Recently in Performances

ETO Autumn 2020 Season Announcement: Lyric Solitude

English Touring Opera are delighted to announce a season of lyric monodramas to tour nationally from October to December. The season features music for solo singer and piano by Argento, Britten, Tippett and Shostakovich with a bold and inventive approach to making opera during social distancing.

Love, always: Chanticleer, Live from London … via San Francisco

This tenth of ten Live from London concerts was in fact a recorded live performance from California. It was no less enjoyable for that, and it was also uplifting to learn that this wasn’t in fact the ‘last’ LfL event that we will be able to enjoy, courtesy of VOCES8 and their fellow vocal ensembles (more below …).

Dreams and delusions from Ian Bostridge and Imogen Cooper at Wigmore Hall

Ever since Wigmore Hall announced their superb series of autumn concerts, all streamed live and available free of charge, I’d been looking forward to this song recital by Ian Bostridge and Imogen Cooper.

Treasures of the English Renaissance: Stile Antico, Live from London

Although Stile Antico’s programme article for their Live from London recital introduced their selection from the many treasures of the English Renaissance in the context of the theological debates and upheavals of the Tudor and Elizabethan years, their performance was more evocative of private chamber music than of public liturgy.

A wonderful Wigmore Hall debut by Elizabeth Llewellyn

Evidently, face masks don’t stifle appreciative “Bravo!”s. And, reducing audience numbers doesn’t lower the volume of such acclamations. For, the audience at Wigmore Hall gave soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn and pianist Simon Lepper a greatly deserved warm reception and hearty response following this lunchtime recital of late-Romantic song.

The Sixteen: Music for Reflection, live from Kings Place

For this week’s Live from London vocal recital we moved from the home of VOCES8, St Anne and St Agnes in the City of London, to Kings Place, where The Sixteen - who have been associate artists at the venue for some time - presented a programme of music and words bound together by the theme of ‘reflection’.

Iestyn Davies and Elizabeth Kenny explore Dowland's directness and darkness at Hatfield House

'Such is your divine Disposation that both you excellently understand, and royally entertaine the Exercise of Musicke.’

Paradise Lost: Tête-à-Tête 2020

‘And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven … that old serpent … Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’

Joyce DiDonato: Met Stars Live in Concert

There was never any doubt that the fifth of the twelve Met Stars Live in Concert broadcasts was going to be a palpably intense and vivid event, as well as a musically stunning and theatrically enervating experience.

‘Where All Roses Go’: Apollo5, Live from London

‘Love’ was the theme for this Live from London performance by Apollo5. Given the complexity and diversity of that human emotion, and Apollo5’s reputation for versatility and diverse repertoire, ranging from Renaissance choral music to jazz, from contemporary classical works to popular song, it was no surprise that their programme spanned 500 years and several musical styles.

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields 're-connect'

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields have titled their autumn series of eight concerts - which are taking place at 5pm and 7.30pm on two Saturdays each month at their home venue in Trafalgar Square, and being filmed for streaming the following Thursday - ‘re:connect’.

Lucy Crowe and Allan Clayton join Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO at St Luke's

The London Symphony Orchestra opened their Autumn 2020 season with a homage to Oliver Knussen, who died at the age of 66 in July 2018. The programme traced a national musical lineage through the twentieth century, from Britten to Knussen, on to Mark-Anthony Turnage, and entwining the LSO and Rattle too.

Choral Dances: VOCES8, Live from London

With the Live from London digital vocal festival entering the second half of the series, the festival’s host, VOCES8, returned to their home at St Annes and St Agnes in the City of London to present a sequence of ‘Choral Dances’ - vocal music inspired by dance, embracing diverse genres from the Renaissance madrigal to swing jazz.

Royal Opera House Gala Concert

Just a few unison string wriggles from the opening of Mozart’s overture to Le nozze di Figaro are enough to make any opera-lover perch on the edge of their seat, in excited anticipation of the drama in music to come, so there could be no other curtain-raiser for this Gala Concert at the Royal Opera House, the latest instalment from ‘their House’ to ‘our houses’.

Fading: The Gesualdo Six at Live from London

"Before the ending of the day, creator of all things, we pray that, with your accustomed mercy, you may watch over us."

Met Stars Live in Concert: Lise Davidsen at the Oscarshall Palace in Oslo

The doors at The Metropolitan Opera will not open to live audiences until 2021 at the earliest, and the likelihood of normal operatic life resuming in cities around the world looks but a distant dream at present. But, while we may not be invited from our homes into the opera house for some time yet, with its free daily screenings of past productions and its pay-per-view Met Stars Live in Concert series, the Met continues to bring opera into our homes.

Precipice: The Grange Festival

Music-making at this year’s Grange Festival Opera may have fallen silent in June and July, but the country house and extensive grounds of The Grange provided an ideal setting for a weekend of twelve specially conceived ‘promenade’ performances encompassing music and dance.

