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Intermezzo

The New England Chamber Opera Series

The Scarf
by Sandy MacDonald
EDGE Entertainment Contributor
Friday Feb 10, 2006

Chamber opera is a curious amalgam: it has to convey the emotional scope and impact of a full-scale production, while maintaining an unaccustomed intimacy. Intermezzo’s The Scarf --- Lee Hoiby’s 1958 composition, loosely based on the Chekhov story "The Witch" – satisfies on both accounts.

The music isn’t easy to warm to. Though the orchestral portion is richly colored (passages stirringly suggest the skittish winds of a snowstorm) and optimally performed by ten members of the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, conducted by David Feltner, the sung melodies generally aren’t – melodious, that is. There’s a lot of belabored, often over-literal sprechstimme, especially for the role of Reuel (Thomas Oesterling), the embittered, distrustful older husband of Miriam (pellucid Laura Choi Stuart), and even Miriam’s arias rarely soar, instead usually sawing from pitch to pitch.

One assumes that the fault lies in the score, because Stuart’s delivery is impeccable – not only beautifully shaped and sung, but passionately acted. It is a rare and rewarding privilege to see a performer of her caliber (in a cameo role, she outshone the stars of Boston Lyric Opera’s The Consul last October) this close up. If Stuart, a 2004 New England Conservatory grad, earns the recognition she deserves, it’s an opportunity that may not soon be repeated.

Bass Nikolas Nackley brings rich, ringing tones and a robust presence to the part of the snow-bound Postman, whom Miriam tries to ensorcel. The exchange in which the Postman picks up on her predicament -- Your father died when? You’ve been married how long? -- is a model of textual economy (poet Harry Duncan, a neighbor of Hoiby’s at McDowell, dashed off the libretto), and the denouement, as simply but effectively staged by director Marc Astafan, is harrowing.

Intermezzo, incidentally, was founded three years ago by John Whittlesey, himself an accomplished singer much in demand, who’s more than willing to sacrifice the spotlight in order to pursue his goal of introducing local audiences to this challenging art form, especially in its native-born guise. We’ll have a chance to hear Whittlesey next November, when Intermezzo takes on Britten’s Noh-inspired religious parable Curlew River.

Presented by Intermezzo (617-899-4261; www.intermezzo-opera.org) at the Jorge hernandez Cultural Center, 85 West Newton Street, Boston; Sunday, February 12, at 4:00 p.m.; tickets $25 (seniors $20, students $15).

Sandy MacDonald covers theatre for the Boston Globe and TheaterMania.com. She is also a travel/food writer and the author of Quick Escapes Boston: 25 Weekend Getaways from the Hub (Globe-Pequot).

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