Stabat Mater Fabulosa

The Morningside Opera company offered up a quite singular interpretation of Pergolesi‘s Stabat Mater in their Fabulosa rendition on January 26th at Dixon Place, which proved, at once, a scholarly as well as a quite literal undressing of the original. Composed in 1736 – the year of Pergolesi’s death at the august age of 26 – the piece has been an iconic work in the canon of western sacred music ever since and has enjoyed an unbroken record of performance for nearly three hundred years. This surely says something about a work, to have endured so vigorously the vagaries of artistic, musical, and religious change, never mind or dare one say, taste. Which in many ways explains its attraction for Morningside Opera, who see their role as boundary-pushers wishing to invigorate dialogue between traditional and new modes of the form. Their stripped down presentation was both scholastically dense as well as visually provocative.

Stabat Mater Fabulosa at Dixon Place

As the slowly drawn out, deliciously mournful harmonies swelled to fill the auditorium, we were presented with two female singers attired in silky camisoles and nickers more evocative of the flapper era than anything from the 18th century. This anachronistic note is key, as the physical performance in large measure is characterized by a panotomimed broadness of expression redolent of the 1920s cabaret era, a time that was interested in the exposure, as much as in the celebration of artifice. From there, as the sequence of songs unfolded, we were subjected to a sort of reverse strip tease as the women, an alto and a soprano, episodically dressed themselves in layer after layer of high baroque costume, enacting scenes in varying degrees ridiculous, mocking, sentimental, and titillating. These little mimes were intentionally played to undermine the exquisite feeling in the vocalizations and critique the psychological realism on display.  While this is going on photographic projections were thrown up on a wall behind, exhibiting scenes of feminine intimacy and maternal ideality, a foil to the silly capering and posturing in the foreground. As the singers graduated into foundation garments, dresses, and eventually wigs, the greater question of the construct of feminine identity surfaced and, with a grand historical sweep, addressed details of formal 18th century attire and contemporary notions of the ”undressed” feminine, maternal self. It could not be ignored that the photographs appeared in the form of “projections”, and with some subtle lighting play, remained gauzily vague, fading in and out of prominence.

The voices meantime, ever beautifully harmonized, persisted throughout, hardly impacted by the movements and gestures of the singers as, gamefully, and with dumb show agony, they were trussed into punitive corsets, chased each other about the grand piano, swooned in affected attitudes of grieving faints, and skipped in merry passes, revealing the schism between form and feeling. Implicit is the Roman church’s sado-masochistic excitement at the representation of Mary, mother of Jesus, in her moment of anguished grief, as the vessel of mortification and sorrow that believers should aspire to in contemplation of Christ’s ultimate and bloody sacrifice. That this idea should be elaborated in such a musically sensuous, celebratory style singularly at odds with its subject, is one of civilization’s exquisite, yet abundant paradoxes, and the primary focus of the Fabulosa production. The sense of contradiction is echoed in finer details throughout the performance and is given special focus in the costuming, which plays a central role. One singer is laced tightly into a corset severely compressing the waist, and the other is obliged to saddle herself with a steel-framed pannier belt, which works to dramatically expand the hipline. They both put on identical, pastel colored dresses and harmonize perfectly. Their lofty, powdered wigs are adorned with miniature bird cages, inside of which are tiny birds; the spirit of freedom and movement is entrapped and stilled for human contemplation. The puritanical mindset might demur, but the baroque era is nothing if not  anathema to such a sensibility.

Stabat Mater Fabulosa itself is a rich confection for contemplation. I couldn’t begin to pretend I had understood or unpacked all the pointed charades and features on show. Of course there will be purists (as opposed to puritans) who will not countenance this kind of aggressive deconstruction of a classic that, in some measure, still owns a religious dimension. But that would be their loss. This is a show that could prove as poised on a Las Vegas stage as it might at La Scala. One scene, where the scantily clad singers, supine together atop the grand piano, draw on stockinged hose while intoning Latin lines of dolorous gravity – “O how sad and afflicted was that blessed mother of the only- begotten” – could write its own ticket to play anywhere. Well, almost anywhere. And that alone, perhaps, might suffice as a badge of success.

Brett Umlauf and Amber Youell were respectively the soprano and alto performers and displayed a real harmonizing intimacy in their singing, despite all the distractions they had to attend to. Kelly Savage was the stalwart keyboard accompanist, and Laura Careless devised choreography and movement. The projections were supplied by Jessica Ng, and the utterly thoughtful and no less fabulous costumes were the work of Annie Holt. One would hope and think that this production was on the radar of the opera community, and that it should stimulate the sort of discussion and investigation that Morningside Opera aspire to provoke. For all its playful heart, Stabat Mater Fabulosa ultimately proves perfectly serious.

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For more information about Morningside Opera please visit their site and join them on Facebook.

