Sunday, March 12, 2017


TENOR ARIAS BROUGHT TO LIFE [ by Ross Halper


 rhalper2002@yahoo.com

DON GIOVANNI: Don Ottavio “Dalla sua pace”
The character of Don Ottavio is one of the great mysteries of the opera repertoire. Is he a hero, is he a milquetoast, is he a pampered aristocrat, a hopeless lover?
The answer is all of the above, and much more. Though to call him a hero is quite an overstatement, as he is forced by circumstances and bullying by Donna Anna to put into reluctant action the skills he learned in officer training, though the poor dork must have been the butt of ridicule from his fellow recruits. Ottavio can be handsome, graceful, kind and loving, but he is also clueless.
Ottavio is a real personality, an amazingly original creation, whose facets are revealed in every line. He is also essentially a COMIC character. While his arias are not to be played for laughs, they too have a touch of humor, especially “Il mio tesoro”, in which Ottavio urges his allies to go into Anna’s house, then repeatedly calls them back for more exhortation, instead of going in himself. I suspect they give up and enter on their own, or simply leave. Ottavio repeated swears vengeance in this aria, but never really does anything much. Perhaps he is heeding basso Richard Cross’ wise words: “Opera is hard. You must swear eternal revenge, while keeping your jaw relaxed!”
The bulk of his part, especially in the recits, is plainly comical. Ottavio is rather useless in emergencies and endearingly clueless about the dark side of people, especially aristocrats. Mozart and Da Ponte are portraying the effete side of aristocracy, as they did the cruel side in the characters of Giovanni and Count Almaviva. But all three are portrayed with such human variety, that they rise beyond their social stereotypes.
Ottavio will seem to many to be the most, even the only, outrageous interpretation in this book. In directing (and playing) him, overwrought Ottavio sniffed the smelling salts before Anna in the first scene. I of course believe it’s all in the score, but even if the reader resists this slant, I hope it will inspire a unique and non-boring portrayal of this unique nobleman.
Even when Ottavio gets it right, it seems all wrong. He correctly exclaims before “Il mio tesoro” that Giovanni is the villain, but the preceding scene has made it clear to all the other characters that Leporello may well be the guy. Only the audience knows that Ottavio is correct at this point.
Ottavio need not be portrayed as the handsome buck as is the common practice, a Rodolfo in training. A character tenor with a fine voice would right in the part. Anna is clearly not attracted to Ottavio, especially after having tasted the white heat of Giovanni’s passion. The match may have been arranged by Anna’s father. And yet, in the final duet in the act II finale, after having gone through a terrible day together, and after Ottavio has accepted Anna’s pleas for a delay with such grace, the music of their little duet finally seems to suggest the possibility of marriage, mutual love, but not necessarily sex. Whether Anna was raped or ripened by Don Giovanni, it doesn't bode well for Ottavio's virginal state.
Ottavio could be compared to the cartoon mountie Dudley Doright or even to Flanders in THE SIMPSONS cartoons.  Well bred, sincerely in love, but innocent to the ways of the world, he is lovably funny. In the “movie version”, the cinematic Dudley, Brendan Fraser, might be the ideal Ottavio of the handsome type.
Ottavio may be older or noticeably younger than Anna. But he is certainly a virgin! And he is painfully anxious to lose his virginity, a prime motivation for his constant urgings to Anna. In their first scene and duet, he is clearly entranced by her, holding her unconscious and lightly clad, soft and fragrant in her nightgown. Take me as husband and father, he nobly but hornily exhorts her, quite inappropriately after her loss.  In all of his scenes following, he must be aching, and barely gallantly, for more than her hand. The sensual violence of Giovanni has awakened many things in that hot Seville night.
“DALLA SUA PACE”
This aria is much more than an _expression of love. Ottavio is wisely reconsidering his commitment to Anna. Even in the best of times, she must be “high maintainance”, and now he is being asked to face violence, maybe death, and to rebel against one of his own class. Combine that with Anna’s usual treatment of him, probably a mixture of tolerance and impatience at his doting, Ottavio wonders if he’s up to it, and even if she’s worth it! Yet in the end, his love and devotion shine through.
[suggested subtext/actions in brackets]

