Margret Garner
Richard Danielpour
PRINCIPAL CAST/PRODUCTION TEAM:
Margret Garner: Tracie Luck
Cilla: Lisa Daltirus
Robert Garner: Gregg Baker is Robert Garner
Edward Gaines: Thomas Barrett
Production Director: Tazewell Thompson
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (September 28, 2007)- The New York City Opera opened its 2007-2008 Season with nearly as much press (but admittedly less fanfare) as did their neighbor across Lincoln Center Plaza with an American Opera, Margret Garner. In the saga of the slave who kills her children rather than see them taken back into slavery, one again the smaller house proved that it has a deep understanding of personal drama and emotion, something often lost at the Met.
The bourgeois black community were out en masse. I sat next to John Legend….super hot singer and I wanted him to sing to me, “I know I must behave and we made our mistakes…” Brilliant opera going man, just and ordinary person. The sort I hope to see at the opera more often.
It isn’t often that one finds the audience thrilled with their experience after an American Opera. We call them “bold” or some other term masking the fact that we didn’t love them. Composer Richard Danielpour has given us something relevant to our own history in an opera that feels as natural as Puccini and yet as complex as Struass. People have said for years that after Wagner there were two roads which music took: one led to Menotti and the love of audiences, the other to Adams and empty houses. Margret Garner was possibly the love child of these two forms, it was engaging yet musically shocking in the best way.
The set was good and effective. Having seen the opera before in Cincinnati, I must say the it lacked the energy of the first night I saw it. This must be forgiven however, Cincinnati is the place where the opera actually took place and the city was glad to be reflecting on this painful part of its history. The NYCO’s production was in some ways superior to the original a relatively sparse set framed by rustic wood.
Tracie Luck sang the roll of Margret well, and commanded the stage affectively. Had I not seen the creator of the roll, Denyce Graves, I would have thought her wonderful. She was however convincing. Baritone Greg Baker was Robert patriarch of the slave family. He was forceful and perfect for the part.
The highlight of the evening came from Soprano Lisa Daltirus. Her warm spinto voice was perfect for Cilla, the grandmother character. Carefully etching the notes toward the top of the roll, she displayed all the maternal love needed in such a character. Angela Brown, the roll’s creator would perform Aida the next night next door at the Metropolitan…I had seen Brown as Cilla and Daltirus as Aida in Cincinnati, now they were switched…I think it’s safe to say that Daltirus was the finest spinto on the scene.
Kudos must be given to Thomas Barrett who did the roll of Edward Gaines. He lacked the bad boy sex appeal of Rodney Giffery, the creator…however he made up for it with vocal power. A fine performance.
The orchestra was in fine form as well, and Tazewell Thompson’s staging was very good. Tony Morrison’s libretto is moving and tells the story well. The low point of the evening came in the end. Margret, having killed her child, is convicted of destruction of property. To add insult to injury, Slave Master Gaines grants her clemency as she stand on the gallows. She jumps and hangs there… The logical conclusion of the opera is here, as Cilla shrikes in horror, the affect is chilling like Tosca’s death.
Imagine now that the chorus comes forward to sing an ode to Tosca, sending her off. Now imagine that her ghost walks around in circles touching the people in the crowd. It’s very Metaphysical, and like Lucia at the Met I found it tacky and stupid. The score needs revision, namely a few pages torn out. The chorus is a fine one…but no better than you might hear in any parish church on a Sunday morning and it ruins the conclusion of the opera.
Richard Danielpour
PRINCIPAL CAST/PRODUCTION TEAM:
Margret Garner: Tracie Luck
Cilla: Lisa Daltirus
Robert Garner: Gregg Baker is Robert Garner
Edward Gaines: Thomas Barrett
Production Director: Tazewell Thompson
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (September 28, 2007)- The New York City Opera opened its 2007-2008 Season with nearly as much press (but admittedly less fanfare) as did their neighbor across Lincoln Center Plaza with an American Opera, Margret Garner. In the saga of the slave who kills her children rather than see them taken back into slavery, one again the smaller house proved that it has a deep understanding of personal drama and emotion, something often lost at the Met.
The bourgeois black community were out en masse. I sat next to John Legend….super hot singer and I wanted him to sing to me, “I know I must behave and we made our mistakes…” Brilliant opera going man, just and ordinary person. The sort I hope to see at the opera more often.
It isn’t often that one finds the audience thrilled with their experience after an American Opera. We call them “bold” or some other term masking the fact that we didn’t love them. Composer Richard Danielpour has given us something relevant to our own history in an opera that feels as natural as Puccini and yet as complex as Struass. People have said for years that after Wagner there were two roads which music took: one led to Menotti and the love of audiences, the other to Adams and empty houses. Margret Garner was possibly the love child of these two forms, it was engaging yet musically shocking in the best way.
The set was good and effective. Having seen the opera before in Cincinnati, I must say the it lacked the energy of the first night I saw it. This must be forgiven however, Cincinnati is the place where the opera actually took place and the city was glad to be reflecting on this painful part of its history. The NYCO’s production was in some ways superior to the original a relatively sparse set framed by rustic wood.
Tracie Luck sang the roll of Margret well, and commanded the stage affectively. Had I not seen the creator of the roll, Denyce Graves, I would have thought her wonderful. She was however convincing. Baritone Greg Baker was Robert patriarch of the slave family. He was forceful and perfect for the part.
The highlight of the evening came from Soprano Lisa Daltirus. Her warm spinto voice was perfect for Cilla, the grandmother character. Carefully etching the notes toward the top of the roll, she displayed all the maternal love needed in such a character. Angela Brown, the roll’s creator would perform Aida the next night next door at the Metropolitan…I had seen Brown as Cilla and Daltirus as Aida in Cincinnati, now they were switched…I think it’s safe to say that Daltirus was the finest spinto on the scene.
Kudos must be given to Thomas Barrett who did the roll of Edward Gaines. He lacked the bad boy sex appeal of Rodney Giffery, the creator…however he made up for it with vocal power. A fine performance.
The orchestra was in fine form as well, and Tazewell Thompson’s staging was very good. Tony Morrison’s libretto is moving and tells the story well. The low point of the evening came in the end. Margret, having killed her child, is convicted of destruction of property. To add insult to injury, Slave Master Gaines grants her clemency as she stand on the gallows. She jumps and hangs there… The logical conclusion of the opera is here, as Cilla shrikes in horror, the affect is chilling like Tosca’s death.
Imagine now that the chorus comes forward to sing an ode to Tosca, sending her off. Now imagine that her ghost walks around in circles touching the people in the crowd. It’s very Metaphysical, and like Lucia at the Met I found it tacky and stupid. The score needs revision, namely a few pages torn out. The chorus is a fine one…but no better than you might hear in any parish church on a Sunday morning and it ruins the conclusion of the opera.
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