the british are coming THE BRITISH INVASION A FESTIVAL OF ENGLISH MUSICAL DRAMAS MAY–JUNE 2015 THE BRITISH INVASION: A FESTIVAL OF ENGLISH MUSICAL DRAMAS 1 THE BRITISH INVASION A FESTIVAL OF ENGLISH MUSICAL DRAMAS RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: P. 6 SIR JOHN IN LOVE Sunday, May 17 at 3pm Wednesday, May 20 at 7:30pm Saturday, May 23 at 7:30pm Boston University Theatre ARTHUR SULLIVAN: THE ZOO P. 20 WILLIAM WALTON: THE BEAR Friday, May 22 at 7:30pm Sunday, May 24 at 3pm Boston University Theatre KINGS, QUEENS, SAINTS & SINNERS P. 30 FIVE MONODRAMAS Saturday, May 30 at 7:30pm Boston University Theatre THOMAS ADÈS: P. 44 POWDER HER FACE Thursday, June 18 at 7:30pm Friday, June 19 at 7:30pm Saturday, June 20 at 7:30pm The Boston Conservatory Theater Gil Rose, Artistic and General Director Randolph J. Fuller, Festival Underwriter ODYSSEYOPERA.ORG THE BRITISH INVASION: A FESTIVAL OF ENGLISH MUSICAL DRAMAS 1 DAS LAND OHNE OPER—NEIN! BY RANDOLPH J. FULLER Of all the worn-out bromides Still it was unquestionably relentlessly repeated by self-styled Sullivan’s success in the field that eminent musicologists, perhaps the convinced other English composers most infuriating is the old canard to pursue careers in opera. What that England, indeed Britain could be more tempting, after as a whole, has never produced all, than to follow Sir Arthur’s anything of lasting interest, much commercial and artistic triumph of less quality, in the realm of opera. Ivanhoe (1891) with operas of their Even today you read in endless own? program notes that nothing but a musical wasteland exists between Ivanhoe was the score that opened Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Richard D’Oyly Carte’s magnificent the appearance of Britten’s Peter new Royal English Opera House Grimes. Much of this nonsense can (still standing) and that played be traced back to a vicious little for an unprecedented 155 nights, book penned in 1904 by one Oskar requiring a double cast to sustain Schmitz titled Das Land ohne the run (and incidentally raking Musik (The Land without Music), in more money that The Mikado!). and in the Anglophobic punch-up Probably the only thing that leading to the First World War, precludes regular performances of its disparaging message somehow this richly Romantic score is the managed to stick. To paraphrase staggering expense of staging it Oscar Wilde, Schmitz would no properly—no Regietheater here! doubt have argued that in England The tournament scene at Ashby opera was an art form that dare not alone would bankrupt most opera speak its name. companies today. But how can this be? Focusing just Carte’s chief aim in opening his on the 19th century, is it possible to new opera house was to deal with claim that British composers had the whole question of “Englishness” nothing interesting to say when Sir in the field of opera, and to that Arthur Sullivan was busy creating end he had planned to commission a series of comic masterpieces with a whole series of new works by his partner Gilbert? Even before the younger generation of British the appearance of these universally composers. Alas it was not to be. loved works, the Irish-born but Ivanhoe was to be followed by a London-focused Michael Balfe had new work composed by Sir Frederic already established a successful Hymen Cowen (1852–1935) titled Anglo-opera tradition with his Signa. But Cowen failed to deliver immensely popular The Bohemian the score on time, and Carte’s Girl (1846), a work that defines enterprise failed. Yet, amazingly the term “war horse.” Sheet music enough, the opera was transferred for the opera’s hit tune “I dreamt to La Scala in Milan where it was PHOTO: ELLIOTT&FRY I dwelt in marble halls” could be premiered in 1893, the same season found virtually on every parlor as Puccini’s Manon Lescaut and piano stand across the English Verdi’s Falstaff. The directors of La speaking world well into the 20th Scala were no fools, and they must century. have heard something in Cowen’s From top: Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen 2 ODYSSEYOPERA.ORG music that mightily impressed Wreckers (1909), a bit of English Epicurean) audiences responded them. Perhaps that enterprising verismo dealing with nasty doings enthusiastically. Sermons were CD label Chandos might consider a among the lowly in a Cornish preached against it which only recording of this work to follow up fishing village. Despite her training increased ticket sales. And on top on their previous wonderful release at the Leipzig Conservatory of it all the music was irresistible. of Ivanhoe. (where Sullivan studied as well), a Messalina was quickly adopted into refreshing breeziness recognizably the repertory and remained firmly And now the flood gates were English