Yet it is not exactly the feel-good opera advertised in Pentatone’s press release; rather, the eponymous Mr. Chips – “the teacher we all wish we’d had” – is a painfully grieving figure, an anachronism of sorts, happily projecting his nostalgia onto the devastating realities of the 20th century and its incumbent wars. A product of Old Europe, he does not belong in a world that has drastically outpaced his Victorianist ideals, let alone his antiquated sense for the Latin pronunciation of “Cicero.” Humor saves him from obliteration, but Mr. Chips is, in essence, of the same stripe as Korngold’s Paul in “Die tote Stadt” – someone who just can’t let go.

Not Letting Go

As his own librettist, Gordon Getty adjusts the plot to, essentially, operatic needs. The action is split into a frame story, and a metadiegetic level of Chips reliving his own memories. It oscillates between his 85-year-old self and episodes from his youth, most notably the tragically ending marriage to Kathie Bridges.

Evidently, the staging of embedded narratives is tricky. But on CD, the layering of storylines proves quite compelling, their friction, so to speak, adding to the main character’s psychological complexity. Kathie in particular is the driving force behind any of Chips’ actions. After her premature death, Chips projects the memory of her onto his very own idiosyncrasies, as when he reacts to his students’ pranks: “How Kathie would have laughed!”

“It was as if Kathie had become a part of him,” the ever so sympathetic Dr. Merrivale comments. Again, one distantly senses the echo of Paul’s pathological remembrance of Marie. Even the doppelgänger motif is of note, with the soprano being required to sing the double role of both Kathie and Linford. But overall, Getty does not draw the drastic consequences of Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

A Class Act

The music very much aligns with Getty’s professed self-assessment of being “two-thirds a 19th century composer.” It comfortably stays committed to the tonal language of the pre-avantgarde, though the deployment of chromaticism and an usual array of instruments make for a gently modernist touch to the score.

The piano, for instance, is something of a psychological barometer. It rises to prominence in the sombre keys played after Kathie’s death. At the same time, its syncopated rhythms, together with the strings, effectively cadence the flow of the narrative which, for the frame story especially, relies on the conversational, and relatively fast-paced nature of the libretto.

Getty thus sets the tone for a chamber-like intimacy, far from the grand gestures of full-scale Romanticism or the transitional styles of the early 1900s. Accordingly, the orchestra boasts a reduced brass section but, in a modern twist, expands on the percussion. The result is a somewhat theatrical, if not cinematographic feel casting the orchestra into an subtly devised mood-painting role.

Farewell, Mr. Chips

The Pentatone recording relies on the unmitigated enthusiasm of its principal singers.

First and foremost, Nathan Granner is a stunningly charismatic Mr. Chips, phrasing vividly yet coating every expressive nuance with his recognizably honeyed tenor sound. The absence of any self-contained arias may not do justice to his mere vocal skills; but his interpretive acuity asserts itself in many places, most notably perhaps in the extended lyrical solo of “I’m afraid that six Brookfeldians have died this week.” Standing in the chapel, Chips reads the names of Brookfield alumni killed on the Western front when an air raid siren suddenly goes off, and explosions are heard. The scene masterfully crescendoes into the boys’ choir chiming into the already cacophonous soundscape, and Nathan Granner’s solemnity is increasingly interspersed with quivering moments of anxiety.

Granner finds his equal in Lester Lynch’s wonderfully empathetic Dr. Merrivale who, in the novel, is a secondary character at best; yet with Gordon Getty, he assumes the primary function of being the narrator. Though the part does not call for vocal extravaganza, it requires sustained gravity, malleable diction, and a pitch-perfect sense for dramatic timing. Lynch provides all of the above, and his characteristically fast vibrato adds an air of venerability to the kind doctor.

Finally, Melody Moore’s interpretation is pivotal to the drama’s strong emotional impact. Her role, and especially the ariose “Chips, darling, it’s started,” are Getty’s most traditionally operatic creations per se, with her long monologue arching into ethereally sustained tones, and a resounding climax. The American soprano’s often diaphanous voice is also apt to suggest an otherworldly presence; after all, Kathie makes ghostly comebacks until the opera’s grandiose finale in Act two.

