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The Indiana Daily Student

arts

Love and fate battle in Jacobs' newest opera

Ashley Valentine sings the role of Rodelinda, a grieving widow, in Act I, Scene 2, of the IU Opera and Ballet's production of "Rodelinda" by George Frideric Handel.

IU doctoral student Elise Anderson forced herself to like opera.

She said she remembers going to the library when she was 12 after her voice instructor suggested artists for her to explore. She always loved Broadway music, but her teachers steered her toward classical.

She checked out CDs from opera singers like Renée Fleming and Cecilia Bartoli to listen to at home.

“I listened to them for days and days and hours and hours until I liked it, and then I was hooked,” 
Anderson said.

She continued to listen to classical and opera music until she picked up singing opera about 10 years ago. Now she is working toward her doctorate of music at the Jacobs School of Music.

Anderson came to IU this fall, and she’ll step onto the Musical Arts Center stage for the first time as a Hoosier on Friday for the opening of Jacobs’ latest opera production, “Rodelinda.”

Audiences only have four chances to see what members of the cast are calling a “Game of Thrones”-style opera that tells the story of different people and groups fighting for an Italian throne. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 4, 10 and 11 in the MAC.

The opera focuses on a monarchy being usurped and the fallout. The main character, Rodelinda, is put into turmoil from the beginning when her husband is overthrown as king by a duke named Grimoaldo. Rodelinda’s husband is believed to be dead, and soon Grimoaldo proposes to her.

Rodelinda angrily refuses, and so begins a convoluted opera with two opposing sides struggling for power.

Anderson, who plays a male role as Rodelinda’s husband, compared the opera to today’s political climate. With Republicans and Democrats arguing and fighting at every turn, there is a struggle for power and influence people are seeing now.

This opera may be just the thing people need to see at a time like this.

“You feel like this political turmoil,” Anderson said. “People are trying to take sides and you have some people who are deciding to stay true. I think a lot of people want to see something like that. They want to see happiness prevailing after all the starkness.”

The opera is two hours of somber, serious monologues. Rodelinda’s role alone has eight separate monologues, called arias, where the singer is bellowing out to the crowd for minutes at a time.

In standard operas main characters have only three or four.

But Anna Kozlakawiecz, who is playing Rodelinda, said the number of arias is not intimidating. The opera has only six characters and many arias, so it allows the cast to delve deeper.

“It means each character is important and you can discover all the features of each character during the show,” Kozlakawiecz said.

Kozlakawiecz and Anderson are in separate casts, but their characters are intertwined deeply as husband and wife in the story.

“This is about a family and a husband and wife that despite all odds are faithful to each other and love each other and stay by each other,” Anderson said. “Everything else is in chaos, but they stay true. It’s an interesting plot we don’t always see in operas.”

Operas from the same time period as “Rodelinda” are often romance stories. Passion, drama and tragedy drive the plots, but in this opera there is a grounded, introspective feeling and the audience is given the chance to see every side of a character.

Edward Graves, who plays the duke, Grimoaldo, said he appreciates the chance to explore all the intricacies of his character.

“It’s been interesting trying to portray this character because I think often times we see the bad person and don’t always see everyone as multidimensional and complex,” Graves 
said.

His character tries to take the throne from Rodelinda and is seen as the central villain for most of the opera. However, Graves said there is so much more to Grimoaldo, who is actually compassionate and conflicted.

Graves said his character doesn’t know what he truly wants. He portrays himself as a person who knows exactly what he’s doing, but in reality he is lost.

“He’s not the person he’s pretending to be, and I think at the end of the opera you get to see who he really is,” Graves said.

Anderson said one of the most intense and moving scenes is the duet between Rodelinda and her husband. The song isn’t fiery and passionate, but instead heartfelt and deep.

“It’s not this flamboyant love piece, but it’s this serious, almost like holy or sacred, duet of faithfulness and being there for each other,” Anderson said. “It can be very moving.”

“Rodelinda” starts as a dark opera with an ambitious set and elaborate costumes. The audience is greeted with a cold, gray cliff wall adorned with skulls and candles.

Rodelinda walks onto the stage in a black dress and a thin, black veil to mourn the death of her husband.

She sings to the audience, “I am all alone in my 
misfortune.”

But as the story progresses, Anderson said audiences will see the true meaning: if love can triumph fate.

“It’s like two hours of very sad,” Anderson said, “and then at the very end, the sun rises.”

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