Mattaliano to direct New York City Opera's season opener

Congratulations are in order for Portland General Director Chirstopher Mattaliano, who has been chosen to direct Hugo Weisgall's "Esther" for New York City Opera. "Esther" opens New York City Opera's season on November 7th at the newly renovated David H. Koch Theater.

Here's the press release:

Portland Opera General Director Christopher Mattaliano will direct the New York City Opera’s season-opening production of Hugo Weisgall’s Esther, opening November 7, 2009. The production will also mark the reopening of the newly renovated David H. Koch Theater (formerly the NY State Theater) at Lincoln Center.

In 1993 Mr. Mattaliano directed the world premiere of Esther at the New York City Opera, where it earned rave reviews for its intensely expressive music, hard-hitting drama, and striking visuals by designer Jerome Sirlin. The New York Times hailed it a “triumph,” with USA Today calling the production “stunning.”

Announcing the season, his first as New York City Opera General Manager and Artistic Director, George Steel said that he was “thrilled to bring [Esther] back to the stage. It was a complete smash hit in 1993 and there have been cries to revive it ever since.”

“Esther was a key part of the 50th Anniversary Season of New York City Opera. I love the opera, and directing the world premiere was one of the highlights of my career,” Mr. Mattaliano commented. “It’s a great thrill to revive this 20th century masterpiece for New York audiences and to work with Jerry again. It’s a powerful, moving work, and audiences were totally swept away by it in1993. With a cast of over 100 performers, it’s a truly grand opera – the 20th century equivalent of Verdi’s Don Carlos or Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. How wonderful to revive it again for such an important event – the opening of the new theater, and George’s first season at NY City Opera.”

Based on the inspirational biblical tale of the brave heroine who rescues her people from near-destruction, Esther is an epic tale with political and spiritual overtones relevant today.

Mr. Mattaliano has a strong passion for celebrating what he calls “the incredible breadth of the operatic art form,” bringing many new works to the operatic stage. In addition to the 1993 world premier of Esther for New York City Opera, he has directed the world premieres of jazz composer Fred Ho’s Journey Beyond the West for the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Peter Westergaard’s The Tempest for the Opera Festival of New Jersey, and the American premieres of Fleischman’s Rothschild’s Violin at the Juilliard Opera Center and Theresienstadt composer Hans Krasa’s Brundinbar for the New Jersey State Opera. Since he became the General Director of Portland Opera, the Company has enjoyed premieres of The Journey to Reims, Street Scene, The Rape of Lucretia, Nixon in China, The Return of Ulysses, Rodelinda, Albert Herring, The Turn of the Screw, and La Calisto. His stage direction has also been enjoyed at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, L’Opera de Montreal, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Minnesota Opera, Dallas Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, among many others. He is currently scheduled to direct The Barber of Seville, the final production of Portland Opera’s 2009/10 season.

Today's Birthdays

Amicare Ponchielli (1834-1886)
Alma Mahler (1879-1964)
Ifor James (1931-2004)
Wieland Kuijken (1938)
Itzak Perlman (1945)
Daniel Harding (1975)

and

Willaim Shawn (1907-1992)
William Saroyan (1908-1981)
Alan Jay Lerner (1918-1986)

Today's Birthdays

George Frederick Root (1820-1895)
Buddy Rich (1917-1987)
Regina Resnik (1922)
Simon Bainbridge (1952)
Dimitris Sgouros (1969)
David Schiff (1945)

and

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825)
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851)
Molly Ivans (1944-2007)

CD Review: Handel's 'Solomon'

The German label Carus Verlag has released a series of recordings in recent years that together describe a sort of triptych of some of Handel’s great vocal works: they were all recorded by the FestSpiel Orchester Göttingen under the direction of Nicholas McGegan. Unlike the masque Acis und Galatea and the oratorio Samson, the chorus in this recording of Solomon is not the festival choir (the NordDeutschen RundfunkChor) but a guest chorus: the Winchester Cathedral Choir, an all male ensemble featuring boy sopranos and altos.