An All-American Affair

An all-American affair, “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” is further enlivened by the irreproachable performances of Kevin Short in the double role of Ralston and Rivers. But only thanks to the remarkably warm colors drawn from the Barbary Coast Orchestra does Gordon Getty’s quirky schoolteacher emerge whole from what could easily be perceived as a somewhat fragmented compilation of tangentially related episodes. Conductor Dennis Doubin is not to be rushed, and one readily appreciates every bit of patiently shaped melody, whether instrumental, vocal, or in conjunction with the stirringly glorious San Francisco Boys Chorus.

“Mr. Chips” escapes every attempt at conventional categorization. Despite its modern facture (with some limitations), its two-hour run betrays a deeply felt nostalgia for things well beyond the scope of opera. Chips’ death scene, in particular, is transcended by some life-long yearning for a world sadly gone by. Gordon Getty conjures the memory of it.

The post CD Review: Gordon Getty’s ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’ appeared first on OperaWire.

“Audiences will thrill to hear ‘The Battle Cry of Freedom,’ songs from contemporary operettas, traditional spirituals, along with the folk-inspired works of Stephen Foster and traditional Scottish ballads, including excerpts from Lincoln’s many speeches, letters and documents,” says an official press release for the event.

The showcase is set for Oct. 16 and 17 at the Huntington, followed by a performance at the Skirball Cultural Center on Oct. 20, 2024. There will also be an early matinee showcase on the 17th at the Huntington for hundreds of students across Southern California.

Performers include soprano Alaysha Fox, tenor Nathan Granner, instrumentalist Gabe Witcher (of Punch Brothers), actor Wren T. Brown, and DC6 Singers Collective, among others.

The performance is led by Artistic and Music Director Rachael Worby.

The post Alaysha Fox & Nathan Granner Headline MUSE/IQUE’s ‘Indivisible: The Glory of Lincoln’s Musical Soul’ appeared first on OperaWire.

First up is “Everest,” which will be presented at the California Academy of Sciences, Morrison Planetarium. The immersive opera fuses graphic novel imagery and operatic storytelling to explore the 1996 famed expedition of the landmark. The opera stars Sasha Cooke, Nathan Granner, Kevin Burdette, Hadleigh Adams, Charlotte Fanvu, Shawnette Sulker, Whitney Steele, and Kevin Gino. Nicole Paiement conducts and Brian Staufenbiel directs.

Performance Dates: Nov. 6-17, 2024

Then comes “The Pigeon Keeper” by David Hanlon and Stephanie Fleischmann. The world premiere tells the story of Orsia who seeks out a home for a refugee boy. The opera is a co-commission with  Santa Fe Opera’s “Opera for All Voices Initiative,” Opera Parallèle, Opera Omaha, and Opera on the Avalon. The performance features the San Francisco Girls Chorus. The work stars Angela Yam, Bernard Holcomb, and Craig Irvin wtih Nicole Paiement conducting and Biran Staufenbiel directing.

Performance Dates: March 7 – 9, 2025

Closing out the season is “Harvey Milk Reimagined” by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie. Nicole Paiement conducts and Brian Staufenbiel directs a cast starring Michael Kelly, Joshua Dennis, Henry Benson, Matt Boehler, Catherine Cook, Matheus Coura, Gabriela Linares, Chea Kang, and Bradley Kynard.

Performance Dates: May 31 – June 7, 2025

The post Sasha Cooke, Nathan Granner, Sean Kelly, Angela Yam Headline Opera Parallèle’s 2024-25 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

This week it’s all about the tenor. Three of opera’s leading tenors release albums that feature their vocal depths and their passion. There are a number of the world premiere recordings and several choral albums.

Ways You Went

Donald Nally’s chamber choir The Crossing releases its latest studio album which features original compositions by composers Martin Bresnick and Mason Bates.

Bresnick’s song cycle “Self-Portraits 1964” exclusively deals with the life and personality of a single man while Bates’ trilogy “Mass Transmission” takes a telegraph conversation between mother and daughter in the 1920s and sets it to music.

Ombre di luce

Nathan Granner presents an album of tenor arias by Paër, Mozart, Gluck, Salieri, and Bologne. He is joined by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, under the baton of Clelia Cafiero. PENTATONE releases the album.