Don Ottavio:
 Dalla sua pace la mia dipende. [sudden, quiet realization, emphasis on my]
Quel che a lei piace vita mi rende, [“piace” coloratura = “aha!”]
Quel che le incresce [growing anger]
morte mi
. [ He rashly pulls sword out halfway]
Morte!!?? [suddenly stops himself – wait a minute… death!!??]
Morte mi dà. [Replaces sword slowly. Do I really want to die for her?]
S'ella sospira, sospiro anch'io. [He paces, trying to work it out]
È mia  [She’s mine! he proudly exclaims.]
quell'ira, [Hmmmm, but so are her foul moods…]
quel pianto è mio. [I have to watch every word I say!]
E non ho bene, [he sits in confusion]
s’ella non ha.[She’s impossible to please! ]
E non ho bene, s'ella non l'ha. [(sighing) and yet I still  love that girl…]
E non ho bene, [He rises - but dammit, she’s such a handful!]
s'ella non
l'ha….. [Whatever shall I do?…]
Dalla sua pace la mia dipende. [sung piano - Who am I kidding?]
Quel che a lei piace vita mi rende! [Helpless chuckle - call me crazy, but I’m stuck on her]
Quel che le incresce morte mi dà!. [If anyone dares hurt her, I’ll kill him!]
Mor-te! Morte mi dà. [(piano) – and he could kill ME…]
Dalla sua pace la mia dipende. [paces, sums up, counting on his fingers the pros and cons, on four words in italics]
Quel che a lei piace vita mi rende,
Quel che le incresce morte mi dà,. [overwhelmed, throws hands up, it’s too much!]
Morte! [Wait! Am I ready to die?]
Morte mi dà. [Well, I’ve got to be!]
Morte mi dà. [So be it! -  he slowly draws his sword]
Quel che le incresce  [Bring it on! – slowly raises his sword valiantly]
morte mi ,. [salutes, pledges with sword across his chest]
[Postlude – Oops! Ottavio sees a spot on his sword. Exhales on sword and rubs it off with hankie while exiting quietly]
 
LA TRAVIATA: Alfredo “De miei bollenti spiriti
Alfredo is more impetuous than sensible. Even from his brief remarks when we meet him in act I, he appears to take himself a bit too seriously. His passionate, libidinous nature does not seem to include a sense of humor about himself. Add to all this his jealous nature, his “provencial”, country boy  mentality, which makes him both fascinated with and yet a bit contemptuous of the big city, and his willingness (with its accompanying guilt) to be supported by others including his father and mistress, and Alfredo becomes a complex and fascinating character.  He seems to be naïf about money and women, the perfect victim for Baron Douphol and Flora. We like him better than he likes himself. In short, he must be a writer. Like another French artiste, Rodolfo in BOHỀME, Alfredo exhibits a selfish streak and a quick temper.

Alfredo’s grateful vocal lines make this a perfect debut role for a heavy lyric tenor. His complex passions make him more than  a mere ingénue male.

Though at first sight, a simple declaration of love, his act II aria reveals great insecurity. Alfredo seems to be trying to convince himself of how contented he is, but jealousy and insecurity, suspicion and foreboding surge through the music.

In the production as directed by this writer, his entering with a hunting rifle, as indicated in the score, proved quite useful. The rifle served to illustrate his life of leisure, his volatile nature and it foreshadowed his upcoming (successful) duel. He left the weapon onstage, where Violetta later took it up to threaten suicide, before Germont easily wrenched the rifle from her hands. To add a touch of humor, Alfredo began the act by bursting on with a dead rabbit to scare Violetta. He’s taken aback that she’s not in the room.  After the aria, thinking he sees Violetta about to enter, our hero shoves the dead bunny into Annina’s face, scaring the daylights out of her.

