Pamela Armstrong as Susannah

Arnold Rawls as Sam Polk

John Easterlin as Little Bat

Josepha Gayer as Mrs. McLean

 

 

Opera Pacific announces Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, its final opera of the 2007-2008 season at the Orange County Performing Artscenter in Costa Mesa, performing May 14, 18, 22, and 24, 2008. The production will be conducted by Opera Pacific Artistic Director John DeMain, and directed by Harry Silverstein. Mr. Silverstein last worked with Opera Pacific on 2005’s The Marriage of Figaro.

  

It has been 25 years since the last production of Susannah in Southern California by a major opera company. This is not only Opera Pacific’s first presentation of Susannah; it is also the first time that an opera by Carlisle Floyd has been included in Opera Pacific’s repertoire.  Bringing Susannah to Southern California pays homage to the work of one of America’s most revered opera composers and the tradition of American opera.

 

Artistic Director John DeMain said, “Audiences will be taken in quite a different, but equally powerful direction with Floyd’s American folk opera Susannah, which will end our season on a note of raw, emotional power.”

 

Carlisle Floyd was born in 1926 in Latta, South Carolina; many of his works are set in the South, where he spent most of life, outside of receiving his Bachelor and Masters of Music from Syracuse University, followed by a short teaching stint there.  In 1951, he became a member of the music faculty at Florida State University at Tallahassee, retiring thirty years later as a Professor of Composition.

 

The son of a Methodist minister, his childhood experiences of the Bible Belt, with its traveling preachers, revival meetings, and religious community – as well as its darker side of bigotry and hypocrisy, were highly influential in his work – especially Susannah, his best known work and one of the most produced of any American opera, save Porgy and Bess,

  

Since 1955 Susannah has had more than 800 performances in the United States and Europe.  New York City Opera has revived Susannah four times and it has been a staple of both large and small regional companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, Houston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Kansas City.

 

Susannah was first heard in 1955 at Florida State with Phyllis Curtain in the title role and Mack Harrell as Reverend Olin Blitch.  It was an exciting time for American music. A large public heard works in which the lines between opera and musical theatre were being crossed by major composers -- Copland’s The Tender Land and Douglas Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe had their premieres, as well Frank Loesser’s operatic The Most Happy Fella and Leonard Bernstein’s Candide on Broadway.  Samuel Barber and Gian-Carlo Menotti were regularly premiering works.

 

At the opening night of Susannah, Floyd was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Florida State. The following year it was performed to great acclaim at New York City Opera, again with Curtain and Norman Treigle in his first great success as Blitch.  Erich Leinsdorf was the conductor.  It was awarded the New York Music Critics Circle Award for Best New Opera in 1956 and was chosen to represent American music and culture at the World's Fair.

 

Coupled with a large orchestration, the music of Susannah, sung in English and laden with the vernacular language of Depression-era Tennessee, was inspired by the hymns, folk tunes and even square dance motifs of Floyd’s South Carolina upbringing in the thirties. A pivotal work of historical significance, Susannah is based on the biblical story of “Susanna and the Elders.” At once regional and universal, Susannah features an authentically plainspoken libretto that resonates with a Southern hill country dialect. The straightforwardness of the work connects with audiences, often enabling newer and younger audiences to connect with this classic American work.

  

Floyd was just 28 when the opera premiered, and his piece speaks directly to the “Red Scare” and the era of intense fear of communism. Floyd said, “The McCarthy era did more than anything else to put a cloak of silence over the country ... that nobody really speak up or defendsSusannah for fear of being accused themselves, is all it takes to make a witch hunt.  Zealotry is one of the most frightening elements in the human mind.  It proceeds on the assumption that there’s one right way -- and it’s mine.  It’s pure projection – you project onto others your own guilt of fears.” The opera also contains many feminist themes that had not been widely explored in popular culture at the time of the opera’s writing.

 

The story is set in the small Tennessee mountain town of New Hope Valley. 18 year-old Susannah Polk, the prettiest girl in town, is the center of attention at the town square dance.  She lives on the family farm with her strong willed brother Sam.  The wives of the town first notice the Church Elders’ attraction to Susannah, and then begin to voice their disapproval of her pretty face, her dress, and her manner, and then move on to discuss the new Preacher Olin Blitch, who himself dances with Susannah.  Later, Susannah is seen swimming naked in the creek by the Elders, who are seeking a place for a Baptismal pool; shocked and horrified they return to the town, targeting her as a sinner.

