Fine voices, design won't fix opera's woes

Even with fine voices and impressive scenic design, the Washington National Opera is not able to overcome the built-in defects of "Billy Budd's" unmusical score and glacially paced story.

By LUCIA ANDERSON

Date published: 9/23/2004

By LUCIA ANDERSON

THE FREE LANCE-STAR

wASHINGTON-- Those who like a melody or two in their operas will want to skip "Billy Budd." Singable tunes are in short supply in Benjamin Britten's setting of Herman Melville's morality play. This is unfortunate, since the 19th-century tale of good and evil on the high seas lies becalmed a good deal of the time. Without beautiful music to sweep the audience along, the opera becomes fairly tedious.

The Washington National Opera has done everything it possibly could to make this an enjoyable experience--topnotch singers, a great set, a fine conductor--but it's still like wading through molasses.

Melville's novella has three protagonists: Billy Budd, all good and innocence; John Claggart, all evil and malevolence; and Capt. Vere, who must choose between justice and the law.

Britten tinkered with the story slightly--for one thing, Vere lives to old age, from whence he looks back on the events of 1797--but its essentials remain the same. This is still a tale of evil setting out to destroy good and succeeding, albeit by accident.

Those whose business it is to dissect literature throw around references to Christ's sacrifice on the cross and raise questions about Claggart's possible homosexual tendencies, but in the end the why doesn't matter so much as the what. And that takes a long time to develop.

Dwayne Croft does an excellent job as the ingenuous Billy. What little melody Britten wrote for this has been given to Billy, and Croft rolls it out with a pleasing lilt. He's a good actor, too, all good temper and cheerful demeanor, amazed to find that someone could have it in for him.

Samuel Ramey is equally impressive as the villainous John Claggart. That wonderful bass voice that has rumbled along in so many Mephistophelean roles is perfectly suited to Claggart's deviltry.

Claggart is a much less demonstrative character than Billy, so Ramey doesn't have as much of a chance to show his acting skills, but he makes Claggart convincing.

Capt. Vere, that conflicted authority figure, is well played by Robin Leggate. Leggate, making his Washington National Opera debut, has a fine tenor voice, and he carries the part well.

Alison Chitty has designed a stylized set, ably suggesting canted main deck and claustrophobic spaces below decks. One could wish for a tad more verisimilitude--when the crew is ordered aloft there's no rigging for them to climb, so they all mill around on deck--but "Master and Commander" this isn't.

Speaking of which, the battle preparation scene is the best thing going for this opera--it's taut, fast-paced and exciting, unlike the rest.

Richard Hickcox ably directs the Washington National Opera Orchestra, which sounded faultless.

The Washington National Opera is to be congratulated on trying to expand opera audiences' horizons. Those who are fond of Benjamin Britten's music and those who like Herman Melville will enjoy this fine production. Otherwise, don't go.

To reach LUCIA ANDERSON: 540/374-5405 landerson@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 9/23/2004