Aspen – When it comes to summer opera in the West, attention tends to focus on the Central City and Santa Fe operas, and rightly so.
They are both nationally recognized, risk-taking companies with long and distinguished histories.
But another program should not be overlooked – the Aspen Music Festival’s Aspen Opera Theater Center, which features young singers who are finishing their studies or just beginning their careers.
Whatever these aspiring performers might lack in maturity and polish, they make up for in their freshness, enthusiasm and sheer will to succeed.
As evidence, look no further than Tuesday evening’s season opener, a production of “The Cunning Little Vixen,” with music and libretto by Czech composer Leos Janácek. It was nothing short of a triumph in every way.
It helps that the opera itself, which premiered in 1924, is a 20th-century masterpiece, albeit an unusual one in story, structure and feel.
“Vixen” consists of nine short scenes separated by orchestral interludes and dance. Except perhaps for the forester’s final scene, there are no real arias. The story is told primarily through recitative, movement and Janácek’s extraordinarily evocative, folk-tinged music.
The story, a sort of allegory, was based on a 1920s serial published in the Brno newspaper. It revolves around a vixen (a female fox) who transforms everyone she encounters and is ultimately transformed herself – falling in love, having a family and losing her life to a poacher.
Although the opera has an array of human characters, they are outnumbered by the animals, including such forest denizens as a grasshopper, frog and dragonfly and their domesticated counterparts – a grouchy dog and a flitting, fluttering flock of chickens.
As might be expected, the opera is often charming, witty and entertaining, but it is never saccharine. This is no Disney cartoon. It has a very serious side, with Janácek managing to pack an incredible amount into a running time of less than two hours, including intermission.
This very modern story deals with growth, self-determination and the nature of relationships, especially those between males and females, not to mention humanity’s relationship with nature, feminism and even class struggle.
In his wonderfully imaginative and thoughtful staging, director Edward Berkeley strikes just the right tone. He plays up the humor and cuteness of this opera but always carefully balancing them with the darker, more probing facets of it.
He is greatly aided by John Kasarda’s enchanting, storybook set, which is dominated by a giant leaf that covers the stage and bends upward at the back and a hanging, shimmering disk. It can be a golden sun or a shadowy moon with the help of Lloyd Sobel’s mood-setting lighting.
If ever an opera provided an opportunity for a costume designer to strut her stuff, this would be it. And Meredith Palin makes the most of it, finding simple yet delightfully effective ways to convey the essence of each animal.
As important as all these technical aspects are, performers remain the heart of any opera production. From top to bottom, this large ensemble cast of well-chosen young singers outdoes itself vocally and dramatically.
With her ear-to-ear smile, radiant stage presence, spirited performing style and vibrant voice, soprano Jennifer Zetlan stands out as the clear star of the show as the vixen.
Acting is critically important in this opera. The singers must convey much of what the characters are thinking and feeling without words. Zetlan proves especially adept at this with her telling facial expressions and communicative body language.
Ideally complementing her is Canadian mezzo-soprano Melissa Schiel, who shows a flair for the trouser role of the flirtatious fox, who becomes the vixen’s husband. Their captivating love duet in Act 2, Scene 4 is one of the opera’s highlights.
Also deserving praise is Craig Verm as the forester, one of the key roles. He makes full use of his resonant, expressive baritone voice, bringing the necessary depth to this complex role and imbuing the all-important final scene with poignancy and depth.
Aside from a couple of wobbly moments, conductor Federico Cortese and the student pit orchestra convey the richness of Janácek’s sometimes romantic, sometimes dissonant score.
This fun, thought-provoking and deeply touching production helps explain why the works of this once peripheral composer are increasingly finding their way into the operatic mainstream.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
“The Cunning Little Vixen”
OPERA|Leos Janácek’s opera, Aspen Music Festival’s Aspen Opera Theater Center, Wheeler Opera House, downtown Aspen; 7 tonight and Saturday|$26 and $72 |970-925-9042 or aspenmusicfestival.com
