The Consul--Television production on DVD

Even though it is far from a traditional Broadway musical, I'm including this Gian Carlo Menotti opera in my Year as it had a Broadway-type run of 269 performances in 1950 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. Plus The Consul is just the type of music I want to think about during my Year. It won a New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical (a theater award) and the Pulitzer Prize for Music (a serious music award), so I'm not the only one who can't categorize this work. It is challenging, engaging, thought-provoking and both of its time and timely today.

Being of its time, this work strikes me as a reaction to strict government controls of individuals following WWII and during the rise of Communism. The plot of the opera follows the Sorel family. John is involved in some kind of underground political movement, which is neither defined nor discussed. Being watched by government agents, he goes on the lamb, leaving his wife, new-born son, and mother in dire straights. His wife Magda makes multiple attempts to see the Consul (of an unnamed country) to find out what has happened to her husband, and to get some help for herself and her son. The bureaucracy does her in at every turn.

Being timely today, this work also speaks on issues like immigration, or war crimes prisons, or any government perspective which deals only with rules and documents rather than with people.

This is challenging music to listen to, and in fact I watched this DVD over the course of three days rather than straight-through. There a parts of the score, however that are beautiful (particularly the lullaby that the grandmother sings to the infant son) or powerful (the break-down Madga has during her second visit to the Consul's office). Much of the score falls harshly on my ears, though, which is probably the point of the score.

One thing I never tired of watching, however, was Patricia Neway's performance as Magda. She is a riveting singing actress who uses her entire face and body to convey the pathos of her character's situation. If I'm reading the on-line history I've found correctly, Ms. Neway originated the role in 1950 and was part of the Broadway production. This television production was taped in 1960; she is perhaps too old for the part (particularly in a close-up format), but clearly has a strong handle on performing the part.

I see from Ms. Neway's credits that she was Nettie Fowler in a television version of Carousel, originated the role (for which she won a Tony) of the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, and was in a television production of Poulenc's opera Dialogue of the Carmelites, and was in a Broadway production of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia that also featured Kitty Carlisle Hart! What an interesting career Ms. Neway had!

The Consul
Music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti

Premiered in 1950
Television production in 1960
Cast: Patricia Neway, Chester Ludgin, Evelyn Sachs, Regina Sarfaty

The Medium television production on DVD

Many Broadway purists will argue the inclusion of a Gian Carlo Menotti opera in my musical thinking, although several of his works were produced on Broadway. Well, if I can delve into the world of cabaret and Stomp, I can certainly include The Medium in my Year.

I am not that familiar with Menotti's works, but if they are anything like this production, done for television in 1978, then I need to check out more of them. I don't have the musicological wherewithal to discuss Menotti's composition, but it reminds me of operas by Benjamin Britten--chamber operas with few characters, delving into the subconscious and spiritual worlds. And the 'spikey' vocal lines and orchestration of The Medium sound similar to Britten's Billy Budd, which I have seen. Also, the theme of the sacrifice of an innocent for the sins of another is common to both operas. The orchestra seems to project the sub-text of the characters, giving voice to their inner turmoil.

The story revolves around Madame Flora, a fake medium who has a real other-worldly experience during one of her staged seances. Originally written in the late 1940s, the opera continues to have a life in smaller opera houses, and Menotti is considered one of the pre-eminent American composers of the 20th Century. He died in early 2007, well into his 90s.

Maureen Forrester (seen above) is particularly winning in her portrayal of Madame Flora. It was a performance she had done on stage in Stratford, Ontario Canada, which was subsequently filmed by the CBC for television. The television staging retains much of its proscenium style with enough close-ups and tracking shots to keep it from feeling two-dimensional.

The Medium
Music, Book and Lyrics by Gian Carlo Menotti
Produced for television in 1978 by the Canadian Broadcasting Company
Released on DVD by VAI in 2004
Cast: Maureen Forrester