Years ago, I had the privilege to see Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring in a fully staged and orchestrated production at my alma mater, UNC-Greensboro. It’s an opera that I haven’t seen many companies producing in my lifetime, but as Opera Baltimore’s semi-staged concert version proved to me on Wednesday night, it’s a work that more companies should be considering.
The first thing to note about going to an Opera Baltimore production—because, although this was my first, I’ve seen others publicized—is the wonderful venue. The Engineer’s Club on the campus of the Peabody Conservatory is an elegant setting with the right acoustics, and I wondered, too, if there might be enough space for a chamber ensemble as well as piano.
President and General Director Julia Cooke remarked before the show began that, given the opera’s setting on May Day, it is entirely appropriate that the show run April 30, May 2, and May 4. No argument there—this lighthearted comedy is an added breath of fresh air as we enter warmer weather and enjoy flowers and green leaves on trees.
The story begins in Loxford, England as a committee, headed by Lady Billows (Hope Briggs) sets out to find their next Queen of the May Day. The problem? None of the girls the committee members suggest is virtuous enough! Eventually they settle on a young man, Albert Herring, who up until now has been tied to his mother’s apron strings in the family greengrocer shop and known for being shy and afraid of girls. He does not want to be May King, but his mother, motivated by the cash prize attached to the role, insists.
At the May Day party, Albert’s next-door neighbor Sid and his girlfriend Nancy spike Albert’s lemonade with rum. This results in Albert loosening up a bit, and that night he absconds for a night of fun unbeknownst to his mother. In the morning everyone frantically searches for him, lamenting his disappearance until he finally returns and declares his freedom. Tired of being a “good boy,” he wanted to experience life to its fullest and now needs to stand on his own as an adult.
I loved what Opera Baltimore did with this work given that they were doing a semi-staged concert version as opposed to fully-staged. Truthfully, as an audience member to me it felt fully-staged, because none of the cast was using a music stand or holding music, especially impressive considering they only had a week and a half of rehearsals and Britten’s score is not what one would call easy. The acting by the cast and direction by Catrin Davies made for an engaging evening, and I understood why each cast member was chosen for their role—I didn’t feel that anyone was miscast. Of particular note were the covers who performed the night I saw. Peter Juengst sang the role of Albert with a beautiful pure tenor, a voice that fit Britten’s score like a glove. Eric Luis Viñas likewise acquitted himself well as the cover for the role of Sid, bringing a sense of fun to the role that made me like the character despite the fact that you could argue he causes trouble for Albert. In all, I was glad to hear the covers, and given how well they fit in with the rest of the cast, I would be interested to see what their principals (Eric Finbarr Carey as Albert and Scott Hetz Clark as Sid) did with their roles.
Finally, full kudos to pianist JoAnn Kulesza for her wonderful performance as the pianist! She made the score feel full and lively, always an impressive feat when dealing with a piano reduction of an orchestral score.
Tickets for the May 4 performance are sold out, but if you can make it to Baltimore tonight, I highly recommend seeing this production and following this company if you do not already. Tickets available here.
Maggie Ramsey
Click here for cast information.
All photos by Bart Debicki.