We’re staying at the Royal Opera House for this week’s Sunday Opera (8/17 3:00 p.m.) and a double bill of operas by Leonard Bernstein, his 1952 work “Trouble in Tahiti” and the sequel, “A Quiet Place,” written 31 years later in 1983. The story was initially based on the troubled relationship of Bernstein’s parents.
“Trouble in Tahiti” is a forty-five minute one-act that looks at the relationship of Dinah (Wallis Giunta) and Sam (Henry Neill). They try to be a perfect mid-century American couple, but neither feels fulfilled or truly loved. Sam buries himself in his work and handball while forgetting about the pass he made towards his secretary.
Dinah visits her analyst, whom Sam calls a fake, and while there, talks about a dream of a beautiful, imaginary garden she finds in a bleak landscape. Dreaming of the garden brings her solace.
The title refers to a film Dina sees at a matinee that she cannot stand, and ironically, after one last confrontation, Sam suggests they go to see the same film as a sort of truce.
The piece includes a trio that acts as a Greek chorus of sorts sung by Kristy McLean, Guy Elliott, and Peter Edge.
“A Quiet Place” takes up the family’s story some years later, after Dinah has died in a car accident. Sam (Grant Doyle) has been left to bring up Junior (Henry Neill) and a daughter, Dede (Rowan Pierce), in the family home. Junior had fallen in love with Francois (Elgan Thomas) who left Junior and married Dede.
Once again, the family is in turmoil, and that turmoil comes to a head in the garden after reading pages of Dinah’s diary where they seem to feel Dinah’s spirit and try to come together.
The “chorus” has been increased to quartet in “A Quite Place” including Kristy McLean, Guy Elliott, and Peter Edge from “Trouble in Tahiti,” and they’re joined by Heather Lowe.
Nicholas Chalmers conducts both pieces, and he leads Members of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
We’ll fill our time together after the operas with more music of Bernstein. In 1976, Bernstein had the misfortune of agreeing to write a musical with Alan Jay Lerner whose book and lyrics were far from the quality of Bernstein’s music. The show was “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” which was soundly trounced by critics and audiences alike. Bernstein was angry because he had to continually write music for the show, and that music was edited and compressed without his approval. When the show closed after seven performances, he refused to allow it to be recorded.
After his death in 1990, Bernstein’s estate agreed to a concert adaptation of the score to be adapted and performed. We’ll have the opportunity to hear that adaptation this week, so you’ll be able to hear some of Bernstein’s incredible music that would have otherwise been lost.
The story follows various presidents and first ladies and their time in the White House as well as the servants, Lud and Seena, who served them. The cast of this 2000 recording includes Thomas Hampson and June Anderson who play all of the presidents and first ladies. Barbara Hendricks as Seena, Kenneth Tarver as Lud, and Victor Acquah as Little Lud. Keel Watson and Neil Jenkins round out the cast.
They’re joined by the London Voices and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano.