The Marriage of Figaro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s timeless opera The Marriage of Figaro is a look into human nature seen through the lenses of class struggle, sexual politics, and a universal desire for love. The second in a trilogy of stories by watchmaker, autodidact, music teacher, inventor, arms dealer, diplomat, publisher, revolutionary, and for the purposes of this review playwright, Pierre Beaumarchais, The Marriage of Figaro (the play) was to be staged in 1781, but King Louis XVI upon hearing Figaro’s soliloquy deriding the nobility he forbade it from being produced in France. After a myriad of changes to the text, the play was put on in 1784 and soon after was a hit. Like Beaumarchais, Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte had to jump through many hoops to have the operatic adaptation staged in 1786.  The opera, which premiered in Vienna, was an instant success. The many attributes of Figaro, who was a fictional representation of Beaumarchais, was seen to many as not only the revolutionary ideal, but the epitome of the 19^th century man. Figaro was an upwardly mobile self-made man of intellect, cunning, and vision who longed for liberty so that he could achieve success based on talent, not birthright.

  It is easy to see why this classic story appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds. Unfortunately the production of The Marriage of Figaro that opened the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s season directed by Barbara Gaines, did not convey or embrace those tenets which made the work so loved. This production of Figaro was liberal in its translation, interpretation, sound, and vision. It seemed to ignore the developed characters of Beaumarchais’ play and lacked the warmth of Mozart’s music as a result of the emphasis on sexually explicit slapstick comedy. I’m afraid that Ms. Gaines’ attempt to produce a new take on Figaro resulted in the removal of the universal message of strife, love, and renewal.

 

Making his Lyric Opera debut in the role of Figaro was Czech Baritone, Adam Placetka. The young singer has already amassed a wide range of baritone roles such as Figaro in addition to Don Basilio, normally sung by a Bass, in Rossini’s ‘The Barber of Seville’, to parts traditionally cast for more lyric voices like Count Almaviva, Don Giovanni, and Belcore in Donizetti’s ‘L’Elisir d’Amore’. Mr. Placetka has a well-rounded and virile tone that was consistent throughout the performance. He was able to sing the whole range of the role and had no problem with the dynamic shifts required rather than singing forte the whole night which some baritones may be tempted to do in such a large auditorium like the Civic Opera House. There were moments when his voice sounded a bit strained in the passaggio when singing forte over the orchestra, but those were few and far between. It is understandable that Mr. Plachetka was listed as a Bass-Baritone given the dark timbre of his voice, but when one hears the ease with which he sang in the upper register, especially when employing messa di voce, it is quite clear that he is closer to the lyric side of the baritone spectrum than the bass. Mr. Placetka’s voice sounds like a hybrid of Bryn Terfel’s color and Hermann Prey’s robust jubilance without the incessant warble of the former. He did become fatigued at times, understandably so given the amount of singing the role requires combined with being a 30 year old singer in a 3,500+ seat house. His acting was a bit stiff, but again opera is first and foremost an aural experience rather than a visual one.

  Also making her Lyric Opera debut as well as North American one in the role of Figaro’s bride to be, Susanna was German soprano Christiane Karg. Ms. Karg has a bright lyrical sound that is fresh and agile. She had no problem managing not only the vocal range, but the endurance needed for the role of Susanna as she is in nearly every scene at one point or another. Ms. Karg’s acting was relaxed and not over the top which counterbalanced the histrionic nature of the comprimario roles. Ms. Karg sounded her best in the third act duet with the Countess, “Sull’aria”, blending wonderfully with soprano Amanda Majeski as well as her moments with Rachel Frenkel singing the role of Cherubino. The one unsurprising criticism was the smaller size of Ms. Karg’s voice which at times would be drowned out by the orchestra or other singers as in the duet with Count Almaviva in the beginning of the third act. This repeated battle between voice size and orchestra volume begs the question as to why the Lyric Opera does not make either a concerted effort to not over power the soloists or, more preferably find an alternative performance space for 18^th century operas like ‘The Marriage of Figaro’.

Singing the role of the Countess was soprano and Illinois native, Amanda Majeski.  Before the opening curtain it was announced that Ms. Majeski was suffering from a cold evident in the Countesses first aria, Porgi, Amor, that opens act two, but she soon warmed up and sang with beauty of tone and flexibility. She did continue to have some strident moments during the latter act two ensembles when having to sing in the top of her range. Despite the difficulty of being under the weather, Ms. Majeski was able to give one of the better performances of the night and sounded better as the opera went on, unlike some of her colleagues. Ms. Majeski also looked at ease on the stage, rolling around on the enormous bed in the Countesses’ chambers.

