Romeo and Juliet

 

 

  As is the case with many classic works, the story of Romeo and Juliet is an age old tale passed down from generation to generation over the course of the last six hundred years. Although William Shakespeare is the artist most closely associated with the work, the tale of the young star-crossed lovers as we know it can be traced back to a narrative poem written around 1562 by English poet, Arthur Brooke, but even his work was based on a story by Italian writer, Matteo Bandello. Shakespeare stuck closely to the storyline of Brooke’s Romeus and Juliet with the exception of the death scene in which Juliet wakes up moments before Romeo succumbs to the poison he has consumed. This is one of the many alterations that librettists, Jules Barbier & Michel Carre, used for the Gounod’s operatic adaptation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, which premiered at the Theatre Lyrique, Paris in April of 1867. Gounod’s Romeo et Juliet, which has been described as “a love duet with occasional interruptions”, is his second most popular opera next to the extremely popular Faust.

  Singing the role of the young love struck Romeo was internationally renowned tenor, Joseph Calleja. It is important to note that this being the 4^th time hearing Mr. Calleja live, I am not the biggest fan of his voice. That is not to say that I dislike it, but there are aspects of the innate sound of his singing that doesn’t appeal to me. With that being said, there are many aspects of his singing that is quite wonderful as was apparent during this performance. Mr. Calleja consistently sang with a connected line and was at times quite sensitive with regard to musical dynamics. The softer sounds he makes are perhaps the most appealing aspect of his singing. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to win me over in his portrayal of Romeo. Mr. Calleja consistently cuts off the ending notes of a phrase making it sound clipped and hurried. His voice tended to go flat at times and was strained in the highest part of his register to the point where his voice was inaudible. Matters weren’t helped by Mr. Calleja’s less than stellar characterization of Romeo. His stage presence was unbelievable at best which progressed to the ridiculous as he swaggered around like a stereotypical 1950’s businessman coming home from a hard day at work. Even with a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief, Mr. Calleja hardly embodied youthful amour or innocent exuberance. To no fault of his own the stage directions (which I will tackle later on) that he was given didn’t allow for much emotional development which Mr. Calleja made worse by turning away from Ms. Phillips’ Juliet at the times when loving eye contact was necessary to heighten the sense of tension and desire.

  My feelings of the latter half of the titular characters are only slightly better than the former. Singing the role of Juliet is American Soprano and Ryan Center alumna, Susanna Phillips. Ms. Phillips has a naturally beautiful voice that has little problem being heard over the orchestra. She sings with a great deal of enthusiasm and energy which was evident by her almost inexhaustible ability to run around the stage without being hampered in her singing. Her voice is nicely rounded, but a bit more colorful than what I personally prefer for this role. By that I mean that Ms. Phillips seems to lack a frontal component or ring to her voice that gives the sound a youthful aspect, which may be the innate sound of her voice or something more on the technical side. Ms. Phillips didn’t sing with the same type of sensitivity with respect to dynamics as Mr. Calleja did and the top of her range became strident at times with the highest notes coming across as a literal scream. Ms. Phillips’ characterization wasn’t anywhere near the ridiculous nature of Mr. Calleja’s as she consistently sang to her partner in even when he was looking away. Needless to say that was absolutely no chemistry between Romeo and Juliet which makes one wonder about casting decisions at the Lyric.

  Singing the role of Friar Laurence was American bass-baritone and another Ryan Center alumna, Christian Van Horn. Mr. Van Horn sang with a wonderfully round tone, depth of sound, musical sensitivity, and a legato line. As in the past, he let his singing bring out the character as his acting was refreshingly subtle. I look forward to hearing more of Mr. Van Horn’s singing and predict that within the next 5 years he will take off the baritone suffix to his vocal description as his voice continues to darken.

  Singing the role of Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet, was American bass-baritone Philip Horst. The role of Lord Capulet is a bit one-dimensional in scope, but Mr. Horst avoided ‘spicing’ up his portrayal and let his incredibly resonant voice do the talking. His first act aria was sung in a rather straightforward manner with little musical dynamics as was most of his singing.

American baritone Joshua Hopkins sang the role of Mercutio with spirit and energy. The baritone’s taxing aria, Mab, la reine des mensonges, was sung with musicality and energetic personality. Mr. Hopkins lyric baritone could easily be heard and his voice balanced throughout his entire range. The aria, which is set early in the opera, gives little opportunity for the singer to rest and breath as the vocal line is concentrated throughout the entire piece, which seemed to be of no difficulty for Mr. Hopkins.

