Ruth’s Blog

            Friday evening the Symphonic Winds and Wind Ensemble brought the FHSU concert and recital season to a triumphant conclusion.  In front of an audience so large that they ran out of programs, the bands played one exciting piece after another. At concert’s end, visiting 5^th and 6^th grade students from WaKeeney were first to stand up and cheer, but everyone else followed suit with alacrity.

            To begin with, conductor Lane Weaver led the Symphonic Winds in a stirring performance of “Kaiparowits Fanfare” by Dennis D. Griffin, one of Weaver’s professors at Utah State University. The piece is named after the Kaiparowits Plateau in southern Utah, famous for its many dinosaur fossils, but is otherwise quite modern.  The band continued with “Chester,” popular since the American Revolution, arranged by William Schuman as a theme and variations. A more sedate piece, Ron Nelson’s “Homage to Machaut,” named after the Medieval French composer Guillaume de Machaut, supplied a change of pace.  The Winds then ended their part of the concert with the raucous and amusing “Cartoon” by Paul Hart, homage to Saturday morning TV cartoons.

            After intermission, the Wind Ensemble got off to a running start with “Overture to Candide” by Leonard Bernstein.  According to the program note, the New York Philharmonic has performed this piece without a conductor “since a memorial concert for Bernstein in 1990.”  The Wind Ensemble did not follow this tradition—conductor Jeff Jordan led them in his usual energetic fashion.   

            Jordan introduced the next number, “Three Dances of Enchantment” by Luigi Zaninelli, by warning us that it sounded “a bit like Lawrence Welk.” Maybe the smooth, sophisticated first dance, “The Via Veneto (Fox Trot),” sounded a little like Welk, but, thanks to a fine performance by the Wind Ensemble, quite a bit better. However, the next two, “She Walks Through the Fair (Waltz),” based on the haunting traditional Irish song “She Moved thro’ the Fair,” and “The Feast of San Rocco” (Tarantella),” which Zaninelli composed to emulate “the vibrant, bold tartness of an Italian band,” sounded great, like the Ensemble and Zaninelli.

            “Danzon No. 2” by Arturo Marquez is clearly one of Jordan’s favorites—he was almost dancing on the podium as he conducted what he introduced as “the unofficial national anthem of Mexico.”  His enthusiasm supercharged the Ensemble, as well as the audience. 

            As Weaver had done earlier, Jordan congratulated graduating members of the ensemble.  Most were from FHSU, but two were graduating from high school and from the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Sciences.  Finally, Jordan announced the winners of the prestigious Lyle Dilley Award.  This was a tie this year between two outstanding musicians,  Makenzi Johnson, principal clarinetist of the Wind Ensemble, prize-winning composer, and future teacher; and Nathan Brown, trombonist, composer and music technologist.  Congratulations to all.

“Windsprints” by Richard Saucedo concluded concert and season with a wild race for the finish, or, as Jordan quipped, “a little traveling music.”

Saturday evening, distinguished guests joined the Hays Symphony Orchestra, FHSU Choirs, Smoky Hill Chorale and local soloists, resulting in a thrilling concert that will be long-remembered by everyone who was present. Along with guest conductor Mark Laycock of Wichita University, I hope it will inspire many to do as the program note requested: “write your state and federal legislators to preserve the arts and culture in Kansas.” 

Before the concert began, HSO Guild President Terry Crull thanked member Ruth Mattick for donating a Steinway grand piano.  He also thanked members Gary and Ila Hulett for sponsoring the concert.  If you would like to help support the arts by joining the Guild, please call 785-628-4258. 

Guest conductor Laycock, collaborating with Matt Means, violin; Benjamin Morris-Cline, cello; and Irena Ravitskaya, piano, got the concert off to a flying start with Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano” (opus 56).  Maestro Laycock helped a select group of HSO members perform superbly in tandem with the soloists. The cello leads the solo voices in all three movements of the concerto and engages in a good deal of interplay with the violin. After the concert Morris-Cline confided that this part is fiendishly difficult to perform. (He made it look easy.)  The violin part probably does not involve the same extremes of range, but also is not for the timid—Means more than rose to the occasion.  Ravitskaya for once had it relatively easy.  The piano mainly accompanies, and, since she accompanies for most faculty recitals, she gets a lot of practice.