Prelude:[Ottavio bursts in with his gun and a dead rabbit, hoping to surprise and scare Violetta. He presents the rabbit mischievously around the room and to the wings, but his spirits fall quickly as he realizes she’s not there. On the staccato chords, he throws the gun aside and let’s the rabbit drop, finally plopping down on a couch, clearly bothered by things.]
ALFREDO
Lunge da lei per me non v'ha diletto! [With a touch of exasperation]
Volaron gia' tre lune [Lightens up, try to cheer himself up]
Dacche' la mia Violetta
Agi per me lascio',
dovizie, onori, [smiles, gloating of her sacrifices for him]
E le pompose feste [contemptuous in his “p’s” and “f’s”]
Ove, agli omaggi avvezza, [He rises, not calmly]
Vedea schiavo [sneers at her “love slaves”]
ciascun di sua
bellezza. [sudden mood change, helpless in her thrall, just like her other “slaves” were.]
Ed or contenta in questi ameni luoghi [With a shrug, paces, gestures]
Tutto scorda
per me. [freezes, with a victorious smile]
Qui presso a lei [Taken with the beauty of the place]
Io rinascer mi sento, [smiles, invigorated]
E dal soffio d'amor rigenerato [stretches, breathing in the healthy air, raising his fists)
Scordo ne' gaudii [laughs, dismissive hand gesture]
suoi [suddenly freezes in burst of fear or anger]
tutto il passato. [his haunted eyes finally reveal the apprehension that eats at him. Nervous laugh or shudder on the turn in “her past.”]
De' miei bollenti spiriti [suddenly a calm realization]
Il giovanile ardore [slyly referring to his prowess in bed]
Ella tempro' col placido [invigorated, proudly]
Sorriso dell'amor! [closes eyes, blessed]
dell'amor! [nods in certainty, eyes open]
Dal di' che disse: [Oh yes! Just today she said…]
“Vivere [shudders, truly moved]
Io voglio
Io voglio a te fedel” [astounded at her words, smile grows on “faithful”]
Dell'universo immemore [Arms raised outstretched like a god]
Io vivo [Alfredo casts “I live” to the world, tasting the first “v”]
Io vivo quasi [As if what?, he searches for the right word]
Io vivo quasi in ciel. [A shrug of delight. Why of course, I’m halfway to heaven!]
Io vivo in ciel. [eyes closed, like an eternal vow]
Dell'universo immemore [eyes open, to hell with the world!]
Io vivo quasi in ciel. [With defiant jubilation. Take THAT, Douphol!]
Ah si, Io vivo quasi in cielo. [ Surprised at himself. What am I so worried about?]
Io vivo quasi [A forced cry of joy]
in ciel.” [Smiling, but with a lingering doubt]

TOSCA: Mario Cavaradossi
Despite or because of its popularity, TOSCA is an underrated opera. This is due in part to its being taken for granted (familiarity breeds content), so that its varied musical and dramatic colors and subtleties (you heard me!) are often glossed over, or sensationalized, which is almost the same thing. 
But TOSCA is often miscast and the characters weakened by poor acting choices.
Tosca herself is often cast as a prize to veteran prima donnas, making her relationship to Mario Cavaradossi sometimes oedipal. She is all too often played as the volatile diva, which renders her unsympathetic and shrill. Tosca is a young, plainspoken country gal (read the play) of great talent, who moves between the world of Roman society and that of freethinking artists, political thinkers (and actors). Her passion for her art, her lover and the church are backed up with her life.  Yet she has style, charm and humor. Her jealousy in act I is well founded (he is a flirt, and she hears subdued conversation), but it is also a ruse to engage in sex play. Though he seems the atheist and she the pious one, Tosca’s the one who practically rips off her clothes and his right in the church. Then in “Vissi d’arte” she speaks for all humanity, asking God why evil befalls good people. Her range is wide and the audience must care for her.
Scarpia often appears as a sexy aristocrat, a sexual foil for Cavaradossi. This works better in theory than in practice. He is a tough, Sicilian (read the play) cop, not very young. He does have his creepy charms however, and keeps us off  balance by sudden, violent changes of mood, mostly calculated. Though his suave and brutal sides are usually evident, what is often missing is the “bigotto satiro”, as described by Mario in act I. The satyr must “get off” on Tosca’s writhing anguish so much that the audiences become engaged by his malicious, playful glee, and hate themselves for it!
Mario Cavaradossi is the most foolproof of the three principals in TOSCA. A sexy tenor with a ringing top (and a caressing piano!) can hardly miss. But, like Tosca (and Scarpia!), Mario must have humor. Upon his entrance, seeing the Sacristan at prayer, he can’t resist a sarcastic “Che fai?”, as if he didn’t know what a prayer was. Of Tosca’s devotion, he’s less contemptuous, but still gets a couple digs in. He handles the “high maintenance” Tosca with a light and amusing touch, warmed by genuine love and a healthy libido. Though his heart is in the right place, he is naïve politically, and makes some headstrong decisions, such as rushing out with Angelotti, that serve the plot better than him. He is an excellent artist. This director had him sketching Tosca’s face in act III during the clarinet solo of “E lucevan le stelle”, then continued drawing her hands on the last bars of “O dolci mani.” In the act I love duet, he shows her, to her delight,the locket, probably painted by him as well.
“RECONDITA ARMONIA”
This aria is usually sung as a forte declaration of passion, which is quite wrong, though that may be more of a vocal decision than a dramatic one. Mario should begin piano, musing, quietly struck by the attractive differences between the faces in his painting (the Attavanti) and his locket (Floria Tosca).
To perform this soliloquy as a mere declaration of love is to underestimate Puccini’s genius. The aria “goes somewhere”. Taking the words and music at face value,  Mario is seriously deciding upon which woman to choose! He realizes with amused disappointment only in a later scene with Angelotti, that the Attavanti had been hanging around the church to aid her brother’s escape, and not to meet a lover or to flirt with a painter. Yet I’m sure that at one point, the Attavanti turned and smiled at Cavaradossi before leaving the chapel, so he has reason to believe there is hope for a flirtation at the least. Also his painting should be a traditional Magdalena, sensual of face, with a soft breast barely covered by a strand of hair or a diaphanous robe.
[In the prelude, Mario paints the Magdalena, then, struck by something in her face, takes a locket from his pocket showing Tosca’s face to the lady in the painting.]
Recondita armonia [looks to locket]
di bellezze diverse!... [now to painting]
È bruna Floria, [to locket]
l'ardente amante mia... [with sexual intent]
E te, beltade ignota, [Twirls to painting, accusing finger to her]
cinta di chiome bionde! [teasing mockery: you and your golden hair!]
Tu azzurro hai l'occhio, [Caressing the Attavanti intently with his voice with sexy "u" vowels]
Tosca ha l’occhio nero… [shows Tosca’s picture to the painting]
L'arte nel suo mistero
le diverse bellezze insiem confonde;  [looks from one to the other, pondering]
ma nel ritrar costei [Smiles. Resolute, but front! Which portrait has he chosen?]
il mio solo pensiero,
Ah, il mio sol pensier,
Sei tu! [finally on you, he looks to the locket. Only now do we know his choice!]
Tosca, sei tu!  [to locket, but it is raised enough for a great B-flat. As the “tu” dies out, Mario may cast a final wistful glance at the Attavanti in the painting.]

