Taylor Renée Horne
Two fancily dressed persons in elaborate wigs peek out from behind a gate.
Yazid Gray as Ophémon, left, and Hailey Cohen as Dorothée in Madison Opera's production of 'The Anonymous Lover.'
The opera world is in the midst of a long-needed transformation, aiming to broaden its repertoire beyond the often-produced works of composers like Mozart, Puccini and Verdi. Madison Opera takes up the challenge of expanding the operatic landscape with its masterful production of The Anonymous Lover (L'Amant Anonyme) by Joseph Bologne in the Overture Center’s Capitol Theater.
Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a musical contemporary of Mozart who socialized with Marie Antoinette's inner circle. Saint-Georges was quite the Renaissance man — a musical prodigy-level violinist, master swordsman, a polyglot intellectual, and a social and cultural influencer. He was also biracial. Many consider him to be the most important Classical composer of color. While common, comparisons between Saint-Georges and Mozart restrict the appreciation of their unique artistic strengths and contributions to the musical milieu of their time.
According to operabase.com, The Anonymous Lover has been produced in the United States fewer than a handful of times. And so it was helpful to watch Madison Opera general director Kathryn Smith's Opera Up Close on YouTube to learn about the composer and his work.
Premiering in 1780 in Paris, The Anonymous Lover is a comedic work and the only surviving opera by Saint-Georges. Madison Opera took the liberty of shortening it from three acts to 90 minutes (without intermission) by cutting music in some places and adding it to other sections; the company went even further by translating French dialogue into English. Saint-Georges’ work is immediate — it's light, bright, joyful and melodic, but at times a bit too saccharine and not particularly complex in harmonic structure.
The rom-com unfolds with Léontine, a beautiful young widow disenchanted with love. Against her expectations, she discovers a continuous flow of letters and gifts from an unidentified man expressing unwavering passion. This amuses her friend Valcour, who insists on having no inclination towards romance. However, after concealing his genuine sentiments for years, Valcour gathers the courage to disclose that he is, in fact, the devoted secret admirer.
The anonymous lover, Valcour, is played by the magnetic David Blalock. His beautiful burnished lyric tenor rings at the top end of his range and suitably growls in the lower register. His love interest, Léontine, is sung by powerhouse soprano Keely Futterer, who has complete command of her instrument. I love it when a secondary character stands out, and Brianna Murray does just that. Alluring and pitch-perfect, the charismatic soprano does exceptionally well as Jeanette and is one to watch. The cast is evenly and successfully rounded out by the clever Yazid Gray, the comedic Hailey Cohen, and the unrefined character of William Johnson.
The orchestra, seen onstage behind a scrim throughout the opera, felt a bit heavy to start, but conductor Michelle Rofrano brought the lightness of the score to life. Making her Madison Opera debut, Rofrano almost danced as she cajoled fanciful sounds from the orchestra.
In general, it is not a compliment to call out one orchestra member as they should be playing as an ensemble, but concertmaster Suzanne Beia earns every accolade. Her solo violin work is magnificent, intricate and pristine. In contrast, the singing ensemble could have used some of that elegance. The choral singing felt cumbersome at times, and the laborious dancing probably differed from the effect that choreographer Lisa Thurrell hoped for. Karen Brown-Larimore’s brightly colored costumes popped on stage. The lighting design by Marcella Barbeau was equally supportive of the production, but the set and direction were just serviceable.
Madison Opera's strong rendition of Saint-George’s The Anonymous Lover breathes new life into the work while embracing diverse musical legacies. There is just one more performance of the opera on Feb. 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Editor's note: This post has been updated to correct the spelling of Hailey Cohen's name.
