Intimate evenings of professionally staged chamber operas are more and more rare, even in a major music capital like New York City, so it was uniquely satisfying to see two one-act operas composed and written by the esteemed teacher/composer/writer Martin Halpern.
Staged by Sonya Baehr on the altar of the Church of St. Gregory the Great on the upper west side of Manhattan, Mr. Halpern’s Purgatory, based loosely on a W.B. Yeats play and The Death of Oedipus , based on a Sophocles tragedy, were transformed by Mr. Halpern into concise musical dramas, stripped down to great effect. Both chamber pieces shared some common themes: father/child relationships stretched to their limits; redemption; and journeys both literal and spiritual.
Purgatory is about an Old Pedlar who takes his son on a journey to a very important house where the Old Pedlar grew up and from which he experienced a terrible exile. He wants to resolve his history, but whether his past really happened--or even if the house is nothing more than an ugly figment of his imagination--is artfully explored in Mr. Halpern’s adaptation, brilliantly sung by Jim Trainor as the Old Pedlar and Bobby Underwood as his son, the Young Pedlar. The music, at once strident and totally appropriate gave the mysterious elements of the story support and created drama of its own sort.
Far more complex was The Death of Oedipus , which streamlined Sophocles’ “Oedipus at Colonus.” Oedipus, sung by Jim Trainor, is on his last journey, blind and sick of soul. His faithful daughter, Antigone (Yvonne Bill) accompanies him in his banishment and supports her father in his wish to visit the sacred site of Colonus. They are at first thwarted by two Citizens (Aram Tchobanian & Joshua South) who relent after hearing of Oedipus’s agony and banishment. Even a Theban Officer (Bobby Underwood) cannot prevent Oedipus from his dying wish. Having reached spiritual fulfillment Oedipus dies and receives posthumous honors and prayers. Again, Mr. Halpern’s stripped-down dramaturgy and angular music add depth and ineffable poignancy to the tragic story.
Ms. Baehr’s stylized staging, the simple, but appropriate costumes by Hunter Kaczorowski, and the bleak lighting by Ethan Kaplan enhanced Mr. Halpern’s work.
Most especially, though, was the strong piano accompaniment by Earl Buys. His playing was as thorough-going and passionate as any orchestra’s and his devotion to Mr. Halpern’s music was palpable.
The singing throughout was strong and clear. Every word could be heard, even in a church’s acoustics, which is high praise.
Mr. Halpern, who also conducted the performance, was represented well with this program and shows why he is respected member of New York’s cultural scene.
TWO ONE-ACT CHAMBER OPERAS
Purgatory & The Death of Oedipus
By Martin Halpern
The Church of St. Gregory the Great
150 West 90th St.
New York, NY
October 1st – 4 th, 2009