The Merry Widow

  It’s rather fitting that the Lyric Opera of Chicago staged its production of The Merry Widow right after Alban Berg’s Wozzeck; the latter in many ways criticizing the overly decorated façade of the former. The 1905 operetta by composer Fran Lehar and librettists Viktor Leon and Leo Stein focuses on the love lives of the rich and decadent aristocracy in the fictional eastern European country of Pontevedro. Pontevedrian ambassador to France, Baron Zeta, is beside himself with worry over the fact that his home country is near bankruptcy and if its wealthiest citizen, widowed millionaires Hanna Glawari, marries a man outside the country she will then leave and take her fortune with her. This is the ostensible plot line of Lehar’s 90 year old operetta, The Merry Widow. The true conflict is between Hanna and her old flame, the playboy aristocrat and lover of dancing girls, Count Danilo Danilovitch. They’re kept apart by their mutual reluctance to open up as well as the secondary love story of Valencienne, who is married to Baron Zeta, and French attaché to the embassy, Count Camille de Rosillon. Like any comic operetta, there is dancing, singing, hijinks, and a great deal of unrealistic plot lines. Without giving too much away, it is no spoiler to say that all’s well that ends well.

  The Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production did not disappoint when it came to sets, costumes, colorful dancing, and obligatory star power. Like the time that is represented on stage, the Lyric’s Merry Widow was opulent in its aesthetic, but lacking in depth, especially when it came to what should be the jewel in this gilded egg; the music. On paper this should be a template for what a top tiered operetta production should be, but despite the beautiful visuals and wonderful dancing, I was left unsatisfied. Unfortunately I was not surprised by the reasoning for this empty feeling. The strength and talent of the last two productions have been counterbalanced by the weakness in the season’s opening production of The Marriage of Figaro and now The Merry Widow.

  The titular role of Hanna Glawari was sung by the legendary American soprano, Renee Fleming, which she performed last season at the Metropolitan Opera which was featured in their HD live series. Ms. Fleming’s initial entrance, which sets the tone for the character as well as the act, fell flat as she was nearly inaudible during the opening song, Gentlemen, no more. Part of the reason for this is the consistent insensitivity of conductor, Sir Andrew Davis who doesn’t seem to have a clue when the orchestra is covering the singers. Ms. Fleming sounded breathy, uneasy, and possibly sick throughout the entire first act. It was a strain to hear her which, the sole exception being her high notes which, although louder, sounded unfocused and fuzzy. Ms. Fleming’s voice warmed up as the night went on and had flashes of silvery shine in the third act. It sounds as if Ms. Fleming no longer has the control and ability that she once had, which is in no way a critique of her singing. It’s an unfortunate reality of time. Ms. Fleming has been a saving grace for opera over the last three decades and I’m sure will continue to do so in a behind the scenes capacity.

  Singing the role of the dashing aristocrat Danilo Danilovitch, was another legendary American singer, baritone Thomas Hampson. Like Ms. Fleming, Mr. Hampson has been a positive voice in advocating for not only classical singing, but a wide variety of vocal music. I had the opportunity to hear him in recital this past summer at Ravinia’s Martin theatre, the program including songs by Schubert, Mahler, and contemporary composers including the Chicago premier of Jennifer Higdon’s Civil Words. As always, Mr. Hampson was committed to the role of Danilo. He seemed to be relaxed and enjoying the playfulness of the character evident in the duet Jogging, In a One Horse Gig and the guys only number, Who can tell what the hell women are. Still more like Ms. Fleming, Mr. Hampson sounded on the tight side and strained with the high tessitura of Danilo. He seemed to be employing more of a sprech-stimme vocal line which stripped his voice of the normally bright color and projection. Hearing both Ms. Fleming and Mr. Hampson in this production was like watching two future Hall of Fame baseball players in the last games of the careers.

