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Show 4 E The Salt Lake Trihune, Sunday, August 22, 1982 Interesting , compelling things, at the exalted Santa Fe Opera By Martin Bemheimer Los Angeles Times Writer SANTA FE, N.M. Interesting things, compelling things, imaginative things, things continue to happen in this chic operatic oasis. The Santa Fe Opera may not invariably be the best of all possible worlds for the lyric muse, its exalted reputation among aficionados notwithstanding. Nevertheless, it remains a company that capitalizes on high ensemble spirits, conscientious idealism, a dream house that does not want to be a temporary home for superstars, and a faithful audience that does not seem to find Alban Bergs Lulu any less appealing than that other opera with a singing painter, La Boheme. The five-parepertory this summer proved characteristic. For the opera lovers who do not really love opera, John Crosby, the resident visionary-factotuconductor, cranked out a new production of Johann Strauss almost indomitable Fledermaus," which turned out on this occasion, alas, to be almost domitable. For the purists there was an often elegant For revival of Mozarts Le Nozze di Figaro. pilgrims with a penchant for nostalgia there was Thomas Mignon, once an international staple and now a rarity. For the adventurous there was a world premiere that threatened to be a world demiere: chroniGeorge Rochbergs rambling, sugar-coatecally accessible translation of Herman Melvilles novel, The Confidence Man. Most Significant Easily the most significant event, however, was the first professional staging in America of Richard Strauss' Die Liebe der Danae. With this bold, fascinating and flawed production of a bold, fascinating, flawed but overwhelming opera, Santa Fe dealt once again in revelations. Die Liebe der Danae or, if you must, The Love of Danae may be the most unjustly The neglected of Strauss late neglect probably has a lot to do with the unwieldy plot convolutions prescribed by the composer and his librettist, Joseph Gregor, not to mention the scenic problems inherent in such manifestations as the arrival of Jupiter in Midas golden ship, the temporary turning of a soprano into a golden statue, and a palpable dream that finds the heroine bathed in golden rain. The neglect of Danae also may have something to do with its remarkable sociopolitical history and a . lingering psychological stigma. Strauss completed the opera in 1940, when he was 76. Having suffered the ravages of war-tim- e premieres before, he decreed that this grandiose challenge not be attempted until two years after peace was established. Therefore, he put tiie Danae score in a drawer and, with bombs bursting all around, blithely started work on what was to become his operatic swan song, Capriccio. Dress Rehearsal However, his friend and apostle, Clemens Krauss, obtained permission to present one performance of Danae at the Salzburg Festival, billed as a dress rehearsal and offered as a testimonial to the aging composer. That performance took place on Aug. 16, 1944, before an audience of Nazi dignitaries, cultural luminaries and wounded or convalescent soldiers in uniform. Strauss died in 1949. Die Liebe der Danae, his Olympian opera, did not receive its official premiere until 1952, when Krauss brought it back to Salzburg. A flurry of performances followed in various European capitals. Los Angeles was the scene of the first American production, when Walter Ducloux ventured the work with the University of Southern California Opera Workshop in 1964. Then, apart from an oddly edited revival in Munich in 1967 Ponnelle, utilizing sets and costumes by Jean-Pierr- e the world forgot about Danae. The Santa Fe production, seen Aug. 6, suggests that the world should not have forgotten. It is not by any means an ideal production. The singers, for the most part, are too lyrical for the essentially dramatic demands of the vocal lines; the enlarged orchestra under Crosby stresses bombast at the expense of introspection; the designs of Rouben A often distort Strauss description of the work cheerful mythology by confusing gentle satire well-meani- rt m -- : with high-cam-p glitz caricature. Still this Danae rises above its fleeting interpretive misfortunes. Romantic Impulses It rises because the work is infused with some best, most outrageously indulgent, most sweeping romantic impulses. One can worry a lot about the uneasy juxtaposition here of Wagnerian pomp and Offenbachian circumstance. One