'Lakme' provides showcase for its voices
BY JAMES D. WATTS JR. World Scene Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008
Composer Leo Delibes'
name has been kept alive in
musical circles thanks to the
continued use of this opera's
"Flower Duet" in hundreds of
commercials and dozens of
films. But in his lifetime, Delibes had greater success writing music for ballets, including the now-classic "Coppelia"
and "Sylvia."
And that's maybe the best
way to approach "Lakme," being presented in Oklahoma for
the first time as part of Tulsa
Opera's 60th-anniversary season. It opened Saturday at the
Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
"Lakme" is structured like a
ballet. Its story is simple
enough to be told in pantomime -- sheltered girl, interloping stranger, fearsome father figure (which, now that
you mention it, could describe
the ballet "Coppelia"), and a
forbidden love affair that culminates in tragic death.
That story is told through a
series of tenuously connected
musical numbers -- practically stand-alone songs, that
serve to allow the performers
to strut their vocal stuff, much
like the solos and duets and
variations in a classical ballet.
And Delibes' music is a bit
like the steps a choreographer
creates, in that what makes
his music really sing is the expressiveness, the personality,
a singer brings to the notes he
or she has to sing. Simply sing
what's in the "Lakme" score,
and the results could be stiff
and flat. The charm of this music is entirely in the way it is
performed.
Well, there is one exception.
The "Flower Duet" is famous
because it's a perfectly gorgeous bit of music -- a self-contained moment of (to
quote one of the opera's characters) "languorous rapture."
It lingers in the mind the way
no other tune in this opera --
or many others, for that matter -- does.
And it is performed exquisitely here by Sarah Coburn
and Priti Gandhi, whose voices meld in this undulating melody to such marvelous effect
that one almost wishes the entire evening was spent listening to them sing this one
piece.
Coburn, who is making her
Tulsa Opera debut in the title
role, is captivating throughout. Lakme is a young girl who
has to hide behind the barriers set up around her by her
father -- not just the bamboo
walls that seal off the place
where she lives, but also the
roles she plays as priestess
and as street singer. When
she is confronted by anything
outside of these roles, like the
English soldier who blunders
into her temple garden, she
does not quite know how to
behave.
That mix of emotions is best
displayed in the opera's other
well-known piece, the "Bell
Song." Lakme is forced to sing
it by her father, to flush out
her lover from a crowd. Coburn sings the a cappella opening in a hesitant, fearful way --
one knows she does not want
to do this. But as Lakme begins to sing, and warms to the
story she tells through the
song, her demeanor brightens, the tone of her voice is
more assured. She's once
again in a comfortable role,
and she comes alive -- only to
be brought down by her father's insistence that she keep
singing until her paramour reveals himself.
The "Bell Song" is also an
opportunity for some pure coloratura fireworks -- gymnastic leaps along the scale, high
notes that can sound almost
unearthly. Coburn's handling
of these challenges was wonderfully assured, every note
precise and sparkling.
The character of Gerald, the
soldier who falls for Lakme, is
described as something of a
dreamer, but the only thing
that was ethereal about Eric
Margiore's performance was
his singing, which often was
difficult to hear. When he was
alone on stage, and the orchestral accompaniment was
restrained, as in the first act
aria, "Prendre le dessind'un
bijou," he sounded fine. But as
the evening progressed, his
voice seemed to ebb more
than flow, culminating in some
strangled notes in his third act
duet with Coburn.
Conversely, Marcus DeLoach sang the role of Nilakantha, Lakme's piously vengeful father, with a rich, ringing
tone that gave his character
gravitas; this was no cartoonish villain, by any stretch. Kyle
Pfortmiller was excellent as
Gerald's practical but prescient friend Frederic.
Steven Walz shines in his
brief moment as the servant
Hadji, Korby Myrick as a
touch of comic relief as the
governess Mrs. Bentson, and
Kiera Duffy and Katrina Thur
man -- like Coburn, an Oklahoma native -- are Gerald's fiance Ellen and her friend
Rose, respectively.
In his 10th production with
the company, director Johnathon Pape stages the preceding deftly, and does a great
deal to help his cast draw as
much emotion and humanity
from the somewhat sketchy
characters.
Kostis Protopapas prepared
the Tulsa Opera Chorus,
which could be rousing, as in
the second act's market scene,
and subtle, as in the third act's
off-stage promenade of lovers
through the forest.
Carol I. Crawford, the company's outgoing general director, led the Tulsa Opera Orchestra in an excellent
performance of Delibes' score.
It is a delicate undertaking, as
the orchestra is required more
to suggest and underline, rather than proclaim and punctuate, and Crawford guided her
players nimbly along that fine
and trembling line.
"Lakme" continues with performances 7:30 p.m. Friday
and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the
Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
For ticket information, call
596-7111 or go online to
www.tulsaworld.com/mytix
James D. Watts Jr. 581-8478
cf,fgb james.watts@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Sarah Coburn makes her Tulsa Opera debut as the title
character in “Lakme.“
|