Conductor Terry Crull and selected members of the FHSU Concert Choir joined Morris-Cline in performing the obscure, but delightfully melodic “Elegy for Violoncello Solo and Choral Vocalise” by British/American composer and critic Felix Borowski.   (Crull jokingly defined “vocalise as “when the choir does nothing but howl.”)

After “Elegy,” Crull acknowledged the crucially important contributions of student section leaders and librarians.  Rehearsal accompanist Pam McGowne received well-deserved praise and earned an enthusiastic round of applause.  Finally, Crull announced the winners of two important awards.  The Donald Stout Award for outstanding vocal work went to baritone Calder Craig.  And the Edwin Moyers Award for outstanding orchestral work went to violist Erin Fulton. 

 The concert concluded with an inspired performance of Antonin Dvorak’s “Te Deum.” Guest conductor Laycock; the HSO; the FHSU Concert Choir and Smoky Hill Chorale; guest soloists soprano Ivalah Allen of Washburn University and bass Steven Taylor of Colorado Christian University joined together in this fervent hymn of praise to God.

Allen, returning to Hays after soloing in last year’s Masterworks Concert, is blessed with a warm soprano that caressed every note of her solo. Taylor has a dark, robust bass.  Laycock made sure that the soloists were never drowned out by the large orchestra and chorus, but also never missed an opportunity to make the most of the many exciting moments of the piece.

FHSU’s Encore Series season ended Tuesday evening with a show that many applauded, but which I found repellent.  To quote the program note, “In the (Aluminum) show, dancers and actors breathe life into aluminum-tone industrial materials to tell the story of a young machine determined to reunite with its parents.” What this boils down to is, two human-size wide lengths of dryer vent tubing, one lighted blue from within and one lighted pink, produce a little, average-width length of dryer vent tubing.  The little one gets lost and has various adventures involving tubes and other foil-like objects, animated by eight very muscular dancing acrobats who also appear from time to time in person.  Even such kitschy veneer does not, in my opinion, redeem the show. I have always found it impossible to relate emotionally to dryer vent tubing.

The “story,” however, does not begin to describe what goes on in this bizarre spectacle.  From beginning to end the eye is assaulted with whirling lights and light-reflecting scraps of Mylar sheeting.  Miles of corrugated Mylar tubing writhes in all directions around the stage.  The visual nightmare is accompanied by a score that sounds more like a jackhammer than music, and by a fog machine constantly puffing out enough chemicals to kill you outright.  All by itself, this is enough to promote vertigo, epilepsy, migraine and nausea. But they add insult to injury.  At one point the dancers, assisted by giant fans, hurl hundreds of oversize Mylar pillows out onto the heads of the audience; at another, they expect us to reach up and guide tubing down the length of the auditorium; and, as the grand finale, they shoot Mylar squares at us out of cannons.

I guess they think this mayhem makes the show “incredibly interactive” (Fox News TV).  It just makes me furious to have spent $23 in order to be tortured for an hour and forty-five minutes. To me, the finale was the best part of the show.  Things got confused because something (I’ll bet the fog, stage lights, fans and other electrical equipment) set off a fire alarm and everyone had to leave the building right away.  I couldn’t tell whether people were standing to applaud or just to leave.

In all fairness, the idea is highly innovative, the brainchild of Ilan Azriel, an Israeli dancer-choreographer and his wife, Ella Munk-Azriel.  Since its debut at the Israel Festival in 2003, the show has played to appreciative audiences worldwide.  Moreover, this production embodied the idea successfully. There is no doubt that the special effects, sound, lighting, fog, etc. were, uh, extremely effective. The performers met the show’s technical and artistic challenges quite well.

