PORTopera: Maine's Divas Come Home!

Last evening, PORTopera kicked off its 20th season with a concert titled: Maine’s Divas Come Home! at University of Maine’s Hannaford Hall. The Maine Divas were: Mezzo, Kate Aldrich and sopranos, Ashley Emerson and Suzanne Nance, accompanied by the excellent pianist Martin Perry.

The concert opened with an energetic four hand arrangement (I did not catch the name of the second pianist) of the overture to Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, which led into the ladies’ (all looking senational) Three Little Maids From School, establishing a tone of camaraderie and playful humor between singers and audience, and (as much as allowed) semi-staging. Ms. Aldrich and Ms. Emerson danced barefoot as Hansel and Gretel in Humperdinck's best-known duets, including the touching Evening Prayer, ending by picking up their shoes and quietly exiting the stage during the postlude.

Ms. Nance followed nicely with I Have Dreamt from Bernard Herrmann’s Wuthering Heights, later (after a dramatic costume change) camping it up brilliantly in a marvelously sung Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß from Lehàr’s Giuditta.

The first real "Diva at the Opera” moment arrived when Ms. Aldrich, fresh from recent performances of Donizetti’s La Favorite in Toulouse, began Leonor’s O mon Fernand, the audience cheering as Ms. Aldrich held “the pose,” then launched into the cabaletta, tearing through Mon arrêt descend du ciel, filling the hall with dramatic tension, powerful sound and causing the audience to erupt into a genuine ovation. Later, Aldrich topped even that performance with a beautiful rendition of Sesto’s Parto, Parto ma tu ben mio from La Clemenza di Tito, her performance reminding me of Agnes Balsta’s some years ago. Awesomeness ensued in a terrific sense of line, perfect trills and remarkable, clear agility through Mozart’s difficult, rapid fire coloratura passages.

The program noted it was subject to “inspired whims of our divas” and Ashley Emerson wisely switched out Gilda’s Caro nome for Susanna’s De vieni non tardar - a much nicer given the mostly light mood of the evening, her clean, light lyric voice, even and radiant throughout the range. Later, appearing in a white party dress and roller skates, she literally rolled onto the stage, working limbs and skates into a musically excellent and hilarious Les oiseaux dans la charmille from Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. The audience ate it up, skates, high notes and all.

Duets included two of the most popular, the Flower Duet from Delibe’s Lakmé and the Barcarolle from Hoffmann. Both beautifully sung.

The evening ended with more comedy, 3 divas having difficulty trying to “share”" I Could Have Danced All Night, the mezzo predictably getting the short end of the stick before exerting a little mezzo vendetta stealing the limelight, before all three concluded it harmoniously. The single encore was a reprise of Three Little Maid's, each maid wearing an iconic Maine image (Emerson in a lobster bib, Aldrich in wool gloves and Nance in a parka), with cleverly reworked lyrics and inventive rhymes such as "lobstah" with "PORTopera." The evening could not possibly have been more fun. Well, okay, the final trio from Der Rosenkavalier would've been a nice touch, but I'm not going to complain!

Fille-Nominal Fille du Regiment

Last night when the curtain came down on PORTopera’s new production of La Fille du Regiment it was with a roar more typically heard at a rock concert. The entire cast and charming production certainly deserved it, but it was clear whose fan club was in attendance as Maine native soprano made her big girl role debut with the company as Marie.

After a frothy account of Donizetti’s faux military orchestra (sans some horn issues) the curtain rose on an enormous barricade built of furniture – chairs and other household items. Flanking it, atop and on all sides, the Tyrolean villagers, ready for combat armed with rakes and other garden tools, and standing guard against the invading French army. Frequently first act stage pictures, (particularly the military camp), evoked the feel of a Bertrand Tavernier film (that is if he made comedies). Shannon Zura's moveable platforms adjusted quickly, instantly becoming whatever space the staging required. The second act set with its mile high drawing room (and gorgeous parquet flooring) was raked horizontally creating a physically off-kilter look which added to the onstage hijinks created by the awkwardness of plot situations. Jamie Grant's lighting design emphasized the natural brightness of the tale, and with restrained subtlety, added the perfect atmosphere in more gentle and introspective moments.

Fresh from a run of Fille in St. Louis, Ashley Emerson offered perfect comic chops, an instantly adorable stage personality and a face that expressed perfectly young Marie’s wide range of emotions. The voice, like its owner, is on the petite size, but as a critic once told me “some singers you really have to lean in to hear, but they are oh so worth leaning in for.” Emerson is clearly in that camp; the voice has a pure quality that positively gleams and as secure a technique as I’ve heard from a young singer. Her attacks were spot on - no adjustments, just there every time. She showed off a brilliant upper extension with no loss of vibrancy and zero strain and a renarkable evenness throughout the range. For such a clear, bright sound, Emerson is also able to summon up a remarkable warmth for moments such as "Il faut Partir" which was limpid and properly heartbreaking, bringing down the house. Throughout the evening I kept thinking “future Zerbinetta." I can also imagine a Semele, Cleopatra and a number of other Handel operas that would seem to be a natural fit.

PORTopera lucked out in nabbing tenor Andrew Bidlack as Tonio. A beautiful, italianate sound built for bel canto, Bidlack sailed through his assignment with aplomb, verve and boyish good looks - a perfect match for his Marie. Overall, while the voice is bright there is a slight tendency towards covering high notes - not all of them. Such was certainly not the case with those those famous nine high C's in "Ah mes amis" which he tossed off with an almost uncanny ease.

Jan Opalach has become a Portland favorite and last night his beautifully sung and hilarious Sulpice showed exactly why, nowhere more so then when joined by Emerson and Bidlack in the infectious trio "Tous les trois réunis" - (perhaps my favorite moment of this entire opera). The staging - and Donizetti's effervescent music - could not help but produce the broadest of smiles.

It's always a joy to see Judith Christin and as The Marquise of Birkenfeld, her speaking voice frequently dipped into the bass-baritone range adding an extra measure of fun. Her work in the Lesson Scene, was a masterclass in operatic comic acting. Teamed up with Jeffrey Tucker as Hortensius, they made quite the pair.

In a scene re-tooled for the Duchess of Krakenthorp, Ellen Chickering, in a matter of minutes, managed to practically steal the show with an interpolated (and ridiculous) aria about her character's bloated ego and the difficulties of being so beautiful and admired. A great and awful song done to perfection.

The PORTopera Orchestra and Chorus were ably led in grand bel canto style by Stephen Lord. At times balances (but never tempi) between stage and pit were a bit off, the orchestra covering the voices - though most of the time things sounded just right.

As ever, Dona D. Vaughn's direction was sharp, clear, uncluttered pointing every moment to its comic zenith without ever going over the top. It's clear to see why singers love working with her: the end result is a satisfied audience happily going along for the three hour tour. Honestly, I can't imagine a better way to spend a beautiful summer evening.