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Juventas Opera Project 2009
Last Friday, I attended Juventas' presentation of two new one-act operas. It was a really interesting and beautiful evening.
The Hourglass - Matthew Vest
This opera was based on a novel by Danilo Kis that fictionalizes his father's experiences and fate in Yugoslavia during WWII. The music itself was very attractive. The staging and content appeared to be fascinatingly symbolic and surreal. However, the singer's lines overlapped into such dense polyphony that in the text was utterly obscured. That really put a damper on the experience for me. I couldn't tell what was going on, what the four singer's relationships were to each other, or what any of the staging's striking images meant. It left me wondering what was the point of staging the piece as opposed to letting it be a concert work. Without any ability to figure out anything about the action, relationships, or meanings, I was unsure what the staging was really adding.
The Year of the Serpent - Erin Huelskamp
I really loved this opera, which was based on a Chinese legend and belonged firmly in the classic kung fu genre. It was witty and stylish. I truly enjoyed the eclectic styles that made up the music (which was just plain great), and Huelskamp made them all work together seamlessly. The costumes were wonderfully over the top, and the staging was relatively simple, which made it work very well.
The Hourglass - Matthew Vest
This opera was based on a novel by Danilo Kis that fictionalizes his father's experiences and fate in Yugoslavia during WWII. The music itself was very attractive. The staging and content appeared to be fascinatingly symbolic and surreal. However, the singer's lines overlapped into such dense polyphony that in the text was utterly obscured. That really put a damper on the experience for me. I couldn't tell what was going on, what the four singer's relationships were to each other, or what any of the staging's striking images meant. It left me wondering what was the point of staging the piece as opposed to letting it be a concert work. Without any ability to figure out anything about the action, relationships, or meanings, I was unsure what the staging was really adding.
The Year of the Serpent - Erin Huelskamp
I really loved this opera, which was based on a Chinese legend and belonged firmly in the classic kung fu genre. It was witty and stylish. I truly enjoyed the eclectic styles that made up the music (which was just plain great), and Huelskamp made them all work together seamlessly. The costumes were wonderfully over the top, and the staging was relatively simple, which made it work very well.
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Li Chi the Serpent Slayer! I'm sorry I missed that one.