  Making her Lyric opera debut in the role Valencienne was American soprano Heidi Stober. Ms. Stober has a rounded soprano voice that had depth and was nicely balanced, although at times she sounded a little uneasy in the upper part of her range. Her tone is similar to that of Ms. Fleming’s in that it is on the darker side of the soprano spectrum which was a contrast to the bright lyrical tone of Valencienne’s love interest, tenor Michael Spyres. Like Mr. Hampson, she was relaxed and seemed to enjoy the character.

  Singing the role of the man in love with the married Valencienne, Camille De Rosillon, was American lyric tenor, Michael Spyres. He has an incredibly sweet sounding voice that comes across as effortless in its production. His high notes rang out easily and balanced with the rest of his voice. Mr. Spyres let his voice do the acting for him as not much is to be expected from the two-dimensional character of Camille de Rosillon. There were times when he would be drowned out by the other singing as well as the orchestra, not to his own fault. Mr. Spyres’ singing was the vocal highlight of the night.

  Making his lyric opera debut in the role of Valencienne’s husband and Pontevedrian ambassador, Baron Zeta, was American bass-baritone, Patrick Carfizzi. The role required little in the way of solos for Mr. Carfizzi which was a shame given how nice his voice sounded in the few moments he had.  His acting was straightforward and not overdone, although like most of the supporting characters, Baron Zeta is an archetype role that doesn’t require a great amount of depth.

In the non-singing role of Baron Zeta’s assistant, Njegus, was Chicago actor and singer, Jeff Dumas. Mr. Dumas has been featured regionally and nationally in various theater productions and tours and has been nominated for various awards for his work. The lyric made the right choice in casting Mr. Dumas as he was undoubtedly the true comic hub of the show making the most out of each moment he was given. My only regret is that he wasn’t allowed more time to develop his bits.

  The supporting roles of the dueling French aristocrats vying for Hanna’s affections were tenor, Jonathan Johnson as Raoul de St. Brioche and Paul La Rosa as Viscount Cascada. Mr. Johnson has a flexible tenor voice that is a bit on the smaller side which made it difficult to pick him out in ensemble numbers. His voice sounded balanced and easily produced. Mr. La Rosa’s baritone is a shade on the darker side in tone and he had some trouble being heard in the passaggio and sounded a bit strained at times.

  The smaller ensemble roles were handled appropriately without unnecessary histrionics or calls for attention. One of the visual highlights was the wonderful dancing, choreographed by the incomparable Susan Stroman who also directed the production.  The dance numbers varied between Pontevedrian folk dances, waltzes, and the exciting French Grisettes featured at Maxim’s.

Conducting the wonderful Lyric Opera orchestra was Sir Andrew Davis. Sir Davis has been consistent over the past 3 seasons in his unwillingness to restrain the orchestra’s volume so as not to drown out the singers and this performance was no different. As said before, Miss Flemming was nearly inaudible during most of the first act and Sir Davis did nothing in the way of dynamics to help her. There was also a lack of sensitivity with regard to the musical style of the waltz. From the start the tempo was on the quicker side and straightforward. A waltz of this style needs to have a great deal of rubato to simulate the movement of dance. Sir Andrew Davis was having none of that and carried on with his staid lead.

Susan Stroman directed and choreographed the visually wonderful performance. The movement was nicely restrained and not over the top which was a good contrast the lively motion and spectacle of the dancing scenes. The set design of Julian Crouch was extravagant, yet tastefully done with an ornate entrance the Pontevedrian embassy in act 1, Hanna’s beautiful palatial garden with view of Paris, and the interior of Maxim’s adorned with a double staircase. The costume design of William Ivey Long was decadent in color and style, but not gaudy or over the top as it was in this season’s The Marriage of Figaro.

If my top priority in going to the Opera was the visual aesthetic, then this production would be right on the mark. Susan Stroman’s vision was quite grand and full of life. Unfortunately hearing the production is first on my list and this production, with a few exceptions did not have me walking away with a smile on my face. I can only hope that the Lyric Opera has changes in place for the next few seasons when it comes to main casting. Despite some wonderful productions over the last few seasons, it seems like it’s business as usual which is no longer making the grade.

