With the opening of the new opera theater in downtown Detroit, it is clear that there is a renaissance currently taking place in the operatic community. New, younger talent continues to grace the major opera stage, while the stereotypical image of the stuffy evening at the opera is slowly being changed with the help of new directors who put inventive spins on old classics.
One such director is School of Music faculty member Joshua Major. Following the success of the two comic one acts presented last spring, Major has chosen to open the University's 1996-1997 "Power Series" with Italian composer Donizetti's light-hearted romance "L'Elisir d'Amore" ("The Elixir of Love"). The show runs this weekend at Power Center.
"L'Elisir d'Amore's" story is a recognizable one. Nemorino, the handsome peasant, falls in love with Adina, the owner of the local vineyard. However, feeling that Nemorino is beneath her, Adina throws her affections on Belcore, a vain and arrogant military sergeant who loves only himself. This love triangle is complicated further when a fraudulent doctor sells the peasant Nemorino a phony love potion, which in actuality is a cheap bottle of wine. From this point on, the evening is filled with drunkenness and comic confusion while the tangled triangle attempts to straighten itself out.
Major has chosen to take the story out of the 18th century and, instead, place it in an Italian vineyard during the 1950s. By placing the story in the '50s, Majors gives the contemporary audience a tangible point of reference by recalling a time period that is easier to recognize. "The spirit of the work is important, and, by setting our opera in the 1950s, we can make that spirit come alive," Major said in a recent interview with The Michigan Daily. "The '50s were a period of innocence, and there is an aura of innocence in this opera's story."
Donizetti's opera has an abundance of beautiful melodies and memorable arias. Also, there are several, more upbeat patter songs that will keep the light and fun feeling going.
Helping the vocal performance students master Donizetti's style is a new addition to the School of Music faculty. Kenneth Kiesler comes to the University as the new director of University Orchestras. Brought in to fill the shows of the retiring Gustav Meier, Kiesler has already begun creating his own legacy. Major spoke glowingly of Kiesler's work with the vocalists, and also his understanding of opera: "(Kiesler) couldn't be better. He's so musical. The music and the theater are inseparable, and he understands that intuitively. I couldn't be more pleased."
Tackling a difficult theatrical form like opera is never easy. But the University has been fortunate these past few seasons.
With the addition of Major as director of the Music School's Opera Workshop Program five seasons ago, as well as the growing reputation of the Music School, the University community has been blessed with some very fine operatic productions in recent years. Major seems to understand students, and "L'Elisir d'Amore" was chosen with the students in mind. "(This Opera) is good for the students," Major said. "It allows a lot of people to get on stage, as it's a very chorus-involved show."
There is a remarkable amount of respect, admiration and enthusiasm that Major and the opera's actors seem to have for the project and for each other. If even a little of that bleeds through into the actual performance, this production of "L'Elisir d'Amore" ought to be stunning testimony to why there is an opera renaissance occurring.
Kathryn Hart, Allen Schrott and Jane Leibel star in "L'Elisir d'Amore" this weekend at Power Center.