Gods incognito, gods enchanted, envious gods, conniving
gods, sympathetic gods . . . and two mortals clinging to each other in their
midst. Cincinnati Chamber Opera, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Early Music
Festival, will present a performance of the oldest surviving opera,
Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Feb. 14 and 15,
2014, directed by Shawn Mlynek. Its subtitle is “A Fable in Music.” And what do
the gods represent in such fables, but all that is uncontrollable in our
lives: chance, fate, and the actions of
others? It is said that we are defined
not by what happens to us but by how we respond. Orpheus’ response to life is to love—to love
Eurydice and to love music, and to stay true to that love in spite of the
uncontrollables that besiege him.
In the early 17th century a group of composers
began experimenting with the concept of a dramatic narrative told entirely
through music. There were a few wild
throws, and then in 1607 Claudio Monteverdi brought to the stage his creation,
a re-telling of the Orpheus myth, and opera was truly born. Monteverdi was a brilliant composer in all
the fields he had tried—church music, instrumental music, madrigals—but with
this work he discovered that he had a genius for drama as well. The characters vibrate with life, the music
shimmers with passion.
The central moment of the work is in Act III. Orpheus has
arrived at the banks of the river Styx, where he begs the ferryman to carry him
across. Charon stubbornly refuses. Desperate, Orpheus summons all his gifts to
sing the extraordinary aria Possente
spirto. He sings of music, and the
power it wields over all creation; he sings of his own remarkable abilities,
given to him by the gods; and at last he sings of his love for Eurydice, of how
her death has extinguished the light from his life. The vocal line, which until then has been
showy and elaborate, sheds all ornamentation to reveal this final stark truth. “I
am Orfeo,” he declares, “who has come to this dark place where no mortal man
should be. I cannot cross without you,
and I cannot live without her.”
Orpheus makes two journeys in the course of the opera. One is to the underworld and back, as told by
the plot. The other is told in the music
itself: Monteverdi uses key changes,
dissonances, and the character of the music to show Orpheus’ emotional journey
through the shattering events of his wedding day. Upon hearing of Eurydice’s death, Orpheus —
the man whose very essence is self-expression in music – becomes “mute as a
stone”. Later he returns to himself by
singing that extraordinary declaration in the face of an angry god. And finally, nature itself begins to lead him
to a state of grace as the rocks and hills answer his laments with an echo
transformed by sympathy and comfort.
Music is both the subject of the story and the storyteller. What could be more appropriate for the
world’s first opera?
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| Shawn Mlynek |
Cincinnati Chamber Opera is the brainchild of Shawn Mlynek
and Autumn West. Both recent CCM grads,
they felt a need in Cincinnati for opportunities for young singers to sing
ambitious roles, to get inside their craft right at the beginning of their
careers. They both know that one has to
make one’s own opportunities, rather than hope for lucky chances. Mlynek, a busy working tenor based in
Cincinnati, appreciates the production side of things: “When your name is on the project, it has to
be something you’re proud of.” West, a
soprano who has performed both in this country and in Europe, is focused on her
singing and teaching career, but has been surprised to find how satisfying it
is to work behind the scenes. “Singers
today need to wear many hats. Coordinating
rehearsal schedules, costumes and sets, working with instrumentalists, stepping
up to whatever is needed at any given moment—it all requires its own kind of
artistry.”
 |
| Autumn West |
The imaginative staging will include a cast of eleven
soloists, plus chorus. True to the composer’s original intent, there will also
be dancers, led by choreographer Alexandra Kassouf. Harpsichord and organ will accompany. All in all, it will be a unique theatrical
event. Bring a date, for a Valentine’s
Day story of enduring love.
Feb 14 & 15, 7:00pm, Christ Church Cathedral
downtown. Tickets $17 adults, $15
students/seniors
