A MOZART OPERA---MAD, MED, YES, BUT NOT MEDIOCRE
Great Music,
Plus Immersion in Minoan Culture
And All About Doffing your Crete Shoes
By D. Rane Danubian
artssf.com, the independent observer of San Francisco Bay Area music
and dance
Week of Sept. 12-19, 2011
Vol. 14, No. 4
SAN JOSE-------The
King of Crete, finally stepping
to center stage, with all his court, retinue, and dancers! High time!
Arguably the
most extravagant production ever at Opera San
Jose, one of Mozart’s more obscure operas is overwhelming audiences
with its
impact at the California Theater. Despite its antiquated scenario and
musical
format, “Idomeneo” is a hit of a
spectacle,
backed by some extraordinary singers and strong stage direction.
“Idomeneo”
(1981) is one of Mozart’s
rare examples of the held-over baroque opera-seria
format, featuring an augmented tale out
of antiquity. The gist of it, apart from the complex love stories you
might
expect, is embodied in the near-fatal storm at sea. There King Idomeneo
promises Neptune that, if he
survives, he will
sacrifice to the god the first human he sees on shore------who of
course turns
out to be his son and successor in waiting, Idamante. Wrestling with
that Abraham-Isaac
quandary takes up most of the 3:40-long opera in three acts.
The
first half of the opus is little
more than a neatly packaged vocal recital
of recitatives and arias. But thereafter “Idomeneo” offers several
pleasant
surprises, including some of the first ensembles found in Mozart’s
work---the
frosting on the operatic cake. Trio here, duet there, and a grand
quartet at
the finale. In addition, clarinets have been added to fill out the
orchestra.
And there is a mad scene for the spurned lover Elettra---the forerunner
of
hundreds of beloved mad scenes in 19th-century opera. And
for lovers
of dance, there is even a long ballet segment at the conclusion---a
rarity in
Mozart. Overall, the music's Sturm
und Drang reflect similar breakthroughs in the reform
operas of Gluck.
Mozart’s
music is simply exquisite
in number after number. If King Idomeneo’s music is not as adventurous
(apart from
one grand aria, “Fuor del mar”) as the women’s, it was in deference to
a
66-year-old tenor in the world premiere, who had been the main
reason for the production in the first
place.
What is lacking here is any of the
conciseness
of the late Mozart masterworks. Minor characters are given major arias,
the
first-act curtain lacks dramatic tension, and the finale---apparently a
slavish
paean to the ruler, intended to satisfy the titled patron underwriting the premiere---is far too long to
be effective (In today’s theater world, such regal paeans by Moliere,
for
example, are trimmed or cut entirely, as they dilute effective drama).
Taking
some trimming shears to Mozart should not be out of consideration.
With
veteran Mozart conductor George
Cleve, 75, calling the shots, Opera San Jose took the opposite tack,
presenting
as complete a version as it could, conflating the 1781 and 1786
productions. The
king’s “Fuor del mar” combines the two versions, the Idamante-Ilia duet
of act
three was borrowed from the later production, and some music cut before
the world
premiere was actually brought back here. There was even a rarely heard
pipe
organ thundering through the finale.
So for Mozart
lovers, this is a one-time “Idomeneo”
drama to treasure.
Cleve
conducted the orchestra,
showing spirit and vitality that carried the opus forward, aided by a
harpsichord and cello playing the continuo (recitative-accompaniment)
parts.
The two storm sequences were every bit as electric as Elettra’s mad
scene
itself, and the animated, augmented chorus provided extra heft to the
show.
The
other essential ingredient was arts
patron David W. Packard, who provided essential funding making possible
the
elaborate Minoan décor which thrived on the Mediterranean, at
least till they had
their own 9/11, victims of the caldera volcano’s blow-off on Santorini
Island in
the 17th century BC. (That is widely believed to be the
ill-fated Atlantis
that Plato much later lamented.)
Stage
Director Brad Dalton brought
plausibility and energy to a lot of otherwise static scenes, while
Steven Kemp,
last seen in the “Anna Karenina” premiere a year ago, recreated Minoan
sensibility via his countless bright and vivid set designs. And
Dennis Nahat brought over a
dozen of his ballet dancers to go barefoot, doffing their Crete
shoes, in elaborate allegro choreography.
Some
patrons avoid the “second cast,”
which we caught on Sept. 11. The second cast however adheres more
closely to Mozart’s
score, with a mezzo in trousers, Bethany Coffland, singing
the role of the king’s son Idamante. In
the first cast, the part was taken by a tenor, transposing the music
down one
octave.
Others
of note we heard in the
surprising mature, well-turned-out cast, were tenor Alexander Boyer
(title
role), and soprano Sandra Bengochea (Ilia), capped by the ever-madder,
scenery-chewing,
floor-writhing dramatic soprano Jasmina Halimic, whose seething Elettra
was at
first comic, then furious, and finally quite scary.
These
are heady times for Opera San
Jose, now in its 28th season, opening two years in a row
with
headline-making productions (last year being David Carlson’s
world-premiere “Anna
Karenina.”) Perhaps the start of a memorable trend?
‘IDOMENEO’
NOTES---An immense cast
of close to 75 appears on stage, with even costumes copied from Minoan
precedents…In the 1781 premiere of the opera, Idamante was sung by a
(male) castrato, a type
of singer that no longer exists. Thus
the high-voiced female in a trouser role---less plausible, but
musically more
germane....Consistent with baroque opera, from which this libretto was
resuscitated, the resolutionat at the final curtain is via deux ex machina---intervention of
the gods, in this case Neptune, who lurks behind the scenes
throughout.
MOZART’S OPERA
“IDOMENEO,” in
Italian, double-cast, with supertitle translations. Opera San
Jose.
Two intermissions, three hours, 40 minutes. Through Sept. 25.
California
Theater, San Jose.
For info: (408) 437-4450, or go online.
©D. Rane Danubian 2011
#
D. Rane Danubian has been
covering
the dance and modern-music scene in the San Francisco Bay Area with
relish
-- and a certain amount of salsa -- for years.
These critiques appearing weekly (or sometimes semi-weekly, but never
weakly)
will focus on dance and new musical creativity in performance, with
forays
into books (by authors of the region), theater and recordings by local
artists as well.
#
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