A night at the opera

Last night I had the privilege of attending a dress rehearsal for Opera Prometheus's* production of Glück and Calzabigi's Orfeo ed Euridice (I mention the librettist because I are one myself). What a fun evening!

First, I must stress that the singing was superb. In particular, this production's Orfeo, alto Silvia Colloca (and yes, I checked, in the current-day near-total absence of castrati in the opera world, the role is now sung by an alto or a countertenor), has a room-filling voice of terrific versatility, gorgeous tone, and jaw-droppingly accurate pitch. I was also captivated by the solid sound of the chorus — just a handful of people who somehow managed to sound in turns like a mourning crowd and the voices of Baroque insanity in Orfeo's head.

The score itself is a banquet of Baroque, actually, but a relatively spare version of it: the program notes mention that Glück wrote in reaction to the overly florid, showy, perhaps even overwrought aesthetic that had been gathering speed at the time. His efforts in this case resulted in some very rich, yet clear, writing that sits in an exciting place between the Baroque and the emerging Classical style.

The staging, too, was quite spare — in fact, downright abstract. Costumes were all-white for the leads, all-black for the chorus; the set was one sofa. The blocking relied a bit too heavily on the Measured Tread With Vacant Stare approach for my taste, but on the whole it did the job of suggesting Orfeo's inner state as the story progressed. (As they sang in Italian, which I don't speak, I found this a boon to my efforts to follow the specifics of the plot. I'm told there will be surtitles during the performances.)

The band was, alas, the weak link in this production, with some all-too-evident intonation problems in the strings, and a certain lack of responsiveness to the conductor's requests. According to the program, we were missing the violist and the bassist; perhaps their presence will add the energy and depth that will help the violinists stay more on track.

In all, a really fun evening with some kick-ass singing by a new company that deserves your support!

*Their web site is really worth checking out, if only to read their COOL, COOL manifesto!