Reiterating (opera memories at season's end)

Thanks again to blogger and opera director John Bowen for more encouragement (comment on preceding post). I had a long walk around the National Arboretum on Sunday afternoon and saw a lot more than roses and irises. If you hurry, you might catch the unbelievably beautiful bonsai azaleas still in bloom this week.

At season end now, a review of opera in the area just since New Year's shows an array of old favorites from the core repertoire, baroque rarities and premieres of new works. I also heard a rising young tenor, a veteran star tenor, a veritable parade of countertenors, Wagnerian sopranos and astounding basses and bass-baritones.

In February, Peabody Chamber Opera gave the world premiere of "The Yellow Wallpaper" by composer Catherine Reid and librettist Judith Lane at Theatre Project in Baltimore. The Brittenesque score was played by an unsual chamber ensemble which included a synthesizer.

At the end of the month, Opera Vivente gave the North American premiere of Jonathan Dove's church opera, "Tobias and the Angel," which I was moved to see twice in one weekend. Countertenor David Walker as the angel Raphael and tenor Kenneth Gayle as Tobias may have been the stars of the story, but I was spellbound by baritone John Dooley's performance as literally a handsome devil, Ashmodeus. Dooley was suitably wicked, and some credit must go to the costume and makeup also, but what capped his portrayal was the hissing!

March and April brought two operas in authentic and picturesque Italian Renaissance dress: Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" at Baltimore Opera and Verdi's "Rigoletto" at Washington National Opera. Young tenor Stephen Costello was well cast as Romeo, and I'm remembering his excellent delivery of his aria at the end of the garden scene. (The gossip on the internet reported a group of young girls cheering Costello from front row seats at one performance.) WNO's Rigoletto also had a great cast, but I really liked the Sparafucile of Andrea Silvestrelli, who I called a singing mountain.

Also in March, Peabody Opera came through with an unforgettable Magic Flute. With a cast of student singers coached in German by organ student Felix Hell, this production ranked beside the two larger professional productions I've seen (one of which did the speaking parts in English). Singing, costumes and acting were all impressive. What really distinguished the overall look of the production was the work of students from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) glowing on Peabody's new triptych of projection screens.

WNO's "Der Fliegende Hollander" in April was my first time hearing a complete Dutchman (and I sought a recording very soon afterwards). The cast was excellent, but I must comment that this set was the best of the season for me. Mostly bluish with some yellow highlights, it looked German Expressionist -- at least it reminded me of stills from "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari."

Finally in early May, I enjoyed a weekend of baroque opera in DC. I finally heard star countertenor David Daniels as Handel's Tamerlano next to Domingo as Bajazet at WNO. A surprise in this performance was bass-baritone Andrew Foster-Williams as Leone. Later that weekend, I heard American Opera Theater's revival of Marc-Antoine Charpentier's "David et Jonathas" at Georgetown University's Gonda Theatre. I understand that a few of the musicians who played for WNO's Tamerlano were also in the pit for this AOT production. This was the largest ensemble to date employed by AOT, as far as I know. Countertenor Brian Cummings as David and soprano Rebecca Duren as Jonathas achieved one of the most moving scenes I've ever seen on the opera stage at the climax of the story.

Comments

[John Dooley]

Thank you so much for your kind words about my performance in Tobias and the Angel. I had a wonderful time doing the show and am glad it was received so well in Baltimore. Thank you for supporting the Operatic community in the greater D Baltimore area!