Wozzeck

 

  “A fire… A fire rises from the Earth to Heaven and there’s a terrible noise like trumpets…” are the hauntingly prophetic words sung by the eponymous character in the first act of Alban Berg’s opera, Wozzeck. Moments later the mentally ravaged soldier sings, “Still. All is still as if the world has died” as if he can see the unavoidable conflict that would be labeled “The Great War” rolling through the fields, shaking the hollow ground beneath him.

  The ten years that preceded World War I was a revolutionary time in each facet of everyday life. There were enormous changes in the areas of industry, technology, communication, and mass consumption. People were traveling farther, seeing more, going faster, and being introduced a wider range of the foreign cultures. The form and organization of the previous century were soon in conflict with that of the golden age. Colonization brought new and improved goods to Europe expanding economic development and innovation, while creating competition for workers at home. Women received education en masse giving them individual opportunities in a wide range of areas which helped to liberate them from the old hierarchy and having to depend less on men. The economic modernization and rapid changes in the social fabric created a backlash. The average European man felt disjointed and out of place. Technologically advanced machinery created efficiency, but demanded more from men while providing less in the ways of income, rights, and a sense of belonging. The once indestructible form of masculinity that had been the bedrock of European society was being toppled evident in lower birth rates, changing family structures, and a perceived emasculation. Men at the turn of the century felt as though they were losing grasp of their place in the world.  

  The perception of instability is one of many themes expressed by Viennese composer Alban Berg through the mentally unwoven and demented character of Wozzeck. Berg, who had at a young age became a favored pupil of the musically innovative Arnold Schoenberg, was an inextricable part of the musical and artistic scene in Vienna which focused on structure, function, and form. Schoenberg, Berg, and the composers of the second Viennese school sought a return to the elemental aspects of music and language by replacing the ornamentation and florid lines of classical tradition with the variation and expansion of simple themes. This refutation of the established past was spreading to every corner of the artistic community in Europe. The Goldman & Salatsch building designed by architect Alfred Loos, which sat across the square from the Imperial palace, created a stir with its stark look and lack of classical ornamentation that had been a staple of the Viennese visual aesthetic. Gustav Klimt’s subversive symbolism and motto of naked truth attempted to break through the carefully constructed façade of ‘good society’. Klimt clothed his subjects in seductive looks and suggestive poses alongside ornate fabrics meant to titillate the viewer. And on the heels of that libidinous revolt was Sigmund Freud delving in to Vienna’s hidden sexual desires in order to eradicate the dysfunctions that repressed society.

  Berg’s opera, based on the Georg Büchner play ‘Woyzeck’, peeled back the skin of the pre-war golden age to reveal the growing nervousness, paranoia, and instability of society which industry, government, and military exploited for its own gain.  The story centers on the characters of Wozzeck, a poor soldier in a rural German town and Marie, Wozzeck’s lover and the mother of his young son. Wozzeck, desperate for money, submits himself to the irrational judgements of his Captain and the unethical experiments pseudo-scientific doctor. As a result Wozzeck had lost touch with reality and has paranoid visions that haunt him day and night. He laments being poor and the difficulty of acting in a moral and virtuous manner without money. The ignorant Captain, confused by Wozzeck’s response, berates him like a child. Wozzeck’s interactions with a quack military doctor who spouts unintelligible scientificac words are similar to that of the Captain. The extra money Wozzeck earns goes to support Marie, the mother of his son. She too laments her poverty throughout the opera and wishes for a better situation than what Wozzeck can provide. Marie soon to the sexual advances of the Drum major she had seen earlier marching in the parade past her window. Wozzeck, already paranoid and unhinged, becomes jealous of Marie and her romance with the Drum Major who demeans him by telling everyone in the army barracks. As Wozzeck loses hold of the little sanity he has left, Marie reads bible stories about Mary Magdalen, whom she identifies with and longs for forgiveness. Wozzeck and Marie go for a walk near a pond. Marie notices how red the moon looks. Wozzeck tells her that if he can’t have her, no one can and stabs her to death. Wozzeck soon drowns in the pond trying to clean off Marie’s blood. The opera ends with their son playing with other children, unaware of his parents’ death.

