Orlando 2019 Cast Synopsis.qxp_Synopsis 5/20/19 10:55 AM Page 9 Orlando 2019 Cast Synopsis.qxp_Synopsis 5/20/19 10:55 AM Page 10

DIRECTOR HARRY FEHR’S PERSPECTIVE ON

interested, therefore, in the idea of interpreting the sor- marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson is a recent cerer as some form of doctor. Meanwhile, the character of example of how love leads to dereliction of duty. Dorinda also began to present itself as one which would Medoro, meanwhile, is a soldier recently evacuated make sense in a medical context, as we are told that she from Dunkirk, recuperating under the care of the young ORLANDO has cared for the injured Medoro. Ariosto tells us his nurse Dorinda. Angelica, who talks frequently of return- injuries were sustained in conflict, and a context of war is ing to her homeland, is an American, at a time when t is perhaps surprising to learn that, of the 35 or so also crucial in making sense of the story of Orlando him- America was still neutral. She has encountered Medoro on libretti which George Frideric Handel set for the self: he is a great warrior who has been distracted from his arrival back in Britain from Dunkirk, and fallen in love London stage, very few were entirely original his military duty by love. with him. Very wealthy, she is paying for him to have the piecesI of work. The very first, Rinaldo (1711), is in fact the The idea of taking this piece, which is so vague in its best private care money can buy. These five characters only one which was wholly written for him. While the sec- indication of time and place, and locating it somewhere will encounter each other in a military hospital based, in ond, Il Pastor Fido (1712) was an adaptation of a 16th Cen- absolutely specific appealed to me. Researching the his- fact, on a real hospital which was opened in 1933, and tury play, every text which followed was a reworking of an tory of mental illness and its treatment, I learnt that the which still stands in West London. opera libretto which had already been set by at least one 1930s was a period of great experimentation in this field. Given that every location as stipulated by the libretto is other composer. And by the end of that decade, of course, Europe had been outside, and that imagery relating to the natural world However, none of these texts, which could be decades plunged into war. This struck me as the ideal context in permeates it, it is perhaps surprising how little the ratio- old, was set exactly as its author had first written it. The which to place this narrative. nal, modern, interior world of this production is at odds latest operatic conventions were accommodated, recita- As I researched further, it became apparent what fur- with the text. In a few places, it’s true, we have made a tive (which bored London audiences) was trimmed, aria ther choices I should make to achieve the specificity I small textual adjustment, to ensure that what a character texts were changed to be more emotionally direct and, wanted. It is Britain in the early autumn of 1940. Orlando sings does not conflict with what the audience sees. How- above all, alterations were made to suit the composition, is a Royal Air Force pilot, a vital asset to the military while ever, in making these slight amendments to fit the cir- character and strengths of Handel’s company of singers. the Battle of Britain is raging. Zoroastro, perhaps a Jewish cumstances of this performance, I like to think that I have Sometimes these changes were slight; Partenope (1730) refugee from continental Europe, is a military doctor, channeled the spirit of Handel and how he approached and Poro (1731), for example, were set almost as their seeking a cure to get the love-struck flying ace back into existing texts for use in his own new productions. I hope respective librettists originally wrote them. At other the sky. The scandal of King Edward VIII’s abdication to he would approve. times, the changes were substantial. Carlo Capece’s Orlando, inspired by Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem REMEMBERING Orlando Furioso, was altered more radically than almost any other text which Handel set. As the musicologist Win- THE LONDON BLITZ ton Dean wrote, this was “no mere adjustment of the old • The Blitz refers to the strategic bombing campaign conducted by text to suit local conditions in London … It takes a radi- the German Luftwaffe against London and other cities in England cally new direction.” Two significant roles were almost from September 1940 through May 1941, targeting populated areas, factories, and dock yards; entirely removed, while the shepherdess Dorinda took on RAF Officer W. J. Lewis DCC, 1940. a new, quasi-comic character. Most interestingly, an Pastel on paper by Eric Henri Kennington (1888–1960) • The first German attack occurred on Aug. 24 by accident as entirely new protagonist was introduced: Zoroastro, a IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM / BRIDGEMAN IMAGES Luftwaffe bombers drifted off course and erroneously dropped their bombs on the center of London; sorcerer who has no equivalent in Capece’s original. It human drama of love, confusion, and betrayal, which is • The British retaliated with three bombing runs on Berlin which seems that this was a deliberate choice by Handel, after captured so precisely in Handel’s profound score. The shocked the Nazi leadership; the relative failures of recent, rationalist pieces such as motivation of Zoroastro himself is also confusingly drawn. • In a ferocious response, the Germans bombed London and other Poro and Ezio (1732), to recapture the excitement gener- In preparing this production, I wanted to find a clear role locales for 57 consecutive days; ated by earlier ‘magic’ operas such as Rinaldo and Teseo for Zoroastro in the unfolding of the story, and also • During the nightly bombing raids, people took shelter in warehouse (1713). Capece includes just one, brief moment of enchant- diminish the distractions of meretricious ‘effects,’ finding basements and underground (subway) stations amid primitive London Underground, 1940 ment. The introduction of Zorosatro in Handel’s text alternative ways to present those few moments where conditions with no privacy and poor sanitation facilities; BRIDGEMAN IMAGES brought with it a dazzling panoply of magical effects, magic is vital for the function of the plot. • Despite the overwhelming losses, British morale surged and designed to show off what the early Georgian theatre The primary feature of Zoroastro’s character is his “Business as Usual” could be seen everywhere written in chalk on • Failure to achieve air supremacy over Britain led Hitler to postpone could achieve: instantaneous scene changes, flying per- deep interest in Orlando’s mental state. It is not easy to boarded-up shop windows; the invasion of England in favor of invading the USSR; formers, large groups of extras, etc. It was a particular diagnose Orlando’s exact condition as this libretto pre- • In late 1940, two devastating Luftwaffe attacks occurred: one on • During the eight months of the Blitz, 18,000 tons of explosives were Coventry, an industrial city east of Birmingham, the other on central dropped on England and over 40,000 men, women, and children selling point that the “Cloathes & Scenes” were “all new.” sents him, but it is clear that he is suffering from bouts of London resulting in horrific fire storms. Famous landmarks that were perished. More than 375,000 Londoners were left homeless. Yet, to my mind, these magical incidents add very little depression, mania, and psychosis. Zoroastro is ultimately damaged included Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the to the narrative. Indeed, they risk distracting from a very shown to be capable of curing this psychosis and I was Chamber of the House of Commons; Source: Author Philip Gavin, the founder/publisher of the online site, The History Place.

