A tale about emotion and the sea

Expectations were high for "Peter Grimes," the final show of the 2003-2004 opera season. Between the reputation of director Colin Graham and the difficulty of the show itself, the cast had a very lofty standard to live up to. \nThough IU prides itself on its professional quality performances, it cannot be ignored that it is a training company for singers who will become some of the top-quality performers in their field. "Peter Grimes" is one of Benjamin Britten's greatest works and also one of his most complex -- both musically and dramatically. Therefore, it is a difficult opera for professional companies filled with performers of many more years of experience. So to expect perfection from a collegiate group would be foolish. It was an exceptional learning opportunity for both the cast and the audience and can be equally appreciated as such.\nPerhaps because of the difficulty of the show and the necessity of a more mature tenor than most students possess, Mark Duffin, who played Peter Grimes in the April 9 performance, is not a student at IU, but a hired professional. Though the distinction is not noted in the program, the other Grimes, Christopher Freeze, is a student, and will be performing at the performance April 16. \nDuffin's duet with IU student Rachel Holland, who played Widow Ellen Orford, was a tense moment of the show. This extremely difficult duet in the prologue, which is both musically awkward and sung in a cappella, was surprisingly well-executed, particularly when the dissonant lines managed to resolve on pitch with the orchestral entrance.\nThe mark of a skilled chorus, such as this one, is it manages to remain engaged for the entire duration of the show, even when the focus is shifted elsewhere. Some moments were slightly overdramatized, such as one where the blocking was more reminiscent of a Broadway musical than an opera. Overall, the chorus managed to stay in constant touch with the action and also capitalized on the natural build of tension between the townspeople and Peter Grimes.\nEspecially notable were the "nieces," played by Kristen Robinson and Emily Ross-Johnson. The "main attraction of the local pub," and one of the greater attractions of the show as a whole, drew all the attention women in their profession ought to. Their vocal qualities were well-matched, so the ingenious lines of Britten's writing were exposed for the audience. These are so closely related in pitch and mimicking in their motions an overly-wide vibrato makes the pitches difficult to hear and can lose the effect. \nTrying to select individual moments out of a show designed to be a continuous narrative is difficult and made more so by the seamless orchestral score. The audience was able to both hear and watch as Peter Grimes' mind began to fracture during the second and third acts, and although it would be hard to say exactly when it happened, somehow the audience knows it's coming. The orchestra was essential in creating the unspoken character of the opera -- the presence of the sea and its fickle nature. The orchestral interludes or "sea interludes" were often as engaging and emotional for the listener as the times when there was action on stage.\nThis is certainly not a show designed to inspire and uplift, but even tragedy can be inspirational when placed in a package of dedicated talent and hard work. \n"Peter Grimes" will also be playing this weekend at 8 p.m., April 16 and 17 at the Musical Arts Center.