Monteverdi: The Ache of Love - Live from London

There’s a “slide of harmony” and “all the bones leave your body at that moment and you collapse to the floor, it’s so extraordinary.”

Music for a While: Rowan Pierce and Christopher Glynn at Ryedale Online

“Music for a while, shall all your cares beguile.”

A Musical Reunion at Garsington Opera

The hum of bees rising from myriad scented blooms; gentle strains of birdsong; the cheerful chatter of picnickers beside a still lake; decorous thwacks of leather on willow; song and music floating through the warm evening air.

OPERA TODAY ARCHIVES »

Performances

Troy Cook (Fredrick) and Kelly Kaduce (Desiree) [Photo by Duane Tinkey]
10 Jul 2017

Des Moines: Nothing ‘Little’ About Night Music

Des Moines Metro Opera’s richly detailed production of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music left an appreciative audience to waltz home on air, and has prompted this viewer to search for adequate superlatives.

Des Moines: Nothing ‘Little’ About Night Music

A review by James Sohre

Above: Troy Cook (Fredrick) and Kelly Kaduce (Desiree)

Photos by Duane Tinkey

 

When Israel Mizrahi’s set and costume designs debuted at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis a few years back, I opined: “At long last we have been treated to a multi-faceted production that not only equals, but in many ways surpasses the dazzling original.” DMMO’s Blank Performing Arts Centers has a thrust stage configuration similar to St. Louis, and Mr. Mizrahi’s set design proves to be a most congenial fit. The magnificent forest of massive trees is a veritable Shakespearean garden. Positioned upstage of the proscenium, the trees are suitable for climbing, perching, and frolicking. A lush green grassy ground cloth is carried forward onto the thrust front of the pit, dotted with strategic stumps and flowery mounds for additional seating possibilities.

Boris Aronson's original scenic concept was all tracked scenery and cinematic dissolves which informed how the piece developed and was played. Since the DMMO venue afforded no computerized movement capability, director Matthew Ozawa carefully devised a choreographed shifting of necessary furniture, props, and doors. The theatricality of the effect proved to be visually engaging and dramatically fluid. Only twice did we have to wait a bit for the setting to be completed (placing and removing the massive dinner party table for example), but we were compensated with some tasteful instrumental Sondheim variations. The only stationary furniture is a handsome grand piano up left, that is delightfully out of place in this bucolic Eden. Nate Wheatley's magical, sensitive lighting design captured all the intrigue and mystique of a midsummer night when the sun never quite sets.

Mr. Mizrahi (who had also directed in Saint Louis) also bequeathed a stunning array of costumes to Mr. Ozawa. From stuffy straight-jacketed business and formal attire to the suggestive undergarments and accoutrements of half-dressed cast members lounging (and longing) on stage, this was a costume plot by turns gleefully hedonistic and repressively, gorgeously laced up. The whimsical little angel wings attached to the quintet and some servants at once suggested cupids, angels, and fireflies flitting in the perpetual Swedish twilight.

DSC_0568.pngThe Liebeslieder Quintet

Director Ozawa forged a good blend of Swedish directness and an American penchant for sentimentality. Hugh Wheeler’s libretto remains a model of civilized wit, and the direction explored rich subtext, coupled with telling stage business. Inventive blocking made full use of the sprawling playing area, and character relationships were well defined. Initially, I resisted the somewhat stilted, quaint elocution of the spoken lines, declared with operatic resonance to the back wall rather conversing with each other. But I was soon enough won over by the attention to diction and the absolute success in setting up and landing the many laughs.

Fresh from a triumphant star turn the night before as Maria de Buenos Aires, damn if Elise Quagliata didn’t score another knockout performance with her acerbic, self-effacing Countess Charlotte. Ms. Quagliata not only made the long-suffering wife all too human, but she delivered every one of her scripted comedic zingers with laser accuracy. Moreover, Elise sang the part with a vibrant, plush mezzo that was richly sympathetic.

Kelly Kaduce proved to be a predictably beguiling Desiree Armfeldt, largely owing to her being one of opera’s pre-eminent actresses. The role was originally written for the slightly weathered physical beauty and extremely limited vocal means of actress Glynis Johns. Indeed, Ms. Johns decidedly belongs to the Lauren Bacall, whoopee cushion method of tonal production. It is ironic that one of Sondheim’s best-loved songs, Send in the Clowns was specifically crafted to her one octave range and shortness of breath.

Since Ms. Kaduce is not only too youthfully beautiful for the aging actress, and since she sings with a polished, poised soprano, I wondered how she would manage. My fears proved groundless, thanks to Kelly’s knowing (if sparing) injection of an underlying sadness for her life’s routine, and her (and her coaches’) success in finding ways to make the part “sing” that was uniquely hers. I have never heard The Glamorous Life patter actually sung before, albeit up an octave and with delectable operatic flourishes. In short, Kelly Kaduce has added another jewel to her repertoire by making Desiree her own special creation.

