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Gender-bending arias and so much more
By Denise Gibbs
To learn more about Denise Gibbs, click
here
This story originally ran on March 6, 2007, in "The
Jibsheet," the official student newspaper of
Bellevue Community College.
Posted March 8, 2007
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Julius
Caesar is not your typical opera. First performed in
London at King’s Theatre in 1724, George Frideric
Handel’s Baroque opera very much represented the
cosmopolitan nature of the eighteenth century. In
it, many of the male parts are sung by women and
some of the men sing in women’s range
(counter-tenors and male sopranos).
The reason for this was in Handel’s time when
he was composing, the leading roles were give to
sopranos and castrati. In 1550 a brutal practice of
castrating young boys in the hope that they would be
great singers was begun. This went on for the next
250 years because an adult castrato was very popular
and had what many believed to be an awe-inspiring
voice that supposedly had the strength of a man
coupled with the range, elasticity and tonality of a
woman. Since this practice is no fortunately not
longer done these roles are now filled by women
singing mezzo-soprano (alto) or contralto (very low)
and men who sing male soprano or countertenor.
For this production, Caesar is played by famed
Polish contralto, Ewa Podles`. Seattle Opera’s
General Director Speight Jenkins chose to this opera
because of seeing Podles` perform the leading role
for the Canadian Opera Company.
“Ms. Podles was amazing,” said Jenkins in the
production notes. “It was a very theatrical as well
as an intensely musically enriching experience.”
Podles played the role with much strength
though the shiny space suit-like costume took away
from her performance as also her interpretation of
the arias. Considered to be one of those difficult
operas to sing with brutal runs on one breath,
Podles` seemed to lack smoothness in voice and body
posture.
Alexandra Deshorties was the stand-out
performer of the evening in the role of Cleopatra,
Caesar’s love interest. Deshorties was brilliant and
beautiful as the Queen of Egypt. Her opening costume
was magnificent but unfortunately went down hill the
rest of the evening with each costume change. Though
Deshorties voice made up for any costuming
downfalls. The highlight of the evening was the aria
she sung to woo Caesar’s heart. Deshorties, behind a
flossy scrim sings to the gods while seemingly
suspended above the stage and plucking the rays of
the sun god. Not only was the scene spectacular to
look at, Deshorties voice filled McCaw Hall with her
luminously powerful yet lilting voice. That scene
alone seemed to take the audiences breath away.
Japanese-American countertenor Brian Asawa
plays the villain of the story, Tolomeo, Cleopatra’s
brother and rival. Tolomeo’s voice was the not the
strongest and his interpretation of Tolomeo seemed
flamboyant and bisexual. In a gender bending opera
it just made things more confusing. Though his
interpretation made you despise Tolomeo even more
for raping the widow character of Cornelia, whose
husband Tolomeo had decapitated, imprisoning his
sister Cleopatra, on top of trying to murder the
Emperor Caesar all the while sounding like a woman
who prefers the company of both men and women.
Though many of the costumes seemed plain and
were in need of more embellishment the scenery,
voices and Baroque instruments and music more than
made up for it.
The first scene when the curtain opened seemed
juvenile with two giant pyramids painted in primary
colors that looked to be out of a nursery rhyme all
the while squishing the performers into a small
space on stage. But the rest of the night’s scenery
and lighting were utterly breathtaking. The use of
eight or so small pyramids which were wheeled around
stage by the Roman soldiers and Egyptian thugs were
dramatically lit throughout the evening from many
different directions and angles. The scene where
Cleopatra is in prison was very memorable as the
pyramids were bathed in white light which reflected
off the glossy black floor turning the pyramids into
diamonds. It contrasted so differently from the
opening scene it seemed to be two different operas.
Julius Caesar runs until March 10 at McCaw Hall
at the Seattle Center with both matinee and evening
performances. Tickets start at $41. For more
information go to:
www.seattleopera.org
©
2007 All content property of European Weekly unless where otherwise
accredited
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