Also this issue:

"4 Artists of Distinction"
The African American Museum's "4 Artists of Distinction" is bright and deep.
-Robin Rice

Wlodzimierz Ksiazek: New Paintings
-Susan Hagen

Le Ballet National du Senegal
-Deni Kasrel

Beatlemania Now Project
-Paul Burress

Dealer's Choice
-Shivani Mahendroo

Donna Uchizono Co.
-Deni Kasrel

In the Shape of a Spider
-Shivani Mahendroo

Georgian State Dance Company
-Janet Anderson

November 14-20, 2002

opera

Lucia di Lammermoor

by David Shengold

Originally intended for the Kimmel Center’s Perelman, the Academy of Vocal Arts’ Lucia certainly made for an exciting evening of singing in the school’s more intimate Warden. Director Linda Brovsky provided a generally intelligent reading of Donizetti’s Walter Scott-based tragedy, one of romanticism’s touchstones. The aristocratic Lucy, in love with her clan’s sworn enemy, Edgar, is conned by her ambitious brother Henry, his servile retainer, Norman, and the family pastor, Raymond, into a dynastic marriage with Arthur. Edgar interrupts the wedding and his denunciations unhinge Lucy’s already shaky mental state, prompting her to murder Arthur on their wedding night and die of grief. Edgar soon follows, a sorrowing suicide.

Brovsky indulged two practices inexplicably common in contemporary stagings. She introduced two angelic little kids into the crowd scenes, sentimentalizing them and straining dramatic credulity. Worse, she encouraged the cast to make lots of extramusical (and profoundly unmusical) noises: sighs, banging, Snidely Whiplash-like cackling from Norman and highly unfortunate laughter by Lucy during a Mad Scene. Still, the opera's romance and power came through.

One of the pleasures of attending AVA is hearing young singers develop and grow. Cuban soprano Eglise Gutierrez and Sicilian lyric tenor Giaocchino Lauro LiVigni partnered each other memorably in La sonnambula and Falstaff these last two seasons, and both were little short of sensational here. The appealing young soprano commands uncommon musicality, imaginative phrasing and an exciting, distinctive timbre -- rare gifts indeed. In compensation for the missing hunting and wedding choruses, we heard at least Raymond's share of his duet with Lucy (well voiced by the strong, promising bass Matthew Arnold), plus Edgar and Henry's saber-rattling Wolf's Crag scene, both frequently cut. LiVigni sang the latter superbly, and -- barring a few veristic sobs -- gave a magnificent account of Edgar's testing final scene. Derek Taylor's dapper Arthur and Lillian Roberts (as Lucy's confidante Alisa) made sonorous, substantial contributions.

The reliably excellent Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia shone under Christofer Macatsoris, with Edward Schultz's flute especially admirable accompanying Gutierrez's spectacular Mad Scene cadenzas.

AVA's design team uses the Warden's limited stage space with practiced ingenuity. The gray-based gnarl of movable arches and stairways isn't the most attractive set Peter Harrison has produced, but serves its function flexibly. As ever, Val J. Starr's costumes added class and color.