Stay in the Loop
BSR publishes on a weekly schedule, with an email newsletter every Wednesday and Thursday morning. There’s no paywall, and subscribing is always free.
A good thing in a small package
Opera Company's "Rape of Lucretia' (3rd review)
Steve Cohen
The Rape of Lucretia turned out to be the Opera Company of Philadelphia's most accomplished production ever. That may seem like an extravagant statement about a modest, small-scale work. But this production demonstrated how much can be done on a small stage with a modest budget.
Instead of using its normal venue—the Academy of Music, with 2,897 seats— the Opera Company utilized the Kimmel Center's intimate, 650-seat Perelman Theater. The company made this radical move just for this one production of Benjamin Britten's 1946 music drama.
The appearance of the cast, the acting, singing, visual effects and orchestral playing all were superb. The story is tragic and the music is colorful in a discreet way.
Britten's best-known operas, Peter Grimes and Billy Budd, tell stories of the sea with appropriate music. The landscape of The Rape of Lucretia is quite different. In addition to the changed motif, this music is much more intimate, scored for a small chamber orchestra.
A wife's shame
The setting is Rome. Lucretia, the wife of an Etruscan military commander, Collatinus, is visited by the ruler of her country, Tarquinius. In the familiar surroundings of her own home, with her servants present, should she be alarmed by the visit? Even if she's uneasy, how can she rebuff this powerful man who is her husband's boss? This confusion aside, all hope of averting catastrophe is dashed as Tarquinius rapes her at knifepoint.
Lucretia feels shamed and tells her husband what happened. He consoles her and says that the shame is on Tarquinius. But Lucretia kills herself. While Collatinus mourns, the incident causes the populace to rebel against Tarquinius.
Britten's music evokes actions such as Tarquinius's trip to Rome, the sound of horses' hooves, and the humming of Lucia's spinning. The Opera Company production supplied striking images of the spinning, the folding of bed linens and the lighting of candles in Lucretia's house.
Tamara Mumford was a beautiful Lucretia, elegant in both appearance and voice. Nathan Gunn was a determined Tarquinius, and Ben Wager was the steadfast Collatinus. The veteran tenor William Burden and young soprano Karen Jesse were the expressive choruses. All of them, plus the household servants Allison Sanders and Rinnat Moriah and additional soldiers, were ideal.
"'Yakking about Jesus'
The opera suffers from the insertion of religious Christian doctrine into a story that predated Christ by five centuries. In a tacked-on ending, the male and female choruses wonder if sin and grief is all there is, and they supply their answer: "No, for Christ died that we might live."
Tom Purdom, writing in BSR, found this anachronism intriguing, even if he was "irritated by the presence of a guy who keeps yakking about Jesus." Robert Zaller, also in BSR, sees a parallel between what he calls Lucretia's "sacrifice" and the death of Christ. But I'm not so charitable.
The religiosity is a distraction that distances us from the characters and lessens the opera's appeal. It's the main reason why The Rape of Lucretia has rarely been able to fill a big auditorium (even though, to be sure, it makes artistic sense for such a cozy work to avoid such spaces).
The story proper is dramatic enough without that element, and I wish Lucretia's creators had omitted the religious overlay.
That quibble aside, this production was the result of careful choice and preparation by conductor David Hayes, director William Kerley and designer Nicholas Vaughan. And a praiseworthy artistic commitment by the company's head, Robert B. Driver. â—†
To read another review by Robert Zaller, click here.
To read another review by Tom Purdom, click here.
To read a response by Tom Purdom, click here.
Instead of using its normal venue—the Academy of Music, with 2,897 seats— the Opera Company utilized the Kimmel Center's intimate, 650-seat Perelman Theater. The company made this radical move just for this one production of Benjamin Britten's 1946 music drama.
The appearance of the cast, the acting, singing, visual effects and orchestral playing all were superb. The story is tragic and the music is colorful in a discreet way.
Britten's best-known operas, Peter Grimes and Billy Budd, tell stories of the sea with appropriate music. The landscape of The Rape of Lucretia is quite different. In addition to the changed motif, this music is much more intimate, scored for a small chamber orchestra.
A wife's shame
The setting is Rome. Lucretia, the wife of an Etruscan military commander, Collatinus, is visited by the ruler of her country, Tarquinius. In the familiar surroundings of her own home, with her servants present, should she be alarmed by the visit? Even if she's uneasy, how can she rebuff this powerful man who is her husband's boss? This confusion aside, all hope of averting catastrophe is dashed as Tarquinius rapes her at knifepoint.
Lucretia feels shamed and tells her husband what happened. He consoles her and says that the shame is on Tarquinius. But Lucretia kills herself. While Collatinus mourns, the incident causes the populace to rebel against Tarquinius.
Britten's music evokes actions such as Tarquinius's trip to Rome, the sound of horses' hooves, and the humming of Lucia's spinning. The Opera Company production supplied striking images of the spinning, the folding of bed linens and the lighting of candles in Lucretia's house.
Tamara Mumford was a beautiful Lucretia, elegant in both appearance and voice. Nathan Gunn was a determined Tarquinius, and Ben Wager was the steadfast Collatinus. The veteran tenor William Burden and young soprano Karen Jesse were the expressive choruses. All of them, plus the household servants Allison Sanders and Rinnat Moriah and additional soldiers, were ideal.
"'Yakking about Jesus'
The opera suffers from the insertion of religious Christian doctrine into a story that predated Christ by five centuries. In a tacked-on ending, the male and female choruses wonder if sin and grief is all there is, and they supply their answer: "No, for Christ died that we might live."
Tom Purdom, writing in BSR, found this anachronism intriguing, even if he was "irritated by the presence of a guy who keeps yakking about Jesus." Robert Zaller, also in BSR, sees a parallel between what he calls Lucretia's "sacrifice" and the death of Christ. But I'm not so charitable.
The religiosity is a distraction that distances us from the characters and lessens the opera's appeal. It's the main reason why The Rape of Lucretia has rarely been able to fill a big auditorium (even though, to be sure, it makes artistic sense for such a cozy work to avoid such spaces).
The story proper is dramatic enough without that element, and I wish Lucretia's creators had omitted the religious overlay.
That quibble aside, this production was the result of careful choice and preparation by conductor David Hayes, director William Kerley and designer Nicholas Vaughan. And a praiseworthy artistic commitment by the company's head, Robert B. Driver. â—†
To read another review by Robert Zaller, click here.
To read another review by Tom Purdom, click here.
To read a response by Tom Purdom, click here.
What, When, Where
The Rape of Lucretia. Opera by Benjamin Britten; libretto by Ronald Duncan; directed by William Kerley. Opera Company of Philadelphia production June 5-14, 2009 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
