Thursday, December 20, 2007

Movie tonight?

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a Tim Burton film starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter based on the eponymous Stephen Sondheim musical, opens tonight in Washington at 11:59 p.m. for an after-midnight showing at the movie theater in Chinatown/Gallery Place.

Who wants to go with me?

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Three seven ace

Today is the 115th anniversary of the premiere of Tchaikovsky's ballet, The Nutcracker. While I've no Nutcracker plans for this year, last Friday night, while thousands of Washingtonians were attending one of the area's dozens of Nutcracker performances this holiday season, I was attending another Tchaikovsky performance. This performance, while no less magical, was much darker and much longer: we went to see Queen of Spades.

Tchaikovsky wrote several operas, but only Queen of Spades (a/k/a Pique Dame) and Eugene Onegin have any real name recognition. Name recognition is about all either of them have, though, since they are not on the regular rotation, at least in this country, and people don't know the melodies. I was preparing an Eugene Onegin right before I moved to D.C. several years ago and had to withdraw from the production before staging, but until Friday, I had never actually seen a Tchaikovsky opera live.

This particular opera seemed almost Wagnerian to me in terms of its story line and development, not to mention the four hour length! Tchaikovsky's younger brother Modest served as librettist for this work, and he based his words on a short story by famed Russian writer Aleksandr Pushkin. It's the story of a common young man in love with a beautiful young woman who is engaged to be married to a prince. The woman is the granddaughter of an elderly countess called "the queen of spades," who, in her youth, had the secret formula to success in gambling with cards; the young man decides that he also wants the secret to the cards, and gambling becomes his new, overriding obsession. And, in the great tradition of opera, by the end of the show, everybody dies.

The show was performed by the traveling company of the Mariinsky Theater from St. Petersburg, Russia, known in the United States as the Kirov Opera. As Tchaikovsky premiered this work at the Mariinsky in December 1890, it seemed particularly appropriate to watch this opera sung by these Russians.

Having just seen this company sing Otello two nights previous, I saw a lot of the same people in the casts. The principals were all different, but the supporting roles shared many of the same singers. The principals were all very solid singers. The Kirov, however, still operates in the older operatic system where they cast specific voices for parts, not specific singer/actors for parts, as is being done in modern opera in America.

It was this casting technique that caused the problems for me in watching this opera and kept me from fully engaging in the drama. I simply didn't buy the idea of the actors singing Herman and Lisa as young people in love, and thus the show lost credibility. Herman (Vladimir Galouzine) was clearly well into middle age and (while I would never presume to guess the age of a lady!) Lisa (Mlada Khudoley) seemed more matronly to me than innocent, impetuous young maiden. Now, both sang well, but I was sitting on the front row center of the house, so I had to have not only a splendid aural experience, but a splendid visual one, as well.

The sets were very spare, and there was an annoying use of "dancing curtains." It started with two parallel curtains, one black, one white, down on the main curtain line. Once both had parted, though, we saw several other curtains in various locations on stage, including a series that bisected the stage diagonally. Throughout the show, they used these curtains to create different "rooms" and spaces during the action, and some of the curtains were even rigged to move in circular patterns. It was a unique and interesting idea, but they overused the concept and it became quite tiresome by the end of the opera.

Much as in Otello, I had difficulty determining the era of the adjusted story. Pushkin's play was set in the early mid-19th century, but the librettist placed the story in the era of Catherine the Great (late 18th). I don't know where this show was. The costumes seemed to me a mixture of 19th century clothing, but with the men particularly in late 19th. Then we had props—as in Otello—from the present day to confuse matters more. For example, the old countess (Irina Bogacheva), who was so severely done up in black and white age makeup as to look like the caricature of a ghost, wore early 19th century dresses, yet was being wheeled around the stage in a brand new, contemporary wheelchair. Then, during the masquerade ball, when the group was visited by Catherine the Great, we saw a projected silhouette of the empress on the backdrop, but the image looked just like the century-later British empress Victoria.

