The Merry Widow

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

La Cenerentola

 

 

La Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini is the non-magical operatic version of the popular rags to riches story of Cinderella. Cenerentola (literally translated as girl of the cinders) is actually named Angelina, the terribly treated step-daughter of Baron Don Magnifico who has used the inheritance after the death of her birth mother. Don Magnifico and his two spoiled daughters, in hopes of replenishing their monetary funds, plan on wooing the local prince who, as chance may have it, must immediately marry or lose his title.

  After the runaway success of The Barber of Seville the previous year, the 25 year old Rossini struck gold again with La Cenerentola first performed in January of 1817. The Barber of Seville and La Cenerentola are quite similar in nature. Although the latter is referred to as a drama giocoso, both are Opera Buffo stories that revolve around a young girl metaphorically in shackles looking to change her life for the better. The main difference between the characters of Rosina and Cenerentola’s Angelina, created by mezzo-soprano Geltrude Righetti, seems to be their demeanor. Rosina is more proactive in freeing herself from the walls of Bartolo’s will in pursuit of her unknown suitor, while Cenerentola daydreams of a better life only to unwittingly procure her wants as the result of a stranger’s generous disposition.

In my reviews I normally begin with the singers in attempt to emphasize the point the opera’s first priority is singing, but this time I would like to start with the orchestra; more specifically the conductor of the production, Sir Andrew Davis. In the past I have expressed my opinion that the orchestra of the Lyric Opera is world class and consistently in top form. With the 2015-16 season already nearing its third production, I cannot reiterate that claim due to the lackadaisical attention of the conductors, Sir Andrew Davis the most guilty. I have commented in past reviews at an opera house the seats over 3,500 conductors need to be hypersensitive to the dynamics of the orchestra and cheat towards a softer volume so as not to drown out the singers, with Sir Andrew Davis being the main culprit of criticism. He did nothing, but strengthen my opinion with this most recent performance. In an opera like La Cenerentola, the singers often have fast moving melodic lines that cross and intertwine with other singers, a staple of Bel Canto opera that Rossini was known for. There are also many sections of rhythmic based singing known as “Patter” which involves a lot of words and articulation of consonants. It is difficult for a singer to generate a great deal of volume in these types of fast moving songs and an orchestra, if not reined in by the conductor, can drown out the vocal lines quite easily. This is exactly what happened in the performance of La Cenerentola, along with a lack of coordination between the orchestra and singers. This responsibility lies at the feet of the conductor. Sir Andrew Davis appeared to be marking time and rarely looking up at the singers, an integral part of the conducting responsibilities for an opera production. At one point a set of mirrored doors were on stage allowing the audience to glimpse the conductor head on. Rarely if ever did Sir Andrew Davis appear to look up. As a consequence the singers were routinely covered by the orchestra. I, for one, am tired of this and think it may be time, as it is the case with James Levine at the Met, for Sir Andrew Davis to step aside and allow a younger generation of conductor to helm the principal conducting duties of the Lyric Opera.

Singing the title role of Cenerentola (Angelina) was American mezzo-soprano, Isabel Leonard. Ms. Leonard made her Lyric Opera debut in one of the roles that she has become known for, that of Rosina in The Barber of Seville. I quite enjoyed her in that role as she was one of the highlights of that performance. Ms. Leonard has an innately beautiful round tone that has depth and projection. Unfortunately in this performance those attributes didn’t seem to help her much. Ms. Leonard’s singing and stage presence lacked energy and urgency. While her colleagues sang with intensity and focus, Ms. Leonard’s coloratura was at times foggy and in need of articulation. The top of her voice, when supported and energized, had bloom and color, which was not consistent. Her commitment to the character looked a bit listless in line with her overall singing. She didn’t inhabit the character of a young woman seeking to right the injustices of her step-family. Ms. Leonard’s Cenerentola seemed to accept her lot in life rather than fight her way out of the cinders.