And, many in the audience, including my son Andrew Rentz, thought everything about the show was “interesting and fun.” 

                Jazz fans come in droves to hear the FHSU jazz bands perform and, so far as I know, they have never been disappointed.  Thursday evening director Brad Dawson and both ensembles proved their worth.  Jazz Ensemble I demonstrated why they have often been invited to perform at the Kansas Music Educators Convention and Jazz Ensemble II showed just as much talent with less complicated material.

                Jazz Ensemble I I played the first set.  Student conductor Luke Johnson led them well in the first two numbers, “Groovin’ Easy” by Sammy Nestico with newcomer Margaret Bireta on sax, and “Night Wind” by John Berry, featuring Lavanghnte Gibson and Maggie Zody, both also on sax.  Dawson took over for the rest of the set, beginning with “Second Kiss,” a slow and romantic composition with a piano solo performed effectively by Dayna Ball.  Dawson remarked that the composer, his friend Frank Mantooth, said he had named the piece “Second Kiss” because “the first kiss doesn’t mean a thing.”  Ensemble I I concluded with a good, brassy number appropriately called “Brass Machine,” starring Joe Doze on trumpet and Austin Miller on drums. The large audience applauded each piece and each solo with increasing enthusiasm and gave them all a big hand at the end.

                Dawson and Jazz Ensemble I started out with two more fast and brassy numbers,  “Simple Simon” by David Bandman with a sax solo by Ethan Kinderknecht, and “Smoggy Skies” by Bill Liston with solos by Brian Keller on sax and Ben Galloway on trombone.  An old standard, “Lady Bird” by Tadd Dameron, arranged by Maria Schneider, featured Krista Connelly on trumpet and Kinderknecht on trombone.  About this, Dawson pointed out, “We’ve all heard many fine compositions by Maria Schneider, but it’s unusual for her to arrange someone else’s work.” I thought it was an unusually good piece, with outstanding performances by both soloists.  The set ended with “Mira Mira” (Look Look) by Matt Harris, with Keller on sax, Chad Foust on guitar, and the whole rhythm section.  Joel Zeiner went wild on drums.

                Jazz Ensemble I returned after intermission for another exciting set. They got off to a good start, Bob Mintzer’s “Spectrum,” with Kinderknecht on trombone.  Dawson then dedicated the next piece, the popular jazz standard “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” to “one of our greatest fans, Dr. Ann Liston.”  Dr. Ann, sitting right behind me, was surprised and delighted, not only because of the dedication, but also because “Polka Dots” has long been one of her favorite songs.   She was also very pleased with the effective lighting –something new for the jazz concert.

                Two more numbers concluded the set.  The first, Fred Sturm’s “Great Northern Express,”   a train song imitating the sounds of a train whistling and clacking along the track, was interesting because, as Dawson said, “it keeps going in unexpected directions.”  They finished with one of the same pieces they had played at the KMEA convention, an irresistible arrangement of “Limehouse Blues” by Matt Harris.  For this and everything else they earned standing applause.

            Death of their child is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. “Rabbit Hole,” David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2006 multiple Tony Award-winning drama, depicts the way the accidental death of Danny, age four, affects those closest to him—his parents, other members of the family, the teen age boy who ran over him, even the dog he was chasing into the street.  “Rabbit Hole” is the perfect metaphor for this—like Alice in Wonderland, these people must find their way through a world lacking logic or reason, from which there is apparently no escape.

            It takes a good director and superior group of actors to maintain the level of emotion this drama demands.  For this, the last production this season for the FHSU Theatre, director Jenni Rajewski has succeeded in assembling a talented cast and drawing from them exemplary performances.  Scenic designer Bruce Bardwell has put together a rather garish set that might be intended to reflect the raw emotions of the characters.  The stage is dominated by Danny’s bright blue room. Off to the left, the dining area and kitchen are painted bright gold and yellow, while the living area at the right is green with a red sofa. 

