At the heart of Johann
Strauss’ famed “little
opera,” Die
Fledermaus, (The
bat) lies a 3-hour
production full of
intrigue, comedy and
laughter, with bright
operatic arias,
colorful dancing and
an ever-flowing
ambience that is as
light and bubbly as
champagne—the
preferred drink for
these Viennese
party-goers.
But when Seattle
Opera’s cast first
took to the stage of
M.O. McCaw Hall,
January 14, initial
fears were that this
bat would flutter
along the lines of
Richard Wagner’s
Ring des Nibelungen,
instead of
exhibiting the
playfulness intended
by “The Waltz King.”
Luckily, operatic
artists as skillful as
English soprano Jane
Eaglen, who sung the
role of cunning
Rosalinde, and Richard
Berkeley-Steele, who
gave a clear and
delightful performance
of Eisenstein, calmed
fears quickly,
allowing the audience
to enjoy this English
version of Die
Fledermaus—a
bat that knows how to
dance to the waltzes,
polkas and the
infamous Hungarian
czardas interwoven
musically into the
libretto written by
Carl Haffner and
Richard Genée.
However, it all began
in the dark: the
curtain was closed;
the lights shut off as
the audience enjoyed
the sweet melodies and
popular dancing motifs
within the overture.
With conductor Gerard
Schwarz at the helm,
Seattle Opera’s
orchestra, made up of
musicians from the
Seattle Symphony,
masterfully set the
tone for this humorous
operetta. Though
Austrian culture and
late 19th
century Vienna were
clearly depicted
through the striking
backdrops and sets,
lush costumes, and
even within the
fanfare of the
choreography, the
Seattle Opera’s Die
Fledermaus
included references
alluding to a more
modern time and
national, as well as
local topics. Poking
fun at the Seattle
Monorail, Desperate
Housewives, and
through the character
of Alfred (tenor Alan
Woodrow), Rosalinde’s
singing admirer and
performer of Siegfried
throughout the opera,
a local familiarity
and Wagnerian
tradition within the
Seattle Opera itself
was brought to light.
Prince Orlovsky’s ball
in Act II is notorious
for including
unexpected guests and
this was the case on
opening night as well.
Washington Governor
Christine Gregoire had
been expected, though
she was forced to
cancel her appearance
due to the State’s
flooding emergency. In
her place, Seattle
Opera’s general
director Speight
Jenkins announced a
very unexpected
tribute by Eaglen to
legendary
Swedish soprano
Birgit Nilsson, who
passed away recently
at age 87.
Eaglen’s performance
displayed a
versatility many may
not have been familiar
with, adding to her
astonishingly funny
and witty Rosalinde, a
very solemn and
powerful rendition of
Der Liebestod
from Tristan und
Isolde. Though
Eaglen’s voice as a
dramatic soprano
clearly make her the
perfect Brünhilde, her
gestures, operatic
mood and farcical tone
in Die Fledermaus
was able to convince
even the most
skeptical auditor of
her role as Rosalinde.
Using her abundant
physical presence to
her advantage, rather
than letting it
distract from the
plot, the audience had
many opportunities to
enjoy Rosalinde.
Especially when she
told the audience that
Adele, her chambermaid
of slim stature, was
wearing “half” of her
dress.
Adele, sung by Sarah
Coburn, a young
soprano with a
charming voice
involved the audience
with a splendid
interpretation of the
renowned “laughing
song,” beginning with
the words “My dear
Marquis, it seems to
me, you should employ
more tact.” And though
the performance
perhaps took its
slapstick effects a
little too far at
times, this Die
Fledermaus was
indeed, a ‘bat’-ting
success.
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2006 All content property of European Weekly unless where otherwise
accredited
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