Act III  TOSCA
It is an error to perform this solo in tears and regret, save that for the final breakdown at the end of the aria. As Toscanini admonished his Radames: “Be happy! Yes, you are dying, but you are with her! You die happy!” (paraphrased) The painter holds Floria’s portrait in his mind,  even draws her face, and basks in the memory of her beauty. Carlos Castaneda’s Mexican sorceror, Don Juan, tells us that the man of action (“warrior”) can choose the place to die, an imaginary or remembered place. Mario chooses a serene death, in a revery, harkening back to a garden on the night when he first made love to Tosca. He will need no blindfold, as he begins in heaven already. But by the aria’s end he surrenders to grief. And yet even then, he declares his love of life. The repeat of “tanto la vita” could be sung resolutely, as a heroic rejection of self pity. Still, he should dissolve into tears on the postlude, as the libretto specifies, even if that is against his will. The opera is not over yet. In the finale, Cavaradossi and Tosca both actually do achieve a triumphant, noble, even humorous death (Mario’s joking about her coaching in acting technique.) They die as humans who have lived.

JAILER: Scrivete. (CAVARADOSSI SMILES, PUTS RING ON TABLE. SITS. FOLLOW STAGE DIRECTIONS IN SCORE."CAV. IN DEEP THOUGHT, THEN BEGINS TO WRITE. HE WRITES A FEW LINES, BUT OVERCOME BY HIS MEMORIES, HE STOPS WRITING." (2 BARS BEFORE #11) (AT #11, HE TURNS PAPER OVER AND CLEARLY DRAWS THE OUTLINE OF A FACE. KEEPS ADDING DETAILS, EYES, LIPS...)
CAVARADOSSI: E lucevan le stelle... (LOOKS AT FACE HE HAS DRAWN)
ed olezzava la terra...
stridea l'uscio dell'orto... (PERHAPS ADDING A DETAIL OR TWO, HAIR ETC. IN THIS SECTION)
e un passo sfiorava la rena...
Entrava ella, fragrante,
mi cadea fra le braccia... (PUTS PICTURE DOWN ON TABLE ON "BRACCIA")
(RISES) Oh! dolci baci, o languide carezze, (CROSS CENTER SLOWLY)
mentr'io fremente
le belle forme disciogliea dai veli! (PERHAPS NOW HIS GLANCE FALLS ON THE DEATH WALL, BUT LOOK MOSTLY FRONT AND SING THE HELL OUT OF IT.)
Svanì per sempre il sogno mio d'amore...
L'ora è fuggita...
E muoio disperato!
E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!... (CROSS TO STOOL AND SIT, HEAD BURIED ON THE TABLE)
LOHENGRIN
John Donne wrote that the cross was made of applewood, and that Jesus reversed the sin of Adam by becoming the apple nailed back to the tree. Perhaps he went beyond the limits of his mission and was punished by the Father for it. “Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?” is more than a cry of pain or a quoting of Elijah. It is a challenge. Lohengrin too fell in love with the client (like Jesus and the Maddelena) and her kind, but now must stick to the mission. Lohengrin had literally forgotten who he was. In the narration, he need not narrate, need not explain. What if Lohengin remembers, actually sees, as though through the fog on a mountain, where he comes from.
Using the magic wand called subtext, the tenor can lead the audience to a mythical place, even if the audience (or even the tenor) does not grasp all the meanings. 