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• Judgement Of Paris: Morningside Opera Is At It Again And I Can’t Wait
• Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women In The Arts – Spotlight On Brett Umlauf
• Let’s Keep Dancing … At The Company XIV Workshop
• Company XIV – The Workshop You’ve All Been Waiting For …

These women of the arts hail from different disciplines, but they all have an indomitable spirit and a luminescent spark that makes them amazing human beings who are out there every day, doing amazing work.

Today we continue our series with Brett Umlauf.

The first time I saw Brett she was decked out in a huge red velvet ball gown, had a powdery white wig upon which a black top hat was perched and she was singing along with two other identically dressed women.  Together they were Charites, and they were singing everything from opera to standards to Lady Gaga for Austin McCormick’s take on fairy tales – Le Cirque Féerique.  I found them utterly captivating, versatile and charming so when it came time to have my one year anniversary party I definitely knew I wanted them to perform, and I was thrilled when they accepted.  Soon enough Brett and I kept in touch through various other things she was involved with, most notably the Diva Search produced by Morningside Opera.

As a lifelong devoted fan of Opera with season tickets to the Met, I’m thrilled that I now have a strong connection to the next generation of Opera via the lovely and talented Brett Umlauf.  The more I get to know her, the more I’m continually drawn to her thoughtfulness, her dedication to her craft, and her supreme talent  - the voice that floats so effortlessly from her tiny frame and fills a room with the most glorious, lilting, soaring notes that leave you astonished.  Ahh, if only Brett could sing her answers for us …

Brett Umlauf

Talk to me about being a woman who does what you do- just overall.

What I enjoy most about what I do is learning from my colleagues, male and female. The euphoria that comes from a good musical chemistry, a gratifying artistic collaboration is what I crave in any project. In her poem “The Witch’s Life,” Anne Sexton wrote: “When I was a child / there was an old woman in our neighborhood whom we called The Witch…I think of her sometimes now / and wonder if I am becoming her…Only my books anoint me, / and a few friends, / those who reach into my veins…”
Substitute the word ‘projects’ for ‘books,’ and I feel as though I’m living her poem. As I witness the crone slowly eclipse the maiden in my form, my face, my voice, my figure, my affinities, I notice I wrap a trusted creative circle tighter and tighter around me, those who ‘reach into my veins.’ I have learned to let my gut tell me from whom I can learn the most, and I’m going with that feeling more and more.

Are there days it makes a difference – good or bad?

I’ve never felt that being a woman was the reason I had a good or a bad day doing what I do. Obstacles that everyone faces: time-constraints, self-doubt, budget concerns, limitations of skill-set; these are the things that can make a rehearsal or process or performance feel gnarly, but I’ve never traced these challenges back to being a woman.

Are there barriers you fought against in the past?

No. And here’s where I feel almost guilty. When I have second wave feminist friends attending a performance where I’m blithely glamming it up, Girlie Culture Style, I experience something akin to shame. (But not enough to take off the lipstick and heels!). However, I am keenly aware that it’s on account of *their* efforts that I can honestly say: what barriers?
I try to honor prior generations of women in everything I do, as I am full of gratitude for where and when I live and with whom and to what degree of freedom I am permitted to work and create. We cast Morningside Opera’s recent Handel pastiche ATRA: Ossia, L’amore Ricordato as a lesbian love triangle, the powerful castrato role being sung by a woman and *played* as a woman, i.e., not dressed in pants and a painted on moustache. The director, Minou Arjomand, will be telling you more about that process hopefully very soon.

The men that you come across do they treat you as an equal?

As they should, the men *and* the women I work with treat me in accordance with my skills, professionalism, contribution, talents, etc. But a fair number of projects with which I am involved are women-only. A woman composer friend recently commented to me how much she’s been enjoying the “courtesy, patience and encouragement” she’s found working in our female dynamic, when she’s used to an environment dominated by male energy. I appreciated her pointing that out, as it’s something I probably take for granted, working exclusively with women so often.

Are there some resources you’d like to share that you find particularly helpful as a woman?
I find a lot of wisdom and comfort in the voices of women poets, past and present. Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jane Kenyon, Anne Michaels, Anne Carson, Priscilla Becker… There’s endless free camaraderie out there thanks to these women’s gifts paired with the gift of public libraries.

What’s up next for you, Brett?

SIREN Baroque

A. Come enjoy Charites as we perform works by women poets and composers of the baroque on Wednesday, 13 April 2011 at 1:15p (ARTEK Midtown Concert Series) at Immanuel Lutheran Church; 88th St at Lexington Ave; New York NY
B. Stay tuned for more from SIREN Baroque, a brand new all female ensemble that debuted this month. Photo from our concert at Caffe Vivaldi on the left.
C. Stay tuned for Morningside Opera’s next season and hopefully a feature where director Minou Arjomand and female cast members will reflect on Karen’s questions…

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More about Brett Umlauf
Soprano Brett Umlauf is not only a huge fan of thehappiestmedium.com, but also a founding member of the female early music trio Charites, singer in the all female ensemble SIREN Baroque, co-creator of an educational entertainment about the Swedish rococo poet-composer CM Bellman and both board member and principal artist at Morningside Opera. She’s currently collaborating with composer Kate Soper, mezzo Amber Youell and dancer Laura Careless to re-imagine Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater alongside Soper’s new opera for three female voices. Visit brettumlauf.com for more info and concert dates!