McGegan is a master at interpreting Handel’s work, and as usual he brings all of his formidable skills to this recording. The orchestra is spectacular and intuitive under McGegan’s hand, and is a pleasure to listen to into its own right. Never merely an accompaniment, it speaks with its own distinctive voice, adding as much to the narrative as any of the soloists.

The Winchester Cathedral Choir sings with a bell-like clarity, which is a great strength of boy’s choirs that yields so much pleasure in the listening. Diction is sometimes an issue with the chorus in this recording. Still, a spectacular blend and glorious sound make it easy to overlook this shortcoming. ‘Throughout the Land’ is an exceptional example; this passionate, delicate fugal chorus is just one of the shining moments to be found. The many uplifting choruses in this lengthy work are uniformly exuberant.

Baritone Roderick Williams proves a noteworthy vocalist. With robust, unforced power, he possesses a timbre which doesn’t demand attention—one simply pays it because of the grace and stature of the sound.

Tim Mead, an alto singing the title role is at times restrained, but not without richness. His delivery on the arias feels more sure and satisfying than the recitatives. A duet with soprano Dominique LaBelle as his Queen provides an intimate, languid look into the soul of the great monarch. A trio with Solomon passing judgment on the possession of the boy child yields a, delightful, nattering argument between the two harlots, sung by LaBelle and soprano Claron McFadden, who later sings the role of the Queen of Sheba. McFadden’s articulate ornamentation and full sound fit well the regal role.

Tenor Michael Slattery sings the role of Zadok the Priest. The first big aria for Zadok, ‘Sacred Raptures cheer my breast,’ is a true bear from a technical standpoint. Slattery renders the dizzying melisma with mixed results. Sometimes it is effluent; other times, especially lower in his register, the delivery is forced and lagging almost behind the beat. Still, this is a live recording, so a few moments lack the polish that would be found in studio release.

This recording is magnificent, and is definitely a worthy rendering of Handel at the peak of his brilliance as an oratorio composer. All of the recordings featuring McGegan with his FestspielOrchester have proven a delight to listen to, and one hopes that more will be forthcoming.

Some technical aspects of Seattle's Ring

Last week I attended a lecture by Seattle Opera's technical director Robert Schaub and found out some interesting information about this production. Schaub said that the original design work began in 1995 - about six years before the the production was presented for the first time in 2001. In comparison, Schaub told us that it usually takes two years to develop an opera from scratch.

The Thomas Lynch design called for hyper-realistic scenery, and Schaub said that it's a lot more difficult than you can imagine to make trees, dirt, water, and stone to look like the real thing. His crew did a lot of experimentation to figure it out. Some of the panels and armature are 25 feet deep, 32 feet wide, and 32 feet tall. The sections with Fafner's Cave and the switchbacks up the hillside weigh 19,000 lbs each. They glued Dacron onto the armature and, for the cave/cliff, glued foam onto that and then carved away. For another comparison, the cost of creating scenery for a typical opera is 10 square feet per hour, but for the Ring is was 1 square foot per hour.

For the 2009 Ring, Seattle Opera bought new computers, gears, motors, and drives. They redid the "skin" of the dragon in silk, because the previous skin (although preserved perfectly) was done in a material (I didn't write it down - but it was probably latex) that is used for Halloween masks, and it basically melted in the shop environment after it was exposed.

Schaub said that Seattle's Ring involves six to eight stage managers and 50 stage hands. The scenery is packed in 60 trailers and each trailer is 53 feet long. A typical opera uses just a handful of trailers for scenery.

Today's Birthdays

Helge Rosvaenge (1897-1972)
Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)
Charlie Parker (1920-1955)
Gilbert Amy (1936)
Anne Collins (1943)
Lucia Valentini Terrani (1946-1998)
Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
Kevin Walczyk (1964)

and

John Locke (1632-1704)
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809-1894)

Today's Birthdays

Umberto Giordano (1867-1948)
Alfred Baldwin Sloane (1872-1925)
Ivor Burney (1890-1937)
Karl Böhm (1894-1981)
Paul Henry Lang (1901-1991)
Richard Tucker (1913-1975)
John Shirley-Quirk (1931)
Imogen Cooper (1949)

and

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
John Betjeman (1906-1984)

Today's Birthdays

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979)
Eric Coates (1886-1957)
Lester Young (1909-1959)
Ann Murray (1949)
Sian Edwards (1959)

and

Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)
William Least Heat-Moon (1939)

Special concert to highlight singers in Portland Opera's La Boheme

This September 10th, you can hear a special concert that features the principal singers in Portland Opera's production of "La Boheme."