  Juxtaposed to Ms. Leonard’s unfocused performance was the crisp and clear Don Ramiro of American tenor, Lawrence Brownlee’s. Mr. Brownlee, in his Lyric Opera debut, sang with purpose, energy, and intensity evident not only in the balance of the sound, but the ease and agility with which it was produced. To me his voice is the epitome of a Rossini tenor. Its silvery color has a rapid vibrato which creates a sense of fluidity as it dances around Rossini’s fioritura. Mr. Brownlee, though not an incredible actor, was comfortable on the stage and performed the choreographed moments in a concise manner much like his singing. My only complaint was the recurring nasality in his tone on sustained notes or passages that sat in the break between the middle register and upper register (F-G in a Tenor’s voice).

  Another member of last season’s Barber of Seville performance was legendary Italian baritone and Bel Canto specialist, Alessandro Corbelli. Similar in nature to the character of Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville, Mr. Corbelli sang the comic role of Cenerentola’s uncaring fast talking step-father, Don Magnifico. As he did in the Barber performance, Mr. Corbelli brought life to the character of the brusk and self-serving Magnifico with precise comic timing and understated nuance. His voice, though at times rough, easily projected in to the hall and was balanced from top to bottom. He has made an art of Rossini’s consonant riddled ensembles and could perform these roles in his sleep. He very well could be the Lawrence Olivier of operatic acting method.

 Making his Lyric Opera debut in the role of Dandini, Don Ramiro’s servant was Italian baritone Vito Priante. Mr. Priante’s virile baritone was clear and agile and could easily be heard over the orchestra. Like Mr. Brownlee, he has a faster sounding vibrato that helped create line in his voice. He had a tendency to push a bit near the top of his range which stuck out with respect to volume. Like Mr. Corbelli, Mr. Priante committed to the characterization and appeared to enjoy hamming it up for the audience.

Perhaps my favorite singing moment of the night belonged to American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn in the role of the philosopher, Alidoro. Mr. Van Horn has a dark rich voice that was well connected and had depth throughout his entire range that was shown off in the first act aria, Là del ciel nell'arcano profondo. He had no problem being heard over the orchestra, with the exception of when he was required to sing piano in ensembles and the orchestra (as mentioned earlier) drown out most of the singers. The stoic role of Alidoro didn’t require much acting from Mr. Van Horn and his voice was all the presence he really needed.

The roles of the demanding step-sisters were sung by first year members of the Ryan Opera Center, soprano Diana Newman and mezzo-soprano Annie Rosen whose voices and movements blended nicely together. They added the right amount of comic flair to opera without having to go overboard. Once again, they were unfortunately drowned out in large numbers like act one’s wonderful ensemble, O figlie amabili due to the overpowering dynamics of the orchestra.

The sets and design by Joan Guillen were bright not only in color, but lighting as the floor of Don Ramiro’s palace was comparable to the dance floor in the movie, Saturday Night Fever. The costumes were exaggerated late 18^th century, early 19^th century styles with oversized hoop dresses and jackets with an apparent nod to Alice in Wonderland meets comedia dell’arte. This extravagance did not seem out of place compared to the excess of The Marriage of Figaro which detracted from the action. The grid-like chess board look of La Cenerentola fit nicely with the giocoso part of the drama.

 

 I wished that Barbara Gaines, the director of Lyric’s Marriage of Figaro, would have seen this production to see how operatic slapstick comedy worked. Director Joan Font did a wonderful job of allowing the comic roles enough freedom to be funny without cheap jokes to the audience. The icing on the opera buffo cake was the stylized choreography in ensemble numbers that Rossini’s music begged for. There were a few moments where some Mel Brooks moments were missed.

“Walk this way…”

The men’s chorus sounded nice and balanced and they were a character onto themselves, executing the numerous choreographed scenes with ease. The orchestra itself sounded good, but nut its normal top notch self. Again I contribute that what I envision to be a lack of musical vision. I found myself smiling during most of the musical numbers and was delighted by the overall production which has been a rarity the past few seasons. Rossini has an uncanny ability to make one smile and tap their toes at the most unexpected times.