In a statement, Granner said, “As I sit here, reflecting on the creation of this album, I can’t help but marvel at the parallels between our modern world and the Age of Enlightenment. Just like the classical era from 1750 to 1827, we find ourselves seeking comfort and stability amidst the chaos that surrounds us. The societal changes and revolutions of THAT time transformed every aspect of life, from literature and music to the very nature of war. It was a time when people began to demand their rights. Opera characters like Beaumarchais’ Figaro and Susanna and Da Ponte’s Don Ottavio subtly led to real-world shifts in how we treated one another.”

George Benjamin and Ensemble Modern

Ensemble Modern Media will release a new album featuring four works by George Benjamin, performed by the Ensemble Modern Orchestra and soprano Anna Prohaska. The album features “A Mind of Winter” “At First Light,” “Palimpsests” and the arrangements of the “Art of the Fugue.”

Nessun Dorma

Warner Classics releases Pene Pati’s second album, which balances favorite numbers with operatic rarities – two of them in world premiere recordings. The album features works by Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, Mascagni, Mercadante, Berlioz, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Massenet, Halévy and Guiraud. Joining the Samoan tenor on the album are his soprano wife, Amina Edris, his tenor brother Amitai Pati, conductor Emmanuel Villaume, the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine and the Choeur de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux.

Roberto Alagna 60

Aparte Music celebrates Roberto Alagna’s 60th birthday and his 40th career anniversary,

Alagna performs alongside the Morphing Chamber Orchestra under Giorgio Croci in a program that is very much in his image: showing a contagious passion, and an insatiable appetite for the exploration of different repertoires and styles. The repertoire includes the works of Gounod, Massenet, Thomas, Adam, Verdi, Leoncavallo, Pergolesi, Wagner, Flotow, Moniuszko, Tchaikovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. There are also Italian and French songs as well as English and South American crossover music.

Fairy Tale Song Cycle

Siblings Jennifer Shorstein and Benjamin Shorstein release their first recording with their “Fairy Tales” song cycle on Madre Vaca Records.

The Shorstein siblings have been crafting songs together for years, with Jennifer writing the words and Benjamin the music. In a statement, Benjamin Shorstein says “writing songs with Jennifer is a dream; she creates these beautiful, evocative scenes. It’s the most exciting thing to sit down at the piano with her lyrics and explore the musical terrain they inspire.” The work features soprano and tenor voices, piano, violin, cello, percussion, and clarinet.

Four vocalists, including another Shorstein sibling, Rebecca, perform the piece with instrumentalists from the Bold City Contemporary Ensemble. Sopranos Rebecca Shorstein and Monica Pasquini are joined by tenor Jake McKenna and soprano Jennifer Anderson.

Chamber Music by James Joyce, Vol. 1

Desmond Earley and the Choral Scholars of University College Dublin present an album of world-premiere recordings of choral works commissioned from 18 composers to accompany poems from the 1907 poetry collection “Chamber Music,” by the celebrated Irish novelist and poet James Joyce. Signum Classics Classics releases the album.

Zarzuela

Juan Diego Flórez releases his upcoming album “Zarzuela” which will be released on his new record label, Florez Records. The tenor performs music by José Serrano, Federico Moreno Torroba, Pablo Luna, Ruperto Chapí, Gerónimo Giménez, Rafael Calleja & Tomás Barrera, Reveriano Soutullo & Juan Vert, Amadeo Vives, and Agustín Pérez Soriano. Flórez is joined by the Sinfonía por el Perú Youth Orchestra and Choir and Spanish conductor Guillermo García Calvo.

The post Juan Diego Flórez, Pene Pati, & Roberto Alagna Lead New CD/DVD Releases appeared first on OperaWire.

Opera Santa Barbara has released its lineup for the 2024-25 season.

All productions are held in the Lobero Theatre.

Tenor Robert Stahley and soprano Alaysha Fox star as Canio and Nedda in “Pagliacci.” The new production is inspired by neorealist Italian cinema by Octavio Cardenas and Daniel Chapman, the creative team behind “Zorro” and “Madama Butterfly.”

