Magnificent and Powerfully Moving
Peter Sellars sets the production in (around) the present and while several things may
not make literal sense (e.g., an American president condemning a virtuous Christian woman to a sentence of prostitution at the Temple of Venus for not worshiping Roman gods), the contemporary setting for the most part is powerfully effective.
Save for carry on props (chairs, etc.) the only "set" is an ever changing setting of enormous stressed antique Roman tear bottles. Profoundly simple and beautifully capturing the feel of the "ancient" in this updated setting.
Frode Olsen's President Valens opens the work declaring that his gods are to be worshiped and his happy followers (each carrying an American soft drink, which I thought to be a minor unfortunate directorial choice) rouse and begin the first of the big hand gestures which will occur throughout the rest of the night. For once Sellars' use of hand gestures not only appropriate but excitingly useful. Olsen's...
Oratorio as Opera Seria: Bold, Brilliant and Beautiful
This one rattled the purists a little. Director Peter Sellars moved the story George Frideric Handel's Oratorio Theodora from ancient Rome to modern day America and made an opera out of it. That was a bold move. An Oratorio is basically a choral concert with soloists. This is anything but. It worked though. The work is about oppression, its causes and the effect on people on both sides. The staging enhances the drama and themes are always clear.
Valens' actions make his nature obvious. He's a small and vindictive shell determined to beat the world into believing he's more. The actions of Septimius and Didymus make it clear their loyalty to their nation stands in contrast with their contempt for Valens' cruelty. Theodora, Irene, and Didymus stand as people liberated by their choices. The music, the staging, and the people cast in their respective roles keep all this as clear as crystal. Frode Olsen's portrayal of the despot Valens is so concise that it was hard to rate his...
Astounding Theodora
Those who have provided some very negative critiques, based solely on the staging might do well to remember that this English oratorio, performed three or so times during Handel's lifetime, was never intended for staged performance. So, Peter Sellars has created a brilliant analogy with issues that we all currently face. Tolerance in the face of differing beliefs, more than proselytism, seems to fuel Sellar's powerful take on martyrdom. The choreographed gestures, not so dreadfully unrelated to the codified gestures that made up 17th and 18th century theater and oratory technique are riveting. The minimalist set, five Roman tear bottles (human-sized, of course) are wonderfully lit.
On to the singing. Here, we are in the realm of the finest Handel ever committed to recorded form. Dawn Upshaw, in the title role, can seem rather mannered vocally (a bit of Broadway creeps in now and again), but is admirably engaged and moving. David Daniels is beyond any reasonable doubt the...
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