Hardest hit by Danny’s loss are his mother Becca, played magnificently by Adrienne Fleming, and his father Howie, performed as well in a somewhat less demanding role by Zach Weeks.  Eight months after losing her son, Becca is full of pent-up grief.  She grimly folds Danny’s clothes while talking with her laid-back younger sister Izzy (Samie Pfeifer, performing with just the right light touch).  When Izzy reveals that she and her boyfriend are going to have a baby, Becca breaks down briefly because she doesn’t think it is fair for them to have a child while she, a married woman, is childless. When Nat, Becca’s mother (ably portrayed by Bonnie LeRoy), tells her to think of Danny as a new angel, Becca, who no longer believes in God, screams, “Why didn’t he just make a new angel.”

            Howie is not much better off.  He can get away from home to go to work, but spends evenings watching a tape of Danny.  He and Becca fight over the tape, sex, and the dog.  Becca never wants to see the dog again, but Howie wants to keep him because Danny loved him.  When Becca, perhaps accidentally, erases Danny’s tape, things look bad for the future of their marriage.  As often in such circumstances, they are no comfort for each other.

            Things improve slightly during the second act.  Becca and Howie are far from normal—Howie might have been seeing another woman and Becca has slapped a woman in the supermarket who would not buy her little boy a fruit rollup.  But they want to get on with their lives.  Becca asks Nat if she will ever get over the pain.  Nat tells her it will become bearable.  Howie tells Becca he thinks they will eventually work things out.

            Bring several handkerchiefs. 

         Monday evening Ailey II, an ensemble of twelve young dancers, all black except for one Asian, “handpicked from the student body of the [Alvin] Ailey School” (Ailey webpage), greatly pleased most of the crowd.  Everyone in the troupe performed breathtaking feats ofspeed and agility, presenting an ever-evolving, always fascinating picture on the stage   A few people left at intermission, though, probably because they were not used to the abstract quality of the first three numbers.

            The entire company danced the first number, “Shards” by Donald Byrd.  The men wore blue trousers and shirts; the women, blue tutus with colorful underskirts—red, yellow, green, etc. As the title implies, the ballet appeared to be a random series of fragments of all shapes and sizes.  The dancers formed irregular patterns of motion and color against a deep blue background as they danced all together, solo, or in groups of two, three or more.  An original score by Mio Morales enhanced the impression of randomness.   For this, they earned cheers from about half the audience, polite applause from the others.

            “The Calling,” an excerpt from “Splendid Isolation II” by Jessica Lang, danced to “O Maria, stella maris” (“O Maria, star of the sea) by Trio Mediaeval, might have religious significance and is clearly about the interaction between cloth and the body.  A solo dancer, Fana Tesfagiorgis, moved within a white dress with an enormous skirt of soft and sheer fabric that she continually wound, draped and spread around herself, creating different visual effects.  The audience awarded her efforts with weak applause.

            All six men danced the third number, “The Hunt” by Robert Battle, with music by Les Tambours du Bronx (Bronx Drums).  Bare to the waist and wearing long, black wrap skirts with red lining, the men engaged in intense combat, always in different configuration of opponents.  I thought maybe this signified gang warfare in the Bronx, brought on by the skirts.  However, reading the website I learned that it “examines the relationship between modern sports and the rituals of the gladiators.” Well.  This drew enthusiastic applause from some.  Others got up and left as soon as the lights went up for intermission.

            Everyone loved what came later: “Revelations,” a ballet in three parts by Alvin Ailey, with the traditional music of spirituals.  The first part, “Pilgrims of Sorrow” found the company bathed in amber light, wearing simple costumes of tan and brown.  The dancers progressed from sad repentance, “I Been ‘Buked,” indicated by raised palms with fingers spread, through hopefulness, “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,” danced by three women, to a plea for redemption, “Fix Me, Jesus,” danced as a duet.

            Then the atmosphere changed to one of purification and joy with “Take me to the Water.”  The women wore white tier skirts—one even carried a parasol, and the men wore white, too.  The scenery was wonderful—long sheets of fabric stretched across the floor, undulating to look like rippling water. 

