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The Utah Symphony has a long-running relationship with Utah Opera, but the collaborations almost always take place on the opera company's turf in the Capitol Theatre. This weekend, the arts organizations — which merged in 2002 — are bringing opera to the stage of Abravanel Hall for the second time in three seasons.
This show, Ravel's "L'enfant et les sortilèges (The Child and the Enchantments)," is as different as can be from the 2013 production of Richard Strauss' "Salome," and it's every bit as successful. It's fun to see the Utah Symphony onstage with the singers, rather than in the pit (and, presumably, the orchestra musicians appreciate the more relaxed dress code). The presence of 80-plus instrumentalists and the 23-voice Utah Opera Chorus, plus 20 choristers from the Madeleine Choir School, doesn't leave a lot of space for the story to play out, but stage director Tara Faircloth inventively turns the seeming limitation to her singers' advantage. The performers pack a lot of comedy into a compact space.
Costuming, likewise, is minimalist. Mezzo-soprano Abigail Levis, who plays the child, wears a full costume; the other seven soloists, clad in standard concert black, transform into various animals, plants, pieces of furniture and even wallpaper figures with the clever addition of hats, scarves and sunglasses. Nudging the audience to exercise a little imagination adds to the fun, but in case you need a little more help visualizing, Paul DiPierro's whimsical video design (projected on a screen above the stage, along with an English translation of the French text) fills in more details.
Ravel's score ingeniously depicts all 20 characters in the story, some of them in less than 2 minutes. Tyler Nelson's Teapot and Frog, Derrick Parker's Tree, Kirsten Gunlogson's China Cup and Dragonfly, Amy Owens' Fire, Jennifer Aylmer's Bat, and Sarah Coit and Christopher Clayton's Cats were among the more memorable characterizations in Friday's performance. The orchestra, led by Thierry Fischer, was another important character, highlighting the poignant drama as well as the sly comedy of the score. The Utah Opera Chorus and Madeleine choristers, prepared by Caleb Harris and Melanie Malinka respectively, also turned in stellar performances.
Fischer and the orchestra opened the all-Ravel program with a stunningly colorful reading of "La Valse." An equally striking performance of "Une barque sur l'océan (A Boat on the Ocean)" led without pause into the crowd-pleasing "Boléro." —
Utah Symphony | Utah Opera
The one-act opera "The Child and the Enchantments" is the centerpiece of an all-Ravel program.
With • Conductor Thierry Fischer, the Utah Opera Chorus, choristers from the Madeleine Choir School and eight soloists
When • Reviewed Friday, Nov. 13; repeats Saturday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Where • Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $23-$85; utahsymphony.org
Running time • 2 hours, including intermission