THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501280014
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Mark Mobley
LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
THE WORLD PREMIERE of ``Simon Bolivar'' was notable for more than the unveiling of Thea Musgrave's opera. It was also one of those rare occasions that attracts out-of-town journalists.
Note the use of the word ``journalist'' instead of the more specific term ``critic.'' Unless something newsworthy happens at one of the military bases or at the CBN complex, or a travel writer journeys to Hampton Roads, our area doesn't get much national ink. But through a combination of noteworthy programming and hired-gun publicists, Virginia Opera has attracted more press than other civic groups.
Premieres of Musgrave's previous ``Mary, Queen of Scots,'' ``A Christmas Carol'' and ``Harriet, the Woman Called Moses'' drew national and international acclaim. Early returns on ``Bolivar,'' which closes today in Norfolk before venturing to Richmond, have been mixed.
Edward Rothstein of the New York Times wrote that the ``intriguing'' work had ``much to admire'' and that the performance was excellent. He also noted the opera's ``many flaws.'' ``There is no need, for example, for the dutiful piling on of battle scenes . . . or for the crudely conceived framing of the work.''
Joseph McLellan of The Washington Post said the opera ``seems to be bursting at the seams.'' Before launching into a synopsis, he compared the cozy Musgrave/Virginia Opera relationship to that of Wagner and the summer shrine at Bayreuth, Germany. He also called ``Bolivar'' ``expertly crafted,'' likening its cyclical nature to that of Wagner's ``Ring'' operas.
Clarke Bustard of the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that the work is ``monumentally staged, skillfully orchestrated and fervently sung.'' Yet he went on to say it ``binges on revolutionary rhetoric, `lift the yoke of oppression from the people' bloviation that would make any musical setting hard to endure.'' The Newport News Daily Press and Port Folio also had kind words for the production. Bad language
The review the company may be most eager to read will come from Andrew Porter, the esteemed English critic. With founding president Edie Harrison and perennial general director Peter Mark, Porter was a key figure in the company's early history. Through the '70s, his New Yorker reviews helped put the fledgling Virginia Opera on the national map.
Porter's review of ``Bolivar'' is scheduled for publication in London this weekend. As he is one of the most knowledgeable opera critics around, and he has high regard for Musgrave, his review will be especially interesting. Something to look for will be his handling of the language issue, which is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this production.
Local operaphiles remember Porter's first trip to Norfolk, for ``La traviata'' in 1975. The company ordered copies of the review and raised funds with them.
But what is rarely discussed is the end of that piece, and Porter's evaluation of the company's programming. He wrote, ``I question only two things: its commitment to stock repertory (a choice of three from `Tosca,' `Rigoletto,' `Lucia' and `Il barbiere' is announced for next season - though `La sonnambula' is also being discussed, and that would be just a shade more adventurous), and its use of Italian. Opera performed in a tongue not that of the audience and executants can never be the real thing, or put down roots, but remains `an exotic and irrational entertainment' (Dr. Johnson's definition, not of opera, but of opera played in Italian to Englishmen).''
``Bolivar'' was played in Spanish to Virginians, but the opera was originally written in English. When asked if this was a gambit to foster performances in Spanish-speaking countries, Mark said no, adding that Virginia Opera might have offered the work in English had the Spanish premiere been given elsewhere.
Mark and stage director/translator Lillian Garrett-Groag insisted that the color of the language would help convey the subject matter. But Bolivar was a politician, a communicator, and this show did not communicate with the opening-night audience.
Mark said that even on the rare occasions the company mounts an opera in English, the audience has trouble understanding the words. Yet he has scheduled ``Die fledermaus'' in English next season.
The production team was not united on the use of Spanish. ``It's insane, unless you're playing to a Spanish-speaking audience,'' said set designer John Conklin. ``I am completely in favor of opera in the audience's language.
``I think it's one of the big problems of opera, this sense of elitism that you have to know and study before you go. It's nonsense. It's worse than nonsense. It's a hideous perversion of the idea of theater.'' Falletta update
JoAnn Falletta's next album will be a 2-CD science fiction extravaganza. The Virginia Symphony music director is spending the weekend recording with one of her other orchestras, The Women's Philharmonic of San Francisco. On Saturday, they premiered ``Island Earth'' by Elinor Armer, head of the composition department at the San Francisco Conservatory, and Ursula Le Guin, the renowned science fiction writer and winner of the National Book Award.
``Island Earth'' is the eighth and final work in a series called ``Uses of Music in Uttermost Parts.'' In the Uttermost Archipelago, music is used for food, water, roads and walls. The performing forces include orchestra, chamber ensemble and various choruses. Koch International is recording the entire work for release this year. Blowing in
The a cappella quintet Western Wind Vocal Ensemble has recorded music from Shaker songs to new works to James Taylor. Its floating harmonies provided one of the most memorable moments of Philip Glass' score to the film ``Koyaanisqatsi.'' Sunday at 8 p.m. the quintet will perform at Centenary United Methodist Church, 3312 Cedar Lane, Portsmouth. Tickets are $15, but for $5 more, you can attend a reception with the group. Call 484-5051 for more information. by CNB