Anandale, NY-On Hudson — “Ha! A Silenced Woman?” And Richard Strauss’s “Die Schweigs” sings Buffalo Morosas on the bass. “She can only be found in the churchyard under the stone cross.”
Strauss’s only opera buffa casual misogyny-a love letter to Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti-was almost uncontroversial when premiered in Dresden in 1935. Jewish Zweig submitted by Adolf Hitler two weeks before becoming German Chancellor in 1933.
On friday night Bird Summer Scape “We announced a rare stagingSilent womanAt Bard College’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts It has made some progress in harmonizing the feather-light subject with its tremendous historical context. The witty staging, attractive cast, and efficient and inspiring design made a great opera feel great.
Much is written about Strauss’s miscalculation of the Nazi regime, his attempt to curry favors and move away from politics while protecting Jewish daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
He accepted the chairman of the Reich Chamber of Music. He later described him as a “boring honorary office” in a letter soaking him in hot water. In his notes, he called Nazi anti-Semitism “a shame on German honor.” Ultimately, he underestimated national socialist dictatorship as a political fashion and was a nuisance affecting his work with Zweig, who was forced to flee the country.
Strauss, who once thought his creativity could not withstand the sudden death of his beloved scriptwriter, Hugo von Hofmannstal, wrote to Zweig: The life of a sick and unemployed retired person. “
According to a letter from Strauss Joseph Goebbels and Hitler approved, perhaps because they found nothing destructive in “Frau”. The advertiser and his boss skipped the premiere after Strauss claimed that Zweig’s name appeared in the program book. The opera was banned after Strauss expressed his dim view of Nazism in a letter intercepted by Stapo.
In 1942, Zweig, who suffered asylum in Brazil, took his life. Despite being defeated by the bombing of the German opera house and the collapse of its culture, Strauss left behind music such as Horn Concerto No. 2 and “Four Last Songs”.
Against this background, there is the opera “Silent Woman” about the retired Admiral Morosas. The tinnitus is a world-class growl that can’t stand the ringing of church bells and the thoughts of a persistent spouse. Zweig offered a psychologically unsubstantiated Italian comedy, and Strauss was pleased.
When Morosas’ nephew Henry appeared with the troupe, Morosas was appalled by Henry’s chosen career, did not inherit him, and insulted his wife, Aminta. The troupe teaches him a lesson that can be recognized from Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale”. Disguised as a modest Ingénue, Aminta marries Morosas in a fake ritual, throws her tantrum, and upsets her life until she begs for her mercy.
For the fun work of the bard, director and stage artist Christian Räth will perform “Frau” as an opera about performing an opera. The stagehand performs a scene change with a panoramic view of the audience, and Morosas’s word mantra “Ruhe” (quiet) shines like an exit sign above the door of his orderly house.
Morosas deception is a show in itself. The troupe runs through the clothes racks of other Strauss works in shallow water for costumes. Morosas is a mini-replica of the stage where “Frau” premiered in 1935, auditioning for three potential brides and silver roses directly from Strauss’s “Der Rosenkavalier” (and “Bachelor’s Degree”). I gave it.
The troupe — and the cast — is fully committed to that role. Harold Wilson conducts the reverberating bass as a proud and affectionate Morosas. Jana McIntyre (Aminta) and David Portillo (Henry) sing in a bright, serious and lyrical voice that hints at stubbornness at the request of Strauss. With a handsome and sophisticated sound, Edward Nelson turns a barber into a very compelling fact. Impresario’s Banuzzi riot, Matthew Ancerl, presents an attractive, compact bass with depth of tone. Ariana Lucas (housekeeper), Crystal E. Williams (Carlotta) and Anya Matanovic (Isotta) enthusiastically delve into their characters.
Mattie Ullrich’s entertaining and dazzling outfit has transformed the cast, including a male cold ballet who has never missed a chance to swing a platter tutu.
Strauss emphasized the conversation with the commentary on arched instruments, but the orchestra can be plagued by his gorgeous style and Parland’s vocal lines, shifting weight like an elephant in ballet shoes. In the bard, conductor Leon Botstein showed that the opera’s feet were light, without prioritizing the grandeur of the timbre. The quirky graffiti of the overture appeared fast and clean, and from the magical duet that ended Act 2, the trio was lightened by the stimulating drift of the woodwind instrument Strauss.
Russ infused resistance into works that were nevertheless politicized, transforming the chaotic wedding scene into a nightmare sequence: choirs and dancers were real figures (Mozart,). Bach, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Maria Chebotari, etc.) flocked to the stage with big face masks. First Aminta). Ominously, Hitler and Goebbels’ masks were adjacent to Strauss’s mask and put him in the cart with his elbows.
The opera ends with a reflection far from the general mayhem, unlike the glorious final monologue from Strauss’ last opera “Capriccio”.
As the laces swelled, Wilson’s Morosas stepped forward and gave a glimpse of the peace sung with emotional restraint from an unemployed retired sick at the end of his life. He held Strauss and Zweig’s masks in his hands, separated by murderous prejudice, and finally reunited.
Silent woman
Until Sunday at Bard College. fishercenter.bard.edu..
