The Opera Theatre of St. Louis production of Monteverdi's Orfeo, a.k.a. The Tale of Orpheus

At the ripe old age of 390, Monteverdi's Orfeo (The Tale of Orpheus, in the translation Opera Theatre of St. Louis is using) might not be the first opera ever written (an earlier setting of the myth by Jacopo Peri and Giulio Caccini is a more likely candidate), bit it's probably the oldest piece of musical theatre any of us will ever see. In which case, I find it ironic that this 1607 opera struck me with considerably more emotional force than either this season's "modern" work - Conrad Susa's Transformations - or the designated mainstream classic, Madame Butterfly.

I think this is partly due to the fact that the story of Orpheus touches on more universally recognized themes than Transformations. Even at the worst of times, only a minority of the population suffers from the kind of emotional traumas that afflicted Anne Sexton, after all. And then there's the character of Orpheus himself. As my fiancee pointed out to me afterwards, he's a heroic figure who is undone by a single foolish act which could be committed by anyone truly concerned about the fate of a loved one, rather than a teenager with a fragile hold on reality, as in Butterfly.

The OTSL production of Orfeo makes the most of the opera's musical and dramatic strengths. There are fine performances from nearly everyone in the cast, led by tenor Gregory Turay as a heroically touching Orpheus. There's good work also from baritone Donald Sherrill as Charon, soprano Theresa Santiago as the spirits of Music and Hope, and bass Edward Russell as Pluto. It was especially nice to see Russell in something more challenging than his virtual walk-on as The Bonze in Madame Butterfly.

Ironically, neophyte conductor and veteran singer Anthony Rolfe Johnson turns in the weakest performance, at least from a dramatic point of view. In the final scene, he ascends from the pit to sing the role of Apollo, the required deus ex machina (or deus ex orchestra, in this case) and while he's in fine voice, there's not the slightest trace of anything one might call a character there. While he's in the pit, however, his command of the three widely separated ensembles is impressive, despite a little rhythmic uncertainty during the opening fanfare.

Production values for Orfeo are also quite solid, with atmospheric lighting by Christopher Akerlund and a simple, circular set by Derek McLane that revolves - literally - around an appropriately pastoral tree that doubles as Pluto's throne. My only complaint is that most of the instruments are modern rather than period reconstructions, but I can appreciate the financial obstacles to assembling a group of musicians accomplished at sackbut, krummhorn, and viol.

You only have four chances to see Opera Theatre of St. Louis' production of The Tale of Orpheus before it closes on June 27th, so I'd recommend calling the box office as soon as possible at 314-961-0644. There was a goodly crowd on opening night, but the opera is still something of a rarity so good tickets may still be available.