I admit that 'Ariadne auf Naxos'

was much better than expected.
I really went for one, well maybe three, reasons.

One: Susan Graham. I just enjoy her voice. Her composer was all I expected.
I have heard/seen her so many times I lost count, but every time I feel soothed, and filled with warmth  by that unexplainable quality she has -  it is subjective of course!

Two: wondering how Dolgov (seen in Tosca and liked) and Goerke (seen as Ortrud for which did not care much, then) would sound. I honestly admit, I was blown away by Christine Goerke's Ariadne.
Even though her strong big steely voice is still not my cup of tea, her presentation was superb!

Alexey Dolgov was a more than adequate Bacchus. But at times seemed to strain to keep his own in duets with Gorke's overpowering Ariadne.

Three: Laura Claycomb: a saucy Zerbinetta with incredible vocal and physical agility, high notes, and enormous breathcontrol. I have seen her sing Handel (and like her rather much in either opera), as Verdi's Gilda (sososo-I know that it not what most thought)  as Donizetti's Lucia (she did wow me with that).

The smaller roles were filled with youthful enthusiasm and pleasant voices by current (Wheeler, Deonarine, Martin, Dyakov, Peake, Touhy) and ex-Studio (Kolbet) members, and other comprimario singers.

The last two times I saw Ariadne, I was underwhelmed and - I admit it - bored by less than inspired conducting, less then adequate singing (truly I don' t even remember who sang - either time),
and a blah staging and sets. Static sets, boring staging!  No sign of the theater within the theater concept..
Neither flashy nortrashy staging! What more need I say.

So, maybe this production had its flaws, very minor ones but overall I like the (is camp the right word?) staging, sets and costumes. They seem traditional, but then this is one opera where traditional (though camp) works for me - LOL!.
I am rather tired of some over the top 'modern' productions in which the directors' will takes precedence over the composers' musical ideas and moods!
So, call me an old foggy!
 I don't care.

I liked this production, especially the end..why chandeliers? Why not-it seems a fitting starry end ;-0!
I liked the theater within an old private housetheater concept.
I liked the onstage set changes and machinery as may have been used way back then!
Liked the 'campy' Echo in the cloud...sung by Brittany Wheeler.

Liked the way Summers coaxed dulcet but also powerful tones from the orchestra.
It's probably only due to having been brought up with the sound of the Vienna Philharmoniker playing Strauss, that the strings seem to miss something, that something that the Vienna Philharmoniker seem to do so well! Did my ears deceive me, or did I hear a note or two from Brahms Lullaby?
Well, never mind. Strauss took it and composed his variations and they did sound lovely, as did the frquent small waltz like movements. 

And then Hugo von Hoffmansthal brought some of that kind of Galgenhumor the Viennese excel in, to the libretto and contents. In the 'funny' parts AND the solemn ones.
After all, Ariadne sees Bacchus (god of Wines!!) as the angel of oblivion, to help her drown her sorrows!
If that is not a bit of irony/sarcasm, I don't know what is! Don't you?
And not only that, but having the Master of the House via his flunky, the Mayor Domo
(a speaking role -Jon Kolbet) demand that an opera seria be merged with a harlequinade!
BECAUSE he paid money for it - and money talks
(and pays for singers and dancers and entertainers, eh?) is sooo ironic!

A spoof on opera seria, diva and divo allures,
composer's self importance,
the 'heart of gold' of a 'less virtuous than she should be' Zerbinetta!
And so on! So it was then and so it still is, don't you think?
Ah, well.. am I reading too much into it? Perhaps.
If you want to know what goes on in this opera, I'll let you google for it ;-)!

Goerke and Dolgov

Kolbet, Graham, Rosel(dancemaster)

 Zerbinetta Troupers: Gleadow, Dyakov, Touhy, Peake and Claycomb

Overall it was a surprise and a very pleasant one! At least I think so!

But honestly, no more Ariadne auf Naxos for a while! The 'third's the charm' as they say,  

and that's it for me!

AND ANOTHER REAL PLEASANT SURPRISE:
In the 2. battle between Airforce and Navy (lol), the Aeros shut out Admirals 2-0 in Round Two Game 2 in Milwaukee with goals by Peters, Wellman, Earl and Gillies, Ortmeyer and Scandella. Hackett getting his FIRST ever play off shut out!
                                                                      GO AEROS.

Three more games for sure right here in Houston TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY!

Bel Canto Purissimo

YES, indeed.

