The Tender Land displays middle America

Aaron Copland is known as one of the finest American composers of the 20th century. He, along with contemporaries such as Leonard Bernstien and Charles Ives, helped to define a true sense of the American musical voice. This week, the Oberlin Conservatory Opera Theater is presenting Copland's opera The Tender Land; a coming of age story of a young girl searching for freedom and individuality in the mid-west.

Born in Brooklyn in 1900, his parents both Russian immigrants, Copland began composing at a very young age. He began writing songs at the age of eight, and his formal training began three years later when he started piano lessons. He began studying composition at the age of 16 with Rubin Goldmark, who had studied in Europe with Antonin Dvorak and later went on to become head of the composition department at the Julliard School of Music.

Copland divided the world of composers into two classes, those who write operas because they can't help it - like Puccini, Verdi and Wagner - and those who try to write opera - like himself.

Copland has said of The Tender Land: "In Paris in the 1920's, we were all interested in ballet. Later, in the same way, everybody wanted to write an opera. But (a) full-length opera is an enormous challenge for a composer! You spend years on the work, and then it's all over and decided in a few hours...my opera The Tender Land, was not meant to be a big dramatic opera. It was for young people to perform, and for that reason, it is rather simple in musical style and story line. In writing The Tender Land, I was trying to give young American singers material for them to sing and perform. I deliberately tried to combine the use of traditional operatic set pieces - arias, duets, choruses, etc. - with a natural language that would not be too complex for young singers at opera workshops throughout the country. The result was closer to musical comedy than grand opera."

The librettist Horace Everett found his inspiration for The Tender in James Agee's famous book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, the chronicle of a journey through the Depression-ravaged south in the 1930's, as well as photos from the same time period taken by photographer Walker Evens. The Tender Land was Everetts's first attempt at writing a libretto, he was a dancer and pianist by trade. Much of the original libretto was cut out and the remaining parts were drastically altered before a final version of the opera was decided.

After many trials and tribulations, the premiere of The Tender Land came after many trials and tribulations with a performance at the New York City Center in 1954. The work, which was originally intended to be the soundtrack for a television production, was turned down by NBC. Soon after, it was picked up by the NYC Opera. Its premiere received poor reviews. The ending was criticized for being inconclusive and unconvincing, the roles of the women seemed "undefined," and some found the music lacking as it revealed little about the individual natures of the characters.

In 1955, after extensive re-working of both the musical score and the libretto, the opera was premiered in its present form right here in Oberlin under Copland's supervision.

The opera is set in the 1930's on a small mid-western farm during spring harvest. The story centers around the Moss family - Laurie, Ma Moss, Grandpa Moss and Laurie's little sister, Beth. It is the day before Laurie's graduation from high school when two drifters, Martin and Top, come to the farm seeking work. Grandpa Moss is reluctant to hire them at first because they are strangers, but they quickly change his mind, charming him with their witty explanation that he is just as much a stranger to them as they are to him. Ma Moss on the other hand, having heard from the postman of two local girls recently being molested by "strangers," automatically assumes that Martin and Top committed the crimes.

The second act begins with Laurie's graduation party, and after a good deal of drinking, dancing and fiddle playing, Laurie (Conservatory senior Abra Bush) and Martin (Double-degree senior Waldo Gonzales) fall in love. After discovering the two kissing, Grandpa Moss (Double-degree fifth-year Oren Gradus) accuses them of being the criminals in question, and even after their innocence has been established, orders them off the farm by sunrise.

The central theme of accepting life as it comes, taking it all as a whole experience and not as being either good or bad is expressed in the very beginning. In the opening scene, Laurie, dressed in black, has come back to the home that she left so long ago for her mother's funeral. It is not until this "ghost's" re-appearance at the end of the opera that we realize that the whole thing was merely a memory of events that happened long ago.

All of the lead characters delivered strong performances and seemed quite comfortable in their roles. Mayes did a wonderful acting job, not losing track of her character for even the briefest of moments. Her voice was rich and dark, which proved a nice contrast with Bush's higher, crystal clear soprano.

Bush, for her part, did an excellent job of portraying a young woman caught between the safety and comforts of home in a small town, and the burning desire to be a woman with her own life. Occasionally, in some of the more difficult passages, Bush seemed to fall out of character for a moment, and then regain her sense of character, although often a little too enthusiastically to be convincing.

