Battling with Australian/American production of THE BAT ....

HGO presents a remake of Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, Jr. - seen on Sunday- with English libretto. This frivolous, frothy, oh, so Viennese Operetta emigrated (my guess is by force, by Mme director!) to New York.
Before I delve into the details and the singing, I must owe up being vastly biased.
Viennese born, bred, and fed Opera and Operettas from early on, well, perhaps not with mother's milk, but soon, I love my waltzes. And the societal and political parodies which find such fine and amusing outlets in den Operetten. Heard first via Radio...much later TV.
Even in post WWII Vienna, those frothy lilting sounds were everywhere. Street corners abounded with musicians; playing hurdy-gurdies, violins, flutes; and even vocalists. Yes, they did it to beg for alms, but for a child walking those streets it was musical heaven - my ears  then were much less discriminating ;-)! And from the tales of the years before my birth told me by my elders, music never left Vienna, bombs falling or not! Our wooden furniture bore scars by glass from splintered windows after bomb blasts. For years after, that side of the piece felt like a gigantic emery board.

So having said this, let me proceed to enumerate the pros and cons.

Pros:
1. I liked the idea using silent movie lead ins and endings (which by the way some of the audience missed, they were in such a rush to get up and get going). I thoroughly enjoyed the updated parodies presented by actor (?) Jason Graae, remembered dimly {due to advanced age ;-) no doubt} as a funny Njegus in The Merry Widow (also in English). I am afraid some of the audience will have missed the hint to Peter Grimes (in a previous HGO production Peter Grimes was sung by Anthony Dean Griffey - now in this luxury cast singing Alfredo). 

2. The IMO outstanding performances of the day were Wendy Bryn Harmer as Rosalinde - sung with a beauty that, almost in a Viennese way, charmed;
and the athletic, debonair Liam Bonner as Eisenstein whose ringing baritone seemed created for just this role.

Photo courtesy HGO

3.  Michael Sumuel was an credibly bumbling Frank with his warm baritonal sound. 

4. Samuel Schultz a supercilious Dr. Falke with a crystal clear baritone.

5. The English singing chorus did quite well, but the absence of those Viennese accents, was felt. Alas.

Cons:
On the other hand Laura Claycomb as Adele, was rather perfect in appearance;
Susan Graham as Prince Orlovski ( was SIR Elton John the inspiration for her make up and manerisms?),
and Anthony Dean Griffey as Alfredo (why make him behave in such slapstick manner?)
was a luxury cast, that did not quite live up to the promises.
 
The other cameo roles of Ida & Blind  weer sung bu current HGO Studio members Uliana Alexyuk and Reginald Smith, Jr.

Staging and sets were ...welll...  quite New York.
Dresses were amusing and - in the ball scene, finally provided a bit of that froth for which Viennese operettas are known worldwide.

I did feel that Austrian born Conductor Thomas Roesner, while trying his utmost best to infuse that lilting sound into the production, was, perhaps, hampered by the forced emigration of this quintessential Viennese piece to New York. Add the addition of  Astaire/ Rogers dance show (BTW well dances by Broomhead/Richmond), plus the occasional 'modern' music bits and pieces (Release me, let me go, for example), the zing and froth that so defines this Operetta became lost. 
Die Fledermaus has become The Bat, an American Musical...sigh!
Even if as well done, as we expect from any HGO production!!

OK, so maybe I am a bit too critical.
But -  to me, and some other Austrian-born people in attendance (we did commiserate together  during the 2. intermission) the production left us wanting for some Sekt to help overcome our loss; and bolster the felt nostalgia for that Wien I/we all knew with its array of dialects, accents and food which grew out of its multi-nationality over centuries!

And THAT simply does NOT translate into English. Especially when done so by Australians: Director Hume and Designer Roberts.. yes, from that country so often confused with Austria.
No, there are NO kangaroos in Austria - Oesterreich! Ooops, sorry just had to put that in!
Mea culpa! So there!

Just as some great Austrian Wines suffer by transportation to these shores!
And the delectable Viennese desserts, so full of calories but thus so full of unbeatable flavor, suffer when prepared according to the latest 'health" guidelines :-) or rather ;-(.

I am left with homesickness for my Wien, Wien Nur Du Allein, Sollst Stets Die Stadt Meiner Traeume Sein!

A taste of OH!

Last night at "Overture" opera lovers got a tasty mouthful of the OH!s coming season. 100's thronged the lobby where delectable morsels waited to be washed down with St. Arnold's Brew, water and wine, just waiting for the highlight of the event, the presentation by OH! singers. And a lively bunch they were, many favorites are returning for "The Tales of Hoffmann", the first opera on tap, sung in French. A small sampling of the arias were presented by them.

"Big Ben" (at 6 ft something, the tallest baritone I know- a veritable Barihunk ;-)
- want to hug him do bring a stepladder) LeClair, heard here as Guglielmo in Cosi
whose big voiced (and much richer after some Santa Fe seasoning :-) this summer) villains will be heard in Hoffmann.

Mezzo Heather Scanio showed off her deep gravelly sound in an aria of Nicklausse, a trouser role.
(Below with Jacqueline Thompson).

Jonathan Hodel, sang an aria of Hoffmann with his usual panache and delightful lyrical notes.

(Here as Duke in a previous Ballo at OH!)

And soprano Jacqueline Thompson, remembered as a lovely Manon, gave her take on the Bacarolle (yes, that song..so often heard in a non operatic environmen!) with Heather Scanio.

Clip of sisters singing the same

And that was all, just a teaser to let us know what beautiful sounds will wait for us at the OH! with performances on Thursday September 23, 24, 25 and again September 30, Oct 1 and 2. As usual, the major roles are cast alternatively (emerald and ruby), thus 2 tenors and 2 sopranos. It is always sooo tempting to come hear the emerald cast one night and the ruby cast the next or the second week...and never be disappointed.

But the night was not over yet, newcomer, soprano Elizabeth Andrews Robert  flung off a fiery Czardas (albeit in English translation) an aria, the Rosalinda sings disguised as a Hungarian Countess in the 2. OH!  presentation Die Fledermaus, slated for November for which Elizabeth WILL return to the OH!   Elizabeth pictured at left.

Below sung in the original German. 

 

Tenor John Rodger (tall, slim and firm of voice) sang a piece from Don Carlo, OH!'s 3. opera. He sang it in French (as did Alagna in the clip below) - but did faithfully promise to be fluent and just as great in Italian, when he returns to OH! for Don Carlo in January!

.

And to top it all off, Jacqueline Thompson (left) returned to sing 'Leila's aria to show that Bizet's 'Les Pecheurs des Perles'  (OH!s last opera this season) offers definitely more beautiful music than just THAT famous Baritone - Tenor duet, it IS famous for. 

All these musical appetizers (videos clips chosen as much as possible to give an idea how these singers sound)  really should whet your appetite for the full menu at the OH!

Do come and join the ball (as in the FLEDERMAUS), you'll not regret a second of it!

 All Photos by artandhockey
Final Bow: Lt to rt:
Thompson, Hodell, Robert, Rodger, Scanio, Big Ben LeClair and accompanist.