Reviews

Aida

The Todi Music Fest 2002 can congratulate itself for its ambitious production of Verdi's opera at Willet Hall in Portsmouth which was received with a standing ovation at the performance on Friday evening , July 26th.

Hugely responsible for its success was the casting of Marquita Lister in the title role of the slave/princess Aida. The rich quality of Lister's voice was perfect for the character, and her singing ranged from powerfully dramatic phrases to the softest high pianissimi tones that would be the envy of many sopranos. Visually Lister was lovely to watch, and her acting was sensitive and uncontrived. Musically she remained faithful to the score, and this writer believes that Verdi would have enjoyed Marquita Lister's portrayal of Aida!

Tenor Eduardo Villa as Radames knew how to "take stage". He used his powerful voice and presence to make it believable that he could be the victorious Egyptian conquerer as well as the object of affection of the two princesses Amneris and Aida. His Radames was romantic, proud and strong. Accused of being a traitor at the end of the Nile Scene Villa's delivery of the line: "Sacerdote, io resto a te!" ("Priests of Isis, I surrender to you!") was an exciting high point of the performance.

Louis Otey used his voluminous dramatic baritone voice and imposing physical presence to portray King Amonasro with strength and conviction. In the Nile Scene duet with Aida he demonstrated vocal versatility in his expressions of fatherly love, anger, disdain and power, which he used to force Aida to deceive and betray Radames.

Italian mezzo-soprano Patrizia Patelmo as Amneris received audience approval at the final curtain for her angry characterization of the proud and jealous Egyptian princess.

Other well-cast roles were Stephan Kirchgraber as Ramphis, Andrew Martens as the Pharoah The King of Egypt, Bobby Brinkley as A Messanger and Lori Zeglarski as The High Priestess.

Especially impressive was the chorus, masterfully trained by Judith Clurman. The number in the chorus was small for a Verdi opera, but their sound was so solid and unified with such clear diction that it seemed like a larger group. Kudos to conductor Walter Attanasi and members of the Virginia Symphony for an excellent orchestral reading of this difficult Verdi score!

Roberto Oswald's unit set design with relatively easy set changes was able to reflect the grandeur of the opera with appropriate visual changes. Audience applause was the response after each set change. Linda Brovsky's stage directing was quite effective because the characters were text motivated. With more lavish sets and props, rather than the unit set, there might have been more visual possibilities. Stacy Caddell's choreography also made a positive contribution, as did the costumes done by Anibal Lapiz.

The writer of this review has some questions about the use of the animals. Is my assumption correct that they are the pets of the Pharoah that are brought out to help celebrate the victory? If so, don't you think they should be dressed up for the occasion (except for the snake)? The Egyptians put elaborately decorated collars on their cats, for instance. Something glittery hanging around the tiger's and the lion's neck would make them look royal, although all we saw of the lion on the cart was her back and tail as she faced upstage last night! The elephant would have looked stunning with a brightly colored cover across his back. My heartiest congratulations to the cast members who carried the snake across the stage! Did you volunteer, or were you regular snake handlers in costume? I wish the animals had been able to stay on stage longer, or perhaps made a second and third entrance across the stage.

Shirley Thompson

      If you attended Virginia Opera's Madame Butterfly and then read Lee Tepley's insightful review in the Virginian Pilot and also the one in Port Folio Weekly by B.J. Atkinson, you are definitely left on you own to decide what you experienced!

      Two observations: I found the singing glorious throughout and the director of this production emphasized the love duet aspect of Butterfly and Pinkerton (first and third act only, of course) more than any other I've seen. The antics of the wedding party seemed background while the couple's singing together was the essence of the play. Pinkerton's return in time to see her suicide enhanced that aspect.

      I left the theater feeling that Thomas Rolf Truhitte had portrayed Pinkerton so that I found his dilemma as tragic as Butterfly's; each a victim of their social milieu with no way out. They were both young and inexperienced when they met. Once having experienced love with each other, they were joined together with two irreconcilable world views.

Free Opera Programs Offered to Local Groups

      The Virginia Opera has announced a new program with Glenn Winters as Community Outreach Musical Director. Operation Opera, which will be the largest of its kind in the United States, will offer high energy presentations geared toward adults, from college students to senior citizens, including explorations of Virginia Opera's productions, basic opera primers and advanced master classes. The programs will be designed to fit each adult group's needs and interests. There is no charge to the group for a presentation.

      Glenn Winters has a diverse background in music. He has composed three successful childrens musicals and a full length opera, Much Ado About Nothing. As a singer he has performed over a dozen baritone roles. His undergraduate and masters work were in piano at Indiana University and his Doctorate is from Northwestern. As a pianist he has been a soloist, accompanist and college level teacher. He has also worked as a chorusmaster and college arts administrator.

      "Operation Opera" programs can be scheduled by contacting Glenn Winters at 757-627-9545, extension 3304, or by email to gwinters@vaopera.com.

Jan Grissom, the Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor

      Jan Grissom, the Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Todi Festival, was a marvelous singer. The second part of the mad scene was played with such intimate pathos that it alone was worth the price of a ticket. "Hearing Jan Grissom sing each rehearsal perfectly time after time feeds the soul" was Charlene Marchant's comment a few day later. Ms. Marchant sang in the chorus and found the tenor Jianyi Zhang (Edgardo) to be a really nice person. We liked his singing better than the reviewer in the Virginian Pilot. The stage direction was silly at times, placing each of the principal characters singing on their knees at least once during the performance and in Ms. Grissom's case, lying on her back staring at the ceiling. It struck us as unnecessary and unnatural in an otherwise naturalistic production.