Here are the details from the press release:

Portland Opera is pleased to announce AN EVENING WITH THE STARS OF LA BOHÈME, a concert of popular opera arias and ensembles performed by the stars of Portland Opera’s season opener, Puccini’s La Bohème. The event marks the first time Portland Opera audiences will have the chance to hear visiting artists on a second stage, performing a variety of opera favorites, in such an intimate concert setting. “Over the years, many of our patrons have lamented that we get only one chance to enjoy the talented singers of our productions—at the 3,000-seat Keller Auditorium. We’re delighted now to be able to share the immense talents of the La Bohème cast with the public—in a much more intimate setting—before they actually appear at the Keller,” said Portland Opera General Director Christopher Mattaliano. “It will be a great evening of truly wonderful music.”

On the concert stage will be five very exciting singers, all making their Company debuts in Puccini’s La Bohème: Soprano KELLY KADUCE, tenor ARTURO CHACÓN-CRUZ, soprano ALYSON CAMBRIDGE, baritone MICHAEL TODD SIMPSON, and bass GUSTAV ANDREASSON. CHRISTOPHER MATTALIANO will be the master of ceremonies for the evening. Accompanying the artists on piano are Portland Opera’s Chorus Master and Principal Coach ROBERT AINSLEY and Principal Accompanist THOMAS WEBB.

September 10, 2009 | 7:00pm | Scottish Rite Center, 709 SW 15th Ave.

Tickets, priced at $50, can be purchased:

BY PHONE: Portland Opera Box Office, 503-241-1802, Toll-free 866-739-6737, (Mon – Fri, 9:00am – 5:00pm).

IN-PERSON: Portland Opera Box Office, 211 SE Caruthers St. (just south of OMSI, off Water Ave.) Mon – Fri, 9:00am – 5:00pm.

Today's Birthdays

Arthur Loesser (1894-1969)
Wolfgang Sawallisch (1923)
Nicholas Braithwaite (1939)
Sally Beamish (1956)
Branford Marslis (1960)

Götterdämmerung triumphs with Baird’s Brünnhilde leading the way

(Rozarii Lynch photo)

Janice Baird’s Brünnhilde made Seattle Opera’s “Götterdämmerung” a triumph at the performance I heard on Saturday, August 22nd. Baird captivated the audience with her soaring voice and committed acting. She showered sparks all over the stage when Brünnhilde vainly tried to prove that she was Siegfried’s wife. During those moments Baird’s soprano had an edge that cut through the orchestra and connected almost viscerally with the audience.

There were numerous outstanding scenes in this performance by the entire cast, but one of the most effective ones came when Brünnhilde swore on edge of the spear; there was blood all over the palm of her hand and the audience audibly gasped. The use of blood for Brünnhilde contrasted well with bloodless exchange when Siegfried (Stig Andersen) and Gunther (Gordon Hawkins) pledged their oath on a spear. It was as if the guys weren’t men enough to draw blood, but that Brünnhilde was completely fearless.

Another terrific scene in this production involved the Rhine Daughters (Julianne Gearhart, Michèle Losier, and Jennifer Hines) who come to the surface of a pond (or the edge of the Rhine River) and try to get the ring from Siegfried. The mermaids cavorted and sang impressively and constantly moved as if they were bobbing along in the water.

The opera opened with the three Norns (Luretta Bybee, Stephanie Blythe, and Margaret Jane Wray) up against the wall. It was eerie and fascinating to watch them interpret the rope of destiny.

Stephanie Blythe did double duty as a Norn and as Waltraute, the Valkyrie who tried to convince Brünnhilde to give the ring back to the Rhine Maidens. Believe it or not, during the Waltraute- Brünnhilde confrontation, Blythe’s voice seemed to show signs of fatigue. So she is human after all.

