Opera al Mare 2024: A blog

By JIM LOWE

Critic-in-residence this year, Jim Lowe is music critic and arts editor of The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and Rutland Herald in Vermont, home off Barn Opera.

Sunday, July 23, 2024 Introduction

Opera al Mare is just finishing its first week of nearly two in preparation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1787 masterpiece “Don Giovanni.”

This unusual three-week summer opera workshop, June 16-July 6, has made its home for two years now on the northern Italian Adriatic coast in the resort town of Cesenatico. Eleven young singers, mostly college age, are preparing “Don Giovanni” for a June 28 performance in the historic Il Teatro di Cesenatico.

Also planned are Joseph Haydn’s comic opera “La cantarina” by the younger participants, an “Opera Under the Stars” concert of opera arias from Baroque to contemporary July 3; and the “American Musical Theatre Spectacular” poolside July 4 at the workshop’s home, Hotel Miramare.

The brainchild of Joshua Collier, renowned tenor and founder and artistic director of Barn Opera in Brandon, Vermont, USA, the workshop reflects Collier’s unique personal style — informal, seemingly almost loose, belying an underlying precision that delivers the deep emotional power of opera.

Superficially opposite is Music Director Cailin Marcel Manson, chair of vocal studies at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and music director of Barn Opera, who is precise and demanding from day one. It is his deep understanding of the music and his ability to communicate what he wants that works so well.

Holding it all together is the ubiquitous Tricia Welch, Barn Opera’s long-suffering executive director.

A unique ‘Don Giovanni’

Josh has fashioned his own take on Lorenzo da Ponte’s familiar libretto, adding an earthy wit — and some 21stcentury attitude — without touching Mozart’s glorious score (save some cuts). Don Giovanni is still the disreputable rake, even more so. But the world he inhabits is hardly the aristocracy, more of the working class. And while the characters retain their depth, none of them have any claim on sainthood.

And yes, the drama moves to its inevitable dark end — at least Don Giovanni’s!

Summer Italian style

If you think the participants spend all of their days slaving away in rehearsals, think again! Appropriate to Opera al Mare’s residence in Italy, a substantial amount of time is devoted to eating. Breakfast is an expansive buffet — with abundant pastries — that’s open for two hours before the “workday” begins. Nearly an hour and a half are devoted to lunch and dinner each, and it’s just as well: Both meals are comprised of three courses each boasting three options. And the food — from salads to Italian pizza (yes, it’s much better!), from fish to meat to vegetarian selections and, of course, pasta and delicate desserts, are prepared by the excellent chefs of Hotel Miramare.

Speaking of which, the participants enjoy comfortable rooms in the intimate and inviting Hotel Miramare, sitting on a major canal just as it opens into the Adriatic. In addition to the hotel’s pool, there is plenty of coastal beach to enjoy. Not that they’ve had much time to enjoy it this week — but there is plenty of night life in this resort town.

And now to work

This week’s “Don Giovanni” preparations have been pretty much divided between staging rehearsals with Josh and music with Cailin, mixing and matching.

In between, the singers enjoy voice lessons with Josh, soprano Scilla Cristiano and Walnut School for the Arts (Natick, Massachusetts) vocal coach and collaborative pianist Elaine Smith-Purcell. Italian language classes and coaching are provided by Sandra Carletti, Middlebury College Italian professor.

Josh’s approach to rehearsing is informal to say the least, sometimes even frenzied, but he makes things happen. This week was devoted to parts of Act 1 and Act 2, and it seemed terribly disjointed — but that’s what happens when working out of chronological order.

Much attention was devoted to the relationship between the young Zerlina, the most innocent of the cast, with her suspicious betrothed Masetto, while she simultaneously flirts with and wards off Don Giovanni.

Josh stands in for the absent Masetto, as soprano Alexandra Billhartz’ Zerlina tangles with Michael Fazio’s Giovanni and Tristan Pritham’s Leporello (both McGill University voice students).

Josh has them in a sleazy bar, with the younger participants as the barflies (chorus). He milks the scene for all its humor — though never on the cheap.

“Does that make sense to you?” Josh always asks to keep his cast on the same page.

 The music side

 Meanwhile, Cailin is putting his stamp — a most lyrical one — on the production. His grand musical concept and rhythmic sensitivity are complemented by his detailed vocal coaching. (He is, after all, an opera baritone as well as conductor.) A wonderful example of Cailin at work was in an initial rehearsal with Kathleen Echols as Elvira. She was delivering her aria with the same agitation as the orchestra (piano in this case).

 “No!”  Caillin said. “You need to maintain your smooth legato over the agitation of the orchestra!”

 Kathleen’s performance of the aria went from pretty to beautiful — and deeply so.

 For one of Zerlina’s arias, Cailin tells Alexandra, “It’s grazioso, written in three, feel it in one.”

 Josh adds, “You’re remembering your wedding!”

“Let the orchestra (piano) feel a little ahead,” Cailin tells tenor Brian Mengler playing Ottavio. “Flow right along. Go after the line, not every note. Mozart has some phrase markings there.”

Then then there is the famous trio with Anna (soprano Emily Evans), Elvira (Kathleen) and Ottavio (Brian).

Josh demands, “Time has to stand still!”

It was beautiful.

And so it goes. On Saturday morning, Sandra led a sit-down reading of the libretto to correct Italian pronunciation and expression. The afternoon and evening were spent fixing staging details.

It’s now Sunday, and it’s time for the the Sitzprobe — the first rehearsal when the singers play with the orchestra!