The work, a world premiere presented for the first time ever last Friday, marked in fact an international effort. The libretto, written by Opera Circle director Dorota Sobieska, originally from Warsaw, Poland, provided the framework to monumental choruses & graceful instrumental interludes by Mozart. The Austrian classical tradition was in turn complemented in a surprisingly natural manner by the exotic harmonies El-Dabh’s newly-composed solo arias. The intimate lyricism of El-Dabh proved remarkable in its unique blend of contemporary 21st century sonic sensibility & an aura of archaism anchored in something far more ancient than the most antediluvian of mere material ruins. Let’s not forget, after all, that the internationally renowned El-Dabh has had works performed on every continent of the globe in the course of the past five or six decades—how lucky are we to have him living next door, in Kent, Ohio?
But El-Dabh was not the only composer who held a surprise in store for the audience that night. The Mozart scores incorporated into this work reveal Amadeus as never heard before: this is Mozart that completely defies the garbled terminology of early or middle or late; this is Mozart that shoves aside our stereotypes of seventeenth-century straight-laced constraints; this is Mozart the madman, uncensored, uninhibited, unleashing the full prowess of his genius in the manic thunder of a chorus proclaiming the pinnacle of their Supreme Deity, until the voices flood over the orchestra & onto the audience, as if to announce the sailing in of the lost continent of Atlantis.
Opera Circle undertook the formidable task of representing such music admirably, with a chorus of some seventy members from their own forces & that of the Summit Choral Society. The creative process of the aforementioned Sobieska-Mozart-El-Dabh trio was further enriched by the participation of Italian choreographer Sabatino Verlezza, represented on stage by a professional ballet troupe of four; Polish artist Sylwester Piędziejewski, whose subtle sets in the form of an exquisite triptych thematically centered around the elements of wind, water, & fire, was shipped especially for this production from Warsaw last week; & American costume designer Barbara Luce, whose sleek & elegant outfits of white, black, & gold transported the onlooker into the world of ancient Egypt.
The libretto of Sobieska itself presented a curious mixture of fairy-tale with melodrama, of reality with the fantastic, of introspective & deeply personal moments with the public vivacity of a football stadium. Rather than attempting to unify these disparate ingredients, it flared out in a unique mosaic that endowed the whole with an imaginative openness of form. This variety of elements was mirrored not only by the international amalgalm of creative artists, & not only through a score that fiddled with a universal timelessness by its inclusion of the classical & the contemporary & the archaic, but also in the forces required to bring the work to life: eight soloists, full orchestra, grand chorus, ballet, costumes, sets, & supertitles. A particularly charming sparkle was added by the Youngstown Connection, whose a capella Egyptian chorus & dance added a youthful touch.
The soloists, for their part, were exceptionally well-cast, both in terms of vocal artistry & personality, while the orchestra, under the baton of Artistic Director Jacek Sobieski, displayed eagerness & fine musicianship. Particularly notable was the tremendous expressiveness of the first violin section, so essential to the music of Mozart yet so rarely found: who knew we had such talent in northeastern Ohio?
And all this in the breath-taking setting of the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus, with its ornate filigrees, sky-blue ceilings, & stately architecture. Birthday parties just don’t get any better than this. So be sure not to miss the next round, 5/19 & 5/20. After all, we all know funding for the arts is not always what we want it to be, & it’s hard to say when a celebration like this will come to Cleveland again. At $15 a ticket, you could hardly ask for a more affordable invitation. $5 students. 216 441 2822. http://www.OperaCircle.org.
From Cool Cleveland reader Wanda Sobieska clueless1033ATyahoo.com
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