Virginia Opera is committed to bringing new works to Hampton Roads, as well as satisfying fans who love the classics. This season’s opening production shows how that works.
Kurt Weill’s “The Seven Deadly Sins” fulfills the mission of Virginia Opera’s “First of Firsts” series, in which it opens the season with something never performed in the area. The second half of the double bill is Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci,” a work beloved by both aficionados and casual fans . Opening night is tonight at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk.
“Pagliacci” often is paired with another work, usually “Cavalleria Rusticana.” Virginia Opera has performed “Cav and Pag” twice, so conductor Adam Turner wanted to shake things up.
“I was looking for something different, and Kurt Weill was a grievous omission from our repertoire,” said Turner. “To my knowledge, these works have never been paired before, so this is truly a first.”
“Deadly Sins” is set in America in the 1930s, so “Pagliacci,” set in Italy’s Calabria region between 1865 and 1870, is getting an update.
The year “1933 is an easy period to channel into ‘Pagliacci,’ even though it was composed in 1892,” Turner said. “In ‘Pagliacci,’ a comedy troupe comes to town to tell their tale, and that is timeless and could take place anywhere – even in a Wal-Mart parking lot.”
While set design decisions were settled fairly easily, Turner said he has been astounded by all the ways the two operas can inform each other through dance, melodic musical passages and other links. Foremost, though, he has focused on the two strong female leads.
Anna in “Deadly Sins” travels from her home in Louisiana to seven cities, where she confronts the Bible’s mortal sins, with the goal of raising money to save her family and help them buy a home. In “Pagliacci,” Nedda longs to break tradition by taking a lover and living outside the bonds of marriage.
In this production, Nedda is sung by soprano Kelly Kaduce with her real-life husband, baritone Lee Gregory.
Gregory, however, does not perform as Nedda’s husband, Canio the clown; he sings the role of Silvio, her lover.
Kaduce has performed Nedda opposite other Silvios, but Gregory has sung the role only with his wife.
“I like to say my only love has been my wife,” he joked.
“And that’s just the way I like it,” Kaduce responded when the two were interviewed together between rehearsals.
The roles require passion and chemistry between the two singers, and Gregory said singing with his wife makes that more comfortable.
“They are intense lovers, and that level of passion is much easier to get to with her,” he said.
Kaduce said there was a level of comfort, but the roles also felt a little creepy at times.
“It can feel like people are looking in on our personal lives,” she said. “Sometimes I think it’s easier to perform love scenes with someone you’re not connected to in real life.”
One thing they agree on: They sizzle onstage, even after 15 years of marriage.
“We joke about that in rehearsal,” Kaduce said. “We still have great chemistry!”