Performance Dates: November 8 & 10, 2024 

Sara Widzer and Yuki Izumihara’s production of “The Marriage of Figaro” features bass Colin Ramsey and soprano Sunwoo Park. They are joined by a cast made up of the Chrisman Studio alumni.

Performance Dates: February 21 & 23, 2025

“The Daughter of the Regiment” stars soprano Jana McIntyre as Marie, and tenor Chris Mosz as Tonio in his Opera Santa Barbara debut. Josh Shaw directs the new production.

Performance Dates: May 2 & 4, 2025

The post Robert Stahley & Alaysha Fox Open Opera Santa Barbara’s 2024-25 Season appeared first on OperaWire.

The event included performances by such artists as sopranos Alexandra Armantrading and Lisa Delan; mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade; tenor Nathan Granner; baritone Lester Lynch; baritone/librettist Curt Branom; clarinetist David Barnett; pianist Kevin Korth; and pianist/composer Jake Heggie. There were also special tributes by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, composer John Corigliano, and several politicians including Representative Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Getty is a renowned composer who has created such operas as “Plump Jack” and “Usher House,” among others.

The award is the festival’s highest honor.

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First up is “La Traviata” in a new production by Francesca Zambello, conducted by Roberto Kalb. The work stars Emily Pogorelc, Galeano Salas, and Rod Gilfry. The new production moves the action to the 1920s.

Performance Dates: Oct. 19 – 27, 2024

Next up is Louisa Proske’s production of “Rinaldo” starring Anthony Roth Costanzo, Elena Villalón, Nicole Heaston, Jusung Gabriel Park, and Kyle Sanchez Tingzon. Roberto Kalb conducts. The production updates the opera to Jerusalem during the time of the Christian Crusades of the 11th century, framed through the lens of a child’s fantasy.

Performance Dates: Feb. 22 & 28, 2025

Then comes an AI-inspired “Così fan tutte” by Yuval Sharon. Corinna Niemyer conducts a cast starring Amina Edris, Sun-Ly Pierce, Ann Toomey, Joshua Blue, Tomas Lehman, and Ed Parks. The opera is set in a laboratory where the four lovers are Don Alfonso’s robotic inventions.

“This new take on Mozart’s most controversial comedy will be an exploration of Artificial Intelligence,” Sharon said of his new production in an official press statement. “With a resolutely futuristic look, the comedy of Così will emerge in a surprisingly organic way. The production explores the connection between the Enlightenment-era belief of ‘humans as machines,’ the origin for contemporary explorations of what current thinkers are imagining as the ‘post-human,’ or ‘Humanity 2.0.’ As anxieties proliferate about AI, this production offers the opportunity for reflection on this phenomenon in a way that only opera can.”

Performance Dates: April 5 – 13, 2025

Closing out the season will be Nataki Garrett’s production of “The Central Park Five.” The opera stars Catherine Martin, Bernard Holcolm, Nathan Granner, Justin Hopkins, and Todd Strange.

Performance Dates: May 10 – 18, 2025

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The Verdi Chorus presents selections from Mozart’s “Idomeneo” and “Don Giovanni,” Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette,” and Lehar’s “The Merry Widow,” with guest soloists soprano Jamie Chamberlin Granner, tenor Nathan Granner, and bass Colin Ramsey. Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum, who is celebrating her fortieth consecutive year in the role leads the concert. Laraine Ann Madden accompanies at the piano.

In a press release Ketchum says, “As part of the Verdi Chorus’ celebratory 40th Anniversary season, I wanted to bring back Jamie Chamberlin Granner and Nathan Granner, as they are both wonderful guest soloists who have sung with us many times before, and are also having great careers of their own. Jamie and Nathan are also very close to us in a personal way, given that they got engaged on the stage of our 2017 Fall Concert, in which they were both featured. There is a duet in the first act of “Lucia di Lammermoor” in which the two star-crossed lovers pledge their commitment to each other, and in their own minds become married, and Nathan used that very duet to propose to Jamie onstage at the conclusion of the Sunday matinee! In fact, I’ve added Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” to this program because of the two of them. I’m also so excited to welcome guest soloist Colin Ramsey to this concert. Nathan has worked with Colin before, and after being introduced to him through Jamie, I was absolutely blown away by his incredible voice.”