surges through her fixed there well into the 1920s. Do open! Operas came pouring off essentially late Romantic German you think we’re missing something? the pens of British composers at style. One senses that English folk an astonishing rate, and many of melodies are not far away, the next Even here our survey of British them did very well indeed. Consider step in the “Englishing” of opera. opera is hardly complete—the Sir Charles Villiers Stanford who amazing story of Rutland Boughton composed no less than nine operas. This summer in early August the and his Celtic music-dramas is a His version of Shakespeare’s Much Bard Festival provides an eagerly tale of hubris run wild—but still Ado about Nothing (1900) raises awaited opportunity to evaluate the best way to enjoy this Odyssey inevitable curiosity, but Stanford is Dame Ethel’s place in the Pantheon is in live performance. We here at mostly recalled today for his comic of English opera with a fully staged Odyssey Opera hope that we’ve opera Shamus O’Brien (1896), a bit production of The Wreckers. It’s laid Oskar Schmitz permanently to of clever nonsense about daring- hard not to think of this event as rest. That’s what happens when you do among Irish rebels. So popular the logical addendum to Odyssey hear too much Wagner. was this tuneful work that it was Opera’s British Invasion. quickly adopted in the United States (where Irish immigrants But in the end, if you really want were aplenty), playing on Broadway something off the charts, then you of all places in the season of 1897. need to consider Isadore de Lara’s Randolph J. Messalina. Messalina?—we’re a long Fuller And now we arrive at that amazing way off from Ivanhoe and Cornish phenomenon of Dame Ethel Smyth fishing villages. Born in London (1858–1944), possibly the most in 1858, de Lara decided to pass successful English opera composer up the usual training in Leipzig, between Sullivan and Vaughan choosing instead to study in France Williams (though Delius might with Edouard Lalo. High life in claim that titles as well, could we Paris seems to have inspired him only figure out what style he wrote as he composed no less than 13 in). At a time when you might have operas, but in 1899 he struck gold expected to encounter an ingrained with this musical retelling of the prejudice against female composers, notorious Roman Empress. This is Dame Ethel simply swept aside any opera x-rated! Messalina is probably doubts about her talent with works the most lurid opera before Salome, of such robust professionalism and in the spirit of Fin-de-Siècle that her male colleagues were left decadence (the English were hardly breathless. Six operas are to her exempt from this sort of thing. credit—the second, Die Wald (1901), Think of Walter Pater’s Marius the performed at the Metropolitan Opera the season of 1903. But her masterpiece has always been The THE BRITISH INVASION: A FESTIVAL OF ENGLISH MUSICAL DRAMAS 3 Don’t miss The Festival of Contemporary Music with world premieres of 15 works commissioned for the Tanglewood Music Center’s 75th Anniversary, 7/20–7/27. Other highlights include Puccini’s Tosca, Act 1 featuring Sondra Radvanovsky and Bryn Terfel (7/11), TMC orchestra’s program of opera highlights including music of Golijov (8/2), and the BSO led by Andris Nelsons with Kristine Opolais in music of Puccini, Verdi, and more (8/15.) 888-266-1200 • tanglewood.org SUMPTUOUS TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AN DRIS NELSONS 4 A LITTLE ODYSSEYOPERA.ORG MUSIC DIRECTOR “Sophisticated & enchanting. A triumph!” NIGHT MUSIC - THE NEW YORK TIMES SEPT.11 - OCT.11 AVENUE OF THE ARTS MUSIC & LYRICS BY BOOK BY DIRECTED BY BU THEATRE STEPHEN HUGH PETER SONDHEIM WHEELER DUBOIS ORCHESTRATIONS BY SUGGESTED BY A FILM BY JONATHAN TUNICK INGMAR BERGMAN ORIGINALLY PRODUCED & DIRECTED ON BROADWAY BY THURSDAY,TICKETS JUNE ONHAROLD 18! SALE PRINCE DIRECTOR’S WELCOME It’s my immense pleasure to welcome you to Odyssey Opera’s spring 2015 festival, featuring a panoply of shows from the treasure trove that is English opera. From works by venerable masters like Vaughan Williams, to that maestro of farce, Arthur Sullivan, to explosive, cutting-edge works by contemporary composers like Peter Maxwell Davies and Thomas Adès, I think you’ll agree that the Brits are truly creative innovators when it comes to musical drama. Join us for a classic Shakespearean romp in Vaughan Williams’s Sir John in Love, and have a bittersweet laugh at the never- changing foibles of human nature. Next, a double bill of comedy, poking fun at tropes of love lost and won. Arthur Sullivan’s The Zoo rolls elements of the absurd into lightning-quick musical wordplay, while William Walton’s The Bear gives a tongue-in- cheek account of an unlikely love story.