially when having to sustain high notes as in the tenor's first act aria, Amore o grillo.
An obvious and expected delight was soprano, Amanda Echalaz also making her Lyric Opera debut. Her voice is full, rich, and more than big enough to project over the orchestra in to the expansive hall of the Civic opera house, yet bright and connected as to bring out the beautifully expressive lines that were written for Butterfly. Ms. Echalaz's singing was quite expressive and dynamic. She employed a wonderful use of portamento which she used to bring out the wide range of emotions that Butterfly experiences throughout the entire opera. There were a few moment when having to sustain climactic high notes that, what I can only speculate as wanting to ensure that she would be heard, sounded a bit pushed, but not so obvious as to detract from the moment. The voices of Ms. Echalaz and Mr. Valenti did not seem to be well suited, apparent in the long duet, ending Act 1 (Bimba, Bimba, non piangere). Hers was consistent from bottom to top and had no problem being heard, while his was not only hard to make out during climactic sections when the orchestra was playing forte, but was at times out matched by Ms. Echalaz.
Mezzo-soprano, Maryann McCormick playing house servant, Suzuki, not only blended wonderfully with Butterfly during their Act 2 duet, ( Il cannone del porto! also known as the Flower duet), but easily held her own in most every moment she sang. She showed a great deal of range in both her singing and acting. I enjoyed the warmth and depth of her voice that projected through the orchestra, but didn't lose any lyrical line. Like the others, Ms. McCormick sounded a bit tight on her sustained high notes against the plush sound of the orchestra.
The part of Sharpless was sung by British baritone, Christopher Purves, who like Ms. Echalaz and Ms. McCormick, had a strong, rich sound that projected rather easily over the orchestra. I was delighted to hear how solid and grounded his upper range was without barking or breaking up the vocal line. The one slight criticism I had was the lack of dynamics in his performance, although it didn't take much away.
The pimp-like Goro was sung by veteran tenor, David Cangelosi who did a wonderful job with the characterization as well as injecting tension in moments of calm.
The comprimaro parts were sung by current and past members of the Ryan Center young artists program. In general, the men were overmatched against the large orchestra, making it hard to make out their lines. In their defense, most of these parts were written for confrontational moments for which Puccini wrote thick textures at forte, punctuated by deep percussion. The two stand outs for me were baritone, Anthony Clark Evans (Prince Yamadori) and Laura Wilde (Kate Pinkerton).
I had heard Anthony Clark Evans sing before years ago on a You Tube recording of his college recital and was really impressed, so I was excited when I read that he had been a Metropolitan Opera council finalist, but was singing in many of this season's productions. Laura Wilde's beautifully colored voice blended nicely in the small moments she had and I wished to hear more of her.
The orchestra did a wonderful job of bringing out the sweeping lines and varying textures of the score, although I would have liked it if conductor, Marco Armiliato would have shown more sensitivity to the young singers of the cast by restraining the volume a bit so as not to cover the vocal line. Chicago Tribune music critic, John Von Rhein mentioned in his review of the production, that some of the singers were either inaudible or had no "top". I would adamantly disagree with that characterization and go so far as to say that a statement of that nature is an overstatement and perhaps even more so, disingenuous. Obviously an opera such as Madama Butterfly performed in a venue as big as the Civic Opera house demands larger voices that can both carry over a large and project to the back row, it is still the voice that drives the action. If young singers or voices that are not Botha like size are employed, then it is the responsibility of the conductor to adapt.
The sparse set was both stylistically appropriate and effective given the directorial staging of the singers. There was enough open area to allow for comfortable movement or showing the repressive eyes, evident in the renunciation of Cio-Cio-San by her family in Act1. A red crescent pathway served as entrance and road to home for Madama Butterfly. The lighting was subtle, yet powerful as it fit the mood, colored by the score.
I am Fiato Forte, an opera enthusiast living in Chicago who, until last year, had fallen out of touch with that world as a result of life's strings pulling me in various directions. As time passed I found myself missing the experience of going to the opera as if we were two close friends who had fallen out of touch with little awareness. I began listening to familiar operatic standards on You Tube which quickly gave me a renewed sense of excitement for opera as well as Classical music in general. I began to think about it during mundane errands and preschool drop offs. I came across classic voices that I had loved before and discovered others I should have known all along.
As I continued my rediscovery period in opera, I found myself having silent debates with the opinions that I had held 10 to 15 years before.
"Although I love the beauty in Fritz Wunderlich's voice, I am annoyed at the cracks in his technique...Yes, Dmitri Hvorostovsky is wonderful, but he bears down on his voice in the middle register and has a tendency to sound nasally when singing an 'E' vowel in the lower part of his voice...I totally agree with you "Young Fiato", Maria Callas does sound like a chicken no matter how much emotion she gave in performance..."-You get the picture.
After some time swimming in the aural waters of my computer's lackluster sound system, I decided that for all my armchair pontifications, that opera is meant to be heard live without artificial amplification which meant I needed to crack open the wallet and head back to the Colosseum that is the Civic Opera House in Chicago. With a name like, Fiato Forte, you may be envisioning a finely cultured individual that is impeccably dressed and financially independent. If that is your assumption you'd be hitting 1 out of 3 and that is being generous. I would purchase season tickets for 1/2 the performances of the 2012-13 season which included Simon Boccanegra, Werther, Rigoletto, and La Boheme. I found myself with an offer for a free ticket to Don Pasquale and of course jumped at the chance. All in all, I was pleased with the productions of last season, but far more critical of individual performances than I had been in the late 90's when I was a regular at the Lyric.
The season ticket brochure arrived in March of this year with the upcoming season of productions and cast lists. It was then that I decided to upgrade to the entire opera season and give my critique of each production, no matter how brutal or ignorant I may come across as to the reader. I took my cue from George Bernard Shaw who, for two years, wrote a newspaper column as a music critic under the pseudonym, Corno Di Bassetto. His goal was to give honest and straightforward feedback to the general population of London in part, to encourage a well informed common opinion in the late 19th century. Although I am no George Bernard Shaw, in time I hope to gain readers and engage in some dialogue on the subject of opera no matter how much we may differ.
Thank you
sincerely,
Fiato Forte