As Madame Armfeldt, the venerable mezzo Joyce Castle deployed exquisite diction and evergreen vocalizing to make a mini-drama out of Liaisons. Written for the gravely bass range of character actress Hermoine Gingold, Ms. Castle negotiated the subterranean passages with a firm legato. What’s more, she has the timing of a seasoned comic and drew some of the evening’s biggest laughs with her imperious delivery. Her withering delivery of the word Raisins was perfection.

DSC_1744.pngThe Dinner Scene

Troy Cook’s assured Fredrik Egerman was marked by a clean, buzzy baritone that was uncommonly supple. The tricky patter of Now was tossed off with consummate ease. Mr. Cook has a sincere delivery, the right look, a wonderful chemistry with Ms. Kaduce, and many sterling artistic attributes. I only wish his resonant declarations sounded a bit more truthful and less operetta-ish.

Lauren Snouffer is a deliciously giddy, virginal Anne Egerman, feigning naivete with convincing results. Ms. Stouffer’s shimmering soprano gleamed above the staff, and her pure sense of line enchanted the ears. Her foil (and eventual lover), Herik Egerman was winningly taken by Quinn Berneger. His pleasing lyric tenor effortlessly suggested the conflicted young man’s duplicitous character, and his enthusiastic ‘cello playing’ did not distract him from offering a firmly sung Later.

Talented local high school student Aviana Gedler proved a real find, as she turned in an assured performance as the young daughter Fredrika Armfeldt. Melanie Long was an especially perky Petra, her sassy sexiness bringing a welcome brazenness to counter the propriety of the other repressed, clandestine philanderers. Her powerful, well-considered version of The Miller’s Son, was securely delivered, even if containing a few wayward sustained pitches. John Graham made the most of his stage time as the horny Frid.

The one principal cast member I had seen in his role before is the assured, distinctive baritone Lee Gregory. Of his Saint Louis Carl-Magnus I wrote: “At first I thought Mr.Gregory's Dudley Do-Right approach might not wear well, but his utter belief in it, and relentless delivery of it ended up being a very satisfying portrayal. Coming off more the stupid prat than usual, the story was the richer for it.” While Lee still sings with gleaming security, I found his take has become more caricatured. With all of the other performers grounded in heightened realism, it seemed that this appealing, talented performer was in another show.

You will likely never hear a finer sung rendition of this score, and much of the glory must be shared by the Liebeslieder Quintet of singers who were splendidly matched, soloing magnificently and blending smoothly as required: Charles H. Eaton (Mr. Lindquist); Chelsea Miller; (Mrs. Nordstrom); Grace Kahl (Mrs. Anderssen); Christian Sanders (Mr. Erlanson); and Stephanie Schoenhofer (Mrs. Segstrom). These attractive, gifted singers from the Apprentice Artist Program present and past, are far too young to sing about "remembering" sexual peccadilloes that are well in the past, but they are most appealing, and sing Sondheim's complex vocal writing with conviction.

In the pit, conductor Eric Melear drew nuanced, colorful playing from the orchestra. I never cease to marvel at Jonathan Tunick's flawless orchestration, the waltz scoring evoking a sinuous Ravelian sweep. Maestro Melear sometimes favored more deliberate tempi, but his collaboration with the singers and his identification with their phrasing was complete.

A Little Night Music has nothing “little” about it, as it adds up to a “lot” of classy entertainment.

James Sohre


Cast and production information: Mr. Lindquist: Charles H. Eaton; Mrs. Nordstrom: Chelsea Miller; Mrs. Anderssen: Grace Kahl; Mr. Erlanson: Christian Sanders; Mrs. Segstrom: Stephanie Schoenhofer; Fredrika Armfeldt: Aviana Gedler; Madame Armfeldt: Joyce Castle; Frid: John Graham; Henrik Egerman: Quinn Berneger; Anne Egerman: Lauren Snouffer; Fredrik Egerman: Troy Cook; Petra: Melanie Long; Desiree Armfeldt: Kelly Kaduce; Malla: Emily Triebold; Bertrand: Zach Rohlwing; Carl-Magnus Malcolm: Lee Gregory; Charlotte Malcolm: Elise Quagliata; Osa: Mary Bricker; Young Prince: Akul Gonchigar; Conductor: Eric Melear; Director: Matthew Ozawa; Set and Costume Design: Isaac Mizrahi; Lighting Design: Nate Wheatley; Make-up and Hair Design: Brittany Crinson for Elsen and Associates; Choreography: Todd Rhoades

Send to a friend

Send a link to this article to a friend with an optional message.

Friend's Email Address: (required)

Your Email Address: (required)

Message (optional):