The 50 plus members in the Verdi Chorus include singers from ages 20 to 87 who come from a variety of professions. Among members the Fox Singers, a group of sixteen young professional singers who serve as section leaders and rehearsal coaches. The choir also includes soprano Esther Foulke, mezzo-soprano Emma Ginzel, and tenors Kirk Garner and George Froehlig who are this year’s Sahm Foundation Apprentice Singers.

The First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica hosts “Star Crossed!” on April 27 and 28.

The post Jamie Chamberlin Granner, Nathan Granner, & Colin Ramsey Lead Verdi Chorus’ ‘Star Crossed!’ appeared first on OperaWire.

San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle has unveiled its 2023-24 season.

The season opens with the world premiere of Kenji Oh and Kelley Rourke’s “The Emissary.” Per the official press announcement, the ”audience will journey through a fractured future, a dystopian satire that addresses the alarming environmental angst of today, and the ever-increasing psychological stress on the younger generation.”

Noicole Paiement and Jaco Wong will share conducting duties and Yayoki Kambara will direct. The opera will star Angela Yam and Bradley Kynard. They will be joined by the Lick Wilmerding High School Chorus.

Performance Dates: Oct. 27 & 28, 2023

Next up is the west coast premiere of “Birds & Balls,” a double bill of operas. First up is David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s “Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera.” That will be followed up by “Balls” by Laura Karpman and Gail Collins. Both operas will be performed without intermission.

Nicole Paiement and Jaco Wong will split conducting duties with Brian Staufenbiel directing. The operas will star Jamie Chamberlain, Daniel Cilli, Nathan Granner, Mark Hernandez, Gabriela Linares, Chelsea Hollow, Shawnette Sulker, and Chung-Wai Soong.

Performance Dates: April 5-7, 2024

The season closes with the west coast premiere of Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s “Fellow Travelers.”

Jaymes Kirsksey conducts and Brian Staufenbiel directs. The cast includes Jonathan Pierce Rhodes, Joseph Lattanzi, Maya Kherani, Kurt Winterhalter, Elena Galván, Daniel Cilli, Bradley Kynard, Matthew Lovell, and Cara Gabrielson.

Performance Dates: June 21-23, 2024

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“Our 40^th Anniversary season is such a landmark event, not only for the chorus and audience members who have been with us from the very beginning, but for new opera enthusiasts we are welcoming for the first time on both sides of the concert stage,” said Artistic Director and Founder Anne Marie Ketchum in an official press statement. “It’s remarkable to me that the Verdi Chorus, which began as a group of passionate amateur music lovers in 1983 at the old Verdi Restaurant in Santa Monica, has evolved to a major semiprofessional nonprofit force in the Los Angeles classical music scene, featuring singers from all walks of life, devoted to performing opera choruses in concert. Far from being a time to rest on our laurels, this coming season will offer many exciting ‘firsts’ – from the Emily Dickinson theatre/concert piece that launches the season, to our first fully produced opera, Mascagni’s ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ which we will present this winter.”

First up is “This, and My Heart,” a portrait of Emily Dickinson. The performance, which is presented in collaboration with the Sahm Family Foundation, features music by Aaron Copland, Tom Cipullo, Lori Laitman and Steve Heitzeg.

Performance Date: Oct. 15, 2023

Next up is the company’s 40th anniversary fall concert which will feature music from many of Verdi’s operas including “Nabucco,” “Don Carlo,” and “La Traviata.” There will also be passages from “Samson et Dalila” and “Cavalleria Rusticana.” Audiences will hear such soloists as Julie Makarov, Audrey Babcock, Alex Boyer, and Roberto Perlas Gómez.

Performance Date: Nov. 18-19, 2023

Kicking off the new year is a performance of “Cavalleria Rusticana.” This is the first time that the Verdi Chorus presents an opera in its entirety in the company’s history. The performance will feature Audrey Babcock, Todd Wilander, and Roberto Perlas Gómez.

Performance Date: Jan. 20, 2024

The season comes to a close with a 40th anniversary Spring Concert “Star-Crossed.” The showcase will feature selections from operas by Mozart, Donizetti, Gounod, and Léhar. Sopolists include Jamie Chamberlin Granner, Nathan Granner, and Colin Ramsey.

Performance Date: April 27-28, 2024

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