Singing the pants role of Stephano, in her Lyric Opera debut, was French mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa. The comprimario role has little to do for the first half of the opera, but he becomes the catalyst for the bloody duel between Mercutio and Tybalt. Ms. Crebassa has a beautiful and bright tone with a well-balanced color and depth that fits perfectly for these types of mezzo roles. Her singing was light and agile and projected well given the size of the orchestra. Her acting leaned on the seemingly butch side which came across as a bit kitsch unnecessary.

  The remaining supporting roles were sung mostly by Ryan Center members or alumna with the exceptions of Deborah Nansteel in the role of Gertrude and Jason Slayden as Tybalt. A voice that has repeatedly stood out to my ears has been that of Ryan Center member, Baritone Anthony Clark Evans whose voice, although not incredibly big, is round, dark, and nicely balanced throughout his entire range. Mr. Evans sings in a nicely connected legato line and seems at ease on the stage.

  The orchestra was led by Maestro Emmanuel Villaume who appeared to be not only in control of the orchestra, but consistently in contact with the singers which was evident in the balance in volume between the stage and pit. The Lyric Opera Chorus under the direction of Michael Black sounded wonderful which should come as no surprise.

The dark 15^th century sets of Michael Yeargan and period appropriate costume designs of Catherine Zuber were again down stated and tastefully down as compared with this year’s season opener of Le Nozze di Figaro. Unfortunately the positive aspects of this production were not able to outweigh the direction Bartlett Sher in his Lyric Opera debut. The blocking and stage directions were at best manic which continuously progressed to the ridiculous. Whether it was a directorial decision or a stylistic choice by Mr. Calleja, Romeo was consistently singing to the audience, with Juliet at his back rather than looking at her in tender moments. This practice was confusing and annoying to say the least. Mr. Sher had the opposing Montagues and Capulets chasing each other off and on stage like it was the Benny Hill Show. I expected to hear the carnival horn sounds to be played at any moment whenever the band of dueling marauders appeared on stage. Mr. Sher also had Susanna Phillips’ Juliet constantly flitting around the stage as if she were the prima ballerina in the Nutcracker. The constant physical activity was a major distraction from, not only the singing, but the true purpose of the story. It became nearly hysterical in the 3^rd act when Mr. Calleja’s Romeo, after having killed Tybalt, storms in to Juliet’s bedroom with the angry bravado of Clint Eastwood in a spaghetti western and throws his jacket to the ground. Given that Rome has just killed his sworn enemy, would it be smart of him to waltz in to the bedroom of that same family’s home without care of being found out? The directorial vision of Mr. Sher seemed to highlight operatic stereotypes in a negative way rather than diminish their impact with the final scene being the perfect example.

  Gounod, having changed the way that Romeo and Juliet perish, did no favors for operatic deaths, but Mr. Sher made it worse. He has Romeo walking around almost carefree after having drunk a vial of poison, singing sweet nothings to Juliet who has just awoke from her death like sleep. After ten minutes of looking to their future, Romeo suddenly drops to the ground, unable to stand due to the effects of the poison. He still manages to prop himself up and crawl around, even supporting Juliet’s weight in his arms. When the two characters finally croak, Juliet, who has just stabbed herself, not only shows no signs of a bloody wound, but dies within minutes. This whole farce could have been staged in such a way that dramatic irony and subtext would have spoken volumes while saving the audience from the ridiculous direction of Mr. Sher.

  Needless to say, the last production of the season, like the first, was more than a little disappointing in large part due to the unrestrained and unfocused vision of directors making their Lyric Opera debuts. Perhaps it would’ve done them some good to stick to the core of what makes opera great rather than ‘trying’ to direct.

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.

Nabucco

  In Charles Osborne’s biography of Giuseppe Verdi, he writes of the German composer Otto Nicolai’s diary entry which reads,

  “Verdi is the Italian opera composer of today. He has set the libretto which I rejected, and made his fortune with it. But his operas are absolutely dreadful, and utterly degrading to Italy.”

  This sentiment could be attributed to a whole host of reasons on the part of the German composer. Jealousy, resentment, xenophobia, or perhaps his own aesthetic preferences when it came to operatic composition, but to say that Verdi’s operas to this point were degrading to Italy is a ridiculous statement in itself. The most obvious rebuttal to Otto Nicolai’s opinion is voiced by the rousing success that Nabucco (known as ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ for the first two years since its premiere) generated within its initial eight performances. In addition to Gaetano Donizetti’s exclamation of,

 “Oh, that Nabucco. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!”, after the premiere, it was the people of Italy who identified with the oppressed Jews of the opera during the famous chorus, Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate (Fly, thought, on golden wings,) and made Verdi the unofficial composer of the Risorgimento movement that would help catapult Italy in to the European revolutions of 1848. The Lyric Opera of Chicago performance of Nabucco did great justice to this seminal work that originally established Verdi as the torch bearer of Italian opera for the rest of the 19^th century.

