The East Coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s 'Cold Mountain' (1st review)

Its lack of focus led to a negative review by the New York Times and to mixed reviews from David Patrick Stearns in the Philadelphia Inquirer and me when the opera premiered in Santa Fe last August. The current production — the work’s East Coast premiere — looked the same, but the enclosed confines of the Academy of Music gave it a more intimate presence, as did the lyrical conducting of Corrado Rovaris, who had not conducted in Santa Fe.

The story, based on Charles Frazier’s novel, is about a Civil War soldier, W.P. Inman (Jarrett Ott), who deserts from the Confederate army to travel home to his North Carolina mountain. Inman’s trials along the way are reminiscent of Homer’s Odyssey, but not as monumental. Inman meets earthy characters like a bounty hunter who wants to capture Confederate deserters, an escaped slave who hates all white people, and a widowed mother who craves sleeping in a man’s arms.

He carries the memory of Ada Monroe (Isabel Leonard), a minister’s daughter whom he had met just before the war began. As four years go by, and the constellation Orion repeatedly rises and falls from view, Inman wonders whether he can resume a normal life with the woman he loves after experiencing the horrors of war.

The rhythms of speech

Higdon’s music and Gene Scheer’s words capture the rhythms of the speech and the personalities of the characters. To her great credit, Higdon writes rich orchestral textures yet never lets the instruments cover the singers’ voices: Every word of the text is clear. This is no small feat; the recent Empty the House did not achieve it.

Rarely does Higdon allow her characters the opportunity to sing out overtly for more than a half-minute or so. I do miss the lack of a soliloquy or an aria for the central character. All alone for long periods, it would be natural for Inman to ruminate on his feelings. Vocal parts tend to be sing-songy, with the orchestra providing most of the expressivity.

The best parts of Cold Mountain are an Act 1 chorus about fallen soldiers, a richly-developed Act 2 chorus about people buried and forgotten, and a bluegrass fiddle trio about trying to forget the war (“The garden might be wrapped in ice but I still smell the rose.”)

Higdon’s instrumental and choral writing is transparent, with slight echoes of Benjamin Britten. The opera’s opening and closing scenes are both soft, reinforcing my opinion that the opera is meant to be enjoyed for its quiet pleasures and for its introspective examination of how war affects individuals.

Ott has a gentle, high baritone voice that is ideal for Inman’s music, and his youth — he’s 28 — is an asset. Leonard has a medium-weight mezzo voice that suits the simple and sweet Ada.

In addition to the two leads, strong contributions come from Cecelia Hall as Ruby, a spunky girl who teaches Ada how to survive; Kevin Burdette as Ruby’s errant father; Jay Hunter Morris as the bounty hunter Teague; Marietta Simpson as the escaped slave, and Rachel Sterrenberg as the lonely widow.

The evocative lighting by Brian Nason deserves special praise. It was even more effective here than in Santa Fe, probably because it had no competition from the surrounding mountains at twilight.

For Victor Schermer's review, click here.