can winch at the confusing narrative knots that fuse tragedy with comedy amid disparate mythological strands. One can argue that Strauss pretended to be composing a lighthearted piece when in reality he was delving into his own special well of emotional and philosophical profundity. In the end, however, none of that matters very much. What does matter, emphatically, is the survival of an unrivaled and unabashed melodic gift. Strauss at 76 remained a master of sprawling architecture, a sentimentalist beyond compare, a colorist of supreme sensitivity. He never forgot how to build to the mighty climax, how to capitalize on extreme expressive contrasts, how to use subtle details to enhance and embellish the mightiest of cumulative . -- d, Liberace plans Sept . 1 show at U. Libcrace will bring his pecul- iar brand of show business ex- - travagance to the U. of U. cial Events Center Sept. Police to play Palace Music calendar ? Utah Symphony, Sunday, 5 p.m., Snowbird. Robert Henderson, conductor; cannon fire by Mountain Men the Wasatch. Program: Tchaikovsky Capriccio Italien." Suite No. 3, 1812 Overature." - Holladay Musicale, Sunday, 8 p.m., Holladay South Stake Center, 4917 Viewmont (2320 East). Free. Sarah Bullen and Shru De Li Ownbey, harps ; Susan fcoodfellow, flute; Erica Kiesewetter, violin. Program: Handel Concerto for Harp and Sonata for Violin and Harp; Bach French Suite No. 6 for Two Harps; Bach French Suite No. 6 for Two Harps; Saint-Saen- s ti Fantasie" for Harp and Violin; Serenade No. 10 for Harp and Flute. a musical variety, Tuesday, 8:30 Celebration, J).m., Marriott Center, Brigham Young University, Provo. Young Ambassadors, Sun, Shade n Rain, Robinson Sisters, Deanna Edwards and Janice Kapp Perrys Lets Sing Together." i The Police, rock and reggae, Thursday, 8 p.m., Salt Per-lichet- palace. Joe Cannon, country rock, Friday, 8 p.m., .Snowbird. Kay Bradford, piano, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. both nights, North Visitors Center, Temple Square. Free. No children under eight admitted. Program: Bach French Suite No. 5; Mozart Concerto No. 17 in G (first movement) with Barlow Bradford, second pianist; Chopin Scherzo No. 2 in b flat; Debussy Preludes Nos. 4, 6, 12; Prokofiev Toccata. Milton Jensen and Todd Woodbury, duo classical guitarists, Saturday, 8 p.m., Visitor Center, Wasatch Mountain State Park, Midway, Wasatch County. Tracy Dunn, violin; Randy Fisher, viola; Saturday, 3 p.m., Salt Lake City Public Library Auditorium, 209 E. 5th South. Free. Program: Martinu Three Madrigals; Bartok Duos on Hungarian Themes (selections); Thomas Morley' V Fantasias; Mozart Duet in G, K. 423. 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 $10. All '$15 seats are sold Weber State College, Ogden, has assembled an impressive series of performances by leading chamber orchestras for its cultural arts series next season. The first group to visit will be the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra Oct. 7. They will be followed by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Pinchas Zukerman Jan. 28, and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields March 14. The series also will present the Vienna Symphony under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach Oct. 11. Harpsichordist Igor Kipnis will return to the series for a three-da- y residency Feb. and out. events on the series will include the Chinese Magic Circus Jan. 31 and three travel films with live Non-music- al narration. Most series events will be presented in the Austad Auditorium of the Browning Fine Arts Center, WSC. The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra will perform in the ballroom of the Ogden Hilton. Tickets for all events are now on sale at ZCMI stores or at the WSC ticket office in the Dee Events Center. For mail order information, write to College Ticket Office, Dee Events Center, Weber State College, Ogden, Utah, 84408. 