Related Posts:

• Morningside Opera Will Present World Premiere Of Atra, Ossia, L’Amore Ricordato
• Not Your Father’s Circus: Le Cirque Feerique (The Fairy Circus)
• Stabat Mater Fabulosa, Morningside Opera Productions
• Women’s History Month GRAND FINALE: Celebrating Women In The Arts – It Ain’t Over Till The Phat Ladies Sing
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COMPANY XIV (photo by Cristina Ramirez Hirst)

Can you die from too much beauty?  Probably not.  But if you could, I came close to doing so as I watched Company XIV “A mixed media Neo-Baroque dance-theatre  company” spin  Le Cirque Féerique (The Fairy Circus) into being in front of my dazzled eyes last weekend.  The show consists of a series of fairy tales choreographed and directed by Austin McCormick, written and adapted by Austin McCormick and Jeff Takacs, and conceived by Austin McCormick and Zane Pihlstrom and runs till June 6th.

In an unassuming building on Bond Street in Brooklyn where Company XIV makes their home you will find the most unusual matrix of Music, Mystery, and Magic.  That’s right, I said Brooklyn.  And hold on to your hats, folks, because in the next few paragraphs I’m also going to say things akin to “Frog Prince”, “Madonna”, “Cinderella”, “Carmen”, and “Balloons”.  Yes – it’s THAT kind of show.

First of all, for all you scaredy cats who think you can’t haul your cookies (and your kids, and your kid’s cookies) into Brooklyn to see something unique, unusual, flirty, coquettish and fizzy-fun that still manages to be family-rated I beg you to please just shut up for a second.   Laziness like that is what led to half our youth’s addiction to video games . . . that is when they’re not washing down teenage vampire chronicles with a Justin Bieber chaser.

Company XIV (Photo Cristina Ramirez)

Second of all, this is a show that other shows WISH they could be.   Company XIV whips up a confection so delectable that there’s an actual ache when the show is over.  Like Rumpelstiltskin (whose story they don’t take on, unfortunately) McCormick and company turns straw into gold . . . and satin . . . and things that sparkle and shine and swivel and clink and pop and twirl and thump and sneer and cavort and transcend.

One half of this show fits like a classic Chanel suit that never goes out of style and the other half  fits like that next fabulously hot new phenom about to be birth from Project Runway – so trendy that they’re six minutes away from being on someone’s “five minutes ago” list.  Throw everything you ever imagined Fairy Tales could be into a blender, add a dash of peacock feathers, a shot glass of strawberry milkshake, deck everyone out in wigs, velvet, sequins, opulence, danger, bonbons, and  the essence of Vegas.  Drained it of anything that smacks of tacky and filled it back up with everything that dazzles and you’re only beginning to understand what Le Circque Féerique will do to you.

To paraphrase Lady Gaga – They Left Me Speechless.  And while we’re quoting the Queen of the Disco Stick there’s no better way to watch Little Red Riding Hood get gobbled up by the big bad wolf than to the throbbing beat of Monster (don’t worry, Moms and Dads, the song is warbled by the  Baroque Opera Trio Charities [beautifully bedecked in burgundy ball gowns] so the more salacious words are trilled so sweetly that it might as well be a song about kittens).

So, basically – beautiful dancing, check.  Amazing, mind blowing choreography by Austin McCormick – check.  Children’s favorites like Princess and The Pea (with an Indian flair), The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella (with Madonna’s Like A Prayer carrying it along  . . . right to Sinatra’s “Last Dance”), check.  A ringleader in Jeff Takacs who keeps things rolling along in the form of fast jokes, crazy sight gags, and corny tunes, check.  A trio of lovely singers who can sing Carmen as easily as they can sing top 40 hits – check.  And all those stories you think you know inside out . . . told in a way that turns them, well  . . . inside out. Check and check.

Oh, Company XIV  . . . one last Gaga quote and I’m out: I’m your biggest fan – I’ll follow you until you love me.  Please keep doing shows like this -  and I’ll keep telling everyone one I know to come see you.

Company XIV presents: Le Cirque Féerique from Austin McCormick on Vimeo.

The Company XIV ensemble consists of Marisol Cabrera, Laura Careless, Yeva Glover, Gioia Marchese, Austin McCormick, Davon Rainey and Jeff Takacs. The Charites Baroque Opera Trio includes Brooke Bryant, Brett Umlauf and Amber Youell. The design team consists of Zane Pihlstrom (Set & Costume Design) and Gina Scherr (Lighting Design). Le Cirque Féerique is sponsored by MAC Cosmetics.

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