The DMMO Years
The 2009 Summer Season
The 2009 summer season was one of the most interesting and at the same time, one of the most poignant of my tenure with the orchestra. Most interesting because of the repertoire, which included three operas, but what three operas! First out of the gate was Puccini’s “Tosca“, which was and is one of my all-time favorites. The second opera on the season program was one that I had heard of, but had never yet had the chance to play, namely Weber’s “Der Freischütz“. I had played the overture in concert on several occasions and had heard the “Huntsman’s Chorus”, but that was about it. I looked forward with anticipation to playing and learning the opera. Last but not least, was that perennial favorite, Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville“. The DMMO last performed it during the 1999 summer season, and it was a real “hoot”, as well as a wonderful production. I looked forward again to the machinations and the hi-jinks of that opera. I mentioned that in addition to being a most interesting season, this one turned out to be one of the most poignant as well. This was because this season turned out to be the last one with Dr. Larsen in artistic command of the company.
Since around the 2006 season, Dr. Larsen had been having trouble walking and required assistance in getting in and out of the orchestra pit. By the 2008 season he was in an electric wheelchair. He was in full command of his artistic and mental faculties, as his productions and performances attested, but getting in and out of the pit was a challenge. He was able to accomplish it fairly well during this season, but the days of him being “all over the place” to fix things onstage and in the pit were clearly nearing an end.
The Operas
Puccini’s “Tosca” has long been a favorite of mine, ever since I first played it in Albany, New York as the winter production of the Lake George Opera in the winter of 1978. I was definitely familiar with this one, and this time I had an excellent set of timpani to do justice to this opera. (In Albany, I used the Albany Symphony’s old Ludwigs, which had definitely seen better days.) I remember when I had my first orchestra rehearsal for that production, we rehearsed in another location other than the Palace Theater, where the performances took place, and there were no timpani to be had. I had none of my own at the time – I had just gotten to Albany several months earlier with all of my earthly goods packed into a footlocker. Unfortunately, timpani were not included. To their credit, the LGOF procured a set of Remo Roto-toms which allowed me to at least follow along and mimic the part. I still remember that rehearsal like it was yesterday – some forty-seven years ago!
I fell in love with that opera immediately!
Weber’s “Der Freischutz” while not totally unfamiliar to me, was an opera that I had never played. I mentioned above that I had played the overture in concert, and had heard the “Huntsman’s Chorus”, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of the opera. I was very much looking forward to getting to know this opera better, especially the famous “Wolf Glen’s Scene”.
Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” – what more can I say about this opera, which is another favorite of mine that I haven’t said already? I made my feelings clear in writing about this opera in my post describing the 1999 season.
Puccini: “Tosca“
Having the chance to perform “Tosca” this time around with proper equipment (I had the full set of Light Mark XIs with me this season – which turned out to be the next-to-last season that I had them in Indianola. More on that later.) The contrast between the old Ludwigs I used in 1978 and the Lights was stark and definitive. It was like going from driving in an old VW to driving a modern Mazda CX-5. It was a whole different experience, and it was nice to be able to properly present the timpani part as it should be and not be undermined by instruments that constantly collapsed when one played above the dynamic forte.
This was the third production of “Tosca” staged and conducted by Dr. Larsen, and it turned out to be his last. Previous productions took place in 1981, and in an off-season production in 1998. This was a superb production. Staging, sets, and the cast were first-rate, and the orchestra rose to the occasion in a big way. The cast included Christopher Job; David Ward; Drew Slatton; Carter Scott; Andrew Costello; David Logan; Stephen Fish; Diana Stoic and Aaron Sorenson. Every member of the cast was excellent. It was a privilege to be part of such a production.
Here is a performance of Tosca featuring Shirley Verett, and Luciano Pavorotti:
Weber: “Der Freischutz“
I apologize beforehand for the lack of an umlaut over the “u”. I’ll get around to fixing the omission soon, but for now bear with me, for which I give thanks in advance. I had mentioned earlier that while I had not played this opera before, I was familiar with the Overture and “Huntsman’s Chorus”. My teacher had played in several performances of it at the Met, but when asked about it was rather reticent. He wasn’t negative about it, but apparently it was not on the top of his list of favorites. Nonetheless, I was intrigued enough to procure a recording of the opera in the pre-season and was quite charmed with the opera. When we actually came to rehearsing it, I was increasingly taken with it, especially that chorus and the famous “Wolf Glen’s Scene”. The Light timpani were made for this opera – the drums excellent intonation and sound fitting right into the tonal picture. There isn’t a whole lot of timpani, but there is enough to keep one interested and on one’s guard, as is the case in most opera. I personally am glad that Dr. Larsen had the chance to stage and conduct this opera before his retirement. Despite his physical limitations, he seemed at the top of his game, and having attended the piano dress rehearsal, the staging was atmospheric.
The performances were very successful, and as usual with DMMO, the cast was first-rate. The cast included Christopher Job; Jeffrey Springer; Stephan Skzafarowksy; David Crawford; Melanie Long; Brenda Harris; Gabriel Preisser; Andrew Costello; James L. Kryshak; and Stephen Fish, with Dr. Larsen providing the “Voice of Samiel”. The chorus was superb as usual. Those artist apprentices sing their hearts out and give 100 percent even in rehearsals. They are amazing.
Here is a link to a performance of the opera in a recording conducted by the late, great Rafael Kubelik. Enjoy!
Rossini: “The Barber of Seville” or “Il Barbiere di Siviglia“
It’s funny how often this opera has popped up in my musical life. I played it in three productions. The first time in a local production in Drammen, Norway in the late 1980s; the second time with the DMMO in my second season, which was the 1999 summer season, and the third (and as it turned out, last) was this excellent production in 2009. Each of these productions had the fine points – even the one in Drammen, Norway was well done. They all brought out the comedic elements – especially the DMMO productions of 1999 and 2009. I believe I have mentioned on more than one occasion that one of Dr. Larsen’s strengths was in staging operatic comedies – and Il Barbiere di Siviglia is definitely that. I particularly enjoyed the moment when Figaro goes into the pantry and all the mayhem with the plates – the crashing of broken dishes was just a hoot! It seemed that as good as the production of 1999 was, this 2009 production was that much better!
It of course was a hit, if I remember correctly, and the stellar cast included John Osborne; John Moore; Jane Redding; David Ward; Stefan Szkafarowsky; Jami Rhodes; Stephen Fish; Benjamin Klaus and Chris Fusco.
Here is a link to a 2016 performance of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia“:
In closing this post, the members of the orchestra had no idea that this would be the last production that Dr. Larsen would stage and conduct. It is fitting that he would close his active career with this opera and do it with panache!
Recent Comments