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Goode's Chopin is not self-indulgently beautiful, but it is logical and satisfying; each piece has structural cohesion, and the music always breathes. Some might wish for less atticism and more hedonism in their Chopin, but Goode's searching clarity etches the music more deeply into our minds, if not our souls. Three mazurkas were sharply characterized (sounding entirely different from waltzes), the Impromptu in F-sharp sang with gentle innocence, and the thunderous Polonaise in F-sharp Minor, despite some missed notes, came out with backbone and attitude.
-- Robert Battey
Opera Theatre Of Northern Virginia
There are few operas as family-friendly as Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel." Although it is the most Wagnerian of all children's operas -- Humperdinck was Wagner's assistant and his son's music tutor -- it has warmth and sweetness that make it far less grim than the Grimm fairy tale on which it is based.
The new production by Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia is a perky one, sung in English and set for some reason in the 1950s, when modest suburban houses apparently had dark witch-filled woods nearby. It's compressed to one hour, preceded by a chance to watch the stage being set up, and followed by a question-and-answer period. Sunday's performance at Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre in Arlington had plenty to offer novice opera-goers. Director Joe Banno kept the action (and scenery) moving briskly, and John Edward Niles conducted a chamber group -- string quintet, woodwind quartet and piano -- with enthusiasm.
Soprano Katherine Osborne was bouncy and bright-voiced as Gretel, and mezzo-soprano Elaine Dalbo made a playful Hansel. Soprano Sarah Philippa was both the harassed mother and the farcical witch -- with huge nose, purple wig, rolling-pin wand and a vacuum cleaner to ride. Baritone Wade Thomas was a strong, stolid father. And soprano Kathy Hankins made the nighttime Sandman and morning Dew Fairy equally silly. Unfortunately, the cast's words were not always audible -- apparently a problem with sound rather than enunciation.
A nine-member chorus of local children brought brightness onstage at every appearance, even when moving scenery.
The performance will be repeated Saturday at 4 and 7 p.m.
-- Mark J. Estren
