Review: A brooding demon, total Bedlam and the healthiest opera romance of all time from Des Moines Metro Opera

Des Moines Metro Opera is nearing the end of an eclectic 53rd season, including beloved classics and lesser-known gems. During this month’s opening holiday weekend, audience members were treated to vocal fireworks onstage with three impressive operatic productions.

The Flying Dutchman by Richard Wagner

Shows continue July 15, 17 & 20

This opera’s enduring popularity is proof that society’s obsession with brooding demonic boyfriends was just as palpable centuries ago as it is today. We are drawn to these dark characters because we share their yearning for belonging, love and above all, redemption. (Sure, we haven’t been cursed by Satan to sail the seas for eternity, but if you’re stuck doomscrolling on your phone lately, you know the vibes are pretty similar.)

Steven C. Kemp’s stark scenery was enhanced by evocative lighting and projections, designed by Kate Ashton and Ian Wallace respectively. The opera began with turbulent red seas that only resolved to a tranquil blue in the final scene. Hints of red were also visible in Erik Teague’s costume designs, the bright color highlighting key characters amid the darker palette.

Director Joshua Borths demonstrated keen understanding of Wagner’s symbolic tale. Visual simplicity allowed the emotional undercurrents to percolate. Borths’ decision to show glimpses of Senta’s childhood during the overture was a wise addition. The audience watched Senta’s obsession develop, so when the fated lovers finally met, we understood her motivations. In less capable hands, these characters might come across as one-dimensional, but Borths gave them depth that was refreshing but still true to Wagner’s vision.

Des Moines Metro Opera arrayed a stellar cast, and the chorus under the direction of Lisa Hasson was a dramatic force, performing rousing sea shanties with vigor.

Demetrious Sampson, Jr. was an unexpected favorite as the Steuermann. The tenor’s noble voice is well suited to Wagner, and I anticipate he will be tackling the composer’s meatier roles as his career progresses. 

As Daland, Senta’s father, Kristopher Irmiter brought much needed stability and levity to the tense narrative, and Stephanie Sanchez was quite the overbearing matriarch as Mary, Senta’s nurse.

Joseph Dennis sang the role of Erik, the huntsman pining after Senta. The tenor conveyed the character’s anguish with a querulous tone, garnering sympathy even as the audience rooted for his rival. (Sorry, Erik, this is one of the few operas where the tenor doesn’t get the girl.)

Ryan McKinny brought gravitas to the titular role of the Dutchman. Brooding and bare-chested, the baritone embodied the cursed seafarer with a simmering yearning. (Truly an angsty immortal that the internet would go crazy for…)

Julie Adams sang the role of Senta with effusive passion. The soprano demonstrated considerable vocal power in the upper range of her voice, and her chemistry with McKinny made for a tumultuous yet compelling romance.

The orchestra unleashed Wagner’s complex musical landscape under the direction of David Neely, bringing the audience to the beautiful, brutal Norwegian coast as soon as the overture began.

Des Moines Metro Opera’s The Flying Dutchman reminded the audience that hope persists. As much as I despise the controversial man who wrote this opera, I cannot deny that Wagner’s work speaks to the troubled soul within us all.

The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky

Last show Friday, July 18 (sold out)

The Rake’s Progress begins as a conventional opera that slowly unravels into absurdity. Inspired by William Hogarth’s paintings, this moral fable depicts a young man’s rejection of responsibility and the resulting descent into depravity. (Why waste your life earning a living when you can trust in fortune? Tom Rakewell is truly male privilege personified.) Tom accepts an offer from a shady stranger, and while the young rake ultimately saves his soul, he loses his mind, his comedic misadventures ending in Bedlam, the infamous madhouse.

The production relied on traditional visuals with subtle innovations. Robert Perdziola’s scenic and costume designs are reminiscent of many classical operas. Stately columns and ornate gowns adorned the stage, but eccentricities snuck in. The color palette shifted gradually, bright pastoral scenes fading into a grim, gray madhouse by the end.

Similarly, Chas Rader-Shieber’s staging embraced the familiar and the absurd. In an opera that could easily devolve into chaos, Rader-Shieber maintained focus and cohesion, even bringing props from earlier plot points into Bedlam to remind the audience of the journey poor Tom could no longer remember. 

The Rake’s Progress relies on an ensemble of singers skilled in both comedy and tragedy. Several smaller roles provided considerable laughter, most notably Meredith Arwady as the bawdy Mother Goose and Christian Sanders as the flamboyant auctioneer Sellem. Matt Boehler gave an endearing performance as concerned paternal figure, Father Trulove.

