Concert report - Opera

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Sister Angelica is an opera composed by Giacomo Puccini which was performed at Augustana College in the beginning of December. In this report paper, I will first focus on describing the rich vocal performances in the opera to then move on to a more subjective review part where I give my actual opinions on the opera.

Concert Preparation
My expectations before “Sister Angelica” consisted of informative background briefings with one of the show’s biggest stars, Sister Genevieve, featured by AnDréa Dunn. Even in Swedish, following the lyrics an opera can be a challenging, but understanding the words in well-sung and often very high pitch recitatives in English is to me be close to impossible. With this background, the pre-show briefing of the plot proved to be absolutely priceless for my understanding of the opera, along with the “Opera For Dummies”-like introduction that came along with it.

Expectations
Considering that my previous opera experience equals nil, my expectations before Sister Angelica were set high. I knew beforehand that the composer Giacomo Puccini is to opera what Shakespeare is to literature and that “Sister Angelica” is very well-recognized among the cultural elite. I hoped that it would also appeal to more novice visitors with a strong eagerness to get acquaintened to the art of opera.

Music Analysis
The musical experience in Sister Angelica stem from voices of the generally very talented Augustana musicians and the piano accompaniement played by Gail Baldwin. The timbre in the performance changes with the women singing the arias and recitatives. There are four main characters in the play, all with voices with unique timbre. For example, Sister Genevieve, sings in a high soprano while the Princess is a mezzo-soprano.
Throughout the opera the texture changes depending on what is happening in the story. During the recitatives, which connects the story between the arias, the texture is thin, bell-sounding and monophonic. But, when as the opera progresses and the entire choir sings together, it is thick and carries a church-sound that is most suitable for the surroundings where the opera is taken place. This description is especially apparent at the end, when the dialogue and songs swifts from Latin to English.
The tempo of Sister Angelica is varied. When the baby sadly dies and the mood is tragic, the music is lathargic, while other parts follow a quicker tempo. The piano is the only instrument played in the opera, hence the harmony flows from that rare grand piano, beginning in a joyful major chord but modulates into minor chords played in different keys. Rhythm is tougher to sense, but it is played in the long-short-long pattern that Puccini uses to provide character. The only time the rhythm is prominent is during the second aria when Sister Genevieve, steps into the action. According to my inside source, Sister Genevieve (alias AnDréa Dunn), the performers have individual flexibility to change the rhythm during the recitatives. Following the standard opera format, Sister Angelica is also in accordance with the recitative-aria-recitative form, where soloists and the whole choir sing at different occasions in the play. The opera has several musical themes, that appear repeatedly throughout the one hour long performance. Single themes can be used by multiple actors/singers, which creates a framing that reoccurs and creates recognition among the audience. Sister Genevieve takes a new twist when the unpleasant Princess halfway through the show appears on stage in a long, orange vestment.

Personal Reactions
One of my strongest impressions of this year so far is the grace with which shows are arranged and performed in America, compared to the Swedish ones I have witnessed. Sister Angelica was no exception. The opera felt like a piece of elite culture, and I felt privileged being in the audience this Friday night.
All the music was new to me. It would probably have been beneficial to my experience if I had heard it in advance, because I find concerts to be better if I am familiar to the music before. Every time you listen to music, you hear new details, so my description would have probably been more detailed if I would have listened to the music in advance.

My favorite par...