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OPERA REVIEW
Serpentina--Imaginative, Attractive Opera
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By Ross Bauer
Berkeley Opera's production of the premiere of John Thow's opera,
Serpentina, at the Julia Morgan Theater proved to be a
diverting way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Based on the story Der Gold'ne Topf ("The Golden Pot") by E.T.A. Hoffmann,
Serpentina, with a libretto by the composer, is a succinct, one acter
lasting about an hour and a quarter. The production, though modest in terms of vocal and instrumental talent
and utilitarian in set design, made a very positive impression.
The tale fuses the ordinary bourgeois life of Germany, ca. 1815, with
supernatural elements for which Hoffmann is so well known.
Anselmus, a clerk, is beguiled by a vision of an alluring snake. Repeatedly
he's drawn back from the brink of "madness" to
the mundane world of his patron, Dean Paulmann and his daughter, Veronica
who is greatly infatuated with the young man. Paulmann recommends Anselmus
to the archivist Lindhorst who is in need of a good copyist. As Anselmus
begins working for Lindhorst, things get stranger and stranger. It turns
out that Serpentina (first glimpsed in the form of a snake) is Lindhorst's
daughter and that they are supernatural beings from Atlantis where
Lindhorst is king. Moreover, they can only return to their kingdom if they
are joined by a pure young man willing to renounce his ties to this world.
All ends happily (if a bit neatly), but not before the requisite number of
trials and tribulations.
Thow has always shown a predilection for vocal music and this fanciful saga
seems to have brought out his best. His writing for all the characters
is clear, shapely, and idiomatic and it was easy to hear all, not just some
of the text. I was particularly impressed with the single aria-like moment,
a duet between Veronica and Anselmus in Scene 2. Here, the intentionally
cloying continuity keeps getting interrupted by Anselmus' involuntary
remembrances of the fascinating Serpentina. These interruptions,
accomplished via chromatic flashes within the prevailing diatonic context,
are superbly handled. I can think of very few composers who have such
impressive control over the unfolding of their music. Indeed, I would have
appreciated more arias in general. It seems as if the composer is so intent
upon keeping things moving, that there's not always time for reflection
upon the action.
The instrumental writing is also quite attractive and imaginative. Thow
manages to draw a wide range of colors and textures from the chamber
orchestra. His use of vibraphone along with winds (with the ubiquitous bass
clarinet on the bottom) is striking. The harmony is varied and these
contrasts are always in service to the drama and characterization -- even
assuming the roles of leitmotifs in the case of some of the main characters,
noting in particular the Old Woman (the one true villain of the piece).
I would have wished for less woodwind arpeggiation, however. There were moments when it began
to lose its freshness, especially as the arpeggiation invariably moves (at
the same speed) up from the bassoon through the clarinet, to the oboe, and
to the flute and back down via overlapping attacks. A final quibble is with
the sameness of the harmony during the score's more lyrical moments. Thow
has a tendency to move an harmonic entity up or down by step while
keeping the intervals constant. After a while, this can compromise the
individuality of these moments -- especially since the same harmony is used
for quite a number of these passages.
Still, this opera is a significant addition to the repertory and I
look forward to hearing it in the more ambitious and fully professional
production it deserves.
Standouts in the cast were tenor Stephen Rumph (Anselmus), soprano Svetlana
Nikitenko (Serpentina), and bass Richard Mix (Lindhorst). The small
orchestra, under the expert direction of Jonathan Khuner, played gamely,
making up with great enthusiasm for its small numbers and its occasional
lack of polish. One could have wished for fewer sharp notes from the
bassoon and greater precision in articulation from the horn and
trombone. On the other hand, bass clarinetist Douglas Fejes played superbly
in a very demanding and active part.
I hope to hear more such productions from this small but feisty company and
look forward with anticipation to more of John Thow's work.
(Composer Ross Bauer teaches at U.C. Davis where he teaches composition.)
©1999 Ross Bauer, all rights reserved
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