46 SFOPERA.COM Orlando 2019 Cast Synopsis.qxp_Synopsis 5/20/19 10:55 AM Page 9 Orlando 2019 Cast Synopsis.qxp_Synopsis 5/20/19 10:55 AM Page 10

DIRECTOR HARRY FEHR’S PERSPECTIVE ON

interested, therefore, in the idea of interpreting the sor- marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson is a recent cerer as some form of doctor. Meanwhile, the character of example of how love leads to dereliction of duty. Dorinda also began to present itself as one which would Medoro, meanwhile, is a soldier recently evacuated make sense in a medical context, as we are told that she from Dunkirk, recuperating under the care of the young ORLANDO has cared for the injured Medoro. Ariosto tells us his nurse Dorinda. Angelica, who talks frequently of return- injuries were sustained in conflict, and a context of war is ing to her homeland, is an American, at a time when t is perhaps surprising to learn that, of the 35 or so also crucial in making sense of the story of Orlando him- America was still neutral. She has encountered Medoro on libretti which George Frideric Handel set for the self: he is a great warrior who has been distracted from his arrival back in Britain from Dunkirk, and fallen in love London stage, very few were entirely original his military duty by love. with him. Very wealthy, she is paying for him to have the piecesI of work. The very first, Rinaldo (1711), is in fact the The idea of taking this piece, which is so vague in its best private care money can buy. These five characters only one which was wholly written for him. While the sec- indication of time and place, and locating it somewhere will encounter each other in a military hospital based, in ond, Il Pastor Fido (1712) was an adaptation of a 16th Cen- absolutely specific appealed to me. Researching the his- fact, on a real hospital which was opened in 1933, and tury play, every text which followed was a reworking of an tory of mental illness and its treatment, I learnt that the which still stands in West London. opera libretto which had already been set by at least one 1930s was a period of great experimentation in this field. Given that every location as stipulated by the libretto is other composer. And by the end of that decade, of course, Europe had been outside, and that imagery relating to the natural world However, none of these texts, which could be decades plunged into war. This struck me as the ideal context in permeates it, it is perhaps surprising how little the ratio- old, was set exactly as its author had first written it. The which to place this narrative. nal, modern, interior world of this production is at odds latest operatic conventions were accommodated, recita- As I researched further, it became apparent what fur- with the text. In a few places, it’s true, we have made a tive (which bored London audiences) was trimmed, aria ther choices I should make to achieve the specificity I small textual adjustment, to ensure that what a character texts were changed to be more emotionally direct and, wanted. It is Britain in the early autumn of 1940. Orlando sings does not conflict with what the audience sees. How- above all, alterations were made to suit the composition, is a Royal Air Force pilot, a vital asset to the military while ever, in making these slight amendments to fit the cir- character and strengths of Handel’s company of singers. the Battle of Britain is raging. Zoroastro, perhaps a Jewish cumstances of this performance, I like to think that I have Sometimes these changes were slight; Partenope (1730) refugee from continental Europe, is a military doctor, channeled the spirit of Handel and how he approached and Poro (1731), for example, were set almost as their seeking a cure to get the love-struck flying ace back into existing texts for use in his own new productions. I hope respective librettists originally wrote them. At other the sky. The scandal of King Edward VIII’s abdication to he would approve. times, the changes were substantial. Carlo Capece’s