Vivica Genaux portrayed Baba the Turk, Rakewell’s blustery bearded spouse. The role wasn’t the best vehicle to showcase the mezzo’s voice, but her performance was visually striking. Her duet with Anne was touching, especially when she assured her rival that Tom loved her still. (You cannot deny that Baba is the ultimate girl’s girl.)

Sam Carl sang the role of Nick Shadow, devilish manservant with a commanding voice. The bass-baritone vacillated between mischievous humor and unhinged malice, the ultimate corrupting influence whose plans are ruined by one round of cards.

Joélle Harvey was sweet and sincere as Anne Trulove. The soprano’s agile voice flourished in Stravinsky’s score, captivating the audience with shimmering high notes.

Jonas Hacker demonstrated versatility as Tom Rakewell. His amorous tenor voice tackled Stravinsky’s music with nuance, and his downward spiral from playful ne’er-do-well to repentant madman was heart-wrenching. 

The chorus, under the direction of Lisa Hasson, enthusiastically embraced the comedic and tragic. The orchestra, led by Christopher Allen brought Stravinsky’s chimeric music to life, celebrating the dichotomy of old and new embedded in his score.

If there was any doubt about the message of The Rake’s Progress, the characters spell it out for the audience at the very end. The singers emerged as though they had already begun to shed their wigs and costumes, humorously breaking the fourth wall. Tom’s tale is tragic, but his fate was avoidable. The power of choice is a privilege. So if a smooth talking stranger shows up with an offer too good to be true, maybe stop and think twice before you shake his hand…

The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček

Last show Saturday, July 19

The Cunning Little Vixen was a lighthearted palate cleanser after the previous evenings of high-stakes drama.

The production was a surreal explosion of color and technology. This is Des Moines Metro Opera’s second collaboration with artist Oyoram who specializes in immersive digital scenery. These vibrant backdrops were ever-changing, and while some of the more cluttered, uncanny renderings stole focus from the performers, these digital landscapes provided clever advantages. The scale of the backdrop could easily adjust between the perspective of humans and animals, and the integration of digital avatars of performers was impactful. Despite some unexplained, confusing visuals (such as a woman in a bubble floating over the sleeping vixen), the overall effect was undeniably memorable.

The rest of the scenery, designed by Luke Cantarella, juxtaposed the fanciful and realistic. Metallic trees intermingled with digital displays, and a bed of moss and mushrooms bordered the playing circle. Costume designer Vita Tzykun and wig and makeup designer Brittany V.A. Rappise transformed the cast into villagers and woodland creatures with subtle nods to Czech folk costumes.

Kristine McIntyre’s staging was playful, creating charming vignettes that let performers shine. The pacing of the narrative was unpredictable and occasionally slow but an unavoidable aspect of the composer’s score. The forest scenes were lively, and the animals often came across as more human than the melancholy villagers, a contrast that suggested proximity to nature is crucial to the human experience.

The Cunning Little Vixen features a plethora of forest dwellers, including singers and dancers. Even the smaller roles were a delight to watch from fluttering dragonfly to scampering fox cubs.

Some performers played dual roles, both human and animal. David Cangelosi portrayed the Mosquito and Schoolmaster, an amusing parasite and a lovesick educator with his whining croon. Craig Colclough used vastly different physicality to capture the roles of Parson and Badger, switching from furry curmudgeon to tipsy clergyman as needed.

The Vixen met her match in Harašta, the poacher played by Ben Strong. The bass was an earthy, arrogant presence onstage and the arbiter of the Vixen’s demise.

The Forester portrayed by Roland Wood showed more reverence for nature. Wood’s performance aptly conveyed the melancholy of the human world and the optimism of the natural realm, escorting the audience through the cyclical tale.

Sun-Ly Pierce’s warm tone and noble bearing was ideal as the Vixen’s suitor, the Fox. Their love scene was adorable, and their chemistry undeniable. (It’s a vulpine meet cute! Frankly, their relationship might be the healthiest romance ever portrayed in opera.)

Hera Hyesang Park was charming as the titular Vixen. Park’s lyrical voice reveled in Janáček’s music, and the soprano fearlessly embraced the physicality of the role. Park’s cheeky antics made it easy to root for the mischievous fox and mourn her death.

Orchestral interludes and choral folksongs drew the audience into Janáček’s enchanting woodland. Under the baton of David Neely, the orchestra painted an auditory canvas that conjured the Moravian forests the composer held so dear.

The Cunning Little Vixen was an uplifting end to a weekend of opera, and an introduction to a hidden gem unfamiliar to most audiences. We could all use a little revolutionary optimism amid the chaos of reality, and Des Moines Metro Opera offered their audience that much needed escape.