Lohengrin: (pauses, cannot remember his name. Enters a trance, into a fog. His eyes close. Let the conductor follow him!)
In fernem Land, unnahbar euren Schritten, (as if having a dream)
liegt eine Burg, die Montsalvat genannt;
ein lichter Tempel stehet dort inmitten, (smiles, where am I?)
so kostbar, als auf Erden nichts bekannt;
drin ein Gefäss von wundertät'gem Segen (wonders at the Cup)
wird dort als höchstes Heiligtum bewacht:
Es ward, dass sein der Menschen reinste pflegen, (gasps)
herab von einer Engelschar gebracht; (eyes open)
alljährlich naht vom Himmel eine Taube, (realizing that the dream is a memory)
um neu zu stärken seine Wunderkraft:
Es heisst der Gral, und selig reinster Glaube
erteilt durch ihn sich seiner Ritterschaft.
Wer nun dem Gral zu dienen ist erkoren, (to himself)
den rüstet er mit überird'scher Macht; (how do I know this?)
an dem ist jedes Bösen Trug verloren,
wenn ihn er sieht, weicht dem des Todes Nacht.
Selbst wer von ihm in ferne Land' entsendet, [I was a fool, I should have kept to my duty]
zum Streiter für der Tugend Recht ernannt,
dem wird nicht seine heil'ge Kraft entwendet, (people scatter at his rage)
bleibt als sein Ritter dort er unerkannt.
So hehrer Art doch ist des Grales Segen,
enthüllt - muss er des Laien Auge fliehn; (scornfully, meaning the crowd)
des Ritters drum sollt Zweifel ihr nicht hegen,
erkennt ihr ihn - dann muss er von euch ziehn. (to Elsa, suddenly)
Nun hört, wie ich verbotner Frage lohne! (looks out, decides to defy it)
Vom Gral ward ich zu euch daher gesandt: Mein Vater Parzival trägt seine Krone, (breaks an even bigger taboo, throws the sword away)
sein Ritter ich - bin Lohengrin genannt. (embraces Elsa joyfully)
(Lohengrin joyfully reveals himself, like Calaf recklessly exclaiming his own name. He chooses a crucifixion of sorts  by revealing the secret himself, in defiance of his mission. Perhaps he embraces Elsa, but she draws back, as do all the rest. He is not of them. He kneels to Parzival. Then suddenly he picks up the sword to threaten others or himself. Suddenly again Lohengrin pauses as the swan appears in the distance. He knows now. He is both damned and saved. He shall be reborn as the brother of Elsa. Lohengrin has achieved her love, but not the way we and he expected. He must foreswear sensual love.The swan will not take him home. This however he does not tell the people of Brabant. Does Elsa realize? She will die not only at the miracle of  her brother’s resurrection, but also at the realization of who he is now.)



Friday, March 16, 2012

I argue with GB Shaw about COSI FAN TUTTE

Mozart’s Così fan tutte. (Published in The World, July 16, 1890)
George Bernard Shaw

The chance of hearing this unlucky classic is not to be missed
lightly; for such chances will not come often, as may be judged from
the fact that the opera, composed a century ago, has never before been
performed here in its original form, and only once or twice in
hopeless attempts to fit the music to a new libretto.  Imagine la
donna è mobile spun out into two long acts; and you have the book that
seems to have struck Da Ponte as Molièresque in its fun and Ibsenic in
its insight.  Mozart did what he could for it: that is to say, more
than anybody else, before or since (except Goetz, perhaps), could have
done; but it was no use.  He saturated it with music, tender or
playful, as the case seemed to demand— he supplied imaginary drama and
characterization sooner than leave the play utterly barren; but until
we have artists who can sing with such rare charm of voice and
delicacy of expression as to raise the lost Mozartean enchantment and
keep its spell unbroken for three hours at a stretch, Così fan tutte
will never conquer a place on the stage.


MY REPLY
Of course it's foolish to compare a mere Mozart to Goetz*. But putting that aside.....

I've always brushed off the scoffing that COSI was "just THREE'S COMPANY". Now that I've directed a very nice little production, my reaction is more nuanced.

