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OPERA REVIEW
New Libretto Enlivens Carmen
July 13, 2001
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By John Kendall Bailey
Though it is always difficult for smaller-scale opera companies to produce grand opera successfully, Berkeley Opera continually makes a courageous and whole-hearted attempt at beating the odds. Their current production of Georges Bizet's Carmen continues in this tradition, still rough around the edges, but fueled by Music Director Jonathan Khuner's firm artistic vision and David Scott Marley's new English libretto.
The libretto is much more than a clever new translation. It is a passionate attempt to bring the story alive in way that was never possible in Bizet's lifetime. The composer's original conception of the opera was based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée, but the social mores of the time forced him to tone down the characters' personalities and morals. Marley brings us Carmen and Don José as Bizet might have intended — two troubled people with complex pasts — rather than the less interesting but now comfortably familiar characters we know from the Grand Opera version that was made after Bizet's death. Marley's translation of the original French libretto puts more of Mérimée's detached yet dark tone back into the words.
As in the original version at the Opéra-Comique premiere in Paris in 1875, Marley uses sections of spoken dialog (some productions substitute the bland Guiraud settings of these recitatives). Others have done this, but Marley expands these segments to include more detail from the Mérimée novella. Unfortunately, this proved difficult for the cast. As acting singers rather than singing actors, they were unconvincing during their dialog segments. As well, it was unfortunate that when they were singing, I could barely make out many of the words, a shame when the main reason to attend this production is the new libretto.
Due to time constraints, this new version discards the entr'actes and part of the chorus in Act Four. But the decision to combine the first two acts and have only one intermission meant we sat for a long hour and forty-five minutes for the first half, inducing complaints from nearby patrons. Even so, unless a composer were to write a new Carmen, there is no more way to be more faithful to the original story than is Marley, and here lies the best reason to experience this production. Conductor Jonathan Khuner brought all of the components together with mastery and confidence. He has been music director of the company for 15 years, so his familiarity with both the opera and the company served as the strongest asset to the performance. Though he conducted with fire and passion as well as clarity, his spark unfortunately caught fire in only a few of the performers. The orchestra sounded splendid in the familiar highlights, but most of the rest seemed unfamiliar. And Khuner fought to keep the ensemble together, particularly in Act Three. The singers fared better. Wearing everything from sexy bras to tight pink pants, Marie Bafus was a fiery and trouble-making Carmen, a nice contrast with the usual threatening and wild-haired look. With a rich and controlled tone, she gave charm and vitality to all the favorite numbers, and deftly accompanied herself on castanets for the Gypsy Song in Act Two. Unfortunately, she sacrificed clear diction for consistent tone. Michael Licciardello provided a strong character for Don José. And though his enunciation was decent, his vocal quality was solid only when singing full throttle. He paced himself very well to save enough for the final two acts. But his vibrato made intermittent gaps in the tone, and he consistently fell just under the pitch for much of the first two acts.
Micaela and Escamillo were well sung by Romina Di Gasbarro and Ralph Wells, respectively. Di Gasbarro sang radiantly, and, if somewhat stiff on stage, she convincingly showed her concern for Don José. Wells swaggered well as the toreador, singing with equal bravado except at the low end of his range. Angela Baham (Frasquita) and Paula Arciniega (Mercedes) made a fine pair, perhaps a bit overenthusiastic at times. Wayne D. Wong's Zuniga featured crisp diction and comic expressions that made his performance a delight. I also enjoyed Stephen Rumph's bright tenor voice and clear diction as El Dancairo. Carmen calls for a large chorus, including children, and in the highlights of the piece, particularly the Habañera and the Toreador song, I have never heard the Berkeley Opera Chorus (prepared by Thomas Shoebotham) sound better. The Kairos Youth Choir made a welcome addition, singing and acting with confidence. Unfortunately, like the orchestra, the chorus found it difficult to stay together during other parts of the opera, with shaky entrances and pitch discrepancies in the men's choruses. The rest of the production details were a mixed bag. Tedd O'Neill's makeup work and Donovan Thompson's costumes were marvelous, but Melpomene Katakalos' sets did not match. A back-wall curtain that looked like a tattered Gypsy shawl made a wonderful backdrop. But the sets otherwise consisted of crates and several abstract metallic arches, doorways, and windows that gave very little clue as to the setting and served more as obstacles. This was especially problematic in the tavern scene, where, despite Michael Mohammed's lively choreography, it became very difficult for the chorus to dance. Rachel Kinsman Steck's dramatic lighting helped alleviate the effect of the sets (except for two brief scenes lit by a man shining a bright light onstage, which was blinding to members of the audience). Russell Blackwood's stage direction skillfully managed to keep all forces moving onstage without any traffic. His work with the cast helped to mold a very convincing and well-told story, especially worth seeing for the merits of the new libretto. (John Kendall Bailey is the founder and music director of the Berkeley Lyric Opera and a conductor, composer, lecturer, oboist, and pianist.) ©2001 John Kendall Bailey, all rights reserved |
