Out West Arts: Performance at the end of the world

The Los Angeles Opera’s presentation of Philip Glass’s Satyagraha now onstage through November 11 has a momentous feeling about it. Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch’s 2007 landmark production of this previously ignored late 20th-Century masterpiece may have single-handedly ushered in a much broader and very well-deserved late-career renaissance for Mr. Glass. The work has always been there and has always been worth hearing and talking about, but over the course of the last decade since this production’s premiere, Glass’ music seems vital and edgy all over again. And in a way, this production blesses just about everything it touches, and Los Angeles Opera has benefited from it too. Satyagraha caps the company's presentation of Glass’ triumvirate of early "great-thinker" operas which also includes Einstein on the Beach seen in Los Angeles on its recent world tour revival in 2013 and Akhnaten subsequently in 2016 a production also from English National Opera directed by Mr. McDermott. That an American company of this size would mount all three of these in under a decade is largely unthinkable. The fact that LAO did so is not only a testament to the quality of these productions, but it stands as the company’s most significant artistic achievement since the completion of Achim Freyer’s Ring cycle in 2010. Much was made of the financial repercussions of that endeavor, but it was a shining moment for the company – one that to this day is still under-recognized. The staging of these Glass operas – while not in new productions mounted exclusively for LAO – is still undoubtedly another great landmark for the ensemble.

That this moment is playing out under the baton of LA Opera Resident Conductor Grant Gershon is also no small matter. Gershon was an ideal choice for this assignment given his familiarity with late 20th Century and contemporary scores and his unparalleled expertise with choral conducting. Satyagraha has some of the most demanding and beautiful choral music written in the last 50 years and the Los Angeles Opera chorus shone brightly when I saw the performance on November 1. Another beneficiary of the many deserved accolades in this run is tenor Sean Panikkar who is excellent as Gandhi. Panikkar's star has been on the rise and he has had a banner year in 20th-Century repertoire he has made increasingly his speciality. In addition to this role, he starred as Dionysus in Henze's The Bassarids in his Salzburg festival debut this summer - a role as diametrically opposed to Gandhi as can be. He was superb in both, and LA audiences are lucky to see him. Soprano So Young Park has also made great impressions here in LA in prior outings and she is another standout in the Satyagraha cast as Miss Schlesen.

I will admit that the production has grown on me over the years. The work is more ideological than narratively linear and McDermott and Crouch rely on a wide variety of acrobats, puppets, and clever ritualistic touches to imbue the show with a dizzying array of images that often unfold and wrap themselves around the viewer over the course of the evening. What I once felt was a somewhat literal take on the material strikes me now as more theatrical and tapping into the deeper ideological themes of the piece. You don't want to miss this.

Labels: LA Opera 18/19

Los Angeles Opera opened it’s 2018/2019 season last weekend with a return of Verdi’s Don Carlo. It had a dream cast, even though that dream may have been from 15 years ago. In some ways that might be appropriate in that the production itself from 2006 is being revived here for the first time. And a dozen years later, the two best things about the show were still intact – the superb conducting from LA Opera music director James Conlon and the unparalleled bass Feruccio Furlanetto as the besieged-on-all-sides King Philip II of Spain. The cast also featured Ramon Vargas in the title role, Anna Smirnova as Princess Eboli and Ana Maria Martinez as Elisabeth de Valois. All of them had their moments, though the chemistry between the cast often felt lukewarm on this opening night. It wasn’t until the series of star solo moments in the final two acts that the show really started to take off when each of these excellent singers was given their chance to shine on their own unencumbered. Another big hero of the evening was Chorus Master Grant Gershon, who continues to deliver a vastly improved chorus that repeatedly stepped up to the task at hand with flair on opening night.

And then there was Placido Domingo. The company’s General Director, biggest advocate and patron, and an unquestionable living legend. This production follows the model of the tenor’s performances of latter years by casting him in the premiere baritone role, in this case Rodrigo, and letting him do what he does best — provide a stirring performance with his voice — essentially what the art of opera is at its very core. That has not changed, and he is amazing to watch. He is certainly reason enough to see the show. But it is not a performance that quells all of the questions and criticisms of his output in these recent years of his career. His is not the ideal voice for these baritone roles. And when he appears as Carlos’ young, idealistic brother-in-spirit, the age difference between him and the rest of the cast is readily apparent. It’s a great wig and costume to be sure, but there is something missing chemistry-wise. And while Domingo’s vocalism goes a long was to correct that disparity, it doesn’t quite overcome it.

The production, originally from Ian Judge, hasn’t aged entirely well and now looks somewhat thin and undercooked compared to 2006. The production was telecast to remote locations for outdoor audiences in Los Angeles County this year, and that camerawork may have well livened up some of the more bland moments in the house. It was certainly a nice gesture to the community from the company and one that many other companies around the world have done in recent years. The good news is that there are still 5 performances left and likely some of that opening night stiffness that plagued the first half of the evening will relax into a great show.

Labels: LA Opera 18/19