The role of Count Almaviva was sung by internationally renowned Italian baritone, Luca Pisaroni who has performed at many of the world’s most well-known opera houses. Mr. Pisaroni has made a name for himself, not only in his vocal versatility, but the vibrant characterizations he brings to the operatic stage. Like Mr. Plachetka, Mr. Pisaroni is listed as a Bass-baritone and has sung both the roles of Figaro as well as Count Almaviva. With such a great reputation I was eager to hear him live. Unfortunately I didn’t feel that he lived up to the vocal part of what he has become known for. Mr. Pisaroni has a pleasant tone and sounds at ease when singing in the lower part of his range as well as the middle. He had no problem being heard in the large Civic Opera House and sang with a great deal of dynamic variation and sensitivity to the text. It was when he was required to sing in the passaggio for long phrases, such as in the Count’s demanding act three recitative and aria, Hai gia vinta la causa that Mr. Pisaroni began to sound tenuous and forced. It seems as though years of performing baritones roles that don’t require him to sing above D has done his upper range a disservice. The shining parts of Mr. Pisaroni’s performance were his natural personality, his ease on the stage, and commitment to the characterization given him by the director. He had no problem playing up comic moments and seemed to enjoy the role.

The part of the young love-sick page, Cherubino was sung by Israeli mezzo-soprano, Rachel Frenkel making her Lyric Opera debut. Ms. Frenkel has a beautiful round tone, but not too dark with brightness to it that epitomizes the type of mezzo-soprano voice for the role of Cherubino. She brought an unrestrained energy to the role of the teen-aged boy in heat, which at times compromised the vocal line with liberal straight tone as in Cherubino’s first aria, Non son piu. Like Mr. Pisaroni, she was at ease on the stage and seemed to enjoy inhabiting the characteristics of a pubescent heart-throb. Her voice was fluid throughout the entire range and had no trouble being heard over the orchestra and in ensembles. 

The comprimario parts of Marcellina, sung by mezzo-soprano Katharine Goeldner and Bartolo, sung by bass Brindley Sherratt were executed wonderfully. They came alive were great foils for the hopes of Figaro and Susanna, but didn’t go way over the top or take away from the action. The supporting tenor part of Basilio, the licentious singing teacher sung by Keith Jameson was nicely done with the right amount of tongue in cheek attitude and comic timing. The role of Don Curzio the stuttering lawyer, sung by tenor Jonathan Johnson was quite understated and almost forgettable as a character. I’d be curious whose decision it was to take down the comic aspect of that role. Ryan Center members Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi and Bradley Smoak sang the small supporting roles of Barbarina and her uncle, Antonio the gardener. Both had beautiful sounding voices with Mr. Smoak standing out in his time alongside both Figaro and the Count. If one of them fell ill I would be happy hearing him take over for the night.

The set design by James Noone was sparse at times, but comical as in the second act when we see the Countess lounging on an enormous bed that could easily sleep 3 rows of 15 people. The costumes by Susan Mickey were quite florid and over the top which caused a bit of confusion as well as consternation. At the beginning of the opera, Susanna was dressed in what looked like hot pants and garters before putting on a short blue ruffled dress that made her look like she was in an ad for a futuristic St. Paulie Girl beer. In the third act the female chorus members wore purple dresses and all had their hair done up in tower like configurations sticking out in three directions which was reminiscent of Pebbles Flintstone. The male chorus members were dressed in 18^th century styled violet paisley frock coats with feather lining around their necks and faux-hawk pompadours that made them look like a cross between Elton John and Liberace, but not in a good way.

The general areas where I found the most faults in the production were with the conducting, the directing, and the translation. Henrik Nanasi, making his American debut with the Lyric Opera, didn’t seem to take control of the musical aspect of the production. There were many moments of disorganization between the orchestra and singers throughout the first two acts. Many of the tempi were too fast for my liking, as in the case of the Countesses’ second aria, Dove sono. Mr. Nanasi, like many other conductors at the Lyric opera, failed to restrain the orchestra from covering some of the voices as was the case with Ms. Karg who voice, albeit beautiful, is on the smaller side for the Civic Opera house and was drowned out at times.

