Alcina keeps Oberlin opera spirit alive
and well
By Sara Ris
While opera may be alive and well at the Oberlin Conservatory,
and also adventurous, as read posters advertising Handels Alcina, the implications
behind these statements should not be ignored. It is of note, i.e. abnormal, for opera to be alive
and well, and even more abnormal for it to be adventurous.
Other ads read, Before there was MTV, there was opera. This may be true, but now there
is MTV, which directors everywhere have to keep in mind. So why is opera so unpopular? In an age
where we can just turn on the TV and watch hard bodies gyrate in fantasy lands, why does his thing
called opera even bother to continue? I think it is supposed to elevate its audience to the sublime.
Or something like that. But for whatever reason, in this case, they arent lying: opera is
alive at Oberlin.
Alcina is a case in point, and the singing in this production is, for the most part, gorgeous.
Senior Malia Bendi-Merad, who plays the soprano role of Morgana, is one of the best things ever
to have happened to Oberlins voice department. Her intonation, clarity and subtle musicality
alone make this production worth seeing. Senior Liora Grodnikaite, as the male role of Ruggiero,
is also stellar. She effects a convincing masculine swagger.
Unfortunately, the generally fabulous orchestra drowns out some of her most musically sensitive
moments.
Senior Vera Savage is well cast as the sorceress. She does an impressive job reigning in her massive
voice and letting it wail when appropriate. She has all the makings of a classic opera diva, not
to mention the cleavage to boot.
Junior Sarah Fanuchi, as Bradamante, displays enormous potential, and with some guidance and confidence,
is on her way to become a powerful performer. Junior Sarah St. Germain is adorable as Oberto, although
her smaller voice is sometimes swallowed up by the orchestra. Junior Ferris Allen does an admirable
job as well.
Alumnus David Kurtenbachs voice is appropriate for his role as Oronte, but his slinky body-language
was a detriment to his sound and effectiveness. All of the singers, save Bendi-Merad and Gradnikaite
(who in all fairness are two of the older members of the cast), could benefit from some attention
to the control of their bodies and their acting techniques.
But opera is not solely an aural art form, it also has visual components that require attention.
Todays MTV-watching audience wants something that is fun to watch. Alcina director Jonathon
Field certainly tries to remedy this, but his methods are all wrong. Instead of focusing acting,
staging and blocking, Field uses elaborate, gimmicky sets and ornate costumes to maintain his audiences
attention. This method implies either a lack of confidence in his singers or laziness on his part
in terms of training them in how to hold themselves on stage. The opera features a small, circular
stage-within-a-stage, a fancy slide projector and a scrim, which is present for the entirety of
the opera.
Audience opinion varied greatly in regards to Fields direction. One audience member called
it beautiful, while another proclaimed it self-indulgent and even went
on to say that it looked like an epileptic seizure. The circular mini-stage cut the
amount of stage space in half, further limiting the already restricted motion onstage. The scrim
was both an enhancement and a detriment, at times reminding the audience that this is all just
fantasy and at times serving as a distraction.
Voice majors are not required to take acting at Oberlin. They are, however, required to take 18
hours of Italian, German and French, which explains the overall exemplary Italian diction. The
students performances serve as a testament to the excellent training they are receiving in
language, as well as in singing itself, but also as a testament to the training they are not receiving.
What good are 18 credits of pronunciation and translation if there are zero credits of interpretation?
As for the plot of the opera (and lets face it, who actually goes to an opera for the plot?),
it is typically ridiculous and convoluted and contains the usual exoticism and sexism one can expect
from opera. The magical elements are a nice addition to the usual love/revenge melodrama, and one
thing for which the staging was well suited.
The opera is three hours long, and due to the aforementioned lack of blocking and acting direction,
those three hours do not fly by. This is partially because the nature of the Handel opera is such
that there is little variation in the music; it is almost entirely composed of arias (solos for
one singer). That said, the visual elements of the opera should be even more important.
If you are looking for beautiful singing and special effects, Alcina will be right up your alley.
If you want to be transported to the sublime, or at least experience some convincing acting, I
cant promise that Alcina will satisfy.
Hall Auditorium. Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m.
$5 OCID, $8 public. Tickets available through CTS.
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