Operatic Hors-d'oeuvres

OPERA SOMETIMES SEEMS a forbidding spectacle to people who are not familiar with it. Locked away in enormous halls, overpriced, and surrounded by unintelligible aficionados, the opera is too often inaccessible to the uninitiated. The Boston Summer Opera Theater is trying to pull opera out of the grand halls, dropping both the formal trappings and the admission price. As a bait for newcomers the company is performing The Abduction from the Seraglio.

First among its attractions, The Abduction is by Mozart--and everybody likes Mozart. There are some fine arias in it, notably "Marten aller Arten" for the principal soprano Constanze, and an intricately melodic quartet in which the principal tenors question the fidelity of the women who have been held in captivity by amorous Turks.

As an added attraction to newcomers, the libretto is translated from the German into English, so the weak plot can at least be understood. A rescue from a heathen harem may not be improbable, but the ending of the story is. The clever translation tightens the dialogue, and fits the comic intentions of the author. ("He is but an honest simple soul"/"His head belongs upon the pole.")

The common malaise of Cambridge orchestras--that the strings are too few and too weak--does not appear in the BSOT ensemble. In this small orchestra the strings hold their own with a section of fine winds. This evenness in the orchestra makes the opera an easier pill for an inexperienced audience to swallow.

The company advertises itself as a "pre-professional" group, although the singers in the production come with very high credentials. Most of them are recent graduates of conservatories who are beginning to make the rounds of auditions with major professional opera companies. Unfortunately for more experienced opera-goers, they definitely sound "pre-professional." Benjamin Cox is capable in the role of Belmonte, and he has the style of a professional, but there is no excitement generated between him and the audience. His voice is not particularly powerful, and he doesn't exhibit any exceptional control. Elizabeth McLaughlin should not have been singing on the night that I heard her, for she has just recently recovered from bronchitis. The role of Constanze is a demanding one, and she butchers "Marten aller Arten." She is perhaps very courageous, but she should have let her understudy sing. Ruth Elena Harcovitz was splendid as the spitfire lady-in-waiting to Constanze. With no orchestra pit in the Peabody School auditorium singers have to project through their accompaniment. Harcovitz's clean soprano and bright enunciation bring some of the best sound balance in the production.

Operas are often used as vehicles for big voices to strut their stuff, but the BSOT Abduction includes a lot of comic acting. There is too much mugging and overacting, but these excesses prevent the production from drifting into the sentimentality common in previous performances.

A fine orchestra, an English libretto, a convenient location and, particularly, Mozart's superb score make this production a fine opportunity for a first taste of opera. More experienced opera-goers may not find it so beguiling.