Opera Review: Uneasy Lies the Tiara

Angela Meade returns in Parisina d'Este.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Soprano Angela Meade.
Photo from her website.

The 21st century has been one of revival and new vigor in the performance of bel canto opera, that peculiar 19th century Italian subgenre where the beauty of vocal tone reigned supreme. At the forefront of that music has been soprano Angela Meade, whose statuesque presence and creamy, agile soprano instrument has made her seem like a bit of a throwback to the divas of another age.

Opera Review: All Hail the Queen

The Opera Orchestra of New York presents Roberto Devereux.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Mariella Devia (here pictured in Anna Bolena) returned to Carnegie Hall Thursday night
as Elizabeth I in Roberto Devereux. Photo from Opera di Florenze.

There was a definite feeling of nostalgia surrounding Thursday night's concert performance of Roberto Devereux at Carnegie Hall, the lone season offering this year from the Opera Orchestra of New York. Not only did this concert mark the return of Eve Queler to the podium, but it was also the long-awaited New York return of semi-legendary 66-year-old soprano Mariella Devia in the key role of Elizabeth I, Queen of England. This was the singer's first New York appearance in 15 years.

Opera Review: Crusading Tenor Busts Out

The Opera Orchestra of New York performs I Lombardi.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Tenor Michael Fabiano and soprano Angela Meade appeared together in
I Lombardi, but not in this PhotoShopped image.
Source photos from the artists' websites. Collage by the author.

The arrival of a great voice on the New York opera scene is no small matter. Three years ago, it was Angela Meade, whose performance in a Bel Canto at Caramoor performance of Bellini's Norma caught the attention of critics and aficionados. Last night, it was tenor Michael Fabbiano, who appeared with Ms. Meade in the Opera Orchestra of New York's concert performance of Giuseppe Verdi's I Lombardi.

The Doge Dies Early

Plácido Domingo as  Simon Boccanegra.
Photo by Monika Rittershaus for the Berlin State Opera.

Financial Issues Poison OONY Boccanegra.

The Opera Orchestra of New York issued a statement today canceling a planned concert performance of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, which would have starred Plácido Domingo in the title role. The performance was to be conducted by Alberto Veronesi.

The reason for the cancellation: a loss of anticipated funding. Tickets purchased can be donated to the company, used towards a future performance, or simply refunded.

"We regret having to cancel the upcoming presentation of Simon Boccanegra," board chairman Norman Raben said in a press release. "As a board, we have a mandate to be fiscally responsible."

He added: "With the loss of funding for this production we had no choice but to cancel the concert. The Opera Orchestra of New York has a long legacy of presenting operas in concert on New York’s greatest stages and our primary goal is to maintain the company's vision and ensure the longevity of the institution."

OONY was founded in 1971 by conductor Eve Queler, with a mission to present concert performances of operas without the traditional accoutrements of costumes and sets. In a long-running series of concerts at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, the ensemble has presented New Yorkers with rarities like Wagner's Rienzi, Meyerbeer's L'Africaine and Massenet's La Navarraise. Recent concerts included a revival of Rienzi and a fall performance of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvrer.

The press release also stated that the company will announce its 2012-2013 slate of operas in concert in coming weeks.

Contact the author: E-mail Superconductor editor Paul Pelkonen

Opera Review: Inside the Circus Maximus

The Opera Orchestra of New York revives Rienzi.

Image © 2012 Rienzi Foods. Nothing to do with opera, and not a paid advertisement.

For Wagnerians, the composer's ten "mature" operas are near-sacred texts. They are (generally) not cut (much) or edited in performance. They are never interrupted by applause during an act. And they are revered by critics and fans of German opera alike. 

The same cannot be said of Rienzi, a five-act grand opera written in the style of Giaocomo Meyerbeer and completed in 1840. Wagner's third opera is a huge potboiler. If the score, with its endless processions, choruses and a huge ballet was played uncut, it could run longer than Die Meistersinger. Based on a novel that Wagner devoured,  the story retells and romanticizes the political career of Cola di Rienzo, a "man of the people" who rose to power in 14th century Rome. 

Rienzi is early Wagner, written in a style that imitates Meyerbeer, but with plot and music elements that show up in later gesamtkunstwerks: Lohengrin, Götterdämmerung and even Parsifal. Although the opera has never been played at Wagner's custom-built Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, it took the stage regularly in the first half of the 20th century. Following World War II,  word got out that Rienzi was the favorite opera (and possible political inspiration) of one Adolf Hitler. Now, it's revived maybe once a decade.

Over its long history, the Opera Orchestra of New York, (which specializes in concert presentations of rare operas)  have made something of a tradition of Rienzi. On Sunday afternoon at Avery Fisher Hall, former OONY music director Eve Queler led the OONY, two choruses, three offstage bands and a full cast in a three-hour performing version that excised about 40 minutes from Wagner's king-sized score.