COSI indeed is a historical precursor to the modern sitcom, and was quite daring for its day. COSI, not TRAVIATA, was the first opera set in modern times, daringly based upon an original story, and daring for being a sex comedy about 4 well-to-do late- or post-teens who seem to live sans chaperones.

Also, as a Jewish comedy writer, Da Ponte paved the way for the later emergence of Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart and the modern emotionally complex sitcoms. Of course he had some help from Beaumarchais, the commedia dell'arte tradition, and many other sources. But Da ponte seems to be the one who advanced the art form.

There's even a penis joke, though not the three or more that are in DON GIOVANNI. Being  ahead of its time, COSI enraged the 19th century, and not just Beethoven. Our COSI conductor has a German score wherein Despina appears in an added recitative and reveals the whole wager to the sisters, whereafter all three gals hang the men on their own petards.

The music by the mere Mozart adds even more profundity and comic timing to the libretto and the whole work wades just deeply enough into dangerous waters, as the sexual revolution arrives under the radar of the church, to qualify as a masterpiece. Like many masterpieces, it could do with a few cuts.

Had the great Shaw attempted to translate or direct the piece, he would have revised his opinion. The director and cast of COSI have their work cut out for them to keep up with the the genius MozartdaPonte.

* Actually Goetz' TAMING OF THE SHREW has it's charms.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Tyrone Guthrie Tribute

TYRONE GUTHRIE
Stage directors and performers should be ever grateful for the legacy of the great director Tyrone Guthrie.
Guthrie was not only a great director (including the world and Met premieres of PETER GRIMES) but the pioneer of regional theater in the U.S. He founded the Stratford Ontario Shakespeare Festival and then the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. These were the precursors to ACT in San Francisco, the Ashland, Oregon Shakespeare festival, the theater in La Jolla, Portland and probably in every medium and large city in our land.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrone_Guthrie

Here are some brief anecdotes and quotes from this brilliant and often outrageous artist.

TYRONE GUTHRIE: "Don't you love your character?"
LAWRENCE OLIVIER: "Tony, How can you love a man like Richard III?"
GUTHRIE: "If you can't love him, you'll never be any good as him, will you?"

GUTHRIE:" If you want to know what HAMLET means, don't ask Shakespeare. He only wrote it."

GUTHRIE (DIRECTING ACTOR  ALEC GUINNESS): "Don't write it down. You'll remember the good stuff and forget the bad."

GUTHRIE: "The best ideas I ever had just popped into my head out of the blue."

Opera director/translator Ross Halper reveals how his high school field trips to "The Guthrie" sparked his life in the theater.
"Our theater teacher in high school, the wonderful and wonderfully named Les Schimmelpfenig, would prepare us by readings and lectures for the plays we would experience at the Guthrie and other adventurous  places in theater-rich Minneapolis. Guthrie based his two North American stages on Shakespeare's own Globe theatre, where the magic was created by the spoken word rather than by lavish sets and productions. I don't recall ever seeing Guthrie's own productions, but I experienced how the synopsis and the text was but a skeleton to be fleshed out by living actors. After college, I had the chance to sing in the Guthrie's MERCHANT OF VENICE and got to rub shoulders with future stars such as Mark Lamos, Blair Brown and Len Cariou."

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Mystery of Don Ottavio


DON GIOVANNI: Don Ottavio “Dalla sua pace”
This aria is  the touchstone of the tenor repertoire, vocally and dramatically.  Any tenor can get through it easily, but to sing it perfectly, the voice must be able to “speak” in the  passaggio, the “cracks” of the voice.
Even the smartest tenors have found no more  in this aria than to pause and reflect movingly on the tender love Ottavio feels for  Anna. Successful as that can be when sung by a fine artist, this interpretation seriously underestimates the genius that is Mozart/Da Ponte. Indeed the character of Don Ottavio is one of the great mysteries of the opera repertoire. Is he a hero or a milquetoast, a pampered aristocrat or a sensitive lover?

The answer is all of the above, and much more. Though to call him a hero is quite an overstatement, as he is forced by circumstances and bullying by Donna Anna to put into reluctant action the skills he learned in officer training. The handsome, lovable dork must have been the butt of ridicule from his fellow recruits.

Ottavio is a real personality, an amazingly original creation, whose facets are revealed in every line. He is also essentially a COMIC character. While his arias are not to be played for laughs, they too have a touch of wistful humor, especially “Il mio tesoro”, in which Ottavio urges his allies to go into Anna’s house to comfort her rather than going in himself. Then he won’t let them go in, adding just one more thing! I suspect they give up and enter on their own, or simply leave. Ottavio repeated swears vengeance in his second aria, but then does nothing. Perhaps he is heeding basso Richard Cross’ wise words: “Opera is hard. You must swear eternal revenge, while keeping your jaw relaxed!”

