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

Rebecca Davis as Konstanze [Photo by Pat Kirk]
20 Sep 2018

OSJ: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Harem

Opera San Jose kicked off its 35th anniversary season with a delectably effervescent production of their first-ever mounting of Mozart’s youthful opus, The Abduction from the Seraglio.

OSJ: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Harem

A review by James Sohre

Above: Rebecca Davis as Konstanze [Photo by Pat Kirk]

 

This is an extremely tricky piece to pull off in 2019, a comedy that is about holding women against their will with the hopeful expectation of romantic capitulation. Factor in the East (Muslims) versus West (Christians) undertones and well. . . anyone see the possible contemporary pitfalls here? Happily, the gifted director Michael Shell essayed the challenges, and effectively trod a fine line between a somewhat “battle of the sexes” take on the comedy and a commendably honest appraisal of two differing sets of cultural mores.

Mr. Shell has coaxed his superior cast to find the heart of their characters, to avoid off-putting stereotypes, and to embody complex, conflicted human beings. The humor is derived from well-intended, honestly motivated mismatching rather than the underlying misogyny. The latter is certainly found in the piece, but the director commendably uses it as cultural background, not a #MeToo statement, allowing the audience to draw its own conclusion.


 

Knowing that the serious moments of reflection will play better contrasted to a light touch elsewhere, Michael discovers every moment he can to conjure up humor with playful stage business, scrappy physical confrontations, and a tongue in cheek nod to the absurdity of the premise. The well-judged, fluid blocking resulted in stage pictures that morphed spontaneously into attractive tableaus. In the end, the cumulative effect of Shell’s direction, resulting in the believable benevolence of Pasha Selim forgave whatever hijinks may have come before.

That the denouement worked so affectingly was largely owing to Nathan Stark’s star turn as Selim. Never mind that Mr. Stark has one of the finest voices in the business, he doesn’t sing a note in this one! Ah, but what he does have in abundance is star quality. And comic sensibilities. He has a way of making self-absorbed characters appealingly unaware of their ridiculous pomposity. And Nathan has a charisma that can fill out a potentially one-dimensional personage to ingratiate himself not only to an audience, but to other characters on stage. I don’t have to go out on much of a limb to say that Nathan Stark is the most enjoyable Pasha Selim of my experience. He is in great company with the superb cast of singers who DO sing.

Constanze is an Everest of a role, written by young Wolfgang with arguably more abandon than consistently good vocal sense. It has daunted many a practitioner, not least of which the great Joan Sutherland who famously withdrew from a new Met production being mounted especially for her because she just couldn’t get it in her voice. On this occasion, the role held no fear for the highly accomplished soprano Rebecca Davis, whose limpid, often fluty singing was not only beautifully judged but also uncannily even in production.

Ms. Davis was in complete charge of a performance that included fiery, accurate coloratura pyrotechnics, jaw-dropping ease shifting registers, heartfelt outpourings of love for Belmonte, and heartbreaking protestations to Selim. This was one of those rare Constanze traversals that perfectly matched artist with role, a bravura achievement.

Matthew Grills was a totally commendable Belmonte. A light-voiced tenor who has also performed Pedrillo, Mr. Grills has a honeyed sound that can indeed also encompass the meatier demands of Belmonte’s heroic music, especially in a house the size of the California Theatre, which is very congenial to young lyric singers. His fluid phrasing and pulsating, arching sense of line ably informed the role, and his assured rendition of Ich baue ganz for once left us wanting more.

Ashraf Sewailam was anything but the usual caricature as a handsome, determined Osmin. Mr. Sewailam has all the rumbling low notes in order as he must relentlessly drill below the staff (youthful Wolfgang again!), but in the mid and upper range his burly bass blooms with compelling beauty. When Osmin does need to stutter or bluster, Ashraf is up to the momentary bouts with low (pun intended) comedy. He pulls of the neat trick of being sympathetic because his Osmin utterly clueless that he is somewhat despicable.

Completing the cast, Katrina Galka was a pert, silver-toned Blonde. Part hellion, part Gloria Steinem, part Kewpie doll, the attractive Ms. Galka’s enjoyably animated antics were a perfect balance to Constanze’s comparatively sedate presence. Moreover, Katrina has a sound technique, innate musicality, and ravishing soprano that delights the ears and touches the heart. Michael Dailey was a strapping, handsome Pedrillo that was quite pleasantly cast against the usual type. No second banana he, Mr. Dailey’s well-schooled, appealing tenor had substantial body and he deployed it winningly in crafting a character the held his own in this gifted cast. Andrew Whitfield’s full-throated chorus completed the ensemble.

George Manahan conducted a knowing reading in the pit, one that admirably relaxed into a stylish interpretation after just a bit of stiffness in the opening instrumental pages. Maestro Manahan has a fine understanding of the pace and arc of the piece, and his instrumentalists responded with a polished panache. The instances of transparent ensemble and solo passages were especially revelatory.

Opera San Jose can be counted on to produce accomplished physical productions and this was no exception. Set designer Steven Kemp’s lavish, richly detailed Moorish structures and plentitude of flora elicited well-deserved gasps and bursts of applause. Not to be outdone, Ulises Alcala dazzled the eye with a diverse array of colorful Turkish garb balanced by more sedate, well-tailored Western travel clothes. Pamela Z. Gray’s diverse, responsive lighting design was notable not only for its rich washes and area lighting, but also for abruptly highlighting sudden asides by Pasha and almost immediately restoring. Christina Martin’s accomplished make-up and wig design was a notable contribution, especially her visual transformation of Mr. Stark into Pasha Selim.

This interpretation found the dialogue performed in English with the vocals all performed in German, seeming just a bit artistically schizophrenic. I know there is a history of such practice (Fledermaus, anyone?) but for my money, pick one and stick to it. Never you mind, the opening night audience had more than plenty to cheer, and cheer they did. The conviviality and festive atmosphere spilled over well into the evening with a lively 35th opening night party.

For the company’s Mozart enthusiasts who clamored for The Abduction from the Seraglio to finally join the roster, this polished, ebullient performance surely proved worth the wait.

James Sohre


Cast and production information:

Konstanze: Rebecca Davis; Blonde: Katrina Galka: Belmonte; Matthew Grills; Osmin: Ashraf Sewailam; Pedrillo: Michael Dailey; Pasha Selim: Nathan Stark; Conductor: George Manahan; Director: Michael Shell; Set Design: Steven Kemp; Costume Design: Ulises Alcala; Lighting Design: Pamila Z. Gray; Wigs/Makeup Design: Christina Martin; Chorus Master: Andrew Whitfield

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):