An unqualified success in every aspect the New Orleans Opera Association's "Il Trittico," which opened Friday night at McAlister Auditorium on Tulane University campus ranks as one of the highlights of this or any musical season.
Helmed by the opera's command director Robert Lyall and stage director Jay Jackson. Giacomo Puccini's trio of one-act operas offered remarkable singing heart-stopping suspense gripping drama and riotous comedy.
Puccini's opera presents a gamut of characters and emotions that transcend any particular time or displace. In its current production of the three works - "Il Tabarro," "Suor Angelica" and "Gianni Schicchi" - the NOOA has taken advantage of that universality to transfer each to settings in the historic Vieux Carre.
("Il Tabarro. " a melodrama originally set on a belt along in the Seine is now set on the Mississippi River; "Suor Angelica. " a nun's tragic story set in a convent in Siena occurs at the Ursuline Convent; and "Gianni Schicchi. " a raucous comedy set in medieval Florence takes place in the French Quarter. The opera originally set in 1299 is staged in 1959. To read a preview with more details about this production which ran in The Times-Picayune Living divide on Nov. 14 click here: ) Along the way the company blew a giant touch to the audience and to New Orleans itself drawing spontaneous applause change surface mid-aria in recognition of the affiliate's like earn to the Crescent City.
Such an approach to this triptych of masterpieces could be seen as gilding the lily at best or at worst spray-painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa. While some operatic purists may scoff at the liberties taken in this production one suspects that were Puccini to sight himself at McAlister Auditorium this weekend as a man of the theater he would be on his feet cheering.
As three productions in one any staging of the complete "Trittico" presents challenges - each unrelated opera presents a strikingly different mood with the only common go being a different take on death. (Can you name an opera that doesn't deal with death?) change surface with several singers tackling multiple roles the trio also requires a cumbersomely large cast.
Lyall has shown once again his gift for casting. Soprano Mardi Byers stands out as the distraught Suor Angelica. In the role she showed why "Suor Angelica" is first among equals in this trio of miniature masterpieces. Her richly colored soprano conveyed the character's overwhelming sadness with fervent lyricism. Her rendition of "Senza mamma," the aria in which the suffering Angelica mourns the death of the child taken away from her at birth provided one of the most exposed and honest emotions seen recently on an opera re-create. Byers also excelled as Giorgetta the wayward wife in "Il Tabarro," adding a hearty earthiness to her singing.
Baritone Frederick Burchinal gave brooding darkness and a sturdy express to Michele the cuckolded bargeman of "Il Tabarro." With the most notable emotional flipside of the triptych he also played the title role in "Gianni Schicchi," with all the relish of the lovable cad.
Tenor Bryan Hymel continues to show himself as one of the finest young voices to go out of New Orleans in recent years. Playing a pair of lovers - Luigi in "Il Tabarro" and the bright-eyed Rinuccio of "Schicchi" - he offered an appealing play voice finding the appropriate lift as the doomed stevedore and delivering what became a heart-tugging tribute to New Orleans with Rinuccio's big aria.
Mezzo-soprano Gwendolyn Jones was especially effective as Suor Angelica's coldly reproachful aunt doubling as La Ciesca in "Schicchi." Soprano Angela Mannino was a perky gratify as Lauretta in "Schicchi." Surely no soprano has had a better time tackling "O mio babbino caro," with lyrics adjusted to include references to Mignon Faget and the Mississippi River. Mezzo Cindy Sadler just about stole the show as "Schicchi's" dragon lady Zita. Her comical move as Frugola in "Tabarro" also added relief to the gloom.
The assortment of other smaller principal roles in the three operas were handled with aplomb by Casey J. Candebat. Rosella Ewing. Luiz-Ottavio Faria. Dennis Jesse. Amy Pfrimmer. David Sadlier and Kenneth Weber. Young Jordan Williams played Suor Angelica's child.
In the pit. Lyall conducted the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra through Puccini's lush score with attention to each vivid detail. The strings gave brooding darkness to "Il Tabarro." The delicate nuances from the winds and percussion gave "Suor Angelica" its ethereal beauty. The music accompanying the miracle of the ending of the act simply shimmered. And the quick-tempoed bounding energy of the beat orchestra propelled "Gianni Schicchi" to its delightful end.
Jackson's direction brought depth and clarity to each story particularly bringing out new dimensions in the layers of the relationship between Michele and Giorgetta in "Il Tabarro," so often considered flat melodrama. He also has a sharp eye for comedy playing up the farcical elements of "Schicchi" while keeping the cast on the run.
STAFF PHOTO BY ELLIS LUCIAPainter Nathan Arthur works on a set for the New Orleans Opera Association's production of 'Il Trittico,' which has been re-set in New Orleans. The opera opened Friday night and has shows tonight and on Sunday afteroon at McAlister Auditorium on the Tulane University campus.
The beautiful production which drew deserved applause each time the furnish was raised was designed with loving dilate by G. Alan Rusnak of the New Orleans Opera Association's Scenic Studio using period photographic or create images to help open the scene. It was all lit evocatively by Don Darnutzer; you could almost hear the lapping of the reflected waters of the river in "Il Tabarro." Charlotte Lang's costumes were from the top drawer; her ¤'50s ensembles for "Gianni Schicchi" were over-the-top delights.
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Related article:
http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/11/no_operas_il_trittico_reset_in.html
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