 

The general stage direction itself was fine. It was the specific actions and characterizations that went against the traditional interpretation that made the production not only confusing, but unrealistic. There was a general theme of man handing women without any type of consent. Cherubino incessantly groped Susanna, The Countess, Barbarina, as well as a chorus girl here and there.  The Count did not come across as an aristocrat with a diverse sexual appetite in the vein of the Vicomte de Valmont in the 18^th century epistolary novel, Les Liaisons dangereuses. Instead he was an ass-grabbing sex fiend with the decorum of drunken Frat boy on his 21^st birthday. He, like Cherubino, was constantly reaching up dresses whenever given the chance. This is more like the behavior you’d seen on the Benny Hill Show rather than that of a rich aristocrat in the late 1700’s who’s used to getting his own way. Even Figaro got in to the action when playing a prank on Susanna who was dressed up as the Countess. If this was Ms. Gaines’ comic sensibility, then perhaps Opera buffa is not for her. At one point during the Count’s third act aria, a group of chandeliers that were low to the ground are raised revealing to the audience two Greek statues, a man and a woman both half-naked. They’re strategically placed so that the male statue has its hand placed on the derriere of the female statue. The laughter from the audience covered the vocal line (which is what we came to hear) and took distracted from what the character was singing. The director’s staging continues with this gag as the Count pulls the two statues apart, for what reason she only knows, and does a disservice to the inner thoughts of the Count. With all of the Keystone Cop antics in this production along with the serial sexual assault, it’s a wonder why the Countess would ever think to forgive the Count. Ms. Gaines’ directoral vision made a mockery of the story and made the resolution unbelievable. 

 

The last of the three aspects of this production that were disappointing, to say the least, was the incredibly liberal translation that the Lyric Opera used in the subtitles. The english version shown above the stage was riddled with faults, from the inclusion of modern slang, to integral thoughts being left out as was the once again in the Count’s aria, Vedrò, mentr'io sospiro.

Like so many opera fans, The Marriage of Figaro is one of my favorite productions to hear, but the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s season opener, despite the indivdual highlights mentioned above, was disappointing and at times downright annoying. I am all for new ways to look at operatic staging, but not if it’s going to be take away from the original intent and replace Opera Buffa with boobie jokes stolen from Porky’s or The Bachelor Party.

 

Il Trovatore

 



 

 

 

  The story behind Verdi's opera, Il Trovatore, is in many ways similar in nature to that of the story itself. Both are filled with drama, intensity, struggle, uncertainty, and death. After composing Rigoletto, Verdi who had been considering King Lear as his next project, came across the Spanish drama called, El Trovador, Gutierrez. It is possible that Verdi learned of the work, that had yet to be produced on an Italian stage, from a singer returning from Spain. How ironic... 

 

  Verdi and his librettist, Salvadore Cammarano, exchanged extensive correspondence over the subject of Il Trovatore, which Cammarano may not have taken a liking to. Composition of the opera stalled as Cammarano became ill and Verdi had to wait for his recovery. In July of 1852, Cammarano died and Verdi was forced to find a librettist to assist him. The period of composition of Il Trovatore was wrought with frustration, sadness, loss, and ultimately perseverance for Verdi. Artistic censors, gossip over his personal life, the loss of his mother, and now the death of his colleague and friend undoubtedly inspired him to the intense characters of Il Trovatore to life.

 

Korean tenor, Yonghoon Lee sang the daunting role of Manrico, the troubadour. Lee's voice is impressive to say the least. He possesses a voice that is, as they say, lined up from top to bottom. It is bright, yet has a burnished color to it which makes the upper part of his voice thrilling. Lee had no problem being heard over Verdi's orchestra which at times can be challenging as in the Act 3 aria, Di quella pira which segues in to a large chorus. Mr. Lee never sounded tired or labored. His Italian pronunciation was a bit tight sounding, but it didn't effect the sound itself. Mr. Lee sang not only a beautiful line, but with musical variation and dramatic intensity. His performance was one of the best from a tenor that I have heard at the Lyric Opera in the past 3 years, Jonas Kaufmann's duo recital last March being the other.

 

 

 

  However excited I was by Mr. Lee's performance, I was completely won over by that of American Soprano, Amber Wagner. Ms. Wagner's singing of Leonora, a noble woman in love with Manrico, is the epitome not only of what this role should sound like, but what dramatic operatic singing should like altogether. Ms. Wagner always sang in a beautifully connected line without having to resort to straight tone. Her voice was seamless, flexible and bright, yet still grounded at all times. Her voice carried through the hall whether she sang forte or piano. It was thrilling to hear what her voice is capable of under the demands of Leonora's opening scene. Ms. Wagner sang the cavatina, Tacea la notte placida with melancholy restraint which made the contrasting cabaletta, Di tale amor, all the more exciting with its fast moving phrases and trills which she executed with ease. There was a brief point in Act 4 where Ms. Wagner's voice sounded a bit tired, but hardly noticeable as it didn't effect her range, musicality, or dramatic interpretation.