            The third part, “Move, Members, Move” formed the exciting finale. Against a striking background of red with a huge sun, the women, wearing jaunty hats, clad in yellow, and carrying fans, were joined by the men, also dressed to the teeth. When they concluded the show with “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” it became clear that all of this meant heaven.  For this they received hesitant standing applause, less than I thought they deserved. 

         Monday evening Ailey II, an ensemble of twelve young dancers, all black except for one Asian, “handpicked from the student body of the [Alvin] Ailey School” (Ailey webpage), greatly pleased most of the crowd.  Everyone in the troupe performed breathtaking feats ofspeed and agility, presenting an ever-evolving, always fascinating picture on the stage   A few people left at intermission, though, probably because they were not used to the abstract quality of the first three numbers.

            The entire company danced the first number, “Shards” by Donald Byrd.  The men wore blue trousers and shirts; the women, blue tutus with colorful underskirts—red, yellow, green, etc. As the title implies, the ballet appeared to be a random series of fragments of all shapes and sizes.  The dancers formed irregular patterns of motion and color against a deep blue background as they danced all together, solo, or in groups of two, three or more.  An original score by Mio Morales enhanced the impression of randomness.   For this, they earned cheers from about half the audience, polite applause from the others.

            “The Calling,” an excerpt from “Splendid Isolation II” by Jessica Lang, danced to “O Maria, stella maris” (“O Maria, star of the sea) by Trio Mediaeval, might have religious significance and is clearly about the interaction between cloth and the body.  A solo dancer, Fana Tesfagiorgis, moved within a white dress with an enormous skirt of soft and sheer fabric that she continually wound, draped and spread around herself, creating different visual effects.  The audience awarded her efforts with weak applause.

            All six men danced the third number, “The Hunt” by Robert Battle, with music by Les Tambours du Bronx (Bronx Drums).  Bare to the waist and wearing long, black wrap skirts with red lining, the men engaged in intense combat, always in different configuration of opponents.  I thought maybe this signified gang warfare in the Bronx, brought on by the skirts.  However, reading the website I learned that it “examines the relationship between modern sports and the rituals of the gladiators.” Well.  This drew enthusiastic applause from some.  Others got up and left as soon as the lights went up for intermission.

            Everyone loved what came later: “Revelations,” a ballet in three parts by Alvin Ailey, with the traditional music of spirituals.  The first part, “Pilgrims of Sorrow” found the company bathed in amber light, wearing simple costumes of tan and brown.  The dancers progressed from sad repentance, “I Been ‘Buked,” indicated by raised palms with fingers spread, through hopefulness, “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,” danced by three women, to a plea for redemption, “Fix Me, Jesus,” danced as a duet.

            Then the atmosphere changed to one of purification and joy with “Take me to the Water.”  The women wore white tier skirts—one even carried a parasol, and the men wore white, too.  The scenery was wonderful—long sheets of fabric stretched across the floor, undulating to look like rippling water. 

            The third part, “Move, Members, Move” formed the exciting finale. Against a striking background of red with a huge sun, the women, wearing jaunty hats, clad in yellow, and carrying fans, were joined by the men, also dressed to the teeth. When they concluded the show with “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham,” it became clear that all of this meant heaven.  For this they received hesitant standing applause, less than I thought they deserved. 

