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We’re Outta Here: Opera’s Farewell Gala
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OPERA REVIEW Atlanta Opera’s “Spring Gala Concert.” Saturday at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, in Midtown. www.atlantaopera.org.
The chatter might soon be news: the city is considering tearing down the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, its 4,500-seat albatross that almost no one appreciates.
Since 2003, the Atlanta Opera had called the civic center home, having fled an even worse arrangement at the Fox Theatre.
The civic center rental deal ended Saturday with the opera’s farewell “Spring Gala Concert,” a one-shot medley of tunes — some famous, some obscure, in Italian and French.
In a sign of opera management’s practicality, they kept costs low while presenting quality singers. Thus there were no sets, just a patio table and chairs and a floral arrangement in front of a big, color-soaked screen. No chorus. No supertitle translations. No costumes: the singers appeared in evening gowns and tuxedos.
Paul Nadler, who leads a small orchestra in Florida, was brought in to conduct. His handling of the overture to Verdi’s “La Forza del destino” told part of the civic center story.
The orchestra played together, and a listener could tell something vital was happening in the pit, but it all sounded awfully distant. Forget intimacy: at the civic center, the cymbals that crash at the climax sounded like they were in another room.
For singers, communicating directly with an audience remains the insurmountable obstacle. With no plots to worry about and no texts to read, the focus here was on beautiful singing, plain and simple.
Soprano Leah Partridge and tenor Dimitri Pittas, warming up, sang the act one love duet from Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.”
In solo arias, they left almost opposite impressions. Partridge’s big number, from Bellini’s “La Sonnambula,” offered little juice. Her voice was pretty and bright without much charisma.
Pittas effectively stole the show with two heart-on-sleeve hits, “O figli miei” (from Verdi’s “Macbeth”) and “Che gelida manina” (from Puccini’s “La boheme”). He seemed most comfortable in this rather bloodless setting, and his urgent, gutsy tenor rang out with full force. He was the only performer to receive an on-demand curtain call.
John Gaston, who’s the first countertenor to sing with the Atlanta Opera, sang many sweet notes in yearning arias by Handel and Gluck, but his voice was several sizes too small to leave a strong impression in this house. (How would it have sounded in a smaller, more opera-friendly venue? That question came up with every aria of the evening.)
Bass-Baritone Stephen Morscheck laughed his way through Mephistopheles’ Serenade (from Gounod’s “Faust”) and, better, sang the “Catalogue” aria (from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”) with a gravely yet flowing tone and good diction.
Amid all these personalities, it was mezzo Vivica Genaux who was billed as the headliner for the gala. (She’d been contracted to sing the lead in Handel’s “Orlando,” which the company cut.)
In a flowing green dress against a burn-orange background — a compelling visual image — Genaux offered music from her latest album, devoted to two Baroque composers.
Johann Adolf Hasse and George Frideric Handel each wrote their most florid music for the superstar castratos of their day; Genaux’s androgynous timbre and machine-tooled vocal technique might be the best modern approximation.
Yet in performance Saturday, Hasse’s “Vaghi rai” (from his opera “Arminio”) and Handel’s “Sta nell’Ircana” (from “Alcina”) never quite took hold. Unlike Pittas’ aria from “La boheme,” which flourishes under any conditions, Genaux’s art seemed to require specialized conditions — an intimate venue, a historically-informed orchestral accompaniment, a program that didn’t overpower her rarified (yet magnificent upon close inspection) appeal.
At the civic center, paradoxically, the 28-year-old opera company experienced ups — a tremendous improvement in artistic standards — and downs — crashing ticket sales and weaker donations. The venue, it seems, was the problem.
So the next date on the opera calendar will be 11 miles to the north: Puccini’s “Turandot” at the Cobb Energy Centre for the Performing Arts, Sept. 29.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Classical Music
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By Sam
May 7, 2007 9:37 AM | Link to this
It will be interesting to see whether the Cobb County Opera Company (as they must surely now be called) will be able to make a go of their new home, now that they have abandoned their hometown whose name they will shamelessly continue to hijack. What could have been another forward looking contribution to the inexorable trend revitalizing Atlanta instead is a shrinking withdrawal to the suburbs, under the guise of “being closer to the patrons.” I’ll guarantee that as soon as the bus rapid transit station is built adjacent to the new theatre, we’ll discover that the cowardice of suburbanites is even stronger than their obsession with all things new. And “new” doesn’t actually last very long. The new venue is inaccessible via public transit, so for my part, when I want opera, I’ll instead jump on the train to the airport and points beyond, and I’ll get far better than the CCOC can provide.
