All Hallow’s Eve gave birth to a new opera company for South Florida.
Oct. 31 saw the launch of Opera Fusion at Lake Worth Playhouse in a well- presented, well-sung mounting of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle.
The group’s mission is to get opera to the people; it’s an artist-driven startup offering a new approach. Less stodgy, as proven by the very young audience who came in Halloween costumes, filling the theater. And certainly not elitist, a stuffy name that has dogged the grand opera companies of America.
Opera Fusion will follow up with “A Night at the Opera” on Jan. 24 and “The Return of the Dueling Divas” on March 22. “And we’ll do some more one-act operas in this pared-down version,” said the artistic director Dean Peterson, referring to the use of video screens in Bluebeard. “Imagine covering a quartet, each singer having his or her own screen; we’ll be privy to their innermost thoughts as they are videoed in sync with the music.’’
Bluebeard’s Castle is a sinister story, and Bartók’s only opera, composed in 1911. The one-act is regularly performed and ranks as one of the great 20th-century operas. The music is accessible though not memorable, yawing between the serial modernist 12-tone system of Schoenberg in its rich sensuous composition and a more traditional line for the singers.
The plot involves the Duke bringing his fourth wife, Judith, to his dark castle, which has no windows, only seven doors. She demands the keys to let in the light. Behind the doors she finds a torture chamber, an armory, a treasury, a rose garden, a window that looks over his kingdom, and a lake of tears, all defiled by blood, cleverly displayed on huge screens at the rear of the stage. Behind the seventh door Judith discovers the Duke’s three previous wives, knowing her fate will now be to join them, leaving Bluebeard in darkness and solitude.
Peterson’s Duke, with his deep baritone voice, was remarkably stentorian and vibrant. It’s as warm as the Florida sun. He cuts a dashingly handsome figure. I first heard him in 1991 as Figaro in New York City Opera’s verion of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. From that, he went on to sing in the great opera houses of the world. Little has changed in his fine delivery; if anything, the voice is richer and darker now.
Dramatic soprano Birgit Fioravante was well-suited to the role of Judith. Her performance was flawless as she moved from bright-eyed bride to helpless victim. It is a demanding part: a severe test of keeping perfect pitch through so much signing. Fioravante succeeded in spades.
Non-singing roles were nicely shaped by Tammy Lee, Gracia Maria and Jenn Clarke as the Duke’s former wives. Krisztina Kover was the excellent lead pianist who doubled as the Hungarian language coach. And Katherine Kozak made wonderful noises on her piano that sounded very orchestral at times. Peterson directed and designed the production.
Choosing Bluebeard’s Castle as its first production showed enormous intestinal fortitude on the part of Opera Fusion. Had it flopped, its failure would have shadowed the group’s future productions. Instead, the audience reaction was one of enthusiastic applause, sincere appreciation for a job well-done.
This new and challenging people’s opera company has a great deal of promise, with high standards already set and innovative ideas. Let St. Cecilia and the nine muses do the rest.