 

At the town picnic, Susannah is shunned.  Sam tells her the town is looking for a confession – and she replies that she has nothing to confess. When Susannah refuses to repent at Blitch’s revival meeting, Blitch himself pays a visit to her – but instead of asking her to repent, he ends up seducing her.  Blitch then tries to persuade the townspeople to forgive her, who are uncomprehending by their Preacher’s change of heart.  Tragedy ensues, and at the end, Susannah, using her gun, orders everyone away, leaving her alone.

 

The Daily Telegraph in London just wrote, "Composed 50 years ago at the height of the McCarthy persecutions, it is a flawlessly effective melodrama focused on an innocent woman victimized by a narrow Evangelical community in rural Tennessee. Susannah speaks straight to the heart through music of uninhibited tonal simplicity and Pucciniesque fervor.”

 

Floyd followed Susannah with an opera of Wuthering Heights (1958 at Santa Fe Opera with Curtain again as the heroine), The Passion of Jonathan Wade, set in South Carolina during reconstruction (1962 at City Opera), Of Mice and Men (from the John Steinbeck in 1981), and Cold Sassy Tree in 2000 commissioned by Houston Grand Opera and San Diego Opera.

 

Singing the role of Susannah is American soprano Pamela Armstrong, recognized internationally as a major young artist, and who made her Opera Pacific debut in 2002 as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. She has also sung the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni in Turin, Bordeaux, and Marseille and New York City Opera, where her roles have included Magda in Puccini’s La Rondine, Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, and the Countess in Richard Strauss’s Capriccio. Armstrong made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème in 2001 and returned in 2003 as Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen. The same year, she made her Spanish debut in La Rondine in Oviedo. In 2006, she sang her first Arabella in Richard Strauss’s Arabella in Toulouse, as well as Rosalinde in Johann Strauss Jr.’s Fledermaus at Glyndebourne. In May 2007, Armstrong performed in San Diego as the Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, a role she has sung with Vienna Staatsoper, New York City Opera, and in Toulouse, Paris, Los Angeles, Houston, and Trieste. Other upcoming engagements include Elvira in Bellini’s Puritani in St. Louis, her first performances of Massenet’s Thaïs in Oviedo, and Magda for Michigan Opera Theatre.

 

Dean Peterson sings the role of Olin Blitch. Peterson will also perform the role of Don Basilio in Opera Pacific’s The Barber of Seville in October 2008. One of opera’s most versatile and charismatic basses, Dean Peterson has in recent seasons appeared on the stages of the world’s leading opera houses. At the Metropolitan Opera he has been seen singing the Four Villains in The Tales of Hoffman, the title role in Mephistofeles and Mustafa in The Italian Girl in Algiers. Mr. Peterson recently made his San Francisco Opera debut as Mustafa in a production with Vivica Genoux and William Burden. In Chicago, he has sung the role of Frank Maurant alongside Catherine Malfitano in Street Scene, and in Otello staged by Sir Peter Hall, featuring Ben Heppner and Renee Fleming. Dean was chosen to create the role of the protagonist Rucker Latimore in Carlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree. While Peterson is a regular in American opera houses, he has been a Guest Artist in many of Europe’s leading opera houses such as La Scala where he has performed the title role in Boito’s Mephistofeles, Mephisto in Faust, Bide the Bent in Lucia di Lammermoor, Colline in La bohème, Hydrot in Gluck’s Armide, and the Messenger in Fidelio. In Vienna, Dean has sung the title role in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and was part of the requested group of singers sent to Beijing when relations between Austria and China were normalized.

