Pittsburgh Opera gave the second of six sold-out performances of Daniel Schnyder’s Charlie Parker’s Yardbird last night, as the company continues to bring a live theater experience to as many people as possible in these seemingly endless pandemic days. Safety protocols – which the organization take quite seriously – limit the audience size drastically, and are potent reminders that even in the best of times, the company cannot thrive on ticket sales alone. Now, more than ever, corporate and individual donations are of the most vital importance.
Schnyder’s score is very much in keeping with the majority of contemporary operas, in that emphasis is placed on dissonance, melody is used sparingly, and while the music grabs the listener’s attention, it doesn’t always seem to support or drive the action on the stage. There are jazz influences, to be sure, with a suggestion of Stravinsky – a composer so admired by Charlie Parker that he even gets a mention in the libretto. The orchestration is rhythmically interesting, with an emphasis on percussion, but there is a certain sameness that, at least on a first hearing, makes the ninety-minute, one act opera seem slightly longer. Conductor Antony Walker paced the instrumentalists with his familiar skill, only in a spot or two allowing the orchestration to swallow the singers, who for the most part are required to give their all.
Chan Parker (Véronique Filloux) recounts how she met Charlie Parker (Martin Bakari) and Dizzy Gillespie (Yazid Gray)Bridgette A. Wimberly’s libretto uses Charlie Parker’s early death as the starting point of the action, and through a series of flashbacks and dream sequences, begins with his spirit returning to Birdland, the jazz club named after him, eager to compose a masterpiece that may be found after his body is discovered in the segregated New York hotel suite of the Baroness Nica, his white patroness. His memories of growing up in Kansas City introduce his mother Addie, who worries that her black son’s tastes for jazz clubs, dope and white women will be the death of him. His first wife Rebecca joins Addie in her lament, his third wife, Doris, makes an appearance, as does Dizzy Gillespie – a fourth wife, Chan, the death of his daughter, a stay in a California mental hospital – all this and more are condensed into a space so compact that some of the dramatic impact loses its punch.
Charlie Parker (Martin Bakari) tries to buy a little more time from Baroness Nica (Maire Therese Carmack) to finish composing his masterpiece.
The vocal demands are great and the opera has a strong cast to meet them. Tenor Martin Bakari tossed off the lengthy and trying passages of Charlie with abandon and seemingly with ease. The score is an almost unrelenting rollercoaster ride for the tenor, but he was able to deliver the final passage, “I know why the caged bird sings,” the last stanza of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Sympathy,” with a tender freshness of voice surprising after such a test of endurance. Baritone Yazid Gray, a reliable and enthusiastic young singer, sang the part of Dizzy Gillespie with his accustomed skill and rich tones.
Addie (Jasmine Muhammad) and Rebecca Parker (Chrystal E. Williams) lament the challenges of being Charlie’s (Martin Bakari) mom and wife
It was a treat to hear Jasmine Muhammad again, as Addie Parker, well remembered from her days as a Resident Artist with Pittsburgh Opera. Vocally and dramatically, she was perfectly suited to the role, and delivered many of the evening’s most intense moments. Chrystal E. Williams, a mezzo-soprano new to Pittsburgh Opera but not to the role of Rebecca Parker, made an excellent impression, and the brief passage she shared with Ms. Muhammad lamenting the challenges of being wife and mother to a troubled black man in Jim Crow America was riveting in its vocal and dramatic intensity.
Doris Parker (Madeline Ehlinger), Charlie’s third wife, tries to help him find peace
Véronique Filloux (Chan Parker), mezzo-soprano Maire Therese Carmack (Baroness Nica) and soprano Madeline Ehlinger (Doris Parker) all sang difficult music with great skill, and made the most of the opportunities offered by the composer and librettist. Silently swirling through the background was Tru Verret-Fleming, on the program as Moose the Mooche. Through his seductive dance movements, controlling glances and gestures, one knew well before he actually produced the alcohol and heroine that he represented the demons that haunted Parker through so much of his life and brought it to such an early and tragic conclusion.
Moose the Mooche (Tru Verret-Fleming)
Due to the greatly reduced seating capacity, the remaining performances are sold-out. BUT – UPMC is sponsoring a free live stream of the Friday, April 16 performance. To register to watch and listen to the performance from home, or for more detailed information about the production, singers and more, visit Pittsburgh Opera.
Current plans are to present George Frideric Händel’s Semele for the first time by Pittsburgh Opera, May 8 – 20.
The Artistic Team for Charlie Parker’s Yardbird –
Conductor, Antony Walker; Stage Director, Tomé Cousin; Set Designer, Iana Dobreva; Costume Designer, KJ Gilmer; Lighting Designer, Todd Nonn; Wig & Make-up Artisan, Nicole Pagano; Stage Manager, Alex W. Seidel; Assistant Conductor, Glenn Lewis; Director of Musical Studies, Mark Trawka; Associate Coach/Pianist, James Lesniak; Assistant Stage Director, Kaley Karis Smith; Assistant Stage Manager, Allison Gerecke
David Bachman Photography for Pittsburgh Opera
Categories: Reviews