The bulk of his part, especially in the recits, is plainly comical. Ottavio is rather useless though well meaning in emergencies and endearingly clueless about the dark side of life, especially in his own Spanish aristocracy. Mozart and Da Ponte are portraying the effete side of nobility as they did the cruel side in the characters of Giovanni and Count Almaviva. But all three are portrayed with such human variety, that they rise beyond their social stereotypes.

Ottavio will seem to many to be the most, even the only, outrageous interpretation in this book. In directing (and playing) him, overwrought Ottavio sniffed the smelling salts before giving them to the passed-out Anna in the first scene. I of course believe it’s all in the score, but even if the reader resists this slant, I hope it will inspire a unique and non-boring portrayal of this unique nobleman.

Even when Ottavio gets it right, it seems all wrong. He correctly exclaims before “Il mio tesoro” that Giovanni is the killer and rapist, but the preceding scene has made it clear to all the other characters that Leporello is the guy. Only the audience knows that Ottavio is correct. He looks like a fool to the other characters at the very point that he finally figures it out.

Anna is clearly not attracted to Ottavio, especially after having tasted the white heat of Giovanni’s passion. The match may have been arranged by Anna’s father. And yet, in the final duet in the act II finale, after having gone through a terrible day together, and after Ottavio has accepted Anna’s pleas for a delay with such grace, the music of their little duet finally seems to suggest the possibility of marriage, mutual love, but not necessarily sex. Whether Anna was raped or ripened by Don Giovanni, it doesn't bode well for Ottavio's virginal state.

Ottavio could be compared to the cartoon mountie Dudley Doright or even to Flanders in THE SIMPSONS cartoons.  Well bred, handsome, sincerely in love, but innocent to the ways of the world, he is lovably funny. Brendan Fraser, who played Dudley Doright in the movies, might be an ideal Ottavio if he could sing it.

Ottavio could be older or noticeably younger than Anna. He is painfully anxious to lose his virginity, a prime motivation for his constant urgings to Anna. In their first scene and duet, he is clearly entranced by her, holding her unconscious and lightly clad, soft and fragrant in her nightgown. Take me as husband and father, he nobly but hornily exhorts her, rather inappropriately, after her loss.  In all of his scenes following, he must be aching, and (before “non mi dir”) not so gallantly, for more than her hand. The sensual violence of Giovanni has awakened many things in that hot Seville night. Bob Dylan stated it well in his great song: “Something is happening, but you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?”
In the finale of the opera, Ottavio has achieved a nobility by experience far beyond that learned by his breeding and training.

“DALLA SUA PACE”
This aria is much more than an expression of love. Ottavio is wisely reconsidering his commitment to Anna. Even in the best of times, she must be “high maintainance”, and now he is being asked to face death, and to rebel against one of his own class. Combine that with Anna’s usual treatment of him, probably a mixture of tolerance and impatience at his doting, Ottavio wonders if he’s up to it, and even if she’s worth it! Then too, he is aware that she has been undergoing a catharsis.Yet in the end, his love and devotion shine through.

[suggested subtext/actions in brackets]

Don Ottavio:
 Dalla sua pace la mia dipende. [sudden, quiet realization, emphasis on my]
Quel che a lei piace vita mi rende, [“piace” coloratura = “aha!”]
Quel che le incresce [growing anger]
morte mi
. [ He rashly pulls sword out halfway]
Morte!!?? [suddenly stops himself – wait a minute… death!!??]
Morte mi dà. [Replaces sword slowly. Do I really want to die for her?]
S'ella sospira, sospiro anch'io. [He paces, trying to work it out]
È mia  [She’s mine! he proudly exclaims.]
quell'ira, [Hmmmm, but so are her foul moods…]
quel pianto è mio. [I have to watch every word I say!]
E non ho bene, [he sits in confusion]
s’ella non ha.[She’s impossible to please! ]Publish Post
E non ho bene, s'ella non l'ha. [(sighing) and yet I still  love that girl…]
E non ho bene, [He rises - but dammit, she’s such a handful!]
s'ella non
l'ha….. [Whatever shall I do?…]
Dalla sua pace la mia dipende. [sung piano - Who am I kidding?]
Quel che a lei piace vita mi rende! [Helpless chuckle - call me crazy, but I’m stuck on her]
Quel che le incresce morte mi dà!. [If anyone dares hurt her, I’ll kill him!]
Mor-te! Morte mi dà. [(piano) – and he could kill ME…]
Dalla sua pace la mia dipende. [paces, sums up, counting on his fingers the pros and cons, on four words in italics]
Quel che a lei piace vita mi rende,
Quel che le incresce morte mi dà,. [overwhelmed, throws hands up, it’s too much!]
Morte! [Wait! Am I ready to die?]
Morte mi dà. [Well, I’ve got to be!]
Morte mi dà. [So be it! -  he slowly draws his sword]
Quel che le incresce  [Bring it on! – slowly raises his sword valiantly]
morte mi ,. [salutes, pledges with sword across his chest]
[Postlude – Oops! Ottavio sees a spot on his sword. Exhales on sword and rubs it off with hankie while exiting quietly]

