ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, September 24, 1996 TAG: 9609250011
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: OPERA REVIEW
SOURCE: SETH WILLIAMSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
MEMO: NOTE: Also ran in Seprtember 25 Current.
All right, I'll admit it. I was one of those who harbored a teensy doubt or two about Opera Roanoke's production of "L'Orfeo." Sure, it's a great opera - but isn't Claudio Monteverdi's 1607 adaptation of a Greek myth a little too esoteric a taste for Roanoke audiences?
It's a pleasure to report that "L'Orfeo" is a sumptuously beautiful production whose emotional punch, even after four centuries, still packs a wallop.
Yes, the vocal ornamentation is a little strange for those accustomed to the great 19th- and 20th-century operatic warhorses. But you slip so quickly into Monteverdi's sound world that the unfamiliarly stylistic aspects of early performance practice make almost no difference in your appreciation of the work.
Monday night's audience, which filled about 80 percent of Mill Mountain Theatre, definitely sounded appreciative.
Visually, this is a gorgeous production. John Sailer created a simple but dramatic set augmented by a costumed early Baroque "band" with a huge chitarrone, lutes, gambas, recorders and other early instruments.
And Necia Evans' brilliant, authentic costumes are the most eye-catching in years for an Opera Roanoke production.
Actually, the biggest difference between "L'Orfeo" and later opera is one that's easy to take. The sound of the early Baroque instrumental ensemble is so light and transparent that it makes Mozart sound turgid by comparison.
The predominant effect is that of plucked instruments - lutes, harp, chitarrone, harpsichord - which gives the entire piece an intimate chamber feel, as far as can be imagined from the massed orchestral armies of Verdi or Wagner. Conductor Jan Harrington drew on the talents of local early music experts such as John Howell (on both gamba and recorder) and Robert Trent (on Baroque guitar and lute) as well as widely recorded musicians such as Richard Stone on chitarrone.
Monteverdi knew what he was doing when he titled the opera "L'Orfeo." In this epic, the baritone hero Orfeo IS the opera. Everything depends on his reactions: his joy at his impending marriage to Euridice, his despair at her death, his determination that love shall conquer even the underworld.
General Director Craig Fields did a good job in finding Keith Spencer to fill the role.
Spencer's light lyric baritone is a natural instrument for the early Baroque vocal style. His big moment is the aria "Possente spirto," a performance that Spencer infused both with the intimacy of the art song and true operatic pathos.
Rita Litchfield-Good as La Musica and Peter Stewart as the Second Shepherd were both excellent, but the libretto's insistence on seeing everything from Orfeo's point of view detracts somewhat from the possibility of rounded characters in the other roles.
An added bonus in this production is the chorus, which consists of a group of early music singers from Liberty University. They were the most competent and the most musical chorus I have heard in an Opera Roanoke production.
"L'Orfeo" continues with two more performances Wednesday and Friday nights; seats remain for both shows.
Seth Williamson produces feature news stories and a classical music program on public radio station WVTF (89.1 FM) in Roanoke.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 linesby CNB