Past Production Reviews
6Soprano Patricia Racette gave a thrilling portrayal of Princess Salome, embracing in her own way the most outrageous aspects of the role, and was supported by a strong cast. The most striking aspect of Antony Walker's conducting was his balances between voices and orchestra, which let every word be heard. Salome is a teen princess in Judea, ruled by her father-in-law Herod and his wife, Herodias. Strauss's music brilliantly captures the obsessive and lustful air of the Herod's court, as well as the goodness of Jochanaan, John the Baptist, who is being held captive by Herod. Racette created a brilliantly textured picture of Salome, both privileged by rank and oppressed by the world she lives in. Her curiosity with Jochanaan grows by steps to fascination and obsession. The soprano sang with ample power, and would no doubt have been able to ride over a louder orchestra. She encompassed the part's wide range, including the demanding lowest register, and also had the nuance to vocally color insinuation, charm and ecstasy. Her Dance of the Seven Veils, created with choreographer Michele de la Reza of Attack Theatre, went against type because it mostly wasn't directed at Herod, for whom it was supposedly being performed. Most of this Salome's Dance was about her feelings, and was accompanied by three male dancers. At the end Racette turned fully naked to Herod, and then turned her back on him to face the audience before covering up. Baritone Nmon Ford was outstanding as Jochanaan. His opening lines were surprisingly powerful, sung as they were from under the stage in the cistern. But he sang with resonant dignity throughout. He was also much less stiff physically than most Jochanaans. Robert Brubaker as Herod and Micaela Martens as Herodias both sang well and roused themselves to requisite nastiness at times, but neither created a particularly vivid presence. The production was mostly traditional except that the soldiers carried knives rather than swords and shields. In this production Salome is killed by knife stabbing although the music's final rhythms suggest an even more brutal death.
With the unfortunate absence of the Pittsburgh Symphony this season, the excellent playing by the Opera orchestra was a reminder of how good this city’s second orchestra can be when it’s at its best. From the opening clarinet solo to the gigantic outpouring of Salome’s final declaration of love to the severed head of Jochanaan (John the Baptist), music director Antony Walker elicited taut, mostly accurate playing that enveloped the ear with magnificent floods of sound. Andrew Sinclair’s staging, on a workable set by Boyd Ostroff, contained some miscalculations that were at odds with the words and the printed directions – notably at the end, Salome merely stabbed from behind, rather than crushed beneath the soldiers’ shields – but the total effect of the show was quite overpowering. It was an evening of excellent tenors. Jonathan Boyd’s bright-tones were just right for Narraboth, the handsome young soldier who kills himself when Salome ignores his amorous advances. Robert Brubaker’s drier but penetrating sound was ideal for the lecherous, demented Herod. In the important, intricate quintet of Jews arguing over details of law, Michael Papincak, James Flora, Adam Bonanni and Eric Ferring (joined by bass Andy Berry) negotiated the knotty musical texture with an admirable degree of accuracy. Mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens was insufficiently imposing in voice or bearing as the evil Herodias, but resident artist Leah de Gruyl’s solid low register was impressive in the brief part of the Page, futilely in love with Narraboth. Brian Vu’s pleasant baritone was another asset in the melodious solo lines of the Second Nazarene.
Soprano Claudia Rosenthal, portraying Isacio’s daughter, Pulcheria, achieved the greatest balance between musical and dramatic interest. Her character, insulted by her fiancé Oronte’s pursuit of Costanza, became more complex over the course of the opera. Ms. Rosenthal achieved this maturation through her delivery — both comic and sympathetic — and her willingness to have fun with ornamentation. Those efforts sometimes compromised her technical output, but she took risks with the role and gave it a memorable portrayal. As Costanza, soprano Shannon Jennings had a bell-like, liquid tone but maintained a rather one-dimensional, anguished affect throughout the performance. Bass Andy Berry, playing Isacio, owned his character’s creepiness with a gravelly, buzzy tone. Two women portrayed Riccardo and Oronte, roles originally written for castratos. In the title role, mezzo-soprano Leah de Gruyl exhibited agility and separation through complicated vocal lines and delivered a fine, trill-filled love duet with Ms. Jennings, but her depiction could have benefited from more king-like charisma. Mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven’s rich, deep timbre suited the role of Oronte, but she, too, could have given a more nuanced portrayal. Brian Vu impressed in the small role of Berardo. The singers’ stamina and technical grounding was on display in the final chorus.
