SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA  REVIEW
 

Bellini, La sonnambula:  Puget Sound Opera, Soloists, cond. Geoff Wilke, dir. Jake Groshong, Admiral Theatre, Bremerton, WA, 25.6.2010 (BJ)

 

In these recessionary days, any new operatic venture, whether global, national, or just regional in scope, is worthy of note. Fitting into the last of those three categories, if not quite new, Puget Sound Opera opened its fifth season with productions of Bellini’s La sonnambula and Verdi’s Luisa Miller in Bremerton’s handsome Admiral Theatre, and the performance of La sonnambula that I attended was enjoyable enough to suggest that the citizens of Everett and Bellevue shouldn’t miss the company’s forthcoming visits there, scheduled for July 9-11 and 16-18 respectively.

A musical culture, I have always thought, is pyramidal in shape. It is much likelier to be healthy at the top if there is a broad and healthy base to support it. Drawing on local resources for both its singers and its orchestra, PSO does pretty well all that could be desired in its chosen sphere. Geoff Wilke paced Bellini’s beguiling score with skill, his orchestra played smoothly, and the singing, both solo and choral, was mostly excellent.

The most elegant of the soloists was the company’s mastermind, tenor James Walters, who brought agreeably light tone and a nice sense of line to the central role of Elvino. Michael Dunlap, as Count Rodolfo, was admirably solid too. I thought his portrayal stressed comedy rather too much (but that may not have been his fault: I shall come to the dramatic aspect of the production in a moment). Of the three female principals, Ellaina Lewis as the sleepwalking Amina and Laura Loge as an understandably petulant Lisa sang prettily aside from a few rather shrill assaults on the higher reaches of Bellini’s taxing vocal parts. Susan Salas was equal to Teresa’s less drastic demands, as were Jared Ice and Brandon Higa to their assignments as Alessio and the Notary.

Ah, yes – the drama. Under Jake Groshong’s direction, the principals moved and emoted convincingly, with the exception already noted of the Count’s somewhat flippant demeanor. I have seen no credits for either set or costumes. Letting all the singers wear an assortment of modern clothes was perhaps a sensible choice in view of budgetary constraints. But turning Lisa’s inn into a sort of contemporary bar did add an extra level of unlikelihood to an already fanciful story, for the disjunction between the ethos of the milieu and the motivations of the characters became altogether too wide.

Never mind. I have seen worse productions on many a prestigious stage around the world. Puget Sound Opera’s high musical standards came through to bring one of Bellini’s finest operas enjoyably to a public that has precious few chances to encounter it, and I regret only that scheduling conflicts prevented me from witnessing the company’s Luisa Miller. Congratulations to (almost) all concerned.

Bernard Jacobson