Singing the role of Nabucco, the Babylonian king, was renowned Serbian baritone Zeljko Lucic. Mr. Lucic is known for his interpretation of the biggest operatic roles in the Italian dramatic baritone repertoire, especially that of Giuseppe Verdi and has sung at the largest opera houses in the world. Having never heard Mr. Lucic live, I was quite excited for this performance at the Lyric Opera. From his first singing moments on stage it was clear that Mr. Lucic was not in peak form. He seemed to be lacking in energy, not only in his singing, but his stage presence as well. Mr. Lucic slowly lumbered about and looked like a king without a sense of urgency and his posture a bit slumped over when he sang. His voice was missing vitality normally heard on live recordings of his past performances and his pitch suffered at times as a result.

  Making up for Mr. Lucic was the wonderful performance given by Russian soprano, Tatiana Serjan singing the role of the jealous daughter of Nabucco, Abigaille. Ms. Serjan made her Chicago debut singing the role of Lady Macbeth under Maestro Riccardo Muti with the Chicago Symphony orchestra, returning the next season for the Verdi requiem. She made her Lyric opera debut as Tosca during the 2014-15 season. Ms. Serjan has a full and round lyric soprano voice whose depth is nicely balanced by a steely edge that rips through the air with a quick vibrato. Ms. Serjan sings with flexibility that gives a beautiful shape to her connected vocal lines and can go from a piercing forte down to a floating piano throughout her evenly balanced voice. There were times when her voice lost a bit of its glimmer when sitting in the passaggio, but that was heavily outweighed by her energy, commitment, and emotional connection to the role.

  Singing the role of Fenena, Nabucco’s daughter who has fallen in love with Ismaele, is American mezzo-soprano and Ryan Center alumni, Elizabeth DeShong. Ms. DeShong has a round clear voice with a beautifully warm tone that moves with ease. Although a mezzo-soprano, the timbre of her voice was in many ways similar to that of Ms. Serjan and at times got lost in larger ensembles. Her voice blended nicely with that of Mr. Skorokhdov, who sang the part of Ismaele, Fenena’s Romeoesque love interest.

  In the part of Zaccaria, the high priest of the Jews was sung by Russian Bass, Dmitry Belosselskiy. Mr. Belosselskiy has a rich dark tone that can easily be heard over the large orchestra and seems to be inches away from the audience’s ears. His lower range sounded a bit weak throughout the performance and one had to strain his lowest notes even when the orchestra was playing piano. Mr. Belosselskiy has a strong upper range and his high notes have a distinctive cut and ring to them.

  Singing the role of Ismaele, nephew to the King of Jerusalem and love interest of Fenena, in his Lyric Opera debut was Russian tenor, Sergei Skorokhodov. Mr. Skorokhodov was one of the highlights of an impressive production. He sang with a nice legato line that was even throughout his entire range and an upper range that had a bright ring to it without sacrificing depth. His voice’s timbre is a perfect fit for Bel Canto opera as well as more lyrical tenor parts like Verdi’s Ismaele.

  The role of the Babylonian High priest was sung by American bass, Stefan Szkafarowsky. He seemed a little out of place next to the other soloists as his voice was a little thinner in color and depth.  His vibrato was, at times, a bit wide and his projection was not as strong as his colleagues.

  The conducting for this production was done by Milan-born Carlo Rizzi. Maestro Rizzi had a lot of energy on the podium and appeared to be in constant communication with the singers. This was evident, not only in how well the orchestra and the singers were in synch with each other, but in Mr. Rizzi’s dynamic sensitivity. The orchestra did not blatantly overwhelm the singers, which has been a consistent complaint of mine with regard to the conducting of Sir Andrew Davis over the past three seasons.

The Lyric Opera chorus was in superb form, singing with clarity and depth. One of the obvious highlights of any production of Nabucco is the chorus, VA pensiero (Fly, thought on golden wings) and the Chorus executed this piece with great skill. They sang long phrases in beautiful legato lines with dynamic sensitivity and thrilling portamenti.

  The set and costumes were rather straightforward and lacking extravagance or flair which was fine given the seriousness of the storyline. The Babylonians were all clad in rich crimson while the Jews were dressed in black and later on gray. The scrim that began each Act was covered in Hebrew writing which also covered parts of the Jewish temple. The sets were plain, but highlighted by blue lighting and gold pieces such as the Jewish ark that houses the Talmud and a trio of horses signifying Nabucco’s royalty upon his first entrance.