 

The role of Sam Polk is sung by Tenor Arnold Rawls. Praised for possessing a "powerful voice," "thrilling head tones," and "a fine grasp of technique and musical fluency," Rawls has delighted audiences with his unique combination of vocal and dramatic skills in performances ranging from art song to opera. Most recently Mr. Rawls has been seen with Opera Omaha as Calaf in Turandot and with Nashville Opera as Alfred in Die Fledermaus. Summer 2005 was spent with Sante Fe Opera’s production of Turandot. Fall 2005 began his debut season with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in their production of Manon Lescaut and he returned the next season in their production of Turandot. Following his portrayal of Radames in Aïda with the Arkansas Symphony, Rawls made his international debut in Bregenz, Austria as Manrico in Il Trovatore in July and August 2006. Mr. Rawls has portrayed Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West (Utah Festival Opera), Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos (Arizona Opera), Calaf in Turandot (Opera Omaha, Des Moines Metro Opera, Nevada Opera, Pensacola Opera, Beloit Janesville Symphony, Opera Southwest, Mobile Opera, Arkansas Symphony), Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana (Pine Mountain Music Festival), Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Opera Southwest, Opera Theatre of Highland Park), Manrico in Il Trovatore (Teatro Lirico, Elmhurst Symphony, Opera Southwest), Alfredo in La Traviata (Natchez Opera Festival), Canio in I Pagliacci (Opera Theatre of Highland Park) and Don José in Carmen (Madison Opera, DuPage Symphony, and Dona Ana Lyric Opera).

 

Tenor John Easterlin sings the role of Little Bat in his Opera Pacific debut. Recent opera appearances include the Fourth Jew in Salome at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel at Houston Grand Opera, Jake in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny at Los Angeles Opera, Don Curzio in Le Nozze di Figaro with San Francisco Opera, Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Dayton Opera, Goro in Madame Butterfly with Toledo Opera, Mayor Upfold in Albert Herring with Gotham Chamber Opera, as well as a debut with Paris Opera as the Hunchback Brother in Die Frau ohne Schatten. He also appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as the Major-Domo in Der Rosenkavalier. Mr. Easterlin was also on Broadway in the Tony Award winning revival of Chicago following his Broadway debut in a new musical, Band in Berlin.

 

Singing the role of Mrs. McLean is mezzo-soprano Josepha Gayer, whose recent career highlights include several world premieres: A Streetcar Named Desire with San Francisco Opera and later with New Orleans Opera; Mrs. Bass in Tobias Picker's Emmeline with Santa Fe Opera (and also with New York City Opera and on Albany Records); and Rita the Rat in Mr. Picker's Fantastic Mr. Fox with Los Angeles Opera. She has sung Mrs. McLean in Susannah with Houston Grand Opera and the Washington Opera, Augusta Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe with Boston Lyric Opera, Katisha in The Mikado with Vancouver Opera, and Nastassja in the American premiere of Verlobung in Traum with the Washington Opera. She debuted with Santa Fe Opera as Mother Goose in The Rake's Progress and returned to sing Arabella and Die Zauberflöte. At New York City Opera she sang in the New York premiere of Where the Wild Things Are.

 

The Opera Pacific Prologue on Susannah will be held at Bowers Museum on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 pm. Opera Pacific’s Prologues provide an introduction to the opera for all audiences and are designed to provide information for those new to opera, as well as those who have been lifelong fans of the art form. Prologue speaker Ron Shaheen lends his insight into the history, music and plot intricacies as intended by the composer.   The Prologue for Susannah will involve a panel discussion about the themes of power, accusation, loss of innocence, and resolve in the opera.

 

 

An overview of the performance, story synopsis, historical and composer connections, and personal insights with Opera Pacific’s Chorus Master Henri Venanzi is held one hour prior to each performance in Segerstrom Hall.

 

 

 

 

Celebrating its 22nd Season, Opera Pacific has established itself as one of the finest professional opera companies in the nation. Opera Pacific's main stage productions, extensive community outreach programs, and energetic Guild Alliance combine to create a cultural resource for all of Southern California. More than 670,000 people have enjoyed Opera Pacific's productions at the Orange County Performing Artscenter, while over 575,000 young people have discovered the world of opera through the company's in-school presentations, Student Previews, and nationally recognized Opera Camps.

 

In addition to the "grand opera" repertory, Opera Pacific has responded to the need for strong, professional productions of classic American musical theatre and European operetta. Under the baton and dedication of John DeMain, opera is an event with the honest communication of the stories and musical values of the works, combined with exciting singers, and major opera house scale productions.

 

 

Tickets for Opera Pacific’s Susannah are priced from $27 to $191 and are available by calling 1-800-34-OPERA, online at www.operapacific.org, or by visiting the Orange County Performing Artscenter Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. For information, go to www.operapacific.org. For groups, call (714) 830-6361.