But he also reveals the delicate side of his baritone when appropriate.

Samuel Dale Johnson blusters around as the count, accustomed to getting his way. He naturally shapes vocal phrases with his pure and ringing countertenor, and explores hushed high nuances.Īs Figaro, Nicholas Brownlee doesn’t give much shape or direction to his lines, and fortes occasionally sound like shouting. He also underscores details in harmonies and dynamics and sounds particularly tender in his upper register.ĭressing in androgynous costumes by Chrisi Karvonides-Dushenko, Anthony Roth Costanzo’s Dionysus seduces men and women. Jarrett Ott personifies Doctor John Seward’s descent from strict moralist to bloody murderer in John Corigliano's 'The Lord of the Cries.' (Curtis Brown for Santa Fe Opera)īaritone Jarrett Ott personifies Seward’s descent from strict moralist to bloody murderer. The plot also resorts to the operatic cliché of killing off the female lead. The second act is blessedly more compact, though it too could benefit from tightening. In the first act, several sections feel dramatically slack, and a montage scene juggling multiple storylines at once is too busy. With an intermission, the opera lasts about two and a half hours. In interludes, brass and percussion let loose with pounding drums, snarling roars and wailing slides. The orchestral score contains lush string textures, skittering woodwind licks and piquant dissonances. And his musical setting of the words doesn’t always convey their impact. His vocal writing often consists of long, arching melodies, though they aren’t very memorable or profound. Corigliano’s neo-romantic language also embraces modernist influences.

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