Despite compelling music, muddled scenario proves fatal to Lyric Opera’s “Bel Canto”
Anthony Freud’s favorite adjective for his model of a modern major opera house is that it must be “relevant.”
The Lyric Opera of Chicago’s general director got more relevance than he could ever have imagined with the world premiere of Bel Canto Monday night at the Civic Opera House. When the company commissioned an opera three years ago based on Ann Patchett’s 2001 novel about a South American hostage crisis, who could have foreseen that the world premiere would come on the heels of bloody terrorist attacks in Paris and California?
Ripped-from-the-headlines timeliness apart, Bel Canto marks a significant project for the Chicago company, as Lyric’s first commission in 11 years since William Bolcom’s A Wedding. The centerpiece of Renée Fleming’s creative consultancy at Lyric Opera, the singer-administrator curated this commission, selecting composer Jimmy López, librettist Nilo Cruz, and soprano Danielle de Niese, in consultation with music director Sir Andrew Davis.
Lyric Opera has pulled out all the stops for this much-publicized premiere, and indeed delivered a first-class production and strong and committed performance Monday night at the Civic Opera House. Yet ultimately, Bel Canto proves less than the sum of its parts; after a fast-paced and crackling first half, the opera founders in a grievously muddled second act, due largely to the inadequacies of Patchett’s source material.
The scenario tells of the celebrated American opera star Roxane Coss (de Niese) who is invited to sing at the home of the Peruvian vice president, Ruben Iglesias (William Burden). The event is a birthday party for the Japanese industrialist Katsumi Hosokawa (Jeongcheol Cha) who is a committed fan of the soprano.
The toney gathering is abruptly interrupted as guerillas from the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) burst in on the party led by the hostile general Alfredo (Rafael Davila). The terrorists beat Iglesias and menace the partygoers, shooting one, and taking all hostage. A Red Cross negotiator Joachim Messner (Jacques Imbrailo) attempts to mediate between the guerillas and the Peruvian military government to little avail.
As the days and weeks wear on, the hostility and suspicion between the hostages and their captors begins to break down. Roxane gives voice lessons to the guerilla Cesar (Anthony Roth Costanzo), an aspiring singer. A romance blossoms between Roxane and her admirer Hosokawa, as well as one between Hosokawa’s interpreter Gen Watanabe (Andrew Stenson) and Carmen, a female Tupac member (J’nai Bridges). The communal good feeling is violently dispelled as the Peruvian military breaks in, killing all the terrorists as well as the Japanese innocents, ending the opera on a tragic note, as Roxane laments the death of Hosokawa (“You’re not Gone”).
The good news about Bel Canto is that the biggest question mark about this production–the music of the virtually unknown Jimmy López–turns out to be its most successful element. In his first opera, the Peruvian composer has crafted a compelling and remarkable score, and the restless, surging, clangorous music–think mid-period John Adams crossed with Prokofiev–propels the action at a frantic pace. López’s orchestration consistently engages the ear, wrapping the dramatic moments in thrusting accents and pulsing rhythms with high winds, strident brass and metallic percussion.
And yet one walks out of the theater impressed by López’s music without being convinced that the opera house is his natural milieu. The writing is capably if not always gratefully crafted for voices—though the mass scene in Act 2 is beautifully done–and individual arias, which come mostly in Act II, are likewise pleasant enough but less inspired than the darker dramatic moments. The edgy, biting sounds coming out of the pit Monday were often more intriguing than what was happening on stage, and it’s hard not to feel that the orchestra is López’s true medium.
Surprisingly, it is Nilo Cruz’s libretto that is most problematic, though not entirely of his own fault. All the international characters speak and sing in their own languages and the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright deftly handles the eight languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, German, French, Latin and Quechua), which presents no issues for audiences in the era of translated supertitles. Cruz’s text in dramatic moments is taut, lean and effective.
Yet the Cuban-American writer’s characteristic high-flying poetic imagery sounds jarringly out of place in a storyline of such stark realism. Such lines as “Our desires beckon us to the skin of the night” and “Roots are growing on my feet, and bindweed around my legs to stop me from running to your face,” seem not only out of place but strained and comically overwritten.
Yet the main problem with Bel Canto is Patchett’s novel itself and her implausible character motivations and situations, which frequently emerged as preposterous in live action on stage. Even in the elastic verisimilitude of the genre, the romance between Roxane and Hokosawa is wholly unbelievable as is that of Gen with the guerilla, Carmen. The cutesy upstairs-downstairs love quartet feels not only out of place but vaguely ridiculous.
