Maria de Buenos Aires
Passionate, nocturnal and sensual are adjectives typically used to describe the music of the Tango. But few people would consider adding the word “political” to that list. Luckily Long Beach Opera’s iconoclastic Artistic Director, Andreas Mitisek understood how political history could resonate and create a striking new concept for Astor Piazzolla’s MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES.
LBO presented MARIA in 2004 in a pleasant production more memorable for the haunting beauty of the score than for dramatic complexity. Mitisek, who also directed the new production, is not content with mere pleasantry. He has ingeniously melded the menacing background of Argentina’s “Dirty War” to Horacio Ferrer’s poetic text and, through a series of searing theatrical images, brought his forceful vision to life.
But this is no Eurotrash travesty where the source material is ignored or obliterated by the concept. Written less than a decade before the military took over Argentina and stories of the desaparecidos began to filter out, Piazzolla and Ferrer’s tragic story of a love extinguished by death was already a cry of anguish. Mitisek’s concept seemlesssly broadens that personal heartbreak to include Maria in the national tragedy of the thousands exterminated in those dark years.
The action of the opera plays behind a scrim on which Video Designer Adam Flemming projects telling images which enhance, without overwhelming, the story. The Older Payador (Gregorio Luke in a speaking role) conjures fleeting memories of his murdered lover, Maria. Maria is more than a mere mortal; she is the spirit of the Tango and, by extension, the people of Argentina. For her entrance, she rises out of a jumble of humanity to take her place in the parade of life. After her death, she returns to them.
Peabody Southwell’s Maria is fierce and fearless in both her singing and her physicality. Though much of the role lies perilously low, she never gives into the temptation to simply growl the notes. She sings with a passionate precision that elevates Maria to iconic heights. Southwell is equally undaunted by the physical demands of the production, from her flirtatious dancing to the shocking violence of her brutal rape and imprisonment.
As the Younger Payador, Gregorio Gonzalez brings vocal polish and expressiveness to the role. With the soul of the piece shared by Maria and the words of his older self, he has few showy moments, but he provides a credible foundation for his character and the production as a whole.
The Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre portray the people of Argentina as they dodge and propel themselves through Dan Weingarten's somber and evocative lighting design. Less with traditional choreography than stylized movement, they provide an important societal context for the production.
In the pit, Mitisek proves himself a master at mining the depths of the score. From light-hearted to eerie to downright terrifying, he finds the emotional core hidden within the seductively pulsating rhythms. This is a production not to be missed.
Long Beach Opera at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro
January 29 & February 4 – www.longbeachopera.org – 562 432-5034