Richard Paul Fink’s sneering depiction of Albrech was superb and matched up well with Daniel Sumegi’s disturbing and haunting portrayal of Hagen.

Hawkins’ voice seemed to improve as the opera went along, and Andersen was almost as sterling as he had been in “Siegfried.” Marie Plette was suberp as Gutrune, and the rollicking chorus added wonderfully to scenes at the Gibichung castle.

Expressive playing by the orchestra, under the direction of Robert Spano, contributed greatly to the success of this performance. One of the many highlights came during the emotionally charged music after Siegfried’s death.

So, three operas ago, a story that began with the taking of gold and a building contract negotiated in bad faith concluded with the demise of Valhalla and the return of the gold to its original owners. On many levels this story and its music still speak to us today.

Today's Birthdays

Robert Stolz (1880-1975)
Stefan Wolpe (1902-1972)
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
José Van Dam (1940)
Keith Tippett (1947)
Elvis Costello (1954)

and

Brian Moore (1921-1999)
Martin Amis (1949)

Andersen turns in world-class Siegfried

(Chris Bennion photo)

Although last week, Stig Andersen suffered from a viral infection while performing “Siegfried,” I had the fortune to hear him in tip top shape during the Seattle Opera performance on Thursday, August 20th. Andersen, in the title role, put on a real show for heldentenor fans by offering plenty of volume while maintaining a lyrical tone at the same time. Adding to his vocal fireworks, Andersen expressed the exuberant vigor of a young man who was naïve yet curious about the world. Andersen also did wonders with singing while making a sword the old-fashioned way, slaying a dragon, and going through fire to find Brünnhilde. So, Andersen carried most of the weight that made Seattle Opera’s production of “Siegfried” a hit.

Another big factor for the success of this production was the fine singing of Janice Baird in the role of Brünnhilde. With this performance, Baird demonstrated that she had strongly bounced back from a subpar showing during the first cycle. Her soprano was focused and secure, and her Brünnhilde convincingly accepted Siegfried as the hero who awakened her from her lengthy sleep (surrounded by fire on top of a mountain).

Other very strong performances were turned in by Greer Grimsley as the Wanderer, Richard Paul Fink as Alberich, Dennis Petersen as Mime, Daniel Surmegi (behind the coulisse) as Fafner, and Maria Streijffert as Erda, and Julianne Gearhart (also behind the coulisse) as the Forest Bird. It seemed that Gearhart’s voice was amplified, which distorted it somewhat to my ears. I wished that she could have sung from the orchestra pit. (Note: I've been informed that Gearhart did sing anamplified from the orchestra pit. Still, I thought that her tone sounded odd.) Petersen had the character of Mime down to perfection, and the scene in which Mime revealed his true intentions toward Siegfried was terrific.

Besides creating a supremely diabolical Albrecht, Fink showed some terrific athleticism. At one point, instead of running up the first switchback that goes up the hill, he planted his left hand and vaulted himself perfectly to the next level of the switchback. I also liked how Siegfried threw rocks at Fafner’s tail; that was especially fitting for a young gun.

One of the great things in this production is the use of misdirection. In football, misdirection is employed by the offence to trick the defense into thinking that a play will go a particular direction, but it actually travels in another direction altogether. In this production of “Siegfried,” the audience saw the opening of a large cave and some segments of the Fafner’s tail, But although the tail moved and Siegfried playfully wrestled with the end of Fafner’s tail, the dreadful head and gapping mouth of Fafner appeared from another part of the mountain wall. So first-time audience members were almost ready to scream at Siegfried to warn him of his impending doom.

I really liked the naturalistic look of the big, rock wall, the cave, and the switchback path up the hillside. The lighting, designed by Peter Kaczorowski, was flawless. Again, the stage directions by Stephen Wadsworth seemed to be improved over the 2005 version. And with Andersen as the impetuous and courageous hero, this production of “Siegfried” was a gem.