Capriccio

  Capriccio, an operatic discussion on opera in an opera, delves in to the never ending debate of what is most important. Words or music. This chamber opera by Richard Strauss, premiered in 1942, was originally set in a mid 18th century French salon made legend by the likes of Mme Geoffrin. It has been updated in this production to a large drawing room of Countess Madeleine and her brother in the mid 1920's. The Countess is entertaining a small group of people which includes two hopeful suitors for her hand in marriage, Flamand a composer and Olivier a poet. The love triangle serves as a metaphor over the battle of importance in opera, highlighted by references to Gluck and his operas which serve as a springboard. Gluck was constantly striving to find an artistic balance between music and words. The composer wrote in a preface to the published form of the opera Alceste,

  "When I undertook to write the music for Alceste, I resolved to divest it entirely of all those abuses....which have so long disfigured Italian Opera....I have striven to restrict music to its true office of serving poetry by means of expression, and by following the situations of the story, without interrupting the action or stifling it with useless superfluity of comments."

  This is the heart of the tongue in cheek debate of Strauss' characters with the underlying dramatic question of which suitor the Countess will choose.

  The part of Countess Madeleine was sung by world-renowned soprano, Renée Fleming, a role like so many that is identified with her. I was fortunate enough to have heard Ms. Fleming sing the role of the Countess in Mozart's, Le Nozze di Figaro in the late 90's at the Lyric Opera and was blown away, not only by the volume and beauty of her voice, but perhaps more so by the control. That control was seldom heard in the same way during this performance of Capriccio.  It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to say that I believe Ms. Fleming is at the ending point of her long and illustrious career. This performance was the third time that I have been able to hear Ms. Fleming in a live setting. As I mentioned, the first being in the late 90's and the second, this past March again at the Lyric Opera in a special recital alongside the great German tenor, Jonas Kaufmann. Ms. Fleming still sounded wonderful at that recital, but I could tell that time had taken its toll on her voice, as it does with everyone at some point. From the start, her singing in Capriccio seemed to be slightly uneasy. Given the time of year I thought that weather and possible illness could be a reason for this, but as the night went on it was clear that Miss Fleming's singing was more of a permanent adjustment rather than one related to a temporary setback. Her voice was consistently wobbly and lacking warmth when sitting in the passaggio and Ms. Fleming sang with much more straight tone and scoop than she has in the past. She seemed timid about sustaining notes in the higher part of her range and would quickly portamento down to the next note in the line when possible, although the true beauty and artistry of her voice came through in many places in the final scene in which the Countess contemplates her choice between words and music. Ms. Fleming sang with line in a shimmering piano easily moving throughout her range without having to maneuver the large intervals with straight-tone. It should come as no surprise that she looked beautiful as ever despite having a teal green dress with muffs that looked like it was more for the Dowager of Downton Abbey, rather than Renée Fleming.

  American tenor, William Burden sang the role of Flamand the composer, one of the two suitors vying for the Countess' hand in marriage. Mr. Burden has a sweet bright tone that sounded easily produced and well-connected. There were many times throughout the opera when it was difficult to hear Mr. Burden or make out his diction, which I don't necessarily fault him or any of the other artists for given talkative nature of the opera and the fact that the Civic Opera House is in my opinion, too big a venue for this piece. Mr. Burden's acting was confident and subtle. He was believable as the character he portrayed and one of the better tenors that the Lyric has engaged in recent years.

  The other half of this dueling duo, Olivier the poet, was sung by Norwegian baritone, Audun Iversen. Mr. Iversen has a deeply rich tone that has dramatic qualities with a rolling vibrato that maintains the lyrical aspects of his voice. Mr. Iversen's voice sounded easily produced, much like Mr. Burden's, and succeeded in giving the listener the impression of dialogue in the word heavy exchanges. Unlike his tenor counterpart, Mr. Iversen's acting was not the highlight of his evening. His ever frantic and redundant gestures meant to portray Olivier as an uptight worry wart only distracted from the quick change of sung dialogue. I think it would've been prudent for Mr. Iversen to employ the "less is more" school of acting, especially given the 4 screens that the Lyric Opera had up in order to give the audience a cinematic perspective via closely framed shots.