It’s a smartly written tale about how the humble servant Figaro and his friends try to outsmart the handsome and powerful Count Almaviva in such a way that all can live happily ever after. You might be put off a bit because it’s in Italian. But somehow with the text above the stage, the mode of the music, and the artistic lighting, I’m sure you’ll understand every word and feeling. It’s been over 200 years since this work had its premier, and yet it almost feels like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is standing in the wings. Almost as amazing as the opera is the talent brought together to make this production a reality. As I watched, I felt like everyone on stage had been singing and performing together for years. However, after reading their biographies, you realize that these extremely talented individuals have traveled many different paths to find themselves in Pittsburgh for our enjoyment. The audience was made up of opera lovers of all ages from teens to retirees. There is no dress code for going to an opera. A small percentage of those in attendance wore jeans and another small group were in formal attire. The Benedum is a gorgeous and an extremely comfortable venue for enjoying any kind of performance. Every time an opera singer takes a part in a production as famous and popular as The Marriage of Figaro, they are compared to the many talented performers who have sang that same part in days gone by. Let the experts compare. All I want to do is to say thanks to all the talented folks that gave me an evening I won’t soon forget. A special thanks to Tyler Simpson, who played Figaro, Joelle Harvey, who sang the part of Susanna, and Christian Bowers who brought to life Count Almaviva. All three were making their Pittsburgh Opera Debut. And a special thanks goes to Pittsburgher Danielle Pastin, who sang the roll of Countess Almaviva. I have always enjoyed opera music, but I sort of kept it to myself. I started to believe being an opera fan must be a cool thing when I learned that the great race car driver, Mario Andretti was an opera fan. Now, I don’t need someone else to validate my appreciation of the art form; I simply enjoy it. And I’m sure you would too.
“The Long Walk” refers to a soldier’s walk towards a live explosion, as well as his psychological journey home after the war. The two-act opera is based on Iraq war veteran Brian Castner’s written account of his time in the military’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit and his tortured reintegration into civilian and family life. Mr. Beck’s score is taut and energetic, cuing the audience between Iraq flashbacks and suburban life in Buffalo, N.Y., with simple but effective instrumental gestures. Electric guitars conjure a gritty desert feel, while slide whistles often accompany the Castner’s three rambunctious boy children’s mischief, etc. Balance between the small orchestra and onstage action was mostly good, but at times the orchestra was a bit loud and obscured the singers. This was most noticeable in Mr. Taylor’s opening minutes and whenever the trio of his three sons sang. Sets and stage direction also proved stellar, with set designer Katy Fetrow’s minimalist nods to the opera’s 15 different locales set starkly against a sandy backdrop with a monolithic, spiraling concrete structure that suggested a “bunker” or perhaps “nose cone.” Resident artist Frances Rabalais’ stage direction kept the mayhem crystal clear, propelling the piece with a sense of narrative momentum and intermittent moments of pathos despite the jumbled, fractured nature of Mr. Castner’s writings and the libretto adaptation. The most poignant scene featured Mr. Taylor helping his son with hockey pads while his EOD brothers dress one of their own in 80 pounds of Kevlar for the long walk, taken only “for your brother, for your brother’s children, for your brother’s children’s children.” Other vocal highlights included resident artist Shannon Jennings as Mr. Castner’s psychologist, singing of blast-induced neurotrauma with an effortless, natural authority and granting the opera a rare moment of catharsis. Adrianna Cleveland’s lament was raw, infused with passion, and the strident confidence of the male EOD quartet in the first act was pure swagger distilled into aria form. Pittsburgh Opera’s production, the third-ever staging of the show, makes for an entirely uncomfortable but equally moving experience.
The orchestral part is of primary importance, evidenced from the first notes in a splendid rendition of the Prelude, which juxtaposes themes of the children’s prayer and the witch’s music. Act 2 (here played without a break from the opening scene) further showcased the orchestra, with the Witch’s Ride, forest music reminiscent of “Forest Murmurs” from Wagner’s Siegfried, and the great balletic pantomime that closes the act. The singers, all past and present members of Pittsburgh Opera’s resident artist program, were delightfully into their parts, individually and as a theatrical ensemble. Corrie Stallings, a lovely mezzo-soprano whose voice type puts her in line for lots of “trouser roles” (operatic teenaged boys) was totally convincing in gesture and demeanor as an awkward adolescent asserting his masculinity while desperately trying to conceal his fears. Ashley Fabian pranced around appealingly as his more sensible but nonetheless unpredictable sister, while Leah Heater (formerly Leah De Gruyl) and Craig Verm lent an element of pathos to the parents who cannot provide for their offspring. Marianne Cornetti, a Pittsburgh favorite who sings the big Wagner and Verdi parts all over the world, stole the show as the Witch, even though her character doesn’t sing until late in the opera. She has a formidable stage persona with voice to match. She was funny, forbidding and altogether riveting in conveying the evil glee of anticipating baking the youngsters into her dinner. The younger artists, however, struggled to be heard above the orchestra, even as somewhat reduced here, and kept in tight rein by the sensitive conductor. Ms. Fabian sang with clarity and accuracy, but her voice is not large enough for a theater of this size, and many of Gretel’s loveliest lines were lost in the fray. Ms. Stallings came through intermittently better, but the irresistible tunes of the opening scene dance duet, for one example, just didn’t have their intended effect. Ms. Heater and Mr. Verm both have solid, mature voices, but the Mother’s Act 1 solo turn demands more heft than this admirable mezzo could muster, although she conveyed convincingly the conflicting emotions. Mr. Verm brought verve and fervor to the feckless Father, but struggled with the highest notes that the role calls for. With her forceful, pungent soprano, Caitlin Gotimer had no problems being heard in the dual roles of the Sandman and the Dew Fairy – turning the Dew Fairy’s brief solo into an unexpected highlight.