 

 

  Singing the role of the gypsy Azucena was American Mezzo-soprano, Stephanie Blythe. Like Mr. Lee and Miss. Wagner, Ms. Blythe sang with emotional intensity and was wonderful as the vengeful and tormented Azucena. Ms. Blythe has a beautiful voice that is rich and full of depth. She seemed to have trouble negotiating the vast range of the music and sang flat when the music sat in the cracks of the passaggio.

 

 

  In the role of Count di Luna, Manrico's rival, was Ryan Center alumni, Quinn Kelsey. Mr. Kelsey has quickly made a name for himself as a Verdi baritone, having sung the role of Giorgio Germont in last season's Lyric production of La Traviata as well as Paolo in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra in 2012. Mr. Kelsey, as always, sang with raw energy and dramatic intensity. He has a beautiful voice that is sweet and lyrical as well as round and dark. I have to admit that each time that I have heard Mr. Kelsey, this being the third, that I feel disappointed. When he sings in a connected legato line, his voice is quite beautiful and captivating, yet Mr. Kelsey routinely sang with straight tone which came across at times as  a pop-sound. An additional result of this stylistically incorrect interpretation was that his voice lost the color and projection needed for the role. I had a similar complaint of his interpretation of Germont last season. He consistently broke up the vocal line and barked out the notes which took away from the music as well as made the characterization one-sided as he's done each time I have heard him at the Lyric. I'm curious if this has yet to be addressed or isn't viewed as important by today's standards of singing.

 

 

  Singing the role of Ferrando, Di Luna's main officer was Lyric veteran, Andrea Silvestrelli who sang the role of the Commendatore in this season's Lyric production of Don Giovanni. Mr. Silvestrelli appears to be running on vocal fumes and in my opinion, has been for some time. Each time I have heard him sing live, it has been successively lazy and lacking in energy. In this production upon hearing the first sung lines by Ferrando, I had the impression that Mr. Silvestrelli had just been woken up a few minutes before the curtain was to rise. He lumbered around the stage and was vocally uninspiring. Because Mr. Silvestrelli has access to such a large instrument he has no trouble being heard, but his voice no longer has the beauty it had in the early 2000's. It's gruff and unfocused much like his performance on this night.  

 

 

  The comprimario roles of Inez, Leonora's confidante and Ruiz, Manrico's assistant were sung by Ryan Center members, J'nai Bridges and Jonathan Johnson who sang well with the few moments they had, but juxtaposed with the heavy hitters in the main roles, their voices fell in to the proverbial background.

 

  The Lyric Opera Chorus sounded beautiful, lush, and articulate. My only criticism which is nitpicking on my part, would've been to bring out the Bass voices in the lower echoing passages. Their voices tended to be lost in piano sections.

 

 

  Looking back on past reviews I have been more critical than complimentary when it comes the conducting at Lyric,  specifically with respect to the balance between the orchestra and the singers. I was ecstatic with the conducting and sensitivity by conductor, Asher Fisch. At no time did I worry about hearing the singers or whether or not the orchestra would drown them out in a wall of sound. Maestro Fisch restrained them when needed which not only allowed for us to hear the singers, but supported the dramatic and musical devices employed by Verdi. Hopefully Maestro Fisch will be more of a main stay at the Lyric if this is his normal practice.

 

 

  Compared with past reviews, I haven't commented too much on the acting and stage direction of this production because there wasn't a great deal of action to take note of. In an opera such as Il Trovatore, we're there to hear great singing, beautiful orchestration, and let the drama and story wash over us. There isn't much need for great acting other than a commitment on the part of the singers to what it is they're conveying to the audience which, with a few exceptions was done in an exceptional way. With that being said, the direction by Sir David McVicar and revival director, Leah Hausman was direct and without superfluous flair.

 

  The set design by Charles Edward was beautifully dark and simple with a rotating center piece which efficiently brought us to the center of action without breaking the dramatic action, which is what Verdi called for. The costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel was updated from the original 15th century to early 19th century Napoleon-era military garb for Di Luna's force and peasant dress for the opposing side.

 

 

  Il Trovatore was by far and away, Lyric's best production this season from a musical and dramatic standpoint. They didn't try to mess around with kitsch or hyper-sexuality and let the wonderful singers speak for this great work. 

More like this please... 

La Traviata

 
 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.

Otello

  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.

 

Madama Butterfly

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.