 |
||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
|
Nero's Rome is corrupt and depraved in Monteverdi's "The Coronation of Poppea," but it proved the right setting to showcase the new Pittsburgh Opera Center. It's been more than a year since the new leadership of the Pittsburgh Opera retooled its training program for pre-professional singers. Last night at the Byham Theater, the Opera Center teamed up with Chatham Baroque and the Renaissance & Baroque Society to show how far it has come. The recipe is better singers mixed with stronger directing and improved marketing. Whereas the Opera Center used to offer just one fully staged opera a season advertised as an afterthought, it now has two big (and successful) productions promoted as part of the Pittsburgh Opera's season, benefiting the singers. This "new and improved" Opera Center is a welcome addition to the local music scene. Though Monteverdi set his historical opera in first century Rome, its themes are remarkably contemporary. This is simply one of the most unabashedly wicked tales you'll find, with the bad guys winning. The courtesan Poppea claws her way up the social ladder, betraying her lover, Ottone, to gain the heart of Emperor Nero. Though Nero's wife, Ottavia, tries to have Poppea killed and other characters intervene (only to be banished or die), nothing can stop Poppea being named empress. Director Chas Rader-Shieber and set designer David Zinn combined to create a brilliant retelling of the baroque opera from 1643. In their hands, the drama was not only relevant, but fresh and entertaining -- simply amazing considering the cultural hurdles. They treated the work more like a Shakespeare play, infusing it with modernity that served to amplify the basic plot thread. Set in a decadent 1980s corporate environment, the back-stabbing and spurned lovers seemed familiar rather than distant. Rader-Shieber also put engaging tidbits in the production that buoyed the lengthy work. Whether briefly portraying the deposed Empress Ottavia as Evita Peron, poking fun at baroque cadences or throwing in a phone sex scene, it was a smart and witty affair. Though not what you'd call authentic baroque singing, the cast was impressive in grasping the phrasing and subtlety of Monteverdi's score. More than in recent memory, the Opera Center has some singers to watch. Karin Caspi (Ottavia), Holli Harrison (Virtue), Matthew Shaw (Nero), Javier Abreu (first soldier) and Coral Owdom (Poppea) brim with potential, and the others, Daniel Gross (Seneca) Matt Morgan (cross-dressing as Arnalta) and Zara Barrett (Amore), aren't slouches, either. Conductor Gary Thor Wedow was masterful working with the singers and guiding Chatham Baroque and guests to a strong performance.
|
||||||||||||||