Even more off-putting than the flimsy motivations is Patchett’s rad-chic romanticized view of the Tupac guerillas. Granted, compared to the cold-blooded jihadists of today, the Peruvian insurgents were a relatively benign bunch (no hostages were killed in the actual event the novel is based upon). But Patchett’s conceit that the immediacy and appeal of beautiful singing (“bel canto”) transcends not only nationalities but even the most extreme and violent ideologies seems painfully and dangerously naive in 2015.
That problem is compounded by the opera’s awkward handling of the terrorists’ transition, with an abrupt and baffling 180-degree turn by the guerilla leader Alfredo and his compadres from brutal invaders to amiable housemates; the formerly violent general happily agrees to hold their soccer game outside so as not to disturb Cesar’s voice lesson with Roxane.
That scene feels like a crucial section is missing, with an extended orchestral introduction to Roxane responding to Alfredo’s command to sing, which one guesses is supposed to turn the terrorists’ hearts. She sits at the piano and–no singing. There is a brief pause and the action continues to the next numbered scene. What the heck happened?
In Patchett’s dramaturgy, the lovable revolutionaries and hostages somehow wind up building an idealized community, playing cards together, the terrorist Beatriz puts flowers in her rifle and the vice president helps mend the terrorist’s uniforms. One can only empathize with the increasingly frustrated Red Cross emissary Messner: “Are you people crazy?” When the Peruvian military breaks in and shoots the terrorists, the martyrdom we are supposed to feel for them is as lacking as the dramatic plausibility in their change of heart that preceded it.
Another key problem with Bel Canto is the handling of the main character, Roxane. In the opera she is even more of a vacuous, entitled diva then in the novel, responding selfishly to the terrorist break-in (“I have to be in Milan!”) Danielle de Niese is a lovely charismatic presence with an attractive voice and while she performed gamely in this world premiere, her superficial portrayal failed to bring much dramatic depth and complexity to Roxane, much less make her segue into a more human and compassionate figure credible.
Among the large cast, Rafael Davila was the standout as the guerilla leader, Alfredo. Though no one could sell the character’s instant transition from brutal terrorist to rough-edged nice guy, the burly Puerto Rican tenor was aptly characterful and menacing and sang the demanding role with a big heroic tenor in his company debut.
As the pliable Carmen, J’nai Bridges made the most of her Act 2 aria, the Ryan Center alum singing with her rich, smoky mezzo. In his Lyric debut Anthony Roth Costanzo sang with pure and flexible tone as Cesar, the world’s only terrorist countertenor. Bradley Smoak sounded strained as Benjamin, Alfredo’s second in command.
Jeongcheol Cha displayed a firm and resonant bass-baritone as Hosokawa with Andrew Stenson showing a youthful tenor as his translator Gen. As the lovelorn Russian diplomat Fyodorov, Runi Brattaberg showed striking agility with his subterranean bass, making much out of his little song about his art book.
William Burden was unrecognizable yet wholly credible as the vice-president Iglesias. Jacques Imbrailo proved effective and endearing as the agitated Messner. Takoko Onishi was the sympathetic priest Father Arguedas and John Irvin worthy as Roxane’s ill-fated accompanist Christopf.
David Korins’ palatial setting for the vice-president’s home got the job done with a functional two-level unit design, bedroom and kitchen boxes effectively rolling into view like Joseph Cornell cabinets for the dueling romantic trysts. Constance Hoffman’s costumes effectively marked the passing time, contrasting the elegant finery of Act 1 with the worn and slovenly look of Act 2.
Director Kevin Newbury did a remarkable job of not only effectively blocking the primary action but devising actions for the large cast of hostages and dozens of extras onstage, with the moment of the terrorist attack frightening and genuinely nerve-wracking.
Andrew Davis led the Lyric Opera Orchestra in a thrilling and virtuosic performance of Lopez’s restless, roiling score, which makes one wish that Lyric management would give their music director and orchestra more opportunities to perform 20th- and 21st-century music. The chorus singing under Michael Black’s direction was exemplary.
Bel Canto runs through January 17. Two January performances will be taped for later broadcast on PBS’s Great Performances. lyricopera.org; 312-827-5600.
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9 Responses to “Despite compelling music, muddled scenario proves fatal to Lyric Opera’s “Bel Canto””
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Posted Dec 08, 2015 at 4:10 pm by Hank
Although I agree with most the content of this review, this misses the point:
“Though no one could sell the character’s instant transition from brutal terrorist to rough-edged nice guy, the burly Puerto Rican tenor was aptly characterful and menacing and sang the demanding role with a big heroic tenor in his company debut.”
First, there was a substantial passage of time. Secondly, it is acknowledged that this terrorist group is more benign that most. Moreover, there was an intriguing, sort of reverse Stockholm Syndrom happening.