  Director David McVicar’s restrained stage directions were key in highlighting the wide range of emotions that the main characters portrayed. Mr. McVicar allowed the music and text to speak for itself. He did not make the mistake of having too much action, especially in the larger ensemble scenes. Mr. McVicar staged those scenes in a way for the audience to keep focus on the story as it unfolded rather than be drawn away to a purely visual spectacle.

  Set and costume designer, Vicki Mortimer accented the bleak and mentally damaged aesthetic of the opera with hospital curtains, the full length of the stage, pulled open and closed during scene changes. She also placed a war memorial of sorts in the middle of the stage. A shrouded figure lies on its back with an outstretched hand coming up out of the cover. The back drop is a desolate gray chiseled quarry like scene of a post-war area as if it’s one large bombed out crater.

  Sir Andrew Davis was at the podium once again and like previous performances, he started out Wozzeck with the orchestra playing too loud which occasionally drowned out the sprech-stimme lines of the singers. Fortunately this problem was rectified early on, whether it was a purposeful decision or Berg’s orchestration, the orchestra didn’t continue to cover the singers and played with wonderful dynamic variation and color.

  Polish bass-baritone, Tomasz Konieczny sang the role of the psychologically brittle soldier, Wozzeck. He has a dark color to his voice that had no problem being heard in the lower range, but what amazed me the most was how piercing and silvery his high notes were without sacrificing the blend of register. Mr. Konieczny didn’t overact the part or come across as affected and like Mr. McVicar’s direction, he sang the lines and followed the stage directions with restraint which added to the suspense of the drama.

  German soprano, Angela Denoke sang the role of Wozzeck’s lover, Marie. She has a beautifully rich tone that easily projected in to the hall. She sounded a little wobbly at the outset which corrected itself soon thereafter. Ms. Denoke sang with expression, intensity and dynamic variation. Her characterization wasn’t tortured in the same way as that of Mr. Konieczny’s Wozzeck, but she was strong willed and less restrained which was a nice counterbalance for the two characters.

  German tenor, Gerhard Siegel sang the roll of the self-absorbed Captain. Mr. Siegel has a piercingly bright tenor voice that seems to have been written for him by Berg. His voice naturally sits quite high and he handled the difficult tessitura of the Captain with little problem other than a squeak at the outset of the opera. Again, Mr. Siegel’s portrayal of his character, like his colleagues, was restrained and to the point which served the opera well. There wasn’t a need for histrionics as the music and story was dramatic enough on its own.

  British bass, Brindley Sherratt sang the role of the unethical pseudo-scientific Doctor. He was heard in this season’s production of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ as Bartolo. I felt that the role of the Doctor gave Mr. Sherratt more of a chance to showcase his rich and cutting bass.

  German tenor Stefan Vinke sang the role of the pompous and overly masculine Drum Major. His dramatic voice projected throughout the hall, but sounded a bit strained at times.

  Ryan Center alum and Lyric tenor, David Portillo sang the role of Wozzeck’s friend and bunk mate, Andres. Mr. Portillo sings with a beautifully fluid and agile tone that expressed the innocent and open character of Andres. His voice, though not small, had a little harder time being heard against some of Berg’s thicker textures as well as the large voice of Tomasz Konieczny.

  The comprimario roles were sung nicely by Jill Grove, Brenton Ryan, Bradley Smoak, and Anthony Clark Evans, with Mr. Smoak who was also heard in the previous production of Figaro being a standout. He has a rich and evenly balanced bass that is more on the lyrical side. I was also happy to hear Mr. Evans’ who made the most of his small role with some impressive high notes.

  With the exception of Mozart’s Figaro, this season has been a joy to attend and I hope that it continues in the current direction with the upcoming productions of ‘The Merry Widow’ and ‘Bel Canto’, although I remain skeptical given the past few seasons’ inconsistent track record especially when it comes to comic operas.