So, it was in the little things that we found distraction in the production.

Some of the singing was quite fine. I particularly enjoyed the love aria of Yeletsky (Alexander Gergalov). Herman (Vladimir Galouzine) was a very powerful and dramatic singer, and I can see him in any number of other major roles because of his excellent portrayal of a man descending into insanity. It kind of pointed out a Russian staging matter with which I disagree, though, in that their main male characters are very "one note." Wednesday, Otello was "angry" and Friday, Herman was "insane." The characters lack dimension, and that makes it very hard for the audiences to relate to and "like" those characters.

The stage director also missed a couple of good opportunities to advance the drama. He never really highlighted Lisa during her moments on stage, and it was well into the opera before I figured out who the main female character was. In her group scenes, she faded into the crowd; she was never the "star." Then, at the end of the opera, when she realizes that her Herman is more interested in cards and money than her, she's supposed to jump into the river in her despair, but here, she just calmly walked down the embankment. Had I not read the synopsis in the program, I'd not have known that she was committing suicide then. Perhaps she needed a trampoline backstage like Tosca has.

So, Kirov's Queen of Spades definitely gave us an interesting evening. The simple Pushkin story has become a complex opera, and it's an opera that will require a few more viewings to fully understand and appreciate. This production probably is not the best vehicle for learning and appreciating the opera, though. There are limitations that a touring company has, and the way the company addressed those limitations creates dramatic challenges of its own. I did enjoy the evening, though, and it was nice hearing this opera for the first time.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Russian Verdi

Every now and then in my opera singing and spectating careers, I find one transcendent performance, one hauntingly memorable singer. Last night was one of those times.

Joined by my friend Peter (himself a former music critic for a major urban daily newspaper) and his partner, I heard the Kirov Opera from St. Petersburg, Russia, present Verdi's Otello at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts here in Washington. It was a rather odd production, with the staging and sets centered around a large lighthouse and a performance that opened with the lighthouse beacon shining painfully brightly into the audience's eyes.

The true beacon of the evening, though, was Irina Mataeva and her sensitive and beautiful portrayal of Desdemona, the unfortunate wife of Otello. Miss Mataeva is a very beautiful, slender, young woman, perfectly cast for the role. Her voice is powerful and dramatic, yet her acting skills and vocal nuance allowed her to be the vulnerable victim of circumstances. Her emotional pain could be felt, even when the production got in the way, such as in her fourth act "Ave Maria," when the production put her in an intenable location. In the immediately previous scene, though, her "Song to the Willow" was touching and compelling.

Avgust Amonov sang Otello and Edem Umerov sang Iago. Otello normally is a four act opera; the Kirov chose to combine acts 1 and 2 into one long act. It wasn't until the end of that long first act that I felt Amonov and Umerov's voices blended into a powerful dramatic force, but, alas, that was really the only time. Umerov spent his time skulking around and Amonov spent his time knocking things over. I enjoyed more the performance of Sergey Semishkur in the smaller role of Cassio, the young lieutenant Iago tries to set up as Desdemona's alleged paramour.

Valery Gergiev conducted the Kirov Orchestra. They were particularly fine, although Gergiev often had them playing at surprisingly loud volumes when singers were singing. It was an exciting orchestral performance, though, especially at the end of act 2 (the opera's act 3). While they did have a few problems in the opening choruses staying precisely together with the orchestra, the Kirov Opera Chorus was solid.

The concept for this production is unusual, and I still haven't quite figured it out. Male costuming seemed to be mid-19th century, whilst female lead costuming was early 20th century. Clearly, they were "updating" from Verdi's intended 15th century time frame. Verdi's direction also put the set by or in a castle. Here, a huge lighthouse dominated the upstage center, with long, white, stuccoed walls on the diagonal leading the eye along their V to the lighthouse. During the opera's opening storm sequence, the lighthouse beacon beamed very bright light into the eyes of the audience. When the action goes "in" the castle, a cherry wood desk and credenza with hutch that look much like office furniture from the "traditional" collection at Office Depot are added to the stage right half of the stage with a rather contemporary large "ceiling" light fixture suspended on a wire over the desk.