            Everyone in FHSU’s Symphonic Winds and Wind Ensemble seemed energized and alert Thursday evening, probably in anticipation of spring break just ahead.  Conductor Lane Weaver got the Symphonic Winds off and running with Sergei Prokofiev’s “March” (opus 99), a short, spirited and happy piece.            Three student conductors then took over for an English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Krista Connelly conducted the first, a quick-march adaptation of “Seventeen come Sunday.”  The next, a leisurely intermezzo based on “My Bonny Boy,” was conducted by Christopher Barlow, and the third, another march, “Folk Songs from Somerset,” by Matthew Baker.  All three gave performances that must have made Weaver proud—each one in turn received a big hand from the audience.              Weaver returned to conduct Percy Grainger’s “Blithe Bells,” an exquisite setting of J.S. Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze,” featuring a celesta solo played well by Ashley McKinley.  The delicacy of this piece served as a perfect interlude between the exuberance of the Prokofiev and Vaughan Williams and the percussive intensity of the following number, David Gillingham’s “Sails of Time,” which concluded this part of the program with a rattle and a bang.“Sails of Time” is a fascinating piece, according to the program note “composed to celebrate the rich history of Sydney, Australia, identified by the icon of the sails of its opera house.” It juxtaposes and interweaves a melody by Gillingham and a folksong, “Click Go the Shears.” Some of its unusual effects were created by the didgeridoo, a long wooden tube played by the Aborigines in prehistoric times, and by the rattling of chains, conjuring the prisoners who were “the first inhabitants of Sydney.”Conductor Jeff Jordan and the Wind Ensemble began with another lively piece, “Wild Nights!” by Frank Ticheli, inspired by Emily Dickinson’s poem with the same title. Student composer Nathan Brown’s “A Time Not Taken” followed.  The program note states that “the concept is the search for redemption and reconciliation after a great loss.” Musically, it moves from discord to a relative peace based on the hymn, “Were You There.”  The piece was applauded by all.  Jordan congratulated Tim Rolls, Brown’s composition instructor.  And Lyle Dilley, band director emeritus, told my husband Robert that he thought it was an exceptionally good composition.“Molly on the Shore,” a cheerful piece by Percy Grainger, served as a contrast to the preceding emotionally-laden music.  It was followed by another rousing composition by Gillingham, “With Heart and Voice.”  Conductor Jordan gave special thanks to Christopher Barlow, who donated the score and parts of both Gillingham pieces.According to Gillingham’s program note, “’With Heart and Voice’ was commissioned by Apple Valley, Minnesota High School Bands.” Like “Sails,” it contrasts and combines two themes, one created by Gillingham, the other an adaptation of the high school Alma Mater, the same tune as “Come Christians Join to Sing.”  This concluded the program, earning applause as vigorous as the music. 

                 FHSU’s Encore Series rolled merrily along Tuesday evening when Bowfire took the stage of Beach/Schmidt and charmed everyone in the house. Bowfire is a Canadian ensemble of seven fiddlers, one guitarist, one drummer, one bassist, one cellist and a keyboardist led by their founder, jazz fiddler Lenny Solomon.  They don’t just sit there and play, but are constantly in motion as they gyrate from one number to the next.  To add to the fun, some of them dance and one of them sings.

                They performed a program chock full of music, lights, and dancing that pleased the ear and amazed the eye.  The lighting featured multiple spotlights above the stage that moved around with the performers, constantly changing colors, as did the backdrop.  A fog machine created a misty atmosphere from time to time. Everyone but the fiddlers sat on raised platforms made to look like the veranda of a classical building.  The keyboardist and cellist sat on either side of the stage, everyone else sat at the back.

                “Fiddler in the Hood” introduced the ensemble.  Each fiddler did a solo turn, as did cellist Wendy Solomon, who projected friendliness and joy all evening long.  Fiddlers Solomon and Bogdan Djukic made a mock duel of “Zigeunerweisen” (“Gypsy airs”).  Then  Linsey Beckett fiddled a bit with “Blue Moon” and energetically step-danced her way through “I want to be Happy,” assisted by Bill Bridges on guitar.  The audience got into the act with “Sally Goodin,” clapping in time to the music played by fiddler Shane Cook, who had also arranged it from a group of folk songs, and Ray Legere, doubling on fiddle and mandolin.

                “Mist Covered Mountains” featured a vocal solo by fiddler Kelli Trottier, who has a dark, creamy chest voice.  Trottier is multitalented—as she proved later in the show, she is also adept at French-Canadian step dancing.  But the champion step dancer of the group is unquestionably fiddler April Verch.  In “Fiddle Medley” she brought down the house by simultaneously step dancing and fiddling. 

