July 11- August 24, 2014
by Michael J. Moran
 |
| Alice Busch Opera Theater |
Glimmerglass’ 2014 season presents three “beloved audience
favorites after each underwent several revisions” and a revised version of a
recent premier. All four productions can be seen in one weekend during August
in the ideal acoustics of the 900-seat Alice Busch Opera Theater.
The newest piece is Tobias Picker’s opera “An American
Tragedy,” based on Theodore Dreiser’s 1925 novel, commissioned and first
presented by the Metropolitan Opera in 2005. Dreiser added a wealthy love
interest (Sondra Finchley) to the real-life story of Chester Gillette (Clyde
Griffiths in the novel and opera), a poor factory worker in upstate New York
with no assets but his good looks, who was convicted of murdering his pregnant
lover Grace Brown (Roberta Alden) in 1906 and executed in 1908.
The shorter revision heightens the personal drama of the
three principals but loses some of Dreiser’s broader focus on class. Most of
the cast are current or past members of Glimmerglass’s impressive young artists
program. Baritone Christian Bowers was a suave and callous heartthrob as Clyde,
while soprano Vanessa Isiguen was a poignant Roberta and mezzo-soprano Cynthia
Cook an aristocratic Sondra. Veteran opera conductor George Manahan led an
incisive account.
Like “Tragedy,” Francesca Zambello’s delightful production
of Strauss’s “Ariadne in Naxos” was reset from central Europe to a barn in
upstate New York, where a burlesque troop and an opera company must provide
simultaneous dinner entertainment. Featuring local children and farm animals,
the cast was headlined by soprano and 2014 artist in residence Christine
Goerke, who was a hilarious Prima Donna and a ravishing Ariadne. Soprano
Rachele Gilmore was lively and moving as burlesque queen Zerbinetta, and
Kathleen Kelly conducted a vibrant rendition.
But Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” offered the breakout
performance of the season in soprano Yunah Lee’s elegant, heartrending
portrayal of Cio-Cio-San. Young artist mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi was a
compelling Suzuki, and tenor Dinyar Vania as Pinkerton and baritone Aleksey
Bogdanov were other cast standouts. The leadership of Festival music director
Joseph Colaneri and the stark sets by Michael Yeargan were cathartically
effective.
A dark and dramatic production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
“Carousel” (which conductor Doug Peck notes that Rodgers instructed his
orchestrators to “treat as his own Puccini opera”) completed the Festival
line-up. Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, last year’s riveting Flying Dutchman, was
an equally riveting Billy Bigelow, with a strong Julie Jordan from soprano
Andrea Carroll and a brilliant Carrie Pipperidge from young artist soprano
Sharin Apostolou.
Such nearby attractions as the Baseball Hall of Fame, scenic
Otsego Lake, and the Fenimore Art Museum, this summer featuring tie-in
exhibitions on Madame Butterfly’s Japan and the Gillette/Brown case, offer
worthwhile diversions from the ample Glimmerglass schedule.