Posted Dec 08, 2015 at 5:26 pm by Martin Jones
This review is damning and damnable on so many fronts, but I rather expected it from this reviewer. In either case, the audience cheered, and Ann Patchett who sat a couple rows behind me, told me that she loved it & found it even better than her own writing. Go see this terrific opera for yourselves and make up your own minds! Despite some weaknesses, the strengths in music, libretto and stagecraft more than make up for them.
Posted Dec 08, 2015 at 6:27 pm by KMW
To me, the novel kept my attention better than the opera did. Not sure how anyone could direct an opera with so many people on stage in one setting for three hours. The music: very fine. Libretto needs tightening, and maybe omit the intermission. Orchestra: terrific. Singers: great. The love scene between the singer and CEO: lame.
Posted Dec 09, 2015 at 2:41 am by JJC
Listening on the radio and following the translation on Lyric web site I was struck by the beauty of the Music, a little over-orchestrated, but none the less a great outing for a first opera by Jimmy Lopez!Can’t wait for his second opera.
The problem I had was with the libretto, which did not seem relevant to the music or the story. I think it was too poetic and could not relate to the words that were being sung in a terrorist world of today or to the music!
Also did Cruz and Lopez borrow from Donizetti’s aria Una furtiva lagrima for one of the big arias, or was I mistaken? On the radio I could not tell who sung the aria.
Posted Dec 09, 2015 at 9:37 am by Regaldiva
Our “music” reviewer missed the basic point of the opera—that music connects directly to the deepest emotions in our lives. HIs critique that ” . . .the martyrdom we are supposed to feel for them is as lacking as the plausibility in their change of heart that preceded it.” The Stockholm Syndrome has been more than validated in hostage situations throughout history. To quote Victor Hugo, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.” Patchett’s novel, Nilo Cruz’s lyrics & beautiful voices made that happen.
Posted Dec 09, 2015 at 9:59 am by Lawrence A. Johnson
To JJC: The snippet of “Una furtiva lagrima” was sung by the guerilla Cesar (countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo) as he is given a voice lesson by Roxane.
Posted Dec 09, 2015 at 10:21 am by Marco
The founding trope of opera, maybe all music, is the Orpheus myth: a guy sings and plays so well that the gods resurrect his dead wife so she can return to him on earth. How plausible is that? And there’s some of this myth in the book-the power of music to speak across language, cultural and class divides.
Nearly every opera plot is ridiculous. What happens at the end of Don Carlo? Gotterdammerung? Does anyone believe in the reconciliations, or that anyone has learned anything at the end of Figaro, Don Giovanni or Cosi? Is the redemption through sacrifice in Faust or Dutchman plausible today? Speaking of Cosi, how does anyone buy that those two girls don’t recognize their fiances in disguise? That switched baby stuff in Trovatore? Ridiculous. Can you even write a cogent, succinct plot summary of Adriana Lecouvreur, Wozzeck, Pelleas, the Magic Flute? I can’t.
I loved the book Bel Canto. I can’t wait to see the opera next month. I have spoken to several who attended the premiere; they all raved about it. If your biggest complaint is the thinness of the story-something that could be leveled at nearly every opera-I expect to be bowled over when I see and hear it.
Posted Dec 15, 2015 at 11:11 pm by Anne-Marie
Having read the book years ago, I was intrigued by the concept of adapting it to the operatic medium. I went to Saturday night’s performance with an open mind. The music was, surprisingly, not as shocking as I thought it would be. In fact, it was powerful in communicating the drama of the unfolding plot. The poetic language of the libretto would have been beautiful in another context but rather out of place in the terrorist scenario, as the reviewer points out.
My biggest issue was the plausibility of the relationships, i.e., the two pairs of lovers. I did not sense the emotional development in Roxanne Coss from self-absorbed diva to woman in love – or was it rather woman driven by desire? Another flaw in the storyline, which a fellow audience member that night also noted, was the abrupt terrorist attack so soon after the party guests arrived. If you compare this to a classic opera in the repertoire such as La Traviata for instance, there should ideally have been a smoother transition from party gaiety to the horror of the rebels’ entrance. Setting the scene of celebration definitively before overwhelming the audience with the violent intrusion would have been more dramatic.
Overall, the Lyric Orchestra was, in my humble opinion, the star of this world premiere. Bravo, Sir Andrew and musicians!
Posted Dec 18, 2015 at 6:20 am by Roland Buck
“the world’s only terrorist countertenor”
Why on earth do they include countertenors in modern operas? The countertenors make sense in Baroque operas to sing parts originally written for castraties, but appear to make no sense in modern operas that have no parts written for castraties.