Photo: Hannah Spierman
Way back in 1983, Tim Page wrote an article in the New York Times profiling the smaller opera companies in NYC. It began with the assertion “With Metropolitan Opera tickets going for as much as $60 each and Broadway not far behind, the service performed by New York’s small opera companies becomes more precious with each passing year.” Indeed, these smaller companies are even more vital to the operatic ecosystem than ever. (By the way, a $60 dollar ticket in 1983 would cost $200 in 2026.)
Of all the organizations profiled in his article, I believe only the Bronx Opera is still active. The company is finishing their 59th season and I have been remiss in paying them a visit. When I found out they were doing Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, it was time for me to go. The Bronx Opera features younger singers performing works in English translation with reduced orchestral forces. Set and costume budgets are limited, but the operas are fully staged. Its usual venue is the 500 seat Lovinger Theater at Lehmann College.
For Ariadne, the company did not follow its standard practice: The Major-Domo spoke in English, while Ariadne, Bacchus, and The Nymphs sang in German. While this may have made some aesthetic points, I don’t think this was justified by the loss in accessibility (unless the singers already knew the German version). For me, the straightforward staging by Benjamin Spierman overdid the slapstick. We need to retire the anti-operatic tropic of on-stage characters overreacting to music being sung loudly. Nonetheless, I was impressed by how much was accomplished on what was clearly a limited budget
The orchestra, which was placed directly behind the playing area, was reduced from the expected size by about a third. One missed the fuller sound at the bigger climaxes. Conductor Eric Kramer led with insight, sensitivity, and impressive coordination with the singers.
At companies like Bronx Opera one gets to experience enthusiastic young singers, most of whom might be tackling their roles professionally for the first time. Also, there might even be a future opera star in the mix. Their online program included an impressive list of notable singers who performed with the Bronx Opera early on in their careers. While I thought all the singers handled their roles effectively, one singer really caught my attention: Soprano Renee Macdonald has a substantial voice that easily met the demands of Ariadne. Her lower range is already filling out impressively. Other singers that impressed me were Miastasha Gonzalez-Colón (the composer), Hannah Friesen (Zerbinetta) and Erin Reppenhagen (Dryade). They had engaging stage personas, technical facility and characterized their parts with an appealing naturalism.
Photo: Hannah Spierman
On Mother’s day, I made a return visit to Brooklyn Art Song Society for their second program of recent works. It included two BASS commissions that were timely and compelling. The first work by French composer Benjamin Attahir entitled Potomac Blues featured French texts by Olivier Dhénin highlighting the poet’s response to different locations around the US. The texts captured the majesty of the locations and the writer’s complex, lonely emotional journey. Attahir set these beautifully with music that showed the influence of Ravel, Messiaen, and Boulez without sounding at all derivative. The piano and vocal writing were formidable. Baritone Michael Kelly, and pianist Michael Brofman were exceptional in what must have been a daunting work to prepare. I look forward to hearing it again and I hope another group takes it on.
The other commission was After the Fires by Lembit Beecher with texts by Liza Balkan. The cycle deals with the devastating fires in Bonny Doon, California in 2020, where the composer grew up. He worked with the librettist to assemble texts from articles, interviews, tweets, and other personal records. The cycle covered a wide range of events and emotions without becoming mawkish. It even finds a slight glimmer of hope at the end. It’s an intense work scored for three singers, clarinet and piano. The performers were Sarah Brailey (soprano), Rachel Calloway (mezzo soprano), Dominic Armstrong (tenor), Joel Harder (piano), and Moran Katz (clarinet). I can’t imagine the work getting a better first performance.
BASS makes video recordings of each season’s concerts available to subscribers as part of their subscription price. I wish more companies would do this!
