Der Rosenkavalier

  Der Rosenkavalier, the late romantic, neo-classical, adapted story, Mozart influenced, dramma giocoso, age defying, gender bending love story about class struggle, is the second opera from two of the most influential artists of the early 20^th century, Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. After the success of Elektra, based on the von Hofmannsthal’s 1903 play, the composer and librettist continued their partnership with this comic opera, loosely based on the stories of Les amours du chevalier de Faublas and Moliere’s Monsieur de Pourceaugnauc, which quickly became a part of the standard operatic repertoire still true today. The story follows the complicated love triangle of the beautiful 32 year old Marschallin, her 17 year old lover Octavian, and the ingenue Sophie, who will soon capture his heart. Matters are made even more complex by the overbearing intentions of the Marschallin’s aristocratic cousin, Baron Ochs who is to marry Sophie who he has never met. The 3 act opera is separated in to beautiful vignettes that not only capture a slice of life, but allow the characters to reveal their inner souls, with the exception of the vacuous Baron Ochs. The Lyric Opera’s production looked spectacular, but more important by far was that, with little exception, it sounded spectacular.

  Despite the title reference to Octavian, the real singing star of the opera is Illinois-born soprano and Ryan Center alumna, Amanda Majeski. Ms. Majeski who played the role of the Countess in this season’s opening production of Le Nozze di Figaro as well as Marta in last season’s production of The Passenger sang with beauty and musical sensitivity in this the taxing part of the Marschallin. Ms. Majeski’s voice sounded both lyrical and confident as she easily maneuvered her way through the first Act of Strauss’s intricate vocal lines. Ms. Majeski could easily be heard over the thicker sounds of the orchestra, yet had no problem floating softly in to her upper register when needed. Her singing revealed the multiple facets and depth to the character and she seemed physically at ease on stage. Ms. Majeski’s voice has a presence that evokes an aristocratic demeanor with a sound like steel thread surrounded by warmth that’s easily spun in a legato line through a tight vibrato.  

  Singing the trouser role of the 17 year old Octavian is French Mezzo-soprano, Sophie Koch. I hear her the last time she was at the Lyric a few seasons ago singing the role of Charlotte in Werther. I remembered being taken by the innate beauty of her voice, but not impressed with the overall quality of her singing, which were exactly my thoughts of her performance in this production. Ms. Koch is a fine actress and at ease on stage, but her portrayal of a young man lost some of its believability due to her overly stereotyped male mannerisms which bordered on caricature and she had little to no romantic chemistry with Ms. Landshamer’s Sophie (I know that this sentence may be a bit confusing). Ms. Koch is vocally quite expressive, but personally I could not get over her wide vibrato which at times verged on a wobble. It was a stark contrast to the consistency of Ms. Majeski’s sound. Ms. Koch tended to sing passing notes in straight tone which broke up the line and sounded cut off from the rest of her voice. As a result, she at times lost her projection and would occasionally get swallowed up by the orchestra, especially in ensemble numbers.  

  Making his Lyric Opera debut in the role of the barbarous Baron Ochs was British bass, Matthew Rose. Mr. Rose’s sound in the first act was a bit tight and was more on the side of Sprechstimme than sung which may be understandable given the long recit-like passages that Baron Ochs has upon his first entrance. His voice did not project very well in the lower register due to the quick phrases of the recitative, but sounded a great deal better in the second act and hit a vocal peak in the thirds act in which Baron Ochs was featured above the other characters. Once warmed up, Mr. Rose has a rich and full bass voice with a ringing upper register. He does have a tendency to bark and sing straight tone at times that verges on pop singing style. His characterization of the smarmy aristocratic Ochs was spot on and made you cheer for his downfall.

  Making her American debut in the role of Sophie was German soprano was Christina Landshamer. Ms. Landshamer’s light lyric soprano voice fit perfectly for the role of Sophie. She was vibrant in her characterization of the ingénue promised to Baron Ochs for an aristocratic title and sang with energy. Although Ms. Landshamer’s voice was on the smaller side for an opera house of this capacity, her voice projected nicely and could be heard without a problem unless competing with large ensembles and thick orchestral textures. Her voice is not gorgeous in itself, but Ms. Landshamer sang with a nicely legato line and musical sensitivity that brought out the beauty of the part.

  Singing the role of Sophie’s rich father, Faninal, was German baritone Martin Gantner who was last heard at the Lyric Opera in the 2006 production of Die Fledermaus. Mr. Gantner’s voice is interesting and hard to describe. He’s a baritone, but one that lacks roundness and depth to the sound. His voice is very pointed with ‘cut’, but comes across as small in the Civic Opera house.

  The comprimario roles were executed wonderfully. Rene Barbera sang the small role of an Italian singer beautifully, his high notes ringing to the back with no problem. Rodell Rosel and Megan Marino were outstanding as Valzacchi and Annina, the mercenary gossip seeking duo for hire. Ms. Marino has a well-rounded mezzo-soprano voice and sang with confidence and ease.

  Edward Gardner was another welcomed conductor who was engaged from the outset and consistently made eye contact with the singers. The orchestra rarely over powered the singers and when it did, it was mostly due to the smaller size of the individual’s voice. The orchestra wasn’t perfect on this night. Many of the musical phrases in the overture were muddy sounding and lacking crisp articulation, but Maestro Gardner helped give the production energy and commitment that is lacking at times with Sir Andrew Davis.

  The direction of Martina Weber was nicely staged, although the breakfast scene with the numerous callers and drunken free-for-all in act 2 were a bit unrestrained at times, but humorous none the less. The set and costume design by Thierry Bosquet were beautiful and historically accurate, quite different from the Moulin Rouge inspired designs for the comparably set Marriage of Figaro earlier in the season.

  This was one of the more enjoyable productions of the past 2 seasons in every facet. Wonderfully consistent singing, believable characterization, aesthetically appealing sets and historically correct costumes all hinged on the multi-layered story of Hugo von Hofmannsthal and the beautiful music of Richard Strauss. I thoroughly enjoyed the Lyric’s production of Der Rosenkavalier and hope that opera goers don’t miss it.