Orlando, inspired by Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem REMEMBERING Orlando Furioso, was altered more radically than almost any other text which Handel set. As the musicologist Win- THE LONDON BLITZ ton Dean wrote, this was “no mere adjustment of the old • The Blitz refers to the strategic bombing campaign conducted by text to suit local conditions in London … It takes a radi- the German Luftwaffe against London and other cities in England cally new direction.” Two significant roles were almost from September 1940 through May 1941, targeting populated areas, factories, and dock yards; entirely removed, while the shepherdess Dorinda took on RAF Officer W. J. Lewis DCC, 1940. a new, quasi-comic character. Most interestingly, an Pastel on paper by Eric Henri Kennington (1888–1960) • The first German attack occurred on Aug. 24 by accident as entirely new protagonist was introduced: Zoroastro, a IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM / BRIDGEMAN IMAGES Luftwaffe bombers drifted off course and erroneously dropped their bombs on the center of London; sorcerer who has no equivalent in Capece’s original. It human drama of love, confusion, and betrayal, which is • The British retaliated with three bombing runs on Berlin which seems that this was a deliberate choice by Handel, after captured so precisely in Handel’s profound score. The shocked the Nazi leadership; the relative failures of recent, rationalist pieces such as motivation of Zoroastro himself is also confusingly drawn. • In a ferocious response, the Germans bombed London and other Poro and Ezio (1732), to recapture the excitement gener- In preparing this production, I wanted to find a clear role locales for 57 consecutive days; ated by earlier ‘magic’ operas such as Rinaldo and Teseo for Zoroastro in the unfolding of the story, and also • During the nightly bombing raids, people took shelter in warehouse (1713). Capece includes just one, brief moment of enchant- diminish the distractions of meretricious ‘effects,’ finding basements and underground (subway) stations amid primitive London Underground, 1940 ment. The introduction of Zorosatro in Handel’s text alternative ways to present those few moments where conditions with no privacy and poor sanitation facilities; BRIDGEMAN IMAGES brought with it a dazzling panoply of magical effects, magic is vital for the function of the plot. • Despite the overwhelming losses, British morale surged and designed to show off what the early Georgian theatre The primary feature of Zoroastro’s character is his “Business as Usual” could be seen everywhere written in chalk on • Failure to achieve air supremacy over Britain led Hitler to postpone could achieve: instantaneous scene changes, flying per- deep interest in Orlando’s mental state. It is not easy to boarded-up shop windows; the invasion of England in favor of invading the USSR; formers, large groups of extras, etc. It was a particular diagnose Orlando’s exact condition as this libretto pre- • In late 1940, two devastating Luftwaffe attacks occurred: one on • During the eight months of the Blitz, 18,000 tons of explosives were Coventry, an industrial city east of Birmingham, the other on central dropped on England and over 40,000 men, women, and children selling point that the “Cloathes & Scenes” were “all new.” sents him, but it is clear that he is suffering from bouts of London resulting in horrific fire storms. Famous landmarks that were perished. More than 375,000 Londoners were left homeless. Yet, to my mind, these magical incidents add very little depression, mania, and psychosis. Zoroastro is ultimately damaged included Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the to the narrative. Indeed, they risk distracting from a very shown to be capable of curing this psychosis and I was Chamber of the House of Commons; Source: Author Philip Gavin, the founder/publisher of the online site, The History Place.

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