Sunday, August 8, 2010

“IF THEY BOO, I’VE SUCCEEDED!”

“IF THEY BOO, I’VE SUCCEEDED!”
THE ANCIENT, IRONCLAD TRADITIONS OF THE MODERN OPERA STAGE DIRECTOR

“In art, all things change except the avant-garde.”  Professor Levitan of Brandeis
                                                                                                               University

“The Germans are so intent upon finding the hidden meaning that they miss the moment entirely.” GOETHE

THE RULES
1)     The director is the most important personality involved in the production.  His vision must supercede the needs of the composer, librettist, singers and especially the audience, those overfed fools who want to be entertained and moved.
2)     The second most important personality is the set designer.
3)     Comedy is verboten, except when unintentional. Wit is for TV watching idiots.
4)     Great acting is hyperintensity, with much rolling and the ground, groping the wall and sitting on a bare floor.
5)     The audience’s attention must be on anything except the person who is singing. A solo aria, outmoded even in the last century, must be accompanied by extraneous characters expressing their angst in trivial ways near, on or about the person singing the aria.
6)     Storytelling is anathema to the modern director, like realistic “photographic” painting is to the abstract painter. Don’t tell the story, COMMENT on it!Even better, UNDERMINE IT!
7)     When singing high notes, the singer must be crumpled over, lying down or facing the back of the stage.
8)     The music must stop once in awhile for intense, obscure miming.
9)     Sexual scenes must be charmless and aggressive. Rolling on the floor a must here.
10)   Unmotivated homosexual behavior must be introduced a few times during the evening.
11)    Happy endings are intellectually bankrupt. Play the opposite. Insert a sudden murder if at all possible.
12)    Avoid entertaining the audience at all costs. If they boo, you have succeeded.
13)    Rehearse it until it’s dead. Very important.
14)    Any suggestion of the beauty and mystery of nature must be avoided at all costs! The set must be trivial, contemporary and decrepit! Don’t forget the fluorescent lights! (Klieg lights also acceptable.)
15)    The audience must not know when to applaud or when the scene/act ends.
16)   Historical atrocities such as the Holocaust or the AIDS epidemic must be incorporated and exploited as much as possible. Also the lifestyle of the audience must be mocked.
17)    Colors are culinary. Black, white and gray only!
18)   The chorus must be bald, sexless, faceless and in trench coats.
19)    If the audience is bored, this is art.\
20)   Props are items of junk piled in a corner of the set. They must be overused pointlessly, then dropped on the floor, hopefully when the music is soft. Be careful to keep dangerous objects at the lip of the stage so the blindfolded dancers can kick them into the pit.
21)   All asides must be sung next to the person who is not supposed to hear them.
22)    The leading performers faces must be painted as a white mask to ensure no individuality or variety of expressions, as opera singers can’t act anyway. They just want to pose and make pretty sounds.
23)   Preparation is important. Try to read the libretto in advance to make sure it doesn’t interfere with your staging ideas. Not much harm in listening to the CD once, though that’s not really your job.
24)   Make the conductor feel useful, though he’s really a literal minded hack.
25)    The stage director must avoid any idea that is not his own, though that idea will surely be on this list already.
26)   A costume must serve at least two of the following criteria: a) Make the singer look unattractive b) Obscure his vision c)  Make hearing the orchestra difficult d) Impede movement d) Contradict the period in which the opera is set (hardly worth mentioning)
27)   Tradition is all important in opera production. Never waver from these Rules.
28)   Boredom is a sign of Great Art.
29)   Emphasize or create a negative side to the title character. The audience   
    should have no one to root for.
30) Make sure no one remembers who the singers were.
31) Don't worry about the critics. The more confused they are by your rape of the opera, the more frightened they shall be to admit the emperor has no clothes. They'll find meaning in your perversities that even you never dreamed of.