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The Metropolitan Opera HD telecast of the acclaimed world-premier of “The Enchanted Island” is at 11 a.m. Saturday at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge and at a new location (same time): Skyline Cinema in Dillon (see related story).
The formulation of this opera is in keeping with a commonplace practice in the Baroque era, known as “pastiche,” when music for a new production was recycled from melodies, songs, arias, cantatas or orchestral passages lying dormant for decades in the archives of prior compositions.
In the case of “The Enchanted Island,” no less than 42 such previously published music compositions, drawn mainly from infrequently performed works of Handel, Vivaldi, Ramaeu and select other composers, have been reset with new lyrics in a revised story line. Cast members suggested musical passages to include in this new opera, as well as new words and phrases. In order to better bring the baroque style music into the 21st century, conductor William Christie also worked with the orchestra, particularly younger members, in revising certain passages into more modern styles, including jazz modifications.
The story line and new libretto, also a “pastiche” of sorts, were prepared by British composer and translator of librettos, Jeremy Sams, by interweaving plots from Shakespearean plays. “The Tempest” was selected to set the background for “The Enchanted Island,” with the brooding hero Propsoro, Duke of Milan (countertenor David Daniels), exiled on a remote island with his devoted daughter, Miranda (Lisette Oropesa), and the sorceress Sycorax (Joyce DeDonato), his former lover, now banished on a distant dark realm of the island. Other members of the cast include bass baritone Luca Pisanoni as Caliban and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo as Ferdinand. In “The Tempest” plot librettist Sams, finding little expression of genuine love, intermixed four lovers from “Midsummer Night Dream.”
In one scene, Ariel, chief of the spirits (soprano Danielle de Niese), is summoned to produce the storm in which the shipwreck scene of “The Tempest” is being reenacted. In consort with the magic of the ocean god Neptune, sung by Plácido Domingo (by his count his 136th role and first as a full-fledged god), the honeymoon voyage of the four midsummer night dream lovers has been interrupted, releasing them on the island to pursue various love affairs and intrigues along with the indigenous occupants from “The Tempest,” with the end objective to see who will ultimately be in control of the island. These lovers are first heard on the ship as a quartet (soprano Layla Claire as Helena; tenor Paul Appleby as Demetrius; mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Hermia; and Elliot Madore as Lysander), singing “Days of Pleasure, Nights of Love” with its origin as “Endless Pleasure, Endless Love” from Handel's “Semele.”
This particular scene is representative of creative stage effects headed by stage director Phelim McDermott and associate director and set designer Julian Crouch. The ship is rocking gently atop waves created by old-fashioned cutout boards that lift and dip. When the storm breaks, frightening video images are used to evoke swelling seas, hail and wind as the ship goes down. Elaborate background sets, amplified by creative artwork and the use of sophisticated videos, together with inventive costume designs, are used throughout the opera to best capture the actions, emotions and musical expressions of the several unique characters, either singly or in assembly.
In a current opera review, we are encouraged to accept this production as “fun,” with a place for lighthearted folderol in the sacred halls of music, with this pistache serving as a fascinating historical curiosity, giving us a glimpse of what 18th-century entertainment was like. Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera general manager, stated in a recent production round table, that those attending this production are in for and “enchanted experience.” We are encouraged to put aside our critical focus and join in the spirit of this musical event.
Tickets, available at the door, are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors over 65, and $10 for students. A light snack and beverages will be provided for a nominal cash donation.
The formulation of this opera is in keeping with a commonplace practice in the Baroque era, known as “pastiche,” when music for a new production was recycled from melodies, songs, arias, cantatas or orchestral passages lying dormant for decades in the archives of prior compositions.
In the case of “The Enchanted Island,” no less than 42 such previously published music compositions, drawn mainly from infrequently performed works of Handel, Vivaldi, Ramaeu and select other composers, have been reset with new lyrics in a revised story line. Cast members suggested musical passages to include in this new opera, as well as new words and phrases. In order to better bring the baroque style music into the 21st century, conductor William Christie also worked with the orchestra, particularly younger members, in revising certain passages into more modern styles, including jazz modifications.
The story line and new libretto, also a “pastiche” of sorts, were prepared by British composer and translator of librettos, Jeremy Sams, by interweaving plots from Shakespearean plays. “The Tempest” was selected to set the background for “The Enchanted Island,” with the brooding hero Propsoro, Duke of Milan (countertenor David Daniels), exiled on a remote island with his devoted daughter, Miranda (Lisette Oropesa), and the sorceress Sycorax (Joyce DeDonato), his former lover, now banished on a distant dark realm of the island. Other members of the cast include bass baritone Luca Pisanoni as Caliban and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo as Ferdinand. In “The Tempest” plot librettist Sams, finding little expression of genuine love, intermixed four lovers from “Midsummer Night Dream.”
In one scene, Ariel, chief of the spirits (soprano Danielle de Niese), is summoned to produce the storm in which the shipwreck scene of “The Tempest” is being reenacted. In consort with the magic of the ocean god Neptune, sung by Plácido Domingo (by his count his 136th role and first as a full-fledged god), the honeymoon voyage of the four midsummer night dream lovers has been interrupted, releasing them on the island to pursue various love affairs and intrigues along with the indigenous occupants from “The Tempest,” with the end objective to see who will ultimately be in control of the island. These lovers are first heard on the ship as a quartet (soprano Layla Claire as Helena; tenor Paul Appleby as Demetrius; mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Hermia; and Elliot Madore as Lysander), singing “Days of Pleasure, Nights of Love” with its origin as “Endless Pleasure, Endless Love” from Handel's “Semele.”
This particular scene is representative of creative stage effects headed by stage director Phelim McDermott and associate director and set designer Julian Crouch. The ship is rocking gently atop waves created by old-fashioned cutout boards that lift and dip. When the storm breaks, frightening video images are used to evoke swelling seas, hail and wind as the ship goes down. Elaborate background sets, amplified by creative artwork and the use of sophisticated videos, together with inventive costume designs, are used throughout the opera to best capture the actions, emotions and musical expressions of the several unique characters, either singly or in assembly.
In a current opera review, we are encouraged to accept this production as “fun,” with a place for lighthearted folderol in the sacred halls of music, with this pistache serving as a fascinating historical curiosity, giving us a glimpse of what 18th-century entertainment was like. Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera general manager, stated in a recent production round table, that those attending this production are in for and “enchanted experience.” We are encouraged to put aside our critical focus and join in the spirit of this musical event.
Tickets, available at the door, are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors over 65, and $10 for students. A light snack and beverages will be provided for a nominal cash donation.
