2008 Woodie Awards
An opera in every sense of the word
A review
John Pavik
Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Opera, at times, can be such a predictable genre. As magnificent as operas are, crowds general know what to expect within the plotline-love, death, class struggle, and the people who can't seem to get past those three things. It's a formula that works and audiences never get enough of it. Manuel de Falla's La Vida Breve continues this tradition, pleasing the UNCG audience this past week with the opera company's stirring performance.
The story is easy to break down. Salud, a young gypsy, is in love with someone out of her league: Paco, a wealthy man with a secret. Unaware of his plans to marry someone of a higher class than she, Salud accepts Paco's false promise of love only one night before the marriage takes place. Her uncle is furious.
Paco's wedding itself is a truly extravagant affair. In the wedding, the dancing, loud music, and colorful decorations expose how wealthy Paco truly is. Salud, accompanied by her uncle and grandmother, is unable to hold her tongue any longer and crashes the wedding to confront her cheating lover. In the process Salud dies of a broken heart right at his feet. The opera ends with her uncle attacking Paco out of unrestrained anger.
Even though Breve follows a standard plot, the incorporation of Falla's music serves as a saving grace. Full of rich Spanish melodies and instrumentation, it propels the somewhat limited action on stage. The two dances in the second act are often performed as independent orchestral works due to their ingenious complexity and rousing energy. Today, the opera itself is rarely performed despite early endorsements by such figures as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel during Falla's life in France. One can only blame the limp libretto.
UNCG's performance was, for the most part, exceptional. Since there was so much talent to go around, several cast members had to alternate for the different performances. Each of the leads (Melita Etienne- grandmother, Dora Logan Hastings- Salud, Andrew Owens- Paco, and Neal Sharpe- uncle) carried their characters with the necessary vocal anguish and intensity required for opera characters such as these. The staging was also exceptional. For the wedding, several dancers were required-each being a delight.
However, La Vida Breve was lacking in one thing: the complete orchestra with the string accompaniment. While each member of the orchestra is talented their performance of Falla's music sometimes lacked proper tuning and clarity. This often impacted the mood of the event and, at times, cringe inducing.
La Vida Breve, despite its flaws was a wonderful way to close out a year of incredibly opera productions. The UNCG opera company can bring out the best from some of the weakest material. Hopefully the work will eventually receive its due praise.
The story is easy to break down. Salud, a young gypsy, is in love with someone out of her league: Paco, a wealthy man with a secret. Unaware of his plans to marry someone of a higher class than she, Salud accepts Paco's false promise of love only one night before the marriage takes place. Her uncle is furious.
Paco's wedding itself is a truly extravagant affair. In the wedding, the dancing, loud music, and colorful decorations expose how wealthy Paco truly is. Salud, accompanied by her uncle and grandmother, is unable to hold her tongue any longer and crashes the wedding to confront her cheating lover. In the process Salud dies of a broken heart right at his feet. The opera ends with her uncle attacking Paco out of unrestrained anger.
Even though Breve follows a standard plot, the incorporation of Falla's music serves as a saving grace. Full of rich Spanish melodies and instrumentation, it propels the somewhat limited action on stage. The two dances in the second act are often performed as independent orchestral works due to their ingenious complexity and rousing energy. Today, the opera itself is rarely performed despite early endorsements by such figures as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel during Falla's life in France. One can only blame the limp libretto.
UNCG's performance was, for the most part, exceptional. Since there was so much talent to go around, several cast members had to alternate for the different performances. Each of the leads (Melita Etienne- grandmother, Dora Logan Hastings- Salud, Andrew Owens- Paco, and Neal Sharpe- uncle) carried their characters with the necessary vocal anguish and intensity required for opera characters such as these. The staging was also exceptional. For the wedding, several dancers were required-each being a delight.
However, La Vida Breve was lacking in one thing: the complete orchestra with the string accompaniment. While each member of the orchestra is talented their performance of Falla's music sometimes lacked proper tuning and clarity. This often impacted the mood of the event and, at times, cringe inducing.
La Vida Breve, despite its flaws was a wonderful way to close out a year of incredibly opera productions. The UNCG opera company can bring out the best from some of the weakest material. Hopefully the work will eventually receive its due praise.
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