The title role is sheer murder. This was the first of Wagner's "super-tenor" parts, with a high, loud tessitura that must cut through trumpets, multiple snare drums and dominate all of Rome with oratorial skill.  British heldentenor Ian Storey sang with pungent tone, delivering the required volume with a steady delivery, but looking uninvolved with the proceedings. Also, he kept leaving the stage during scenes involving his character, making an already shortened, confusing opera even more chaotic for the audience. Some redemption came in the last act, when Mr. Storey put everything into Rienzi's Prayer, the show's biggest hit.

As Rienzi's sister Irene, Elisabete Mateos displayed piercing high notes and ringing metal in her voice. Unlike Mr. Storey, she milked her character for all of its dramatic worth.  She was as fiery as the oranges and yellows of her first gown of the evening, (a blinding affair.)  Her performance, (and her fashion sense) got better as the opera wore on.

The best performance was Geraldine Chauvet as Adriano Collonna, who winds up on the opposite side of the opera's political plot. Ms. Chauvet was thoroughly invested in her character, elevating the proceedings with a sweet tone and high-energy stage presence. This was an agile, attractive instrument in a rare (for Wagner) trouser part, making the most of her dramatic and vocal opportunities. It would be good to see her in a better opera.

Despite some stiff phrases in the opening phrases of the Overture, Eve Queler brought a smooth, sweeping approach to this complicated score. She was in her glory in Act IV, where the audience was assaulted by Berlioz-like squads of offstage trumpets and drums. Video monitors and skilled assistant directors helped make this difficult scene the most exciting part of the show. 

Ms. Queler rode the momentum of this scene into the final act of the opera. She brought noble tone out in the brass for the Prayer, and created a suitably intense crowd scene with help from the New York Choral Society. Mention must be made of the children's choir Vox Nova and an anonymous group of professional singers, a late substitution for the West Point Glee Club. In the final bars, the diminuitive conductor was in her element: bringing the thunderous sound of rare opera to the ears of appreciative New Yorkers.

Opera Review: Little Death Apples

Eve Queler Encores L'Africaine.

We'll say this for librettist Eugene Scribe: 
he came up with an original way to kill off his heroine in L'Africaine.

Wednesday night's one-shot concert performance of L'Africaine was a great evening that may do much to return this neglected work to the regular repertory. Eve Queler celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Opera Orchestra of New York's first performance of that opera, with this performance at Avery Fisher Hall. Chiara Taigi sang the title role, with Marcello Giordani as the explorer Vasco da Gama.

The performance opened with an audio treat: a recording of Richard Tucker singing "O Paradis" at that 1972 performance . For his part, Mr. Giordani did his best to emulate that late tenor, singing the French text with a warm tone and making good use of his vocal reserves throughout the long opera. "O Paradis", in the fourth act was a show-stopper, but that famous number paled next to the intense cabaletta that followed.


Mr. Giordani also showed himself well suited to ensemble work, participating in Meyerbeer's complex, often contrapuntal trios, quartets and sextets. He brought nobility and charm to the role of Vasco, a gallivanting explorer who acts on impulse and repeatedly lands in deep manchineel several times over the course of the evening.

The plot of L'Africaine features Vasco caught between two loves: the noble Inèz (Ellie Dehn) and the title character, Selika. (Selika is not actually African--she is an Indian queen who rules a large island that may be Madagascar.) Ms. Dehn started the evening's vocal fireworks in the first act. She was equalled and exceeded by Ms. Taigi, who presented a formidable, silver-edged instrument that recalled a young Deborah Voigt. Sparks flew between the two divas, especially in their Act V confrontation.

As Nélusko, the slave who is secretly in love with Selika, South African baritone Fikile Mvinjelwa gave a strong performance, making this figure out to be a real, three-dimensional character and not some grotesque, racist parody. His Act III aria with chorus, evoking the legendary African storm gods (and sung just before a typhoon wrecks the ship) was a highlight of the evening. Mr. Mvinjelwa removed his tuxedo jacket before singing the number, giving his performance a "get-down-to-business" feel that matched his sturdy baritone.

Act III of L'Africaine as staged at the Paris Opera, 1864

The finale of the opera, in which Selika commits a sleep-induced suicide by laying down beneath the poisonous boughs of the only manchineel tree in Africa (the trees are native to the Caribbean) is a dream-like, extended sequence for soprano that may have inspired the Immolation Scene from Götterdämmerung. Ms. Taigi, (changing into a third gown for her finale) proved to have the vocal stamina to sing this long, difficult scene accompanied by a wordless chorus and Mr. Mvinjelwa.

Throughout this long evening, much joy was to be found in Meyerbeer's music, which sounded familiar, even to an ear that had never heard L'Africaine. That might be because this smash opera, which premiered in 1864 (shortly after the composer's death) was a key influence on the development of Italian and French opera in the second half of the 19th century. The score anticipates beloved operatic moments like the tenor-baritone duet in Don Carlos, the barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and the slumberiffic finale of Wagner's Die Walküre.

As the final bars played, Ms. Queler brought her opera orchestra to a halt for the last time, putting the capstone on a life in music that has brought much joy to New York's opera lovers. Next year, Italian maestro Alberto Veronesi takes over the OONY. He will be building on the foundations of Ms. Queler's efforts.