THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 21, 1995 TAG: 9501210226
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Review
SOURCE: By MARK MOBLEY, MUSIC CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Thea Musgrave's ``Simon Bolivar'' is either much too short or way too long. The Scottish-American composer's latest opera, which was premiered Friday by Virginia Opera, chugged along for three hours with plenty of blustering about politics but little revelation or emotion.
Musgrave's eighth opera is a loud, manly portrait of the 19th-century South American liberator and statesman. Musgrave, who wrote her own text, compressed Bolivar's childhood and the key years of his political career into two action-packed acts.
The show shuttles from battlefield to mountaintop to ballroom to bureaucracy. It is difficult to follow, unless you are intimately acquainted with the region's history. But even if you keep up, there is little dramatic subtlety to reward your attention. The good guys have high voices, the bad guys have low ones, and the lady friend is there for relief. After a number of static office scenes, the sight of an extra carrying a desk on stage inspires dread.
The show's riches are found in the set and the orchestra pit. John Conklin, set designer for the Metropolitan Opera's ``The Ghosts of Versailles,'' achieved as no designer has before a sense of depth and possibility on the teeny Harrison Opera House stage. His vision of Bolivar is a grand, off-kilter museum that evokes various locations with a shift of Mark Stanley's deft lighting.
Musgrave's vocal lines are wearingly declamatory. But her instrumental textures include some that are lush, dreamily complex and beautifully dark in the depths of the ensemble. Yet just as there are cliches in the action - Bolivar and the young Bolivar are on stage together a number of times - Musgrave goes heavy on trumpets, drums and taped explosions.
She composed the opera in English and Spanish (the latter thanks to a translation by stage director Lillian Garrett-Groag). The company, led by General Director Peter Mark (who is also Musgrave's husband), made the truly unfortunate decision to perform the work in Spanish.
Musgrave's scoring is generous to the voices, so that if the work had been sung in the language the audience understood, the drama would have been more involving. Instead, patrons were forced to look away from Garrett-Groag's detailed staging to see what was being said in the supertitles. And what they saw were lines like, ``You fought together under that single flag which inspired our victory. It represents the unity that will protect you.''
The long title role was sung by tenor Stephen Guggenheim, who hit the notes but but did not produce commanding volume. His love interest was soprano Amy Johnson, who had a larger voice but a slightly hard-edged tone. Because their music was not seductive, they were not a compelling couple. Mark conducted, and seemed to have the idea of the piece, if not the ability to sharpen the rhythms.
Among many supporting roles, the standout was baritone Richard Lewis, who had a direct, engaging sound as Bolivar's tutor Rodriguez. And the chorus's music was a bit too difficult for them. Yet they and all the principals looked impressive, thanks to handsome costumes by David Murin. MEMO: REVIEW
Thea Musgrave's ``Simon Bolivar.'' Virginia Opera's world premiere
production Friday at Norfolk's Harrison Opera House. Further
performances at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Friday and
2:30 p.m. Jan. 29. For ticket information call 623-1223.
KEYWORDS: OPENING NIGHT PREMIERE by CNB