(Logo lifted from LA
Opera.)
I am delighted to be appearing in the chorus for "Pagliacci"
at Opera San José, from November 9th to 24th, 1996. This
page provides a little information for your enjoyment, and hopefully
will entice you to come see the show (and me)!
It's an exciting show. Both casts of principals are marvellous:
wonderful voices, funny shticks, and heart-rending performances.
And it has all the traditional old world values: violence, anger,
wife-beating, mocking of cripples, and incipient fascism. What
more could you ask for?
I just realised why opera plots are generally so ridiculous. Opera
as a medium is great at expressing emotion; it's pretty lousy
at explaining a plot. And "Pagliacci" is a great example.
In rehearsal this show is just withering. But the run-of-the-mill
plot summary is a real yawner. So let me give you the emotional
plot.
Bored sleepy Italian village. Your mayor, your wives and mothers,
your priest (that's me) and nuns, your kids, your young men in
the neat uniforms of the new "fascist" party that's
sweeping Italy. In comes the travelling show. Excitement! Spectacle!
Celebrity! Happy reunions with the troupers. Jokes. Teasing. A
silly joke about infidelity taken seriously. A hint of rage. Puzzlement.
Rage disappears. Oh never mind. A religious ceremony, a deep and
reassuring tradition, but the fascists almost crash it. Averted.
Off to church.
Amongst the troupers: The cripple tries seducing the diva/wife.
Rejection Scorn. And so, anger, bitterness, lust for revenge.
Lover appears. Joy. Doubt. Lover's quarrel. Making up. Love. Lust.
Hormones spill all over the stage. Spurned cripple overhears.
Revenge! Brings star/husband to listen. Rage! Suspicions confirmed.
Attack! Lunge! Lover runs away. Who is it? Break it up! Trouble
averted, for now. Star ponders: betrayal, pain, anger, confusion,
anger... anger. On with the show.
The show. Excitement. Confusion. Distractions. Settling down (finally).
The show! Anticipation, familiarity. Laughter. Ridicule. Pratfalls.
Then suddenly: Rage! No, it's gone. Never mind. No, again: Rage,
really! What's happening? Doubt. Fear. Confusion. Guilt. Betrayal.
Pain. Finally, violence... death. And then anguish, more and more
anguish.
"Pagliacci" (Clowns), by Ruggero
Leoncavallo; a double bill with La
Voix Humane by Francis Poulenc.
Presented by Opera
San José at the Montgomery
Theatre, San Carlos and Market Streets, in downtown San Jose,
California. Tickets range from $33 to $42. Mastercard and Visa
are welcome. For more information, call the Box Office at +1-408-437-4450.
Performance dates:
November 9 10 12 14 15 16 17 19 21 23 24
1996 Sat Sun Tue Thu Fri Sat Sun Tue Thu Sat Sun
8pm 3pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 3pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 3pm
Cast:
Nov. 9, 12, 15, 10, 14, 16,
17, 21, 23 19, 24
Nedda Barbara Divis Maureen Magill
Canio Matthew Kirchner Richard Nickol
Tonio David Cox Brian Carter
Silvio Andrew Eisenmann Nmon Ford-Livene
Beppe Michael Sommese Joe Meyers
Conductor Barbara Day Turner
Director Lillian Garrett-Groag
The parts of several hundred townspeople are played by a chorus
of about 17 people, among them yours
truly.
Recordings. The Penguin
Guide to Compact Discs recommends a couple of recordings.
I picked up the Deutsche Grammophon recording with Karajan and
La Scala, starring Carlo Bergonzi and Joan Carlyle (DG 449 727-2).
I'm happy with it. Penguin is also keen on an RCA recording with
Seunti and the LSO, starring Placido Domingo and Monserrat Caballé
(BMG/RCA GD 60865-2). Operaworld also has their
recommendations.
Other performances. You just missed an
impressive cast at the LA
Opera, California in Septmber 1996. There was a May
1994 performance by my beloved West
Bay Opera, Palo Alto, California. And you can find more. The
American Opera association lists upcoming
US and world productions. Operabase.com can list major
upcoming European performances.
Elsewhere on the Web. The indispensable Opera
Glass has a ton of useful links. Yahoo's
opera page is always a good bet. And, you can simply search
the Web like this.
Spelling tips. I am reliably informed that the
proper title of the opera is "Pagliacci", meaning "Clowns".
The term "I Pagliacci" ("The Clowns") is often
used, too.