A BEAUTIFULLY BAROQUE `ULYSSES'.Byline: Reed Johnson Daily News Theater Critic The term ``baroque'' often conjures visions of florid colors and overblown effects, of overheated o·ver·heat v. o·ver·heat·ed, o·ver·heat·ing, o·ver·heats v.tr. 1. To heat too much. 2. To cause to become excited, agitated, or overstimulated. v.intr. art that has gorged itself on appearance for appearance's sake. But in its soul, baroque is about immediacy and accessibility, a way of imbuing passionate feelings with a sense of dramatic occasion. Those qualities surface magnificently in L.A. Opera's strikingly modern-looking, beautifully sung new production of Monteverdi's ``The Return of Ulysses.'' Originally conceived for the Netherlands Opera, Pierre Audi's production is stripped to a fighting trim, both visually and musically, right down to the barefoot, color-coded cast members. It bears the unmistakable imprint of the London-based Almeida Theatre, which Audi founded, one of the world's most innovative interpreters of stage classics. Few operas can boast better source material than this 357-year-old baroque masterpiece. Starting at the second half of Homer's epic poem, it focuses not on Ulysses' famous nautical mishaps (the cantankerous Cyclops, killer whirlpools and the like), during his long voyage home from the Trojan War. Rather, its subject is how a warrior may reinvent himself as a man of peace, reunited with his long-suffering and devoted wife. Two of the opera world's natural aristocrats, baritone Thomas Allen as Ulysses and mezzo-soprano mezzo-soprano: see soprano. Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade (June 1, 1945), is an American mezzo-soprano. Born in Somerville, New Jersey, she acquired the nickname Flicka in her childhood. Miss von Stade attended the Mannes College of Music in New York City. as Penelope, fulfill these parts superbly, which is hardly remarkable. What is remarkable is the way both convey nobility not through regal affectation af·fec·ta·tion n. 1. A show, pretense, or display. 2. a. Behavior that is assumed rather than natural; artificiality. b. A particular habit, as of speech or dress, adopted to give a false impression. but through the sheer force and nuance of their emotional transformations: from anger, vulnerability and despair, to exquisite tenderness and triumph. Their final duet, marvelously executed here, may be as solemnly joyous a moment as opera ever has produced. The ensemble is worthy from first to last - from John Duykers as the gluttonous glut·ton·ous adj. 1. Given to or marked by gluttony. 2. Indulging in something, such as an activity, to excess; voracious. See Synonyms at voracious. Iro, to Paula Rasmussen's vivid, flashing-eyed Minerva, to countertenor countertenor, a male singing voice in the alto range. Singing in this range requires either a special vocal technique called falsetto, or a high extension of the tenor range. David Daniels, doubling up as the allegorical figure of Human Frailty and as one of Penelope's doomed suitors. Audi directs them in a fluid, cinematic style that occasionally freeze-frames into brilliant tableaux. Conductor Glen Wilson's edition of the score, performed by the Los Angeles-based early music group Musica Angelica, dispenses with showy instrumental displays as well as with two or three Greek gods (who aren't missed a bit). The super-tight ensemble of 11 gives pride of place to a softly insistent continuo continuo or basso continuo In Baroque music, a special subgroup of an instrumental ensemble. It consists of two instruments reading the same part: a bass instrument, such as a cello or bassoon, and a chordal instrument, most often a harpsichord but sometimes - harpsichord, cello and/or two lutes - then, adding recorders, violins, viola, violone vi·o·lo·ne n. A 16-foot organ stop yielding stringlike tones similar to those of a cello. [Italian, augmentative of viola, viola; see viola1.] and lutes as demanded, it pulls up short, or flares into bursts of flamenco-like intensity. The lean, unflowery musicianship is well-matched by Michael Simon's primitive-chic set design. Suggesting a sculpture garden built for gods, it consists of a massive boulder overhung o·ver·hung v. Past tense and past participle of overhang. adj. Suspended from above: an overhung door. by a gangway and two giant overhead rectangular metal panels. An equally monstrous, cantilevered wooden shell props itself at a right angle to the stage, like some beached war vessel. As Act I closes, that aforementioned boulder begins to slide offstage, miraculously, as if making way for the heroic homecoming ahead. That's as good a symbol as any for an operatic style that looks imposing but, in this case, stays light on its feet. THE FACTS What: Monteverdi's ``The Return of Ulysses.'' Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center (which is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the United States). The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. , 135 N. Grand Ave. When: 1 p.m. today; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Friday and May 18. Tickets: $23-$130. For information and tickets, call (213) 365-3500. Our rating: Four Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Thomas Allen (Ulysses kneeling), David Daniels (a suitor) and Frederica von Stade (Penelope) in ``The Return of Ulysses.'' |
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