  The most disappointing aspect of this well sung performance was the direction and staging by Matthew Ozawa in his Lyric directing debut. The performers came across as stiff and lifeless at times given the lack of realistic blocking. They had little interaction with each other which often contradicted the emotion and or intent that was being communicated. Anger was farcical and love was cardboard. The singers were directed to move at awkward times or were staged too far from one another. I am a fan of stand and sing opera, especially in an opera such as Nabucco, but the direction in this production was bordering on ridiculous. I would have attended a puppet opera if I wanted wooden direction.

  I would still recommend this production of Nabucco due to the incredible singing by nearly the entire cast, especially the chorus, despite a few of the subpar aspects. Verdi performed as the composer intended is something that shouldn’t be missed.

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.  

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.

 

Basta! Per carità!

  This blog was originally intended to review operatic productions at the Chicago Lyric Opera, more specifically the singing within operatic productions. As I listened to more and more opera singers that came through the Civic Opera house, I was increasingly alarmed at the lackluster casting decisions. Tenors who could not be heard above F#, consistently warbly vibrato, straight-tone pop sounds, young singers not ready for a large hall, and veterans way past their prime. I am, as I have always been, confused as to why these casting decisions have become the norm.

  I have gone back and forth on whether I should add a more pointed facet to this blog or maintain the form of being purely a critical Op Ed. Today was what I consider to be the final straw, although having nothing to do with the Lyric Opera, directly.

  I was having my morning coffee and reading the Arts & Leisure section of the New York Times (all the News that's fit to print) and saw an advertisement for the Metropolitan Opera's latest production for Rossini's, The Barber of Seville, starring Isabel Leonard, Lawrence Brownlee, and Christopher Maltman (in the role of Figaro). This struck me as odd, although I have never had the chance to hear Mr. Maltman in a live setting, whenever I've listened to his recordings there is an obvious lack of technique in his singing which, I can only assume, is glossed over by the average audience member due to the innate beauty of his voice.  I went on to YouTube and searched for him singing the aria, Largo al factotum and came across this clip below which was posted a few days back by the Metropolitan Opera House.

 

 

  I was, to say the least, pissed off. This performance, albeit during a dress rehearsal (with an audience), was amateur. You can easily find graduate students who can sing that aria far better than the clip above which makes the fact that the MET found this to be acceptable, all the worse. Below is a clip a clip of Thomas Hampson singing the same aria from 1986. Yes, he's on 31 and much younger than Mr. Maltman above (and Mr. Hampson has a couple of squeaks here as well), but these performances, side by side, are night and day.

 

 

 

 

 

Soon after working myself through the 7 stages of grief upon listening to the dress rehearsal clip, I read a tweet from the Teatro alla Scala (clip provided with link is Leo Nucci from 2013-14 season) that Placido Domingo would be performing the title role of Simon Boccanegra.

 

This is completely unacceptable!

 

  Yes, Mr. Domingo can sing the part and has done so many times for over 5 years, but anyone who is an opera enthusiast will tell you that being able to sing the part is not the only reason to do so. Even though Mr. Domingo has declared himself a Verdi baritone, has released a CD of Verdi Baritone arias, and performs at some of the leading opera houses around the world, does not mean that he is a Verdi baritone. It doesn't make him a baritone for that matter given that he still has the color and timbre of a tenor. Verdi, like most operatic composers, had specific vocal colors in mind when composing for the different voices. If Verdi had wanted a tenor to sing in the baritone range, he would've done so.

 

Below is a clip of Domingo singing  "Plebe! patrizi!", from Simon Boccanegra with a clip of the Verdi baritone, Piero Cappuccilli singing the same aria to illustrate my point.  

 

 

The color of the voice is that of a tenor.

 

 

 

  Once again, as in the case of Maltman and Hampson, albeit for different reasons, the contrast is night and day. The voice of Cappuccilli carries a weight and dramatic intensity that is not heard in that of Domingo's voice, not because he can't sing or isn't artistic. It is just not the type and classification of voice that Verdi had intended.

 

  Then why is Mr. Domingo still going on with his baritone experiment? Only he can answer that, but I can tell you for sure that it is doing irreparable damage to the operatic world and tradition. I can only hope that more music critics start pointing out these inequities despite possible retribution from the institutionalized bulwark of major opera houses, like the Met and La Scala.  

 

  As an addendum which I feel is related to this concern is a 5 minute section on Verdi tuning with some clips featuring Verdi baritone, Piero Cappuccilli talking about the colors of the voice and its importance.

 

Click on this link or view below.