THE IRISH EYED: Riders To The Sea
Water Everywhere: Were he writing today, and in the U.S., John Millington Synge might very well set his short play Riders To The Sea along the Louisiana gulf coast where people still earn their livings and meet there deaths on the water. He might well have used the rich regional patois in his dialogue and mixed up the Christian faith with nature based paganism.
But it is set in the Aran Islands, three rocky remnants off the west coast. Inishmohr, Inishmaan and Inisheer are only a brief ferry ride from the city of Galway, but the islands are a completely different world. Today the Aran Islands are a gaeltecht, a community where the Irish language and old ways thrive. Try to imagine this remote place it a hundred years ago.
Maurya has lost five sons, a husband and numberless other menfolk, to the surrounding seas. All fishers, all drowned in the rough. Her son Michael sailed off over a week ago and has not been seen since. The rest of the family tries to go about their chores, daughters Nora and Cathleen tending home fires and Bartley, the last of the brothers, taking a horse to sell at Galway fair. Even as the play starts fates loom like clouds over the waters.
Out of this short play, where the particular is a microcosm for the universal, Roland E. Martin has created a one-act opera. The score functions, in the greatest part, as emotional continuity for the events in the cottage. Martin provides color and texture appropriate to Synge’s story. Echoes of Irish culture are heard in two melodic lines heard at various times in RTTS. One is a simple flute line reminiscent of Irish pipes, the other an air that recalls traditional song. At times Martin draws inspiration from ambient sound in and around the cottage. There is compelling rhythm which repeats the sound of the wheel that the women use to spin wool. In scoring RTTS it would be irresistible for a composer to tackle the sea. Martin does this with haunting swells of the 18 piece instrumental ensemble. The same surge of music is heard as the play ends in the keening of the chorus of townswomen.
The physical staging of RTTS exceeded expectation for a show in a non-theatrical space. The interior of a traditional cottage was compacted on the fore-altar of St. Joseph’s University Church.and warmly lit. Costumes were designed with simplicity as befits the working clothes of the locals. The acoustics of St. Joseph’s abetted the sound although lyrics were a little muddied.
It is notoriously difficult to sing opera in English, our own language being characterized by impeding consonants rather than singable vowels of Italian or French. Add to this the burden of brogue. Each of the principals has moments of success with the task of articulating with certain odds against them. Their sound was in no way diminished, the four principals are extremely well cast as singers, their voices were expressive and rich in color. Jacob Ledwon’s staging complemented Martin’s score with nuance and sensitivity. The score is beautifully sung and impressively acted, leads and ensemble alike. There are many tender moments in the premiere production when music, performance and emotion synthesized wonderfully.
The evening was filled out choral work composed by Martin and set to religious poetry by George Herbert. It was sung by an amalgam of three local choirs; Freudig Singers, Cathedral Choir Of Men And Girls (St. Paul’s) and Choir Of Calvary Episcopal Church. This Opera Sacra venture was presented to the public with little advance fanfare and for only two performances. It is certainly a work that deserves further hearing and production. With a appreciable increase of local playwrights writing in various genre and styles, it is notable that this region also fosters composers and librettists of original opera. Audiences can only hope for a return of this production.
Who might like Riders To The Sea: Opera fans love to demonstrate their discernment with intricate analysis and tallying pros and cons.
Riders To The Sea, starring Colleen Marcello, Jeffrey P. Porter, Melissa Thorburn, Laurie Tramuto and others in a world premiere opera composed by Roland E. Martin; conducted by Mr. Martin and staged by Rev. Jacob Ledwon for Opera Sacra at St. Joseph’s University Church.
Photo: At Sea: Laurie Tramuto, Jeffrey P. Porter, Colleen Marcello and Melissa Thorburn in Riders To The Sea.
Conjoint Analysis
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