{"id":24007,"date":"2021-08-10T16:45:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T23:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=24007"},"modified":"2021-10-05T10:16:42","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T17:16:42","slug":"eliogabalo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/eliogabalo\/","title":{"rendered":"Eliogabalo: a review by Victor Cordell"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Randall Scotting as Eliogabalo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Perhaps unique among performed operas, Francesco Cavalli\u2019s 1667 \u201cEliogabalo\u201d\u2019s world premiere was delayed \u2013 by over three centuries \u2013 until 1999 to be precise.\u00a0 Why, one might ask?\u00a0 Interestingly, an aficionado today can evaluate an opera simply on its own merits, mindful of how appealing it is within its own idiom.\u00a0 But at the time of its composition, an opera is judged largely within its context.<\/p>\n

For instance, while \u201cMadama Butterfly\u201d is one of the most beloved operas in the repertoire, the contemporary detractors argued that Puccini had not advanced his oeuvre sufficiently beyond \u201cLa Boheme\u201d and \u201cTosca.\u201d\u00a0 Most contemporary opera lovers will appreciate \u201cButterfly\u201d independent of its place in history.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jean-Paul Jones as Lenia, Nathan Stark as Nerbulone.<\/p><\/div>\n

In Cavalli\u2019s case, he was the most successful composer of his era in the field of small orchestra opera with 38 operas to his credit before his composition of \u201cEliogabalo.\u201d\u00a0 But his musical style for this work was deemed pass\u00e9 for the tastes of the Venetian audience of 1667 \u2013 an issue that bears little meaning in the 21st<\/sup> century.\u00a0 The composer would be pleased to observe that this historical oddity has now benefitted by performances from nearly a dozen companies. West Edge Opera\u2019s delightful rendition with well-sung beautiful music, bawdy humor, orgyistic eye-candy production numbers, and an edge of tragedy validates the work\u2019s delayed recognition.<\/p>\n

The libretto is loosely based on the life of a teenage Roman emperor who reigned from 218 to 222.\u00a0 Though officially Antoninus, he became known in death as Elagabalus, named after the God he worshipped.\u00a0 In his brief life, he defied and debauched all religious and sexual conventions.\u00a0 \u00a0What\u2019s more, his incompetence was matched perhaps only by his tyranny.\u00a0 The emperor lived by the notion that \u201cthe law does not pertain to me\u201d and didn\u2019t really care about his people, stating that \u201che who does not follow me blindly is guilty.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Does this resonate with frightening currency?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nikki Einfeld as Gemmira, Matheus Coura as Giuliano, Aura Veruni as Eritea.<\/p><\/div>\n

A charismatic Randall Scotting aptly portrays the self-indulgent, sexually ravenous title character.\u00a0 The countertenor is himself a massive contradiction.\u00a0 Scotting physically commands the stage having a Samson-like appearance with hunky muscularity.\u00a0 Thus, his lilting, high voice seems anomalous.\u00a0 Though his voice is profound, as is common with countertenor voicing, it doesn\u2019t project the power of other voice types.<\/p>\n

Eliogabalo\u2019s main quarry is Gemmira, who is otherwise spoken for, but that doesn\u2019t deter the predator.\u00a0 The evasive maiden is played by Nikki Einfeld whose silky lyric soprano voice features well in arias and blends beautifully in several ensemble numbers.<\/p>\n

But the liveliness in the production comes largely from secondary characters.\u00a0 Cavalli adopts the older, unfiltered maid\/nurse meme in Eliogabalo\u2019s enabler, Lenia, who is played in drag by Jean-Paul Jones.\u00a0 As it happens, Jones is not only an opera singer but also a professional drag queen.\u00a0 Remarkably, his squawk-box, false alto voice is well controlled, and he switches back and forth to a sonorous baritone with humor and ease.\u00a0 Director Mark Streshinsky has given Jones liberty to go campy and off script, and the results are hilarious.<\/p>\n

Lenia\u2019s sometime partner-in-crime is the henchman-looking harem master Nerbulone.\u00a0 He also ad libs, including dropping into the audience to solicit additions to the harem, and like Lenia, he occasionally lapses from Italian to English with great comic effect.\u00a0 Nathan Stark plays the role with great verve, and his baritone range is rich and pleasant.\u00a0 But while he hit his notes in the low bass end, his power is depleted there, perhaps because of the outdoor acoustics.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Nikki Einfeld as Gemmira, Randall Scotting as Eliogabalo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Cavalli\u2019s medium of farcical dramedies set in ancient times was common when he was active.\u00a0 The lasciviousness of \u201cEliogabalo\u201d was maybe a bit extreme for its time, but the West Edge audience supported it completely.\u00a0 The baroque score is surprisingly melodious and engaging with many charming arias and small ensembles.\u00a0 Conductor Adam Pearl\u2019s orchestra of seven includes period instruments and delivers a remarkably full and mellow sound. Kudos to the other principals Derek Chester, Aura Veruni, Mateus Koura, Shawnette Sulker, and Jonathan Smucker, whose voices and acting added to the overall enjoyment.<\/p>\n

The look of Evan Streshinsky\u2019s spare set is thematically appropriate, comprised of a huge, tilted bed and eight vertical panels.\u00a0 All appear to be in a tufted red latex look, like straight out of a cheap honeymoon motel room.\u00a0 But against that canvas is a recurring spectacle of writhing semi-naked and ninja-like dancers that provide the visual pop.<\/p>\n

\u00a0West Edge Opera has once again shown its skill and daring in its 2021 Festival.\u00a0 This third and final offering of the season is a welcomed addition that is delivered with great professionalism and flair.\u00a0 Although the opera has been trimmed somewhat, at two hours and forty-five minutes, it could benefit from further cuts.<\/p>\n

\u201cEliogabalo,\u201d composed by Francesco Cavalli with libretto attributed to Aurelio Aureli is produced by West Edge Opera and plays at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda, CA through August 8, 2021.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Perhaps unique among performed operas, Francesco Cavalli\u2019s 1667 \u201cEliogabalo\u201d\u2019s world premiere was delayed \u2013 by over three centuries \u2013 until 1999 to be precise.\u00a0 Why, one might ask?\u00a0 Interestingly, an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24007","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-victor-cordell"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"