Musical Interlude

DIVA VISIT. Hanging out in GreeneLand recently, in hope of averting performance panic, quiet, was an international opera star from Down Under. Lisa Gasteen relaxed here in these parts before crossing over to Tanglewood, to sing what Boston Globe scribe Richard Dyer calls “the most demanding part ever written for dramatic soprano”: the title role in Richard Strauss’s opera Elektra. Based on ancient Greek legend, the show is a gruesome, sanguinary “100-minute primal scream” (Dyer). Tanglewood’s production was a concert version, with the singers being placed, un-amplified of course, behind an orchestra of 110 (one hundred and ten) musicians, who were playing, most of the time, forte and fortissimo. According to Dyer, Ms Gasteen “found it difficult to project some quieter phrases over the orchestra.” Would you believe? Still, her "powerful voice boasts a beautiful glowing, ruby timbre, deployed with vigor and insight. And she is a theatrical presence who can command attention even when standing still.” “Powerful,” as it turned out, was the favorite adjective of the opera’s reviewers. In the words of New York Times reviewer Anthony Tomassini, the GreeneLand visitor “gave a vocally fearless and chilling portrayal” of the wronged daughter, carrying off a “notoriously difficult” role, in which she is called upon to bring “cool power to Elektra’s outbursts of avenging fury” and then to project “melting sadness” in another situation. The whole performance, he added, evoked “a frenzied ovation” and one that has “seldom…been more deserved.” In a similar vein, Seeing Greene’s own correspondent, the veteran opera-goer Flip Richards (who has seen four other presentations of Elektra), “enormous range and flexibility and power” make Gasteen “the finest singer of that kind of role in at least two generations.”

SPEAKING OF OPERA, a GreeneLander who recently returned from an Italian sojourn shared these notes with our bloggeroos.

In Italy, it’s easier to attend an opera than to see one. The great opera houses are giant tubes. Most of the seats are in boxes, bulging out away from the sides of the stage. And in about half the cases, they are buttressed reinforced with columns that are placed in front of the box seats. Occupants of the first row in a box can see the show okay if they lean out, but people behind them are obliged to concentrate on the sound. Which is apt to be quite wonderful.

English-speaking visitors swarm over Italy, and are warmly welcomed. The opera goers among them are enriched by program notes that are printed in what appears to be their native language. Thus: ^*La Traviata:. “During a party, courtesan Violetta discovers that Alfredo love her since one year. A short while afterwards they are living together, but because of her past behaviour, Alfredo’s father asks her to leave him. Violetta sacrifice herself and Alfredo, unaware, hurts her. Some months later Violetta is dying, Alfredo learned the truth, goes to her, but too late and she dies into his arms.” ^*Tosca: “Rome, 1800. The rebel Angelotti is hidden in a church, with the help of his sister, that his friend Cavaradossi is depicting. Tosca, who loves Cavaradossi, arrives and becomes Jealouse. Also Scarpia, who is the police leader, arrives, he’s seeking the rebel and order to follow her because he thinks Cavaradossi is hidding the rebel. Scarpia order to torture Cavaradossi, so Tosca betrays him to save his life, but he’s condemned anyway. Then Tosca pretends to yield to pressure of Scarpia, who tells her Mario will not be killed but when he tries to embrace her, she kills him. It is dawn and Tosca reaches Mario to explain him his execution will be a pretence, but when soldiers shoots, Tosca discovers they killed him and before to be captured, she throws down the castle.” ^*Rigoletto: “Buffoon Rigoletto suggest to his duke the libertine behaviour that dishonour maidens of the court, but Monterone, whose daughter was seduced, damn him; his awful jokes will turns against him.In fact, his daughter Gilda is a victim of the duke, who abduct her Rigoletto pays Sparafucile to kill the duke, but Gilda, who loves him, decides she will dye instead of him. It is dawn and Rigoletto discovers horrified the body of his beloved daughter murdered instead of the duke.” ^*La Boheme. “Four young bohemians friends lives in an attic….It is Christmas eve, so they decide to dine at the cafe Momus, there is a knock at the door: it is Benoit asking for the rent, but he’s ejected with an excuse. While the others goes to the café, Rodolfo tries to finish an article, but a girl enters the room, Mimi, and in the moonlight they falls in love. Rodolfo and Mimi catches up with the others at the café. Musetta is seen approaching, she quarrelled with Marcello and now she is with the rich but old Alcindoro, but she is still in love with Marcello and send Alcindoro to buy new shoes for her, all sit down to supper but without money, and Musetta tells the waiter to charge the bill to Alcindoro. Two months later Mimi meets Marcello and tells him she will leave Rodolfo. Rodolfo arrives and speaks with Marcello about Mimi: they will part. Mimi and Rodolfo are agree. Time later Rodolfo and Marcello are talking about their girl friends: it is a lot of time since they heard of them. I^n the while Musetta appears: she is worried about Mimi. Rodolfo hurries to Mimi and supports her to the bed. Everyone sells something to help Mimi, but it’s late and she dies.”

MEANWHILE, BETWEEN THE ACTS >>”Please throw sanitary pads and similar into the trash below.” >>”This service is hygienized automatically after every use.” >>”Rest Room closed except for special events.”

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