By erin
May 7, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this
Im also quite disappointed about the move of the Opera to Cobb County….
I live in Decatur and it has now become quite a trek for me. Im not sure if I will continue season tickets now…..I dont want to be driving 30 miles on 285 late at night to get home from the Opera….And I have to admit - I dont see me taking a bus late at night in formal attire either….
If you live in downtown, south atlanta, or the East Perimeter - it is now pretty untenable….At least the civic center was central
By Ex-Northerner
May 7, 2007 11:29 AM | Link to this
You know, Erin, I feel for you … NOT! What a spoiled response! Those of us who cannot afford to live within Atlanta proper have had to drive far more than 30 miles late at night to see anything in Downtown ATL. The Cobb Center is not conveniently located for those of us in Gwinnett either, but then neither was the Civic Center. Get a grip!
By PB3
May 7, 2007 11:36 AM | Link to this
It seems at one point the Atlanta Opera was THE number one growing opera company of the south. That has definately changed over the years. One problem that they have is that they do not typically like to hire the local talent. They prefer that the person leave the state and then come back to audition. There is a huge amount of talent in Atlanta that is being overlooked.
By lanerone
May 7, 2007 11:52 AM | Link to this
I don’t see how any true fan wouldn’t prefer a short drive rather than attend another performance at the civic center—a venue with some of the worst acoustics ever experienced. Truly a building not worth saving.
By Brison
May 8, 2007 5:37 PM | Link to this
In Response to PB3:
Yes, Atlanta has some very good local talent…. many of whom perform in the opera chorus and other named parts. But, The Atlanta Opera’s quality has been richly elevated with the addition of nationally-recognized and nationally-rising lead singers.
This isn’t regional theater. The new CEO, Dennis Hanthorn, has consistently delivered high quality performances since stepping into his Atlanta position. Patrons who attended the 2006-2007 season productions (including Pierre Ruhe) are very pleased with the superior singers and impressive talent involved with the productions.
In Response to Erin and Sam:
Some people just cannot adapt to change, even if it is a significant improvement. This state-of-the-art, world class opera-friendly theater located at I-75 and Cumberland / Cobb Galleria is one of the FINEST performing arts THEATERS IN THE NATION.
The address is actually ATLANTA, although it is located just at the edge of Cobb County, and across the Chattahoochee River from Fulton County.
In Response to Erin, the old gal that didn’t want to ride the bus into Cobb County at night:
I’m sure one of the matinée performances would suit her better.
I’ve met many folks at the Atlanta Opera who travel regularly from Macon, Columbus, Birmingham, Albany, Florida, NC, and SC attend Atlanta’s opera performances. Others aficionados fly in on occasion from California, Bermuda, and Europe. So, who complains but locals who only live 6 to 15 miles away?!
In Response to Sam:
You’d be surprised what you’re missing if you don’t try The Atlanta Opera this coming season. Maybe then you won’t be hopping so many planes to see opera in other states.
The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a marvelous cultural boost for Metro-Atlanta. We are fortunate to have these advantages in our area.
By Peter Stelling
May 9, 2007 4:40 PM | Link to this
I am always amused at the flurry of comments that follow one of Pierre Ruhe's opera reviews. I wish the ASO got that much attention...they are equally deserving, but perhaps not so much a rallying point for so much DRAMA. The blogger who answered "Sam" was much kinder than I was going to be, but I'll leave it at that. Sam, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. It occurs to me that participation in the public forum has certain minimal requirements. Pierre Ruhe has the guts to put his name on several columns per week (true, he gets paid for this), but I think we owe him and each other the courtesy to use our real names as well and not be so many "phantoms of the opera". Think about this blog etiquette a bit. Finally, the Atlanta Opera has made the only choice that made any sense whatsoever for their survival and what I believe will be a marvelous turning point in their history. I have had a sneak-preview of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, and it is going to be a marvelous venue for opera. With a wide shallow auditorium that is only about 160 feet deep from the lip of the stage, it will have magnificent acoustics. We will hear our orchestra and the singers for the first time as we should...in the same room with us. There are many good restaurants and Club facilities that are very welcoming to new members in the area, so there will be no scarcity of very nice places to dine pre-performance or to have a nightcap when the show is over. Folks, when you finally experience this, I am convinced that most of you will be won over. So, onward to TURANDOT, and perhaps one of her three riddles should be: "How do we finally get all true opera fans to pull together and support the home team?"