11-1- 3. ii S at WSC arts series boasts top chamber orchestras ; The Police, an EnglishAmerican trio responsible for such songs as Dont Stand So Close To Me," "Roxanne, Message In A Bottle," De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" and Every little Thing She Does Is Magic, will be at the Salt Palace Thursday for an 8 p.m. concert. Gary U.S. Bonds will open. The group consists of singerbassist Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers. Polices music has been described as blistering rock married to reggae rhythms. The songs are both humorous and outrageous. Albums by the band include "Ghost In The Machine, Zenyatta Mondatta, Regatta de Blanc and Outlandos dAmour. Tickets for Thursdays show are on sale at the Usual outlets. Spe- 1 Arts grants policies set The Utah Arts Council's board of directors has approved guidelines for its grants program, including 1983-8- 4 two changes in policy. A funding category has been created for the first time to assist literary magazines. In addition, all applicants under either the Sept. 1 or Oct. 1 deadline must match at least 100 percent of the request in cash. Applications from literary magazines are due by Oct. 1. Grants will be limited it to organizations including student magazines, institutional and independent publications. Applications for general support as well as project grants must be submit non-prof- tax-exem- pt ted to the council by Oct. 1 to be eligible for fiscal year 1983-8- 4 funding. organRepresentatives of izations desiring a copy of the grants guidelines may contact Sherry DeMill, grants officer, at the councils offices, 617 E. South Temple. The Sept. 1 deadline applies to community arts development, challenge and technical assistance grants. Community arts development grants of up to $3,000 are available to any it incorporated organization with arts projects aimed at serving the communities in which they are located. Challenge grants are of up to $2,500 are available to community arts councils only. non-prof- it ill-ca- statements and, perhaps above all, how to end sections either with cataclysmic impact or with expansive ethereal calm. Despite a surprisingly few passages that suggest padding, and despite a troublesome libretto, Danae emerges as a work equally striking for its flamboyance and its refinement. It cries to be heard and seen again. Sympathetic Staging Although he could have found little comfort either in Crosbys affectionate but generalized music tasteless show-bi- z making or in the Colin Graham proceedings with a staged designs, sympathetic, theatrical eye. One applauded his appreciative Wagnerian images: Jupiter as Wanderer, Midas as Siegfried, Mercury as Loge. One wanted to blame someone else for the comic excesses: four Queens Jupiters former conquests who resembled superannuated refugees from . burlesque, not to mention courtiers at Polluxs palace who represented cartoon characters from the silent screen, ancient Greece and just about everything in between. Ashley Putnam, in a welcome and escape from the vocal stratosphere, looked exquisite in the diaphanous robes of the willowy Danae u predecessors in the surely none of her and she as been have can convincing nearly part sang with sweetness and luster right up to the, What she lacked was the solid crowning middle register and sheer thrust of the bona fide Marschallin-Aida-Sieglind- e for whom the role wa? , intended. Victor Braun proved that he commands all the wit, prerequisites of a perfect, conniving Jupiter passion, virile swagger, stamina, a commanding all the prerequisites, presence, an easy top range that is, except the sheer vocal amplitude of a Hans Hotter (who sang in the 1944 rehearsal) or a Paul Soeffler (who turned up at the 1952 premiere). Dennis Bailey proved equally vapid as Midas whether in godly splendor or poverty and sang with the dull tones of a tired, would-b- e Helden-teno- r. Vocal heft was simulated to far greater effect by Ragnar Ulfung in the clever mock heroics of Pollux, and James Hoback tumbled nimbly through the acrobatics and Sprechgesang of Mercury. Mary Jane Johnson as Danaes servant Xanthe held her own mellifluously in the inevitable, soaring duet for two sopranos, and the four Queens Melanie Helton, Ruth Jacobson, Judith Christin and Carolyne James conjured graceful sonic images of Rheinmaidens and Naxos nymphs while strutting their stuff. ,, well-advis- hefty-Hausfra- non-prof- If a summer deal that's hard to beat..and your chance to live it up in Los Vegas Tropicana style! You'll get a beautiful Garden or Lanai room for only $29 (single or double occupancy), plus a $ 0 cash rebate when you stay a minimum of 2 nights. You'll find everything that makes a Las Vegas dream come true at the New Tropicana. That means luxury, fabulous food, warm friendly people, and all the excitement you can handle! And now you can enjoy it al- l1 and get a cash rebate bonus, too! 1 r, J Folies Bergere VIP Special You'll receive VIP treatment at the world n renowned Folies Bergere! 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