“Baroque” Rarity is Being Presented With Powerful Vocal Cast in Effective Staging
By George B. Parous
Pittsburgh Opera gave the second performance of Joseph Hadyn’s Armida last evening, at the CAPA auditorium, and it was an outstanding example of the company’s commitment to presenting rarely heard music, performed by talented young singers with a first-class orchestral accompaniment. The production is mounted from the floor up by the company, and is effective, with a little imagination, in showcasing the music – probably new to most of the audience – and the music in this work is most definitely the thing. And the amount of talent available for these first local performances of Haydn’s opera is quite remarkable.
Armida (Lauryn Davis)
For brevity, the program’s capsulation of the 1784 opera will do nicely. “To prevent the capture of Jerusalem by the knights of the First Crusade, the Prince of Darkness has sent the enchantress Armida into the world to seduce the Christian heroes and turn them from their duty. The bravest of these, Rinaldo, has fallen under Armida’s spell. But, to her surprise, she becomes enchanted by him as well. She comes to love him so deeply that she cannot bring herself to destroy him. For both, duty clashes with desire. As war rages around them, will love conquer them both?” A mighty plot for a single-set production, indeed, but again, Haydn’s music, and the performers pouring it from the stage, draw focus directly to the singers and orchestra. As is usually the case, Antony Walker and the orchestra gave an almost seamless delivery of the opera’s beautiful orchestration.
Armida (Lauryn Davis) pleads with Rinaldo (Fran Daniel Laucerica)
In the title role, soprano Lauryn Davis is making her Pittsburgh Opera debut. She gives a fierce, commanding performance of the part, with a voice of remarkable power and quality. More than once she astonished with a brilliant display of vocal pyrotechnics that almost shook the rafters of the theater. Tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica, in the role of Rinaldo, showed great stamina, and sang with agility a part which requires nearly non-stop vocalization, and makes its most demanding requirements in the third, final act. He rose quite well to the occasion.
Idreno (Matthew Soibelman) has a nymph (Melissa Burke, courtesy of Attack Theatre) remove Clotarca (Audrey Welsh) from his presence
Shannon Crowley, the lyric soprano we heard off-stage as the shepherd in Tosca, gave a tour de force performance of the Act III scene and aria of Zelmira. Bass Matthew Soibelman, also heard briefly in Tosca, resonated in the role of King Idreno. His voice is sonorous and of great range and carrying power. Erik Nordstrom, in the role of Ubaldo, again displayed a fine, warm baritone and dramatic abilities that made him a standout. Audrey Welsh, mezzo-soprano, as she did in the autumn in Cavalleria Rusticana, displayed vocal and dramatic prowess in the “pants role” of Clotarca. Three dancers courtesy of Attack Theatre – Melissa Burke, Anya Epstein and Olivia Nellis – wove through the action in what for the main part were interpretive gyrations which helped the story along.
Zelmira (Shannon Crowley) poses a question to Clotarca (Audrey Welsh)
Two performances remain – Friday evening, January 31, at 7:30, and Sunday afternoon, February 2, at 2:00. Tickets are scarce, but for information about seat availability, full production details and more, visit Pittsburgh Opera.
The Artistic Team for Armida –
Conductor, Antony Walker; Stage Director, Haley Stamats; Set Designer, Keija Yu; Costume Designer, Yinxue Wang; Wig and Make-Up Designer, Nicole Pagano; Lighting Designer, Mary Ellen Stebbins; Stage Manager, Tess Naval; Choreography and Movement Direction, Peter Kope/Attack Theatre; Intimacy Director, Rebekah Diaz; Assistant Conductor, Glenn Lewis; Director of Musical Studies, Mark Trawka; Associate Coach/Pianist, James Lesniak; Resident Artist Pianist, Maeve Berry; Assistant Stage Director, Dana Kinney; Assistant Stage Manager, Bee Anderson
David Bachman Photography for Pittsburgh Opera
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