Abduction
From the Seraglio
Opera in Three Acts by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sung in German with English spoken dialogs
Konstanza..................Julia Watkins-Davis
Belmonte...................Anthony Parisi
Pedrillo......................David Spiro
Blondchen.................April Crane
Osmin........................Arthur Freeman
Pasha Selim...............Dan Cole
Robert Sage,
conductor
LizBeth Lucca, director
Performance of
Friday, June 14, 2002
at the Oneonta Congregational Church
SOUTH PASADENA,
CALIF – With the grand opening of the
Lyric Opera of Los
Angeles (LOLA) last Saturday night, Pasadena’s opera lovers could
rejoice in having two professional opera companies in their midst.
No worries of rivalry. Indeed, many singers who have sung with the
Pasadena Lyric Opera also appeared with the new company – truly a
sisterly labor of love. What better, more timely first opera to put
on than Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio, a story about
the power of love overcoming intolerance and xenophobia?
The opera tells the abduction of Konstanza by
her fiancée Belmonte from the harem (named Seraglio) of Pasha
Selim. Belmonte’s manservant Pedrillo, also held captive by the
Pasha, devises a scheme to admit Belmonte into the harem as the
Pasha’s architect, so as to get close to Konstanza and rescue her.
In the end, the plot is foiled and the lovers are caught. The angry
Pasha relents, saying: “those whom you cannot win by kindness it’s
better not to try and keep by force.”
“Too many notes, my dear Mozart!” said the
Emperor Joseph II. But like the enlightened Pasha, the Emperor
admitted that the opera, with its daring originality, was “better
than the provincial Viennese audiences deserved”. Conductor Robert
Sage did what he could with the meager 22-piece orchestra to bring
out the ebullient charm of Mozart’s Turkish-flavored score. If the
efforts did not completely succeed (the “throbbing heart” figure in
Belmonte’s aria “O wie ängstlich” wanted more warmth from a
larger orchestra), the enthusiasm and sincerity of the playing were
never in doubt..
The enthusiastic young cast also carried well
for the most part. The musical numbers (in German) thrilled with
excitement. The dialogs (in English) crackled with humor. Tenor
Anthony Parisi as the lovelorn Belmonte displayed an agreeable
timbre and confident vocalism. Soprano Julia Watkins-Davis’
rough-and-ready Konstanza did not have the necessary vocal polish
for “Ach ich liebte” or “Traurigkeit”, though she
delivered a fiery account of “Martern aller Arten” (whose
instrumental introduction, I might add, sounded particularly
enchanting in the intimate space of the Oneonta Congregational
Church.) The strong supporting roles were made up of bass Arthur
Freeman, soprano April Crane, tenor David Spiro, and actor Dan Cole
as Osmin, Blondchen, Pedrillo, and Pasha Selim, respectively.
The clever staging and direction by LizBeth
Lucca employ bright, colorful sets and costumes that mesh nicely
with the exoticism of the music. Kudos also for Artistic Director
Laura Ruiz, who tirelessly wore many hats (violinist, costumer,
fund-raiser, webmaster) to make this inaugural production possible.
Don't miss the remaining performances on June
21, 22, and 23!
Truman
C. Wang is editor of Classical Voice.
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