Long Beach Opera: Orpheus at a swimming pool

(Elizabeth Futral and Todd Palmer, on shore, in Long Beach Opera's production of Ricky Ian Gordon's Orpheus and Euridice.)

Long Beach Opera performed Ricky Ian Gordon's song cycle Orpheus and Euridice at the Belmont Olympic Pool in Long Beach last weekend. The most interesting part of the whole thing was just that they were doing something at a swimming pool: the pool's the expanse of blue water, stage lighting making shimmering reflections off the pool, and a view of the dark ocean in the windows behind. Greek statues and columns were set up on the opposite end of the pool for atmosphere. Projections on the opposite wall gave time and place, as well as surtitles for the text.

The song cycle - it would be inacurate to really call it an opera, despite Long Beach Opera producing it - was staged inside and around the pool (LBO artistic director Andreas Mitisek came up with the concept and staging). Soprano Elizabeth Futral and clarinetist Todd Palmer floated around in a small white boat, guided by dancers - they sang and played with each other for Orpheus and Euridice's less physical moments (an off stage band rounded out the musicians group), while the dancers visualized the more complicated parts like Euridice falling into the River Styx. At times, Futral and Palmer got out of the boat and walked along the shore, at another Futral went out alone and put candles in the water to show Euridice and Orpheus' separation. The staging was a bit awkward when it came to getting into and out of the pool, they'd awkwardly wiggle out of the boat along the side of the pool or the music would pause while we waited for the staging to catch up through the water. Nevertheless, as an event it pretty interesting to watch, and at an hour and ten minutes things were fine.

It was a little difficult to concentrate on the actual music, since the echoing acoustics of the cavernous space were not ideal, plus the visuals and general pool atmosphere was distracting. They amplified most of the sound, but I was also sitting right next to a speaker so I got barraged with sound - it wasn't overbearing, but I had trouble focusing on much in any case.

Still, Futral and Palmer were fantastic musicians - Futral spinning gorgeous lyrical moments, particularly late in the first half, when Futral does a duet with Palmer's clarinet, singing "I am part of something now." The music had several gorgeous, touching moments - Gordon chose to focus on the relationship between Orpheus and Euridice instead of the overall story of the myth. The two sections roughly divide into falling/being in love, and forced separation/sadness. It'd be interesting to hear the cycle in a more contained space. But for the weekend, that swimming pool was pretty neat.