The final act of the opera is supposed to take place in Desdemona's bedchamber. The first portion ("Song to the Willow") takes place far stage right in front of a black backdrop in front of the curtainline. When Desdemona begins her transition to prayer ("Ave Maria"), she leaves that set, the stage left half of the black backdrop raises to reveal a close-up of the top of the lighthouse, and she emerges on what is a raised level above the stage on the lighthouse; Otello soon enters the lighthouse yet one more level above. Why? Exactly what the production designers wanted to accomplish escaped me.

I enjoyed the evening. The audience's reaction, though, I felt was oddly restrained and polite. During the curtain calls, Mataeva was the only singer greeted with cheers. A number of audience members chose to stand when Gergiev came on, possibly in tribute to the orchestra, but it did not seem a majority. As the principal cast all came on stage in front of the black backdrop and remained there for multiple bows, it was a little awkward, and I think I felt some impatience from the audience for them to exit more quickly than they did. Nevertheless, this is an interesting production, and there still remains a Sunday afternoon matineee for those who wish to see it.

Entitlements

What is it about people today that makes so many so extremely egocentric and demanding? Why do so many people today feel they are entitled to things without working for them?

Last night I witnessed a disturbing incident of such presumed entitlement. I was standing in line at the "will call" window at the box office to pick up my tickets for the evening's performance. An expensively dressed young woman was standing at one of the windows throwing a major fit because she didn't like the location of the tickets she was getting and she thought the box office should upgrade them to a better location. What was particularly interesting is that they were $98 (each) tickets and she wanted to be moved to the $175 (each) section; further, she had not bought and paid for these tickets; they were "comps"—free tickets that had been given to her from amongst unsold ticket inventory. After this young woman thoroughly berated the window clerk for not upgrading her, she got a box office manager to come over. The manager, with far greater patience and politeness than I would have shown, calmly explained again to her that these were free tickets, that the marketing office had chosen them not the box office, and that he would be happy to upgrade her two tickets to the section she wanted for $350. She snatched away the free tickets, saying in no uncertain terms that she was not about to give them any money, and stormed off to the performance. When I saw her again in the auditorium, her free tickets were better than mine! I certainly hope that they blacklist her and never, ever give her another comp ticket.

I was always raised to be grateful for gifts and favors, especially when they inconvenience the giver. Yet, people today feel free to make further demands on givers and do not seem to feel the need to extend what I consider to be common courtesy.

Am I just hopelessly old fashioned and out of touch?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

It's a contest!

Want to win a free ticket?

I have been fortunate to be able to purchase two excellent tickets—front row aisle, center orchestra—to the Friday, December 14 performance of The Queen of Spades, an opera by Pyotr Ilyich Tschaikovsky based on the novella of the same name by Aleksandr Pushkin, to be sung at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, by the famed Kirov Opera of the Mariinsky Theater from St. Petersburg, Russia.

I am so excited!

So, in order to have a perfect evening, I've decided to have a contest for my evening's companion. This contest is open to anyone, male or female, young or old, who might be interested in accompanying me to this event and hearing what promises to be a fantastic and memorable performance. Since it's a Friday evening, some of you who are out of town might want to consider coming in to Washington for the night/weekend.

How to enter? Write me here by midnight Eastern standard time Monday, December 10, and tell me: why you want to go? why should I choose you? I'll pick the winner early next week.

This contest is not limited to blog people, so if you know someone who'd like to go, get their information and make the entry for them. I love meeting new people!

For planning purposes, curtain is at 7:30. I like to get to the Kennedy Center a little early so we can cocktail a bit before going into the Opera House. Depending upon schedules, we might have a light supper beforehand. I'll be wearing a normal suit and tie—this isn't a formal occasion—so you can dress accordingly. The opera is sung in the original Russian, but they project the English translations as surtitles above the stage, so you'll have no trouble understanding what is going on. Afterwards, we'll probably walk over to Georgetown for a little late night snack or dessert.

