Bellini, I Puritani: Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis,  Stephen Lord (conductor) Saint Louis, Missouri, 24.6. 2007 (LS)

 

Production: 

Conductor: Stephen Lord
Director: Chas Raider-Shieber
Sets: Allen Moyer
Costumes:  David Zinn
Lighting: Mark McCullogh
Wigs and Make-Upr:  Tom Watson
Chorus Master:  Sandra Horst
English Diction Specialist:  Ben Malensek
Repetiteur:  Justina Lee
State Manager:  Bill Walters

Cast:

Sir Bruno Robertson- Daniel Fosha
Elvira- Pamela Armstrong
Sir Richard- John Osborn
Sir George- Arthur Woodley
Lord Arthur- Frederic Antoun (Mime)
Lord Arthur-Eric Margiore (Voice)
Lord Walton-Mathew Burns
Queen Henrietta Maria-Gloria Parker

Bellini's I  Puritani is most familiar in the three act version  premiered January 25 1835.   Bellini also wrote a two act version for the famous mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran which  among other things substituted a tenor for the baritone Sir Richard, eliminated the famous duet Suoni la tromba,  and tightened the drama.

The Malibran version was never performed as intended in Naples, because of the diva's tragic death in 1836. Its USA premier was in Boston in 1993 and this June 24, 2007 Saint Louis production was the second production.  I wonder if I'm the only person besides Stephen Lord (who conducted both) who has seen both performances.  They couldn't have been more different.

In Boston we heard the opera in Italian with the mezzo Mika Shigematsu as Elvira. The production was gloom itself featuring a blood stained set and Richard Dyer, the well known Boston critic,  noted "We know better what madness is, and so did Bellini, but that doesn't justify staging  I Puritani as a Marat/Sade theatre -of- cruelty event in which everyone on stage, not just Elvira, seems crazy."

In Saint Louis we heard the opera in English (translated  by Stephen Lord) with  the soprano Pamela Armstrong.  The staging was bright and classical with plenty of armor and Puritanish costumes. I saw no blood. The production did have to overcome several  problems more usually associated with General Hospital than with Bellini himself however.

Frederic Antoun - Lord Arthur - had battled allergies earlier in the week and by Sunday evening couldn't speak,  much less sing.  So he mimed the role.  Eric Margiore - one of the Gerdine Young Artists - was positioned at the left side of the stage with his score (and water bottle - he had sung earlier that week and was a bit fatigued). In addition, it was announced that  Arthur Woodley (Sir George) was battling a fever of 102 degrees, but in the best tradition of "the show must go on" he agreed to sing the role. And so, the final performance of OTSL's  30th year began with some degree of fear and trepidation in the sold out  Loretto-Hilton Center  in the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre on the campus of Webster University.

I am happy to report that the evening was a wonderful success.  In the first act we found Sir Richard lamenting  that Elvira would be marrying  Lord Arthur instead of himself.  Elvira however thinks she has to marry Sir Richard, but Sir George  tells her he has convinced her father to change his mind and  everyone is happy.  Then, Lord Arthur sees that a woman suspected as a spy is none other than the widow of Charles I.  With Sir Richard's delighted connivance, he flees with Queen Henrietta leaving Elvira distraught on the proverbial wedding doorstep.

In the the  traditional three act version, the second act  focuses on Elvira's sorrow including the famous Qui la voce aria, but then moves on to address the dilemma faced by Sir Richard.  Sir George tells him that if Lord Arthur is captured and executed, Elvira will die and her ghost will haunt him for the rest of his life.  Sir Richard agrees to help save Lord Arthur and the act ends with the stirring duet Suoni la tromba. The traditional third act  begins with the return of Lord Arthur, moves on to his reunion with Elvira and his capture by Cromwell's soldiers. It culminates with the sudden arrival of a herald who announces that the war is over and Cromwell has pardoned all political prisoners.

The Malibran second act emphasizes the role of Elvira much more by eliminating a good deal of the drama between Lord Arthur  and Sir Richard including  Suoni la tromba.  As things turned out  this was just as well, inasmuch as Woodley would have had great difficulty singing it in his feverish state.

Of course all eyes were on Eric Margiore, suddenly thrust into one of the most difficult bel canto tenor  roles ever written.  He acquitted himself quite well. Although his voice was not as large and robust as Osborn's Sir Richard, it had its own lyrical beauty and at times seemed to literally come out of the miming  Frederic Antoun's mouth.  And most important for Bellini fans, he hit all the high notes.  He seemed embarrassed by success and literally was pushed forward  by Stephen Lord for a second round of applause during the curtain calls.

Pamela Anderson was an excellent Elvira complete with the required vocal pyrotechnics. I was happy to see that she avoided overacting the mad scene which - to my mind-often distracts an audience from the beautiful singing.

Frederic Antoun's mime role worked out much better than I would have expected. With Arthur Woodley restricted to a soft though often beautiful delivery, it remained for John Osborn to belt out his arias in the traditional bel canto tenor style. The remainder of the cast - Gloria Parker, Mathew Burns, and Daniel Fosha -  were excellent.

Stephen Lord has always been known as a singers' conductor -- keeping things paced for the comfort of his cast.  He faced  formidable challenges the night of June 24th  but emerged triumphant.

Lew Schneider