                Not to be outdone, Beckett and Trottier joined Verch for “Canty Fiddle Medley,” all three fiddling and dancing for the first part finale.

                Bowfire might have become a bit monotonous at this point, but the second part of the show brought a few surprises.  Fiddler Cook appeared in a green hat to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a traditional fiddle medley.  Trottier’s phrasing might have been a little off, but her voice was perfectly suited to “Tennessee Waltz.”  “Orange Blossom Special” got several laughs as Legere engaged in a cadenza contest with keyboardist Bernie Senensky—Senensky finally gave up in disgust after playing two notes, so Legere continued the contest with guitarist Bridges and bassist Lew Mele. I think Percussionist Roger Travassos also got into the act.

                The show wound up with all fiddlers saluting the audience by raising their bows on high at the end of a reprise of “Fiddler in the Hood.”  Then, after they had won standing applause, they performed “Kashmir” while the spotlights played over us, not them. 

                “Orfeo” by Claudio Monteverdi, composed in 1607 according to the program note, is generally agreed to be the earliest complete opera in existence.   ‘Orfeo’s’ merits are not just historical.  It overflows with intriguing vocal and instrumental melodies both simple and embellished, with recitatives, arias, duets, trios and choruses. 

It also has a surefire plot.  A celebration of the marriage of Orfeo and Euridice comes to an end with announcement of Euridice’s death.  Orfeo descends to the underworld to rescue her.  Pluto, God of the Underworld, frees Euridice on one condition: Orfeo must not look back at her as they are ascending.  He does.  Later, his father Apollo, God of the Sun and Music, helps him ascend to heaven with Euridice.

                Another merit of “Orfeo” is that it is perfect for performance by a music school like that of FHSU.  It involves a number of characters, but only Orfeo, the hero, has a lot to do.  This means that, if  there are only a few singers, the same singer can perform multiple roles; if there are many singers, nearly everyone gets an opportunity to  do a solo turn and also double in the chorus.   

                This does not mean that “Orfeo” is easy to produce or perform.  Conductor Benjamin Morris-Cline said he “made a few modifications to fit what we have available to us.”  Stage director Joseph Perniciaro found things a bit more difficult, saying, “The translation is one I cobbled together from different sources, and some choices I made on my own.” Moreover, Monteverdi  intended his music to be highly embellished with trills and turns and arpeggios, but left their exact composition up to the performer.  Perniciaro said, “Some ornaments are from the [Denis] Stevens edition, some by me, and Karl [Pratt, playing Orfeo] did some of his own with my supervision.” 

                Morris-Cline and Perniciaro deserve enormous credit for the musical and dramatic preparation of the singers.  Although, as with all opera without titles, it was somewhat difficult to understand the words, this was not a great problem because they all performed splendidly, proving they had fully mastered this ornate style of music.  Moreover, they moved and struck poses like those in pictures of Greek life.  Costumes in muted colors coordinated and constructed by Pam McGowne enhanced this effect, as did Bruce Bardwell’s set.  This was a central raised area accessed by steps with stylized trees on both sides and pillars to the rear, which served as several locations in Thrace and several more in the Underworld.  Changes of location were underscored musically and with clever lighting designed by Zach Weeks.

                In the central role, Karl Pratt negotiated the complexities of the music and action with distinction.  The duet he and Calder Craig as Apollo sang at the conclusion was superb. Others who excelled vocally and dramatically were Luke Fairbank, Deanna Godshall and Trevor Waechter as shepherds who sang in ensemble with conviction.  Emily Ptacek performed a thrilling aria telling Orfeo of Euridice’s death, and Eriana Holle as Hope, who escorts Orfeo to Hell, was nearly as effective.  Greg Jones was appropriately fierce as Charon; Steven Cornwell scored as Pluto.  And so on.  In short, they all outdid themselves.