"Judith" at University of Chicago Presents
"Judith" at University of Chicago PresentsBy M.L. Rantala, Classical Music Critic
Hyde Park Herald
November 19, 2008
Americans have long been adept at branding and recently it has become nearly an obsession. it has spilled over from business to the rest of society, including acadentia and even politics. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was a little amused, during the recent presidential campaigning, by the discussions of the McCain "maverick" brand, given that these two terms have an intertwined history with one meaning essentially the opposite of the other. (A maverick was a beast without a brand marking.)
Europeans have been seen as less deterriiined to reduce their products or politics to single phrases or words, yet branding must be seen as useful in getting essential ideas across quickly.
All this is a roundabout way of saying that Katarina Livljanic and the Ensemble Dialogos, who opened the University of Chicago Presents Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music Series with a performance in the Hyde Park Union Church on Friday, could use a little branding.
Their performance of "Judith" was described in advance as a "biblical story," and Livljanic was announced as someone who was in charge of "voice, direction, text adaptation and musical
reconstruction' " There was reference to medieval Glagolitic chant. That's a lot to figure out, and it's not hard to fault people who might have imagined the entire enterprise would be too
academic or remote to be of much interest.
But they would be wrong. "Judith" is an amazing 70 minute one-woman opera (that's the branding I'll suggest, although it would be more accurate to label it a musical monodrama) with stunning music offered not only in Livljanic's mesmerizing mezzo-soprano, but with faultless performances by Albrecht Maurer on fiddle and Iftica (a traditional stringed instrument of Croatia) and Norbert Rodenkirchen on archaic flutes.
The story is of the widow Judith, who when her village is threatened by Assyrians, first seduces and later murders their powerful general Holofernes by chopping off his head while he's in a drunken slumber. (A biblical scholar I know tells me that this story is not in the Protestant bible nor in the Jewish holy books, but can be found in some Catholic bibles and presumably in Orthodox texts as well.)
The melodies that Livljanic has used to tell the tale are gripping, and display both a simplicity in line but complexity in harmonization, particularly the haunting close dissonances. The action is advanced by her singing for all the principals of the story, with some spoken voice peppered in here and there. Early on, Livljanic sings movingly of the agony suffered by the besieged villagers in a beautiful a cappella aria. Later, she explains Judith's plan to infiltrate the enemy camp and her internal plotting includes a devious duet with the violin.
The most fascinating elements of the narrative come at the end. Just before the moment Judith beheads Holofernes, there is a fascinating dialogue between the murdered man's body and his soul. There is a similar conversation between Judith's mind and soul as she summons the strength to kill the enemy who loves her and as she prays to God to h~llp her in her grisly task.
The program reports that the text comes from Gregorian, Beneventan and Glagolitic sources of medieval Dahnatia, and exactly what language or languages were sung I'm in no position to report. But the crisp and clear English text was projected high onto a black screen which was about four feet wide and nine feet tall placed at the center of the stage. This meant that the three performers could walk in front of the screen at any time and not obscure the text. Near the end, the musicians were behind it and lit so that we could see them through what had become a milky scrim, further heightening the tension.
I've often railed against weird minimalist productions, but this one was magnificent in its simplicity. There were no props. When Judith commits the murder it is enacted with a sweep of the arm and a sharp clap of hands. The costumes were simple. The men had dark coats neither like modern suits nor like medieval cloaks, perhaps at attempt at the timeless. Livljanic wore a long white gown, feathered from the waist down, covered in a long coat of the same hue and material as the men. She occasionally donned white or black scarves. The only color was the blood red piping on her two pockets.
Livljanic has an admirably wide singing range and even greater interpretive abilities. Her performance was nuanced and subtle and marvelously clear in tone. Maurer and Rodenkirchen created a vast sound world and moved about the stage with natural grace. It was a magnificent performance and you can see a part of it at their web site: ensembledialogos.org.