Seattle Opera's “Die Walküre” smolders and catches fire

(Chris Bennion photo)

The performance of “Die Walküre” on Tuesday night (August 18) got off to a great start from the outset with the orchestra leading the way. The instrumentalists really came alive under the baton of Robert Spano and even got a little wild at times. Their playing may have inspired the singers as well, so that the audience got to experience a stirring performance.

Stuart Skelton superbly conveyed Siegmund as a fugitive and as a man inflamed with passion. Margaret Jane Wray’s Sieglinde convincingly embraced the all-consuming love for Siegmund and total fear of her husband Hunding. Andrea Silvestrelli with his imposing bass-baritone and intimidating demeanor created a truly frightening Hunding.

Greer Grimsley harnessed his voice to his acting to make an outstanding Wotan. There’s over a thousand bars of notes for Wotan in “Die Walküre,” but the amount didn’t seem to faze Grimsley at all. Just as in “Das Rheingold,” Stephanie Blythe was amazing as Wotan’s wife, Fricka. This time she often had to argue some sense into her husband’s head; so Blythe’s voice often had an edge. And her lowest notes were the best of all, because each word she sang seemed drenched with extra meaning.

As Brünnhilde, Janice Baird started out singing cautiously, but she gradually freed up her voice, showing no signs of the vocal distress that apparently plagued her last week. Some of her acting seemed a bit stilted, but she was wonderful as the favored warrior-daughter of Wotan. After her betrayal of Wotan’s command, Brünnhilde made a fervent case for her actions, yet had to submit to his punishment. With Baird lying on the ground between two large stones and Wotan commanding fire to encircle her, the final tableau was striking.

The Valkyries (Brünnhilde and her eight sisters) raised their voices impressively from the mountaintop. Miriam Murphy, Sally Wolf, Luretta Bybee, Jennifer Hines, Marie Plette, Sarah Heltzel, Michèle Losier, and Maria Steijffert seemed to have fun too boot.

Again, the acting in this performance seemed a lot more polished and convincing than in the 2005 version. Wray and Silvestrelli showed great timing when she was mixing the drink for him and had to look down at just the right moment when Silvestrelli turned around. Of course, it was timed to an accented place in the music, but that made it even better. The lighting also was perfect, and Hunding’s house with the intertwined branches of the world ash tree enveloped into its roof was a fantastic creation. The only thing that went wrong happened when Wotan’s spear got clobbered by the swords of Siegmund and Hunding. They ended up bending the end of the spear, and it looked like a piece of it broke off.

Of well, if everything went right, it wouldn’t be live opera.

Today's Birthdays

Alessandro Marcello (1669-1747)
Théodore Dubois (1837-1924)
Richard Meade (1932)
Stephen Paulus (1949)
Carlo Curley (1952)

and

Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

Das Rheingold glistens in Seattle

(Rozarii Lynch photo)

When the curtain goes up at the beginning of Seattle Opera’s production of “Das Rheingold” after the long orchestral introduction, the audience is plunged into the watery world of the mermaids who swim about in the Rhine River. I experienced this magical moment for the first time during Seattle’s “Ring” in 2005, and – based on the performance I saw on Monday, August 17th - it has not lost any of its luster. The three Rhine maidens, strapped in special harnesses that allowed them to swim in the watery light, dived, did front flips and back flips, and sang at the same time. It was mesmerizing.

Seattle’s Rhine Daughters (Julianne Gearhart, Michele Losier, and Jennifer Hines) sang splendidly and looked like they were having a lot of fun to boot. They used their fins to mercilessly tease Albrech (played by Richard Paul Fink) who in frustration renounces love and steals the pile of gold that mermaids were supposed to protect. Fink uses his voice to snarl and growl in such a way that he practically becomes the personification of evil. I found out from a lecture on the technical aspects of this production that Fink brings his own set of bullwhips which he, as Albrecht, unleashes over the heads of his Niebelungen minions to intimidate them and make them subservient to his will.

