Unmistakably American in Musik and Vision 23 gennaio

Unmistakably American
William Bolcom's 'A View from the Bridge',
heard by GIUSEPPE PENNISI

America's 'new' operatic productions are very little known in Italy, in spite of the amount, variety and quality and the stated intention to capture new audience for music theatre through strong librettos and eclectic but easily understood scores. In the 2009-10 season, in spite of the hard economic cycle, at least twelve new operas were premièred in the USA; of these, two (Il Postino by Daniel Catán and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Ricky Ian Gordon) were based on well-known Italian movies. In Germany, Austria and a few other European countries, 'new' American operas are often performed, but in Italy only André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire and Lorin Maazel's 1984 have been seen in major opera houses. For the 'new' American theatre, I mean the genre that has quietly developed over the last century or so starting with masterpieces such as Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe, and Gian Carlo Menotti's The Consul. Floyd and Moore combined traditional European operatic models with American folk influences to tell a distinctly American story: in the case of Baby Doe, the real-life rags-to-riches story of Horace 'Silver Dollar' Tabor and in the case of Susannah, a Biblical tragedy re-set in the American bible belt. The Italian-born Menotti creates a chilling picture of European totalitarianism and, by implication, of American complicity. In the seventies, Thomas Pasatieri composed twenty-two operas mostly drawn from well known plays; in my opinion, the best was The Seagull. In parallel, Dominick Argento developed visionary operas such as A Postcard from Morocco.

A scene from William Bolcom's 'A View from the Bridge' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2011 Corrado Falsini. Click on the image for higher resolution
Over the last fifteen years, many new composers have flourished in the attempt to capture a new and younger audience to the art and business of opera. In the USA, opera houses are private; even though the tax system provides generous relief to sponsors and contributors, managers must keep an eye on the box office; also, sponsors and contributors are, of course, interested in ventures that please a large audience, not in those that give joy to only a rather small experimental élite. Thus, 'new' American operas are often based on widely-known subjects, have 'neo-romantic' diatonic scores, emphasize declamation (as a new way of 'recitative' to get the action moving as well as in order to make the text clearly understood) but also have specific numbers (arias, duets, concertato) and normally keep the same characterization of traditional Italian operas -- a lyric soprano and a lyric tenor for the young lovers, a baritone for the villain, a variety of basses and mezzos in all the other roles and, if possible, a strong choral participation.

Kim Josephson as Eddie Carbone and Marlin Miller as Rodolfo in William Bolcom's 'A View from the Bridge' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2011 Corrado Falsini. Click on the image for higher resolution
William Bolcom's A View from the Bridge is in line with this canon or set of implicit rules. It has strong roots in a well known Arthur Miller play which was also a successful film. Arthur Miller himself wrote the libretto in collaboration with Arnold Weinstein. Some scenes from the original play are either eliminated or shortened, but a major role is given to the chorus with the view of giving the opera the slant of a Greek tragedy, just as Arthur Miller intended to do in the first version of his work -- a one act play in verse. Bolcom's opera had an Italian precedent: in the Teatro dell'Opera of Rome's 1960-61 season, Renzo Rossellini's Uno Sguardo dal Ponte had been unveiled based on the translation of Miller's play. Rossellini's opera was revived a few times in Italy, but it fell into oblivion. It was a good, unmistakably Italian verismo opera with more emphasis on specific musical numbers, a smaller role for declamation and, of course, a lesser function for the chorus.

John Del Carlo as Alfieri (left) and Mark McCrory as Marco in William Bolcom's 'A View from the Bridge' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2011 Corrado Falsini. Click on the image for higher resolution
Instead, Bolcom's A View from the Bridge is unmistakably American. It was commissioned by the Chicago Lyric Theatre and has been seen in New York, Washington and other major opera houses in the United States. The production opened in Rome on 18 January 2011, and this review is based on that opening performance. It had been staged in Chicago (and elsewhere in the USA) before crossing the Atlantic. It is, thus, a well proven product with an effective stage direction by Frank Galati (special attention is given to acting), an impressive three-level stage set by Santo Loquasto (Woody Allen's favorite set designer), projections by Wandall K Harrington and lighting by Jeff Bruckerhoff. Most of the main singers are American: John Del Carlo (Alfieri), Kim Josephson (Eddie Carbone), Dale Travis (Louis), Amanda Squitieri (Catherine), Gregory Bonfatti (Tony), Marlin Miller (Rodolfo) and Mark McCrory (Marco). Amanda Roocroft (Beatrice Carbone) is British. The chorus of the Teatro dell'Opera, the chorus master Roberto Gabbiani and a few singers in minor roles are Italian.

Mark McCrory as Marco and Amanda Roocroft as Beatrice Carbone in William Bolcom's 'A View from the Bridge' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2011 Corrado Falsini. Click on the image for higher resolution
Before commenting on the performance, it is worth noting that the normally conservative Teatro dell'Opera audience took this dive into the uncharted waters of the 'new' American operatic genre quite well. There were open scene applauses after the arioso-song of the lyric tenor (Marlin Miller) as well as after that of the bass (Mark McCrory) in the prison scene. There were ten minutes of accolades at the final curtain calls, after a performance of two hours and 45 minutes, including intermission.

Marlin Miller as Rodolfo is nearly strangled by Kim Josephson as Eddie in William Bolcom's 'A View from the Bridge' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2011 Corrado Falsini. Click on the image for higher resolution
Dramaturgically, Arthur Miller's play is very tense; as mentioned, the stage direction and sets enhanced its power. Musically, Bolcom's score is eclectic, but has considerable invention and power which complement and strengthen the action with rare acuity. Naturally, in the score, the listener senses Gershwin and Bernstein, but there is also a hint of Luciano Berio. The orchestration is especially rich: there are some twenty leitmotifs, used not in any Wagnerian manner, but rather as in Puccini's La Fanciulla del West to depict characters and situations and to bring them back to the listener's memory. Again and again, the orchestration confidently establishes just the right emotional temperature in any given scene. David Levi conducted the Teatro dell'Opera orchestra effectively, and the orchestra, on its own account, responded quite well.

Amanda Roocroft (left) as Beatrice Carbone and Amanda Squitieri as Catherine in William Bolcom's 'A View from the Bridge' at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Photo © 2011 Corrado Falsini. Click on the image for higher resolution
Bolcom exploits the glory of the human voice. The speech rhythms are embedded in the music, which always feels melodic and part of the surging whole. Amanda Roocroft is a powerful dramatic soprano. The vocal protagonist is Kim Josephson, and indeed it seems that the Eddie Carbone role was written especially for him, even though he has no single number and his mastery is in shading various types of declamation. His opposite is the bass Mark McCrory, quite agile, especially in his prison scene arioso. The trio is completed by John Del Carlo, a versatile bass-baritone with the function of chorus leader and commentator. The two young lovers were tender but excellent in their acute: Marlin Miller (a lyric tenor with a timbre similar to that of the late Fritz Wunderlich) and Amanda Squitieri (a good lyric soprano). In short, an effective cast both vocally and dramatically.
Copyright © 23 January 2011 Giuseppe Pennisi,
Rome, Italy

TEATRO DELL'OPERA
ROME
ITALY
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
OPERA
AMANDA ROOCROFT
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