At the intermission
by Jessie Hethcoat
Wow. I would say that I’m speechless, but that wouldn’t make me a very good blogger, would it?
We just saw the Monteverdi acts, which were written around 1600. According to Muni, Monteverdi was one of the first if not the very first person to compose opera. You could definitely hear it in the music as well. I’m not sure if it was just my untrained ears, but it seemed like the aria and recitative were more fluid than in more recent operas.
The transition between acts was fluid. One of the lost souls from the first act became the narrator for the next.
Much of the music for this opera was played on the harpsichord, which we saw in our backstage tour. The harpsichord being used was made locally.
It was gorgeous. Very slow and simple, but this opera was beautiful. It was not just the music, though, it was also the visuals. The stage used a projector, which is the first I’ve ever seen in an opera production. Spencer, my photographer, noticed Ground Zero in the projections during the battle sequence of the second act. We confirmed with the stage director that Ground Zero, among other pictures of destruction, were in the background.
I’m really liking the “student” aspect of this performance. I always enjoy understudy and student performances because it’s usually ver apparent that the performers are both giving their all and trying to prove themselves, which proves for an interesting and inspired performance.
