Reviews and Press Highlights for Der FreischützA little darker, a little bolder
This isn’t your Grossmutter’s “Der Freischutz.” The first indication that this West Bay Opera production is going to be a little bolder, a little darker and maybe even a little funnier comes in the opening moments when some super-cheesy 1950s werewolf movie is projected onto the stage. Two vaguely British types discuss the deep, almost Freudian nature of lycanthropy — how our civilized humanity barely contains the beast within and all that hairy, howly jazz. The curtain rises and director Yuval Sharon takes us into what is supposed to be the American heartland of the 1950s. But before we head into town, we need to cavort with the beasts in the form of choreographer Yannis Adoniou’s Kunst-Stoff quintet (Patrick Ferreri, Marina Fukushima, Daniel Howerton, Chin-chin Hsu and John Mercke). There’s aggression, humor and grace in the movement as Carl Maria von Weber’s overture sets a mood that is equal parts serious and playful, folky and grandly operatic. In the stylized set by Jean-Francois Revon, small-town America is represented by rows and rows of gray wooden fencing, with the townsfolk popping up from behind the fence, often with comic animal masks on, making them look something like demonic Muppets. Sharon’s direction and Revon’s design are clearly out to shake up this German classic, which is apparently the most beloved opera in Germany this side of “The Magic Flute,” and their attempts work well in the first two acts. Somewhere between a folktale and a horror movie with more than a little Sunday sermonizing thrown in, “Der Freischutz,” often translated as “The Freeshooter” or “The Marksman,” packs in the plot between grand choral numbers and beguiling arias. Max (Ben Bongers) just wants to marry the devout and beautiful Agathe (Paula Goodman Wilder), but his archaic town abides by traditions that prevent the lovebirds from getting together until Max proves his prowess with a gun. If he can’t hit the target at the impending shooting match, Prince Ottokar (David Hodgson) must deny the betrothal. And wouldn’t you know Max is in a shooting slump? Sensing weakness, Max’s brooding buddy Kaspar offers to make Max a deal involving magic, can’t-miss bullets. Kaspar, you see, has apparently been moonlighting in Goethe’s “Faust.” He has made a deal with the devil (here called Samiel and played by Gregory Stapp) that is about to come due. Kaspar figures he can pull a fast one and trade his soul for Max’s. As Max gets sucked into Kaspar’s diabolical plan, director Sharon wants to show us how dealing with the dark side can unleash the hounds of Hades within the human soul. That’s an interesting premise, and Friedrich Kind’s libretto certainly supports that sort of exploration. At the end of Act 2, when Kaspar seriously stirs the supernatural fires, the stage erupts in a frenzy of delicious darkness. At the conductor’s podium, Jose Luis Moscovich (West Bay Opera’s general director) whips his sensational 24-piece orchestra into a tornado of sound as von Weber’s music marries Wagnerian bombast with the pseudo-Wagnerian lilt of 1930s film scores by the likes of Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The dancers return looking like mountain-man zombies, and Robert Anderson’s lights conjure shadows and spirits aplenty. In other words, it’s a whole lot of fun. In Act 3, after a pre-wedding scene that feels like it could have been lifted from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” the finale presents us with impending doom and plot twists galore. But Sharon’s staging loses its oomph. The townsfolk, out from behind the fence and without their masks, just stand around a little pen that looks like a meager miniature golf course. There’s one whiz-bang bit of stage magic that brings to mind “The Wizard of Oz” by way of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” but the impact is lessened because the dramatic momentum has already stalled. Still, the robust performances deliver the kind of hammy acting mixed with the knowing comic slant the production requires. As Max, Bongers (who was suffering from a cold at last Friday’s opening-night performance) is especially effective building up to his fateful deal with the devil’s disciple. Once Max becomes more bestial, Bongers bites at the air and hunches his shoulders, looking less like a werewolf than a character from “Young Frankenstein.” Wilder’s Agathe has some utterly lovely moments, most notably in her Act 2 aria that is essentially a prayer to forestall her sense of foreboding. As Agathe’s friend Annchen, Patrycja Poluchowicz is sassy sweet and shines in her Act 3 song that combines campfire ghost story with a bridesmaid’s pep talk. Sung in German, the production benefits from a new translation of the libretto by Moscovich and Lea Frey. The supertitles are mostly free from the arch, often silly translations that make people think opera is populated by buffoons. “Der Freischütz” is such a rich, wonderfully wild story that any unintentional silliness could sink it. This production mostly gets it right — the fun, horror and piety swirl in good measure — and the overall sound is powerful and, you guessed it, howlingly good. Chad Jones – Palo Alto Weekly “the power and urgency of vocalization by both lovers, Wilder’s Agathe and Ben Bongers’ Max (despite the latter’s preannounced cold), virtually frees them from theatrical restriction, enabling them to showcase Weber’s impressive sense of melody and nuance.” “The reverent cavatina “Und ob die Wolke sie verhülle” (and if the Heavens are occluded), as delivered by Wilder at the opening of Act 3, is alone worth the price of admission (to both the Lucie Stern Theatre and Heaven!); it’s one of the most transcendent moments in all opera.” “Poluchowicz’s coltish Ännchen establishes another sort of engaging musical partnership with Agathe, in a bright, ingenuous soprano that’s distinctly and appropriately different from Wilder’s.” “Bass-baritone Peter Graham invests Kaspar with a virile yet vulnerable tone, and all four principals fare well as actors.” “The secondary roles are also well-sung, including basses Eric Coyne as Kuno and Gregory Stapp (doubling) as the Hermit.” “A quartet of Bridesmaids — Virginia Phelps, Laura Bouchard, Lisa Sueyres, and Barbara Heninger — ably showcases one of many charming Germanic folk elements in Weber’s score, also apparent in a Hunters’ Chorus, “Was gleicht wohl auf Erden” (What on Earth exceedes the joy of hunting), together providing evidence of the strength of the West Bay Opera choral ensemble.” “General Director and Conductor José Luis Moscovich’s orchestra plays skillfully and spiritedly, reflecting their leader’s sensitive, patient pacing of vocal highlights.” Jeff Kaliss, San Francisco Classical Voice I heard outstanding German diction in José Luis Moscovich’s production of the echt-German opera, Der Freischütz, at West Bay Opera, but it was fortuitous to find a more authentic, nay official, opinion. It came from Peter Rothen, German Consul General to San Francisco (and the Northwest), who told Classical Voice: “I couldn’t believe how in a production with American singers, German diction would be so excellent; I didn’t even hear an accent!” Janos Gereben, San Francisco Classical Voice “Agathe, performed by Paula Goodman Wilder, who has a creamy coloratura, came close to perfection with “Leise, Leise” , (..though clouds obscure, still shines the sun…). Her cousin, Annchen, sung by Patrycja Paluchovitz, also was in fine voice especially in duets with Agathe.” “The great choral music and many satisfying arias are well worth enjoying for their own sake.” “Der Freischutz is clearly an opera where the orchestra is a full-partner. Maestro Moscovich’s brisk baton kept his 24-member orchestral force on pace.” Mort Levine, San Jose Mercury News
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