Pure Beautiful Singing!
Nothing to distract from it. 
No cluttered stage and scenery.
No glaringly colored costumes. No 'busy, busy' hyper activity.

Instead you get a stage in grey on grey with grey.
A set of guillotine like triangles suspended in grey cloud shades in the first act.
Evocative of looming castles of grey granite, misty lands and stark forbidding lochs, perhaps? Add a few chairs.
And a refectory banquet table albeit covered in large white cloth, 
which becomes a major part of the scene in Act 3 and you have the settings!

Almost forgot, occasionally a 'wall' descends like a ponderous curtain, naturally in grey with grey, from the rafters. And on such 'walls' , thanks to well placed lightning (by Jane Cox),  shadows of the soloists are cast like dooming portends, borrowing from Balinese Shadow Puppet plays, perhaps? Direction by the Scot John Doyle.

Costumes are dark grey, highlighted in black, dark navy blue.
Customes and set by Liz Ashcroft.
Chorus women with Gibson Girl hairdos, in dresses seemingly from the 1900's marching slowly across and in between.The occasional baroque patterned vests for the principal male singers, as may have been worn in the 1700's with  Mozartean ponytails. In burnt orange to brown, highlighted by a dash of white. 
Lucia's dress in muted reds in the first act and her wedding gown and night gown in bright beiges with white. Not to forget the spatters of blood on the latter.

BUT THE singing!
AND THE singing!
A glorious feast for the ears-Ohrenschmaus par excellence.
A return to what opera used to be and, perhaps, be again?
Glorious singing by beautiful and expressive voices - I like, I like! 

Provided by Albina Shagimuratova(*) as Lucia, tossing off high notes with utter ease,
spinning out phrases so long we are beginning to think she has NO need to breathe.
What a duet with the flute during her mad scene! Shimmering notes taking flight, softly at times, forcefully at others, always with great beauty.
A spellbound audience sits mesmerized in utter silence.
One could have heard the proverbial pin drop...if there had been one!

Just a soupcon for your listening pleasure - Shagimuratova tosses off The Queen of Night's aria with consumate ease!
Let's hope she will soon be heard on CD/DVD .. her voice IS so good!


Dimitri Pittas as Edgardo delivers. And how he delivers!
His dramatic talent shines as he gives fresh meaning to the lover betrayed, with his brightly ringing and, yet,warm tenor. 
here a bit from his MET appearance as MacDuff!


Scott Hendrick's(*) Enrico, as the overbearing brother uses his baritone and histrionic talents to good avail.
And he casts a threatening shadow, too.. see above description ;-)!

 Here a sip for you: he is Silvio in Pagliacci (with Futral as Nedda)

(In an aside: the pairing of Hendricks and Shagimuratova is a repeat casting-they were, in a previous incarnation, the fool Rigoletto and his daughter Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto-when chairs also played a large role in the staging of the father/daughter scene).

Beau Gibson (*) (did that inspire the ladies' hairdo-:-)?), is a sneaky, sly-boots Normanno, the instigator of doom, a "Iago of Lammermoor"  (so to speak but this time a tenor, the Iago of Otello is a baritone) who prowled the stage endlessly, insinuating, observing, tattletaleing!

Bass Oren Gradus (*) lends his deep booming voice to Raimondo, the priest, who persuades Lucia to obey her brother, then, IMO, becomes turncoat and accuses Enrico as the cause of Lucia's madness and death.

The cameo role of Arturo, the rich suitor and projected savior of the Lammermoors,is sung with lyrical beauty by Tenor Nathaniel Peake, who also looks rather dishy in his attire, the brightest colors on stage.

Rachel Willis-Sorenson is a rather youthful Alisa. attendant to Lucia, but well cast with her sure sounding Mezzo.
Maestro Antonino Folgiani, after an inital slow paced start, conducted with fervor and verve. Singing right along the principals!

Now if you only are awed by overpowering stage sets and super active direction..
well, do sit back, close your eyes tightly, open your ears wide and let the beautiful sounds in.  Your soul will be stirred and transported. Just have an ambulance standing by as happened last night!  (Was someone so overcome by the emotions of the Bel Canto to have fainted ?)

The male chorus and supers carrying poles (not a spear in sight here)  in cutaway like suits, grey and black, moves to and fro, ebbing and surging, weaving and webbing.
All in a stately manner as befittting dour Scots copying a Greek Chorus of doom.
It IS a gloomy, tragic opera, thus the gloom and doom of set and costumes is only too fitting.
BTW all singers, except Pittas are HGOpera Studio artists, curent or alumni (*)