[opera] Cold Mountain, Sun 2/14/16 at the Academy
This opera was a truly impressive new work, an adaptation of the book (which I've never read, which was also adapted into an award-winning film that I haven't seen). The last time I saw a new opera it was Oscar, which sadly was dreadful, and I feared the worst here, but luckily my fears were for naught.
First of all the sets were amazing. It looked like a whole lot of wooden beams fell over onto the stage, which was both adaptable to whatever the cast was doing (building a fence, walking on a bridge, hiding in the forest) and also evocative of the utter ruin and destruction of the Civil War. Lighting was also great - when people were supposed to be walking in the forest in the snow, the lighting really made it look like that. My opera company insider had hinted that the lighting might be tough, that this director often underlights his shows, but in this instance it was very well done.
I was familiar with the basic story going into the show but was impressed by the interpretation. The music was strong, not just orchestrally but also with interesting vocal themes (what I disliked most about Oscar). There were several lead characters, enabling the composer to weave together multiple stories that told a larger tale about the Civil War as a whole. And vocally, the cast was just excellent.
In opera-going drama news, I did get yelled at by another guest for checking my phone, which I did only briefly and while holding it to my chest to minimize the light pollution. I only did so because (1) the show was obviously running long, (2) I was supposed to go meet my mother-in-law at the bus station immediately after the show, and (3) my husband was picking us both up with my feverish child in the car; with all these elements in play, I was trying to assess whether I needed to leave early. Getting yelled at put me in a foul mood as I ran to the bus station, which resulted in me snapping at F when I arrived five minutes late - as if it were his fault - but at least I did get to stay until the end.
First of all the sets were amazing. It looked like a whole lot of wooden beams fell over onto the stage, which was both adaptable to whatever the cast was doing (building a fence, walking on a bridge, hiding in the forest) and also evocative of the utter ruin and destruction of the Civil War. Lighting was also great - when people were supposed to be walking in the forest in the snow, the lighting really made it look like that. My opera company insider had hinted that the lighting might be tough, that this director often underlights his shows, but in this instance it was very well done.
I was familiar with the basic story going into the show but was impressed by the interpretation. The music was strong, not just orchestrally but also with interesting vocal themes (what I disliked most about Oscar). There were several lead characters, enabling the composer to weave together multiple stories that told a larger tale about the Civil War as a whole. And vocally, the cast was just excellent.
In opera-going drama news, I did get yelled at by another guest for checking my phone, which I did only briefly and while holding it to my chest to minimize the light pollution. I only did so because (1) the show was obviously running long, (2) I was supposed to go meet my mother-in-law at the bus station immediately after the show, and (3) my husband was picking us both up with my feverish child in the car; with all these elements in play, I was trying to assess whether I needed to leave early. Getting yelled at put me in a foul mood as I ran to the bus station, which resulted in me snapping at F when I arrived five minutes late - as if it were his fault - but at least I did get to stay until the end.