Rebecca Belczyk / Rezensionen

The opera opens with the sisters entering one by one, singing of their lost children. It's a scene that builds to emotionally intense five-part counterpoint. The emotions are individual. When the sisters are emotionally together, the vocal parts are together, too. Muhly and librettist Stephen Karam treat the family's values with respect and sincerity, as well as its assertion of religious freedom. That's not to say they sugarcoat the views of the husband and father, the self-proclaimed Prophet. By normal standards, he's extremely manipulative and paternalistic. The crucial dramatic conflict within the family begins when one of the sisters, Eliza, asks why only he receives revelations. Jasmine Muhammd gives an intense but finely nuanced portrayal of Eliza, who will break free of the family at the end of the opera. The other sisters were all well cast. Meredith Lustig 'and Samantha Korbey, as Zina and Presendia, were favored wives who speculate about who will sleep with the Prophet that night, and aren't above a little catty dialoque ended by referring to the rule for the wives — “be sweet.” Nicole Rudin gave impressive dimension to Ruth, an older sister “out to pasture,” who mourns her dead sons and will commit suicide in the second act. Alexandra Loutsion emphasized the sweetnes and compassion of Almera. Joseph Barron was formidable as the Prophet, singing with impressive legato when presenting a vision. Although we see him hugging his wives, and speaking of family love, the Prophet is an opaque character. Barron also played King, a television personality complete with Larry King-style suspenders, in the first scene of Act II. Although the sisters start by maintaining unanimity in making the public case for the return of their children, Eliza breaks ranks and reveals she was married at 16 and wants better for her daughter, Lucinda. Rebecca Belczyk was emotionally direct as Lucinda, who chooses to stay with the family when her mother leaves at the end of the opera. Resident artist stage director George Cedarquist handled the characterizations and stage space with skill. Glenn Lewis and the excellent ensemble made Muhly's imaginative orchestration a vital part of the action.

The opera begins with Paul appealing his suspension from high school. Rebecca Belcyzk, Samantha Korbey and Nicole Rodin were the history, drawing and English teachers pushing for his suspension. They also sang well playing hotel maids in Act 2. The opening scene shows the stylistic stance of the words and music at their best. Spears writes in a minimalist style with some repetitions serving a baroque sense of ornamentation. The text is repetitive too, usually in the key fragments. This fits the opening scene because each of the characters is static. Spears' excellent ensemble writing welds it all into compelling music. Tenor Daniel Curran gave a superb performance of the title role, vocally secure across the nearly two-octave range and dramatically very well attuned to the somewhat mysterious ambiguities of Paul's character. Paul comes into his own in the split-stage second scene. He revels in his world at Carnegie Music Hall, while on the right side of the stage his father sits at a desk doing paperwork. Alex DeSocio offered well-supported singing in what is a one-dimensional role. Belczyk and Korbey shined in a duet Spears wrote, using lines by Stephen Crane, as an example of the art Paul enjoys. But that life is about to end. His father decides Paul must take a real job. The performance was effectively led by Glenn Lewis, who cued the singers attentively in the tricky score. The excellent nine-member ensemble was drawn from the opera orchestra, with assistant conductor James Lesniak playing piano. George Cedarquist's staging was direct and effective. Spears' opera is in two acts with an optional intermission, which Pittsburgh Opera declined. Performed straight through, the opera lasted a little more than an hour and a quarter. Although it felt long, the work is an impressive first opera from an obviously talented composer.