The Met should revive The Aspern Papers

Samuel Barber may have had an edge as melodist over Dominick Argento, but the latter had a far better instinct as dramatist, and his 1988 setting of Henry James’s The Aspern Papers is overdue for a Met premiere. It is a gripping work of musical psychodrama.

 

I’d double cast it with (in alphabetical order) Nicole Heaston and Sondra Radvanovsky alternating as Juliana, Samantha Hankey and Daniela Mack as Tina, Will Liverman and Lucas Meachem as The Lodger, and Ben Bliss and Benjamin Bernheim as Jeffrey Aspern. Meridian Prall and Sarah Saturnino can alternate in the “diva in training” role of Sonia that Susan Graham and Sasha Cooke both sang as cub mezzos in the Washington National Opera premiere and 2013 Dallas revival, respectively. Erstwhile Argento composition student James Robinson, who helped turn his teacher’s Miss Havisham’s Fire into a viable success for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, should direct. And I can’t wait to see what Yannick will wear on the podium dressed as Medea.

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