Pittsburgh Festival Opera presented the local premiere of Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s Arabella Friday night, in the company’s ongoing commitment to give performances of the lesser known works of this great composer. They are consistently successful in their endeavor, and, if they wish, may continue to unveil such works for some summers to come, for most of Strauss’s fifteen operas fall into the rarity category, at least in this country, and certainly in Pittsburgh. The singers saved the night in this opera that is dramatically quite a stretch and not the composer or librettist’s best effort by any means. The second act is the strongest, and it was in this portion that the company made the best of the material with which they had to work.
Originally set in Vienna in the 1860s, Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s staging bumps the action a few decades closer to the Freudian era, and what a challenge that analyst would have faced trying to dissect the dysfunctional family at the center of the story. In the first, rather chattery act, the audience is introduced to a Count with a serious gambling problem and creditors nipping rather viciously at his heels, his wife who relies on a fortune teller for answers about the family’s financial future, one daughter who dresses as a boy because the parents can’t afford to keep two young women in the finery becoming a society debutant, and one, Arabella, who they’ll gladly “sell” to the highest bidding suitor. It’s the general consensus of musical historians that the opera would have been considerably revised had not Hofmannsthal died suddenly after his son’s suicide, leaving Strauss so distraught that he put the work aside for a few years before its poorly received premiere in Dresden in 1933.
The exquisite orchestration Strauss always delivered was for the most part finely in evidence under the baton of Brent McMunn, though there were rough spots; the scenic effects and costumes were a mixed bag of effectiveness, as was the ensemble, but so many gifted singers are in the cast that the good-sized audience was quite enthusiastic after three hours of listening that at times seemed longer. A few brief moments of concerted singing by the ensemble are the closest Strauss comes to using a chorus, and there are short spoken or silent parts – even a spot or two where the main characters exchange spoken dialogue, something not unusual for Strauss.
Soprano Melinda Whittington sang the title role with a powerfully pure voice that soared to some of the most thrilling moments of the performance. She was well costumed and acted the part with an understanding of its complexities. Count Waldner, Arabella’s father, was sung and acted by Matthew Scollin with his usual reliability, and Danielle Wright, as Adaelaide, the mother, made the most of her opportunities, singing well and adding delightfully comic facial expressions to her acting of the role. Katie Manukyan was the daughter/son (Zdenka/Zdenko), and did as well as could be expected with a role that is, frankly, not especially or clearly defined by the librettist or composer. She sang and acted quite vigorously.
Melinda Whittington (Arabella) and Andrew Cummings (Mandryka)
True to form in his usual treatment of tenors, Strauss makes great demands of the not especially grateful roles of Matteo, an officer whose friendship with Zdenko turns to love once Zdenka can no longer hide her gender, and Count Elemer, one of Arabella’s suitors. Mark Tempesta did all that could be done with the first, and Robert Chafin, the latter. A standout in the second act is the role of The Fiakermilli, the “belle of the Coachmen’s Ball,” and Gyu Yeon Shim dazzled as a petite powerhouse of coloratura pyrotechnics. Hers was one of the most astonishing successes of the evening, both vocally and in vivaciously comic acting.
Katie Manukyan (Dzenka) and Melinda Whittington (Arabella)
Mandryka, a wealthy Croatian who comes to Vienna after falling in love with a photograph of Arabella, is in some respects the most “sympathetic” role in the opera, and was in the quite capable hands of Andrew Cummings. He was another of the vocal standouts, both in solo passages and those with Ms. Whittington. The audience gave him a well deserved demonstration of its appreciations of his accomplishments. Vincentia Geraldine made the most of her brief appearance as the Fortune Teller, as did Rob McGinness and Adam Cioffari as the Counts Dominik and Lamoral, two additional suitors of Arabella.
ShayLyssa Alexander, Asmik Arutiuniants, Devan Balaguer, Joel Balzun, Sophia Emmanuel, Lauren Lea Fielder, Mitch FitzDaniel, Kaswanna Kanyinda, Nick Krsnich, Brenten Megee, Jesse A. Preis, Elisabeth Rosenberg and Ma Skolnick made up the ensemble of spoken or silent parts.
Only one performance remains – Sunday July 22 at 2:00 pm, so for extensive production details, history, a more extensive analysis of the opera that can be provided here, tickets and more, visit Pittsburgh Festival Opera. This is the final weekend of the company’s 2018 summer season.
The Production Team for Arabella –
Conductor, Brent McMunn; Director, Dorothy Danner; Scenic Design, Kate Noll; Costume Design, Rachel K. Wyatt; Lighting Design, Bob Steineck; Hair & Makeup Design, Jina Pounds; Assistant Director, Haley Stamats; Assistant Conductor, Joseph Bozich; Rehearsal Pianist, Justin Pambianchi; Stage Manager, Kathleen Stakenas; Assistant Stage Managers, Louise Brownsberger and Morgan Lea Palmer
Photography – Terry Clark
Categories: Archived Reviews