Don't delay! Do your entry today!

Exploring the Belmont Mansion

belmont02


In anticipation of playing/singing for a lodge installation of officers next week, I wanted to see the meeting venue and play the instrument(s) in question before showing up. This particular ceremony is going to take place in the Belmont Mansion, now the international headquarters building of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic-affiliated group for women.

The ceremony will be in the ballroom, and I'll be playing a gold-covered 1911 Steinway B. I'd also considered playing the organ, but it's actually a huge thing for the space, and not at all subtle—the pipe chambers open into the grand staircase, and the instrument blasts the entire house.

The international secretary and her husband actually live in the house as resident caretakers. I'd made an appointment with them to look around and play last night. After I'd played a little and sang a bit to note the acoustic, they revealed that the Most Worthy Grand Matron (think "international president") was downstairs, and, since she coincidentally is also from Oklahoma, they wanted me to meet her. So, I acquiesced. But, then, the husband got on a loudspeaker and told everyone in the house to come up to the ballroom immediately! It turns out they were having some kind of international officers meeting, and there were quite a few people downstairs.

oklahomansWell, the Most Worthy Grand Matron and I had actually met once before, years ago. When I was International DeMolay of the Year, I made an official visitation to the Grand Chapter meeting of the Oklahoma Eastern Stars, and she was just then starting the progressive grand line (state offices) in Oklahoma.

She happens to be Indian, and one of her little things she likes to do at Star meetings is the Lord's Prayer in Indian sign language. I had to play and sing for her while she did that for the group. Then, they wanted me to sing something else, so I had to find a little Mozart aria in what little music I had with me. Keep in mind, I'd only gone up there to test the piano, not play/sing a concert!

After all that was over, Ryan (who no doubt was probably bored to death by this point) and I had to chat with people, and then they gave us a brief tour of the public rooms of the building. It's quite a nice place, and hard to believe that people actually built and used it for a private residence a century ago.

Here are a few pictures of the building. Above, I'm at the piano in the end of the ballroom. We forgot to get a pic of the ballroom and its big dome and skylight. The other rooms are pretty, too, though.

The entry and grand staircase:

entrystairwell


The music room and the butler's pantry:

musicroompantry


The state dining room:

diningroom4


The gold room:

goldroom2

Monday, December 3, 2007

Kennedy Center Honors

Ryan's social forwardness at the allegedly high security Kennedy Center Honors worked out quite well for him tonight. The President left before he could say hi, but he managed to meet a bunch of other celebs, elbowing his way past their bodyguards and handlers. He's just home with a load of photos to add to his collection of celebrity pictures. Do you recognize any of these people?

Nancy Pelosi

Martin ScorseseAretha Franklin

Jordin SparksMartin and Short

Lyle LovettDiana Ross


Incidentally, the top picture was taken by Sen. Chuck Schumer....who was talking with the Speaker when Ryan interrupted them for a photo request. And Ed Schlossberg (Mr. Caroline Kennedy) isn't very excited when people ask him to take a picture of them with his wife. LOL

By the way, Madame Speaker is surprisingly frugal! Odd for a Democrat, eh? She wore the exact same dress tonight that she wore to the state dinner last May in honor of Queen Elizabeth. Looks like the same nasty old pearls and earrings, too. Don't we pay that poor millionnairess enough money in her job? At least she wasn't wearing a pant suit.

fursI hear furs are in in a big way! And Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin (plus Aretha's husband) were all wearing white full-length furs at the gala. Lots of other "normal" black and brown minks of all shapes and sizes there, too. I've always wanted a full-length mink coat (almost as much as an opera cape), but the only guys I've ever seen in them have been Luciano Pavarotti and Wayne Gretzky, and both of them live(d) in colder climates than Oklahoma or D.C.

Here're some shots of the tables in the Grand Foyer and the menu for the post-gala supper.

tablesmenu
band