  The role of La Roche the theater director, was sung by British bass, Peter Rose. Mr. Rose, like Ms. Fleming, is known for his interpretations of Strauss characters, especially this one. Mr. Rose had been sick earlier in the run which did have a slight lingering effect on his performance, but one could tell that even at less than 100%, he was at home in this role both vocally and dramatically. Mr. Rose, a bass, has a more lyrical quality to his voice than what one would expect. He seems to be a true example of a
basso-cantante. Mr. Rose combined nuance and dynamic variation in both his singing and acting without overdoing either. He did have some difficulty with the top of his voice during La Roche's long aria, but once again, I can only assume without having heard him before that this was due to the residual effects of his throat infection.

  The role of Clarion the actress was sung by internationally renowned mezzo-soprano, Anne Sofie Von Otter. I read in the Lyric program notes that Ms. Von Otter had not sung at the Lyric since the 1989-90 season and after hearing this performance, I think it should have stayed that way. Ms. Von Otter did not sound to be in good voice. I can't say for certain that this is a result of years spent singing in various styles which may have had a detrimental effect on her operatic technique, but her voice was consistently disconnected and at times warbly. I enjoyed her easy acting and the few moments in which she recited a monologue in spoken voice. I wonder if the Lyric Opera couldn't have found a singer with a stronger technique who could have given more to this role which seems to be a recurring question each time I visit the Civic Opera House.

  The role of the Count was sung by Danish baritone and Chicago favorite, Bo Skovhus. Despite my criticisms of aspects of his performances, including this one, I happily admit that he makes me smile as a result giving the impression that he whole-heartedly enjoys being on stage. His acting was over the top and contrived much like my criticism of his performance in last season's Die Fledermaus, but still it was hard to stay angry because of the positive energy he exudes. Mr. Skovus' voice hasn't changed as far as color and tone go, but it's not as vibrant as it once was and he tends to sound a bit nasal when in the upper part of his range. To be fair, perhaps this part doesn't really give Mr. Skovus a chance to show what his voice is able to do at this point in his career.

  The comprimario parts of the Italian singers were performed by soprano, Emily Birsan and tenor, Juan Jose De Leon. The couple's voices blended well together and they were a nice injection of humor when needed. The men from "downstairs", consisting of current and past members of the Ryan Center young artist program, helped to add comedy and an additional perspective to the opera in an opera concept. A highlight being the brief exchange between the American tenor, Keith Jameson as Monsieur Taupe and American bass-baritone, David Govertsen in the role of Majordomo.

  Strauss rightfully included a moment for a pair of ballet dancers to be introduced and perform at the small gathering which was apropos for the time period of the mid 18th century in which the composer had originally set the piece in. Not only was the respite of dance enjoyable, but it added to the already complex debate on music, art, and poetry. The parts were split between the pair of Jennifer Goodman and Randy Herrera and Jeffrey B. Hover Jr. and Abigail Simon.

  The orchestra was once again led by international conductor, Sir Andrew Davis. Although the orchestra sounded as professional and top notch as they normally do, I was quite disappointed by the lack of dynamic variety and color which, in my opinion, is the direct responsibility of the conductor, especially one that is closely associated with the piece almost as much as Renée Fleming. This opera is already a challenge to singers given the talkative nature of the long recitative sections in addition to being performed in a large hall like the Civic House, so it was with great disappointment, but hardly surprising that Sir Davis did not restrain the volume of the orchestra as to not cover the singers. One would have thought that Sir Andrew Davis would've taken the clue given by the character, La Roche when he sings,

"The fundamental defect in every opera is the deafening noise of the orchestra.  Its roaring and raging swallows the voices. The singers are simply forced into yelling."

  Alas, he did not.

  Peter McClintock was the director for this revival, originally by John Cox which has been produced in opera houses the world over. The time period, originally set in mid 18th century French salon, was updated to an early 20th century drawing room. The set, by designer Mauro Pagano was quite beautiful and warm which was wonderfully supported by the interior décor and costumes by Robert Perdziola.

  Capriccio is a wonderful concept of a piece that for me personally was an hour too long, which is not all that different from the complaints made about opera by the average novice audience member. This opera is would be best produced in a much smaller theater so that the audience can take in the nuances which the composer dictated. When an opera house like the Lyric has to have four screens in simulcast of the production being performed on stage, which was quite a distraction, that may be a sign that the venue is too big for a character piece like this one.