Hardly two weeks into rehearsals, tenor Hugh Smith either jumped or was bought eased out of Sir Michael Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage at Lyric Opera of Chicago. A week later, director Sir Peter Hall -- whose work in Houston Grand Opera's world-premiere run of New Year, Tippett's deeply weird yet utterly magical fifth and final opera, initially bit me with this bug I have yet to shake -- also pulled out, due to failing health. This, I'm assured, is completely legit. To finish his work, Hall deputized choreographer Wayne McGregor. But from all reports, this remains a Hall production.
That this show should already seem star-crossed -- there's that term again! -- feels curiously expected, given the continuing inability of Tippett's works to gain a solid toehold among American audiences. Still, the show must go on, and thus I'm headed to Chicago for opening night, which I'm reviewing for Musical America. I'm especially eager to see the visuals of Alison Chitty, whose New Year design was a genuine miracle of stagecraft, and to hear Sir Andrew Davis's command of this luxurious score by a composer whose works he has so ardently championed over the years. And, given Vilaine Fille's privately shared hosannas, I'm also looking forward to encountering this particular opera house for the first time.
I don't expect to be connected while I'm away, so this is probably the last you'll hear from me until Sunday night, at least. But before I go, I want to lament aloud the apparent passing of the beautiful star-hung marital bed in Act Four of the Met's current Roméo -- the one thing that JSU, Wellsungs Alex and Jonathan, and I all pretty much agreed to be a success in the new production. Thing is, I actually remember wondering just what would happen if a cable snapped. During Natalie Dessay's first performance on Thursday night, that's exactly what occured just before the curtain rose, according to La Cieca, who reports that the bed will remain grounded for the remainder of the run. Grim news, and disappointing given that this was the premiere's one real ahhhh moment. I'm eager to hear of Dessay's performance, but more concerned that she's simply okay.
Playlist:
Felix Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Overture; Lobgesang - Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig/Riccardo Chailly (Decca)
Robert Fripp - Love Cannot Bear (DGM)
Dark Funeral - Attera Totus Sanctus (Candlelight)
Various Artists - Tommy Boy Hip-Hop Essentials, Vols. 1 & 2 (Tommy Boy)
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