The Broken Jug (by Viktor Ullmann)
The Dwarf (by Alexander Zemlinsky)
James Conlon, the Music Director for L.A. Opera, has long felt that a group of composers, silenced by the rise of the Third Reich in Germany, have been unjustly forgotten. He has made it his mission to shine a light on their collective work and, hopefully, create new interesting them. He inaugurated his Rediscovered Voices series with concert performances last year. This season, two works received full productions—Victor Ullmann’s THE BROKEN JUG and Alexander Zemlinsky’s THE DWARF.
Based on a play by Heinrich von Kleist, THE BROKEN JUG satirically chronicles a corrupt judge who tries to cover up his attempted seduction of Eve, an attack in which the titular jug was broken, by sending the innocent Ruprecht to prison. Testimony is given by a number of quaint village types until the judge is finally exposed. Even at this distance it is easy to see the connection between this fable and the corrupt court system in Nazi Germany. It was Ullmann’s final opera written before his internment at the Terezinstadt and his eventual execution at Auschwitz.
Ullmann’s music is less distinctive than many of his contemporaries but it bubbles along with enough comic brio to tell his story. The cast is incredibly large for a piece that lasts just over half an hour but they are uniformly excellent and perform their oversized roles with obvious enjoyment.
Entertaining as it is, THE BROKEN JUG, proves to be merely the appetizer for the true discovery of the evening, Victor Zemlinsky’s, THE DWARF. Based on a story by Oscar Wilde which, in turn, was suggested by a Velazquez painting, the opera examines the familiar Wildean theme of great beauty vs. hideous ugliness. The subject apparently resonated for Zemlinsky in a personal sense as he was famously unattractive.
The Dwarf (Rodrick Dixon) has been given to the Spanish Infanta (Mary Dunleavy) as a curious birthday present. Realizing that he has lived a protected existence, sheltered from the reality of his looks by never seeing his reflection, the Infanta toys with the smitten Dwarf. She makes sure that a mirror is available to him. He looks into it and discovers the devastating truth. The Infanta tells the Dwarf that she could never love an animal like him and he dies. She goes off to dance at her birthday ball.
Zemlinsky has set this story to passionately romantic music set in a fascinatingly exotic palette. His obvious inspiration is Strauss’ SALOME (from another Wilde source) and the orchestral writing includes much of the transparency and percussive propulsion of the Strauss score. In reality, THE DWARF (first performed in 1922) comes from Weimar Republic era when the Nazis were still a minor political party. But there is no denying that their treatment of Zemlinsky broke his spirit and relegated his career to a historical footnote.
Dunleavy brought generous sound, musical precision and an appropriately heartless manner to the Infanta while Dixon’s Dwarf was beautifully sung and tragically endearing. Susan B. Anthony was beautifully sympathetic as Ghita, the Infanta’s maid who understands her mistresses’ heartlessness. The female chorus reveled in the gorgeous music Zemlinsky provided and a small coterie of male dancers capered nimbly.
Darko Tresnjak’s direction was clear and unfussy while Ralph Funicello’s sets and Linda Cho’s costumes were eye-popping and richly characterized. From the pit, Conlon’s love for these operas was tangible and he’s made quite a case for their consideration in the 20th Century operatic canon. We look forward to our next rediscovery.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Sunday February 17th-Saturday March 8, 2008
213 972-8001 or www.laopera.com