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Intermezzo: The New England Chamber Opera Series is dedicated to
contemporary opera in English, with an admirable policy of raising
funds to
premiere new works. The importance of Intermezzo's mission was
underscored
by composer David Paul Gibson last night just before the premiere of
his
one act opera on the fascinatingly dysfunctional but deeply human
relationship between French poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud.
Gibson
spoke of the importance of producing new operas, noting a number of
highly
talented young composers he knows of who won't go near the medium in
despair of ever seeing their work on stage. Gibson went on to
say that
preparing V&R for Intermezzo has allowed him hear the opera in
the only way
that will permit the next step--evaluation, rewriting and
preparation of a
revised score.
Intermezzo broke with its normal programming policy last night by
omitting
a "curtain raiser" to the major work in favor of a recital
of songs set to
poems by the title characters and sung by appropriate cast members
in
costume and in character. It was an imaginative stroke that
not only
introduced the particular literary world in which Verlaine and
Rimbaud
operated, but also pointed up the astonishing gulf between their
ecstatic,
luminous poetry and the details of their private lives--an issue
that would
be explored in the libretto.
Kaja Schuppert as Mathilde Verlaine opened the set with two Debussy
songs
to poems Verlaine had written for his wife. Her clear, bright
voice suited
French music and text well in "Pantomime" and "Clair
de lune." John
Whittlesey as the poet himself sang four songs from Gabriel Faure's
"La
bonne chanson" in a mellow bass-baritone. The set closed
with five songs
from Benjamin Britten's "Les Illuminations," text by
Rimbaud, sung by the
very interesting young tenor Aaron Sheehan who gave a hint of
the
supremely self-absorbed young poet to come after intermission in the
opera
itself. Music Director James Busby accompanied supportively
and, in the
Britten, excitingly at the piano.
Gibson is a quintuple threat man--he has composed, written libretti
(including this one), directed, designed, and conducted. He
had a long
association with Gian-Carlo Menotti at the Festival of Two Worlds
and
Intermezzo has engaged him as director for THE MEDIUM and for THE
OLD MAID
AND THE THIEF to come next season. He has written a swiftly
moving opera,
a cascade of short, to the point but deeply revealing scenes that
flow from
one to another sometimes directly, sometimes via eloquent
interludes. I
spoke with him afterwards about how well V&R would work as video
and he
replied that it is an idea that interests him very much. He
directed an
unfussy, precisely characterized production that made a group of
frankly
problematic, even unlikable people compelling, three dimensional and
ultimately moving. One great moment occurred in an interlude
when the two
men, recently brought together, twice circle a table, focusing on
each
other, their body attitudes and facial expressions precisely
defining their
growing involvement and its dangers.
The opera opens as Verlaine, already seduced by Rimbaud's poetry,
leaves
his uncomprehending wife and mother-in-law to meet the younger poet
at the
train station. Rimbaud sees Verlaine, who does not recognize
him, and
makes an obscene gesture. Rimbaud arrives at the house before
Verlaine and
lobs "Bourgeois!" at the women like a grenade. When
Verlaine returns and
recognizes Rimbaud with surprise, the younger man storms out.
The two drink at a tavern and read each other's work, Rimbaud
advising the
older poet not to fret about his own mediocrity as he, the genius
Rimbaud,
is now here to help him realize his true potential. Later,
Rimbaud suddenly and
passionately kisses Verlaine, who is concerned that Rimbaud is
alienating
the entire literary world of Paris. Rimbaud is unconcerned,
saying that
they are the only writers who matter. Verlaine returns home
after an
unexplained long absence to collect some of his work. Mathilde
tells him
she is pregnant. He rushes out of the house, knocking her down
in the
process. Her mother muses on the split between Verlaine's life
and his art.
In the countryside, Rimbaud sleeps as Verlaine sings of his love.
Rimbaud
wakes and says he intends to leave Paris and Verlaine, shocking the
older
man. Later, Rimbaud says he was just testing Verlaine and
suddenly throws
himself at the older man, begging for shelter. They work
together, but
Rimbaud feels written out. Verlaine immediately suggests
running off to a
life together in Brussels. They quarrel. Mathilde
arrives, begging
Verlaine to return home to his new son. Rimbaud enters and a
virtual tug
of war ensues, but Verlaine chooses Rimbaud.
Later, the two confront each other and Verlaine pulls a gun on
Rimbaud,
shooting him in the hand. He is sentenced to two years in
prison. Mathilde
intends to stand by him but knuckles under to her mother's
insistence on a
divorce. Verlaine has a dream in prison acted out to Gabriel
Faure's
"Cantique de Jean Racine," in which his wife and
young lover are joined
with the blessing of her mother. Waking, he sees his only hope
is to
reconcile his life with his deeply felt Catholicism.
Leaving prison, Verlaine meets Rimbaud with whom he hopes to begin
again
but the young man says he is leaving for Africa and will never see
Verlaine
again. Verlaine, broken and alone, is haunted by the voices of
wife, lover
and mother-in-law.
The story, rather simplified from the even more sensational reality,
bears
some striking parallels to Oscar Wilde's better known one.
Gibson has set
it for piano and violin (the invaluable Busby and superb Stanislav
Antonevich) in a late romantic style, quite grateful to sing (Verlaine's
solo scenes in the countryside and in prison, and Mathilde's
mother's
unexpected contemplative aria are both gorgeous pieces of music).
The premiere was dominated by the performances of John Whittlesey as
Verlaine (the look of fascinated panic in his eyes as Rimbaud
stalked him
demonstrating perfectly the value of the intimate chamber opera
format) and
Aaron Sheehan as the dangerous, enigmatic Rimbaud. Primarily a
medieval
and renaissance music specialist, Sheehan is a tall, dynamic young
singer
with a sweet, clear tenor and seemingly no stage inhibitions.
Kaja
Schuppert and Sharon Brown gave fully rounded, well sung portrayals
of
Mathilde and her mother. Domenico Mastrototaro, silent and
inscrutable as
a sphynx, provided props and moved furniture with admirable
concentration
and discretion.
VERLAINE AND RIMBAUD plays again on Sunday afternoon at 4pm in the
Recital
Hall in Berklee College of Music's Genko Uchida Building, 921
Boylston
Street in Boston. Unreservedly recommended.
Bill Fregosi
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William Fregosi
Technical Coordinator for Theater Arts Ph:
(617) 253-0862
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
FAX: (617) 258-7149
E33-201 77 Massachusetts Avenue
E-Mail: wfregosi@mit.edu
Cambridge, MA 02139
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