In “Das Rheingold,” the gods, led by Wotan, find themselves in crisis, because Wotan acted in bad faith when he negotiated with a pair of giants to build his castle, promising to pay them by giving them his sister-in-law, Freia. Since Frieia tends the golden apples that keep the gods young, the gods start to age and weaken when the giants haul Freia away. Wotan plans to offer them a pile of gold in exchange for Freia, and with the help of his demi-god friend Loge, he tricks Albrecht and steals the gold and an all-powerful ring. Albrecht places a terrible curse on the ring before Wotan gives it up as payment to the giants. Since they don’t know how to share the loot, one giant kills the other, and thus the curse of the ring rolls forward.

Seattle’s Wotan, Greer Grimsley, commanded the stage with his powerful bass-baritone and towering presence. Even when the orchestra roared at its loudest, Grimsley could easily be heard, and his acting worked seamlessly with Stephanie Blythe, who created a forceful Fricka, Wotan’s wife. Blythe is at the top of her game. Her voice could be steely one moment and velvet the next.

Marie Plette conveyed a vulnerable Freia, while Andrea Silvestrelli as Fasolt, and Daniel Sumegi as Fafner were totally domineering as the giants. Jason Collins as Froh and Gordon Hawkins as Donner were sturdy and forthright. Dennis Petersen created a memorable Mime (brother and slave to Albrich), and Maria Streijffert sang the role of Erda very well, although I would’ve liked more heft in her voice. Kobie van Rensburg’s Loge sparkled in the acting department, but his singing was Loge Lite.

I thought that the acting was tighter and done with more conviction by all of the singers than by the singers in the 2005 performance. Kudos to stage director Stephen Wadsworth for making these improvements. They really enhanced the performance and made the story more vibrant than ever.

The orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano, played well but didn’t take any chances. It seemed to me that the first horn that joined the low strings at the very beginning was a tad flat. I’m not sure why the Seattle production uses an electronic sound for the anvils of the Niebelungens. At least it sounded electronic rather than by the orchestra’s percussion battery.

The set design by Thomas Lynch has held up well and is impressive. The forest setting with the entrance to the cave that leads to Niebelungen-land is evocative of a mythic time and place. The hyper-realism of moss, trees, dirt, and stone are magical and greatly enhance the story telling. Designer Peter Kaczorowski also deserves the highest praise for his evocative lighting. I’ve seen a production in Toronto in which I could not tell who or what was singing at times, and that leads to a lot of confusion and even anger in the audience (when Canadians boo, you know that you’ve hit bottom).

All in all, this performance of Rheingold was great and got me excited about the hearing the next opera in the cycle, “Die Walküre.”

Today's Birthdays

Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925)
Ernst Krenek (1900-1991)
William Primrose (1903-1982)
Constant Lambert (1905-1951)
Carl Dolmetsch (1911-1977)
Mark Russell (1932)
Brad Mehldau (1970)

and

Edgar Lee Masters (1869-1950)

Seattle's Ring Cycle - short update

I have been in Seattle this week to experience the Seattle Opera’s production of Richard Wagner’s “Der Ring des Niebelungen," which means about 18 hours of music and drama spread over four operas ("Das Rheingold," "Die Walküre," "Siegfried," and "Götterdämmerung") that started on Monday and ends tonight. This weeklong series is the second cycle and there’s one left after tonight. I think that very few tickets are still available for those of you who want to hear any of the remaining performances. Because I was at a music critics conference last weekend, I am just now catching up with my reviews of what I’ve seen and heard here in Seattle. For those who want to know how Stig Andersen is doing. I can report that the viral infection that plagued him last week is gone, and he is singing gloriously as Siegfried. For others who want to know about Janice Baird, the vocal problems she had last week seem to have vanished, and she is creating a remarkable Brünnhilde. Of course, her biggest challenge in that role comes up this evening with Götterdämmerung, and I’m eager to find out if she continues to win over the audience.
More soon.

Today's Birthdays

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
John Lee Hooker (1917-2001)
Ivry Gitlis (1922)
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007)
Tori Amos (1963)

and

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967)
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004)
Ray Bradbury (1920)
Annie Proulx (1935)

Today's Birthdays

Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Count (William) Basie (1904-1984)
Tommy Reilly (1919-2000)
Gregg Smith (1931)
Dame Janet Baker (1933)