Gonzales and Holmes played their parts with gusto, reveling in the fun that their characters had, and playing up their enthusiasm in a manner that, at times, bordered on slapstick, physical comedy. Gonzales's tenor was right on; his voice was clear and strong, his phrasing musical and emotionally effective. There were many lines that were delivered with so much emotion that the line between actor and character was almost lost. Holmes also put in a good performance, obviously enjoying his character. His voice was strong and consistent, unfortunately it was occasionally covered up by the volume of the orchestra.

Conducted by opera theater coach Alan Montgomery, (replacing maestro Louis Lane, who mysteriously dropped his position as conductor at the last minute) the orchestra had some beautiful moments, but they certainly weren't without their rough spots. There were far too many times when the audience had to strain to hear the singers - especially in their middle to low ranges - over the orchestra, and the violins played some, well, interesting notes once in a while. But those were minor problems that should be easily solved by the next performance. The set designs for The Tender Land were very effective and provided the stage with a sense of spaciousness that reflected the wide open prairies of middle America. The set didn't change much, as the entire opera is set in the same place, but the way in which the sky was designed was electrifying. Complete with shining moon and sun, and streaked with the glow of sunrise the sky could almost be described as an active character in the opera.

Of the three acts, the second was by far the most fun. The only act performed with full chorus provided a welcome change in sound and mood. Much of the text of The Tender Land is delivered in a recitative-like style which, combined with the "open" sound of Copland's harmonies, makes for a fairly homogeneous musical texture. This style of writing is effective in evoking the feeling of the expansiveness of mid-western fields and prairies. In a more abstract sense, it also reflects the unmeasurable, elusive nature of life itself. While this is nice, the shift in musical sound and story line was much welcomed.

The chorus, playing the roles of Laurie's party guests, danced up a storm and looked like they really were having a party up there on-stage. Special recognition must be given to Conservatory first-year Mark Callahan and his partner, Conservatory sophomore Rhiannon Giddens for their skillful dancing, and to fiddler Conservatory sophomore Aaron Packard for providing them with music they could really ho-down to.

Inasmuch as The Tender Land can be interpreted as another coming of age story, there are some very pressing social issues that wind their way into the story line. The portrayal of the women in this opera raises some serious questions about a woman's right and ability to be an independent member of society without a man to protect and provide for her. Whether that man is her lover or her grandfather, it doesn't matter - it still seems that a man is needed to somehow validate the woman's life. In the first act, when Ma Moss hears of the rape and consequent pregnancy of a neighbor's daughter, her first reaction is to fear what Grandpa Moss's reaction would be if such a thing was ever to happen to her Laurie.

Another concept central to the opera is the danger of having too much imagination for one's own good. This angle of the plot is two-fold - it relates to the danger and foolishness that Ma Moss and Grandpa see in Laurie's wish to leave the safety of home, to see the great, wide world that lies beyond the confines of the farm. At the same time, the idea of imagination being dangerous brings to light the foolishness of Ma and Grandpa's refusal to see beyond those same confines.

In Act Two, the two drifters have been publicly accused of being the criminals who have committed the brutal crimes, and are consequently publicly absolved of any traces of guilt by the announcement by Mr. Splinters - the postman (wonderfully played by Conservatory junior Kristofer Johnson) - that the perpetrators have already been captured by the sheriff. Mr. Splinters sings: "Dangerous thing imagination can be." And Grandpa's response to this is: "They're guilty all the same."

The fact that the libretto is written in English, and the music was composed to fit with the rhythm and flow of the English language, makes The Tender Land a unique listening experience. Many operas written in foreign languages like Italian or German - which make up the bulk of the repertoire - often seem strained and awkward when translated and sung in English. Despite the original problems with the libretto, there are some wonderful lyrics in The Tender Land that, accompanied by Copland's music, are profoundly, beautifully poetic and always uniquely American.

The entire cast did a good job of putting on a committed, if not flawless, performance. There is something special about seeing an opera performed live, and having the chance to see one done well here in Oberlin is something everyone should take the time to experience.

The Tender Land will be at Hall Auditorium Fri. and Sat. at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Show a little tenderness: Copeland's The Tender Land opened in Hall Auditorium this week, showcasing all that is middle-America, including a down-home hoe down with a fiddle. (photo courtesy Alice Hirt Hug)