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Gary Tischler • June 18, 2012

We were almost late to the Washington National Opera premiere production of Giuseppi Verdi’s spectacular and inventive “Nabucco” last Saturday because our cab driver drove smack into the crowd scene surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton.

Rubberneckers hoping to see George Clooney or Lindsay Lohan lined parts of Connecticut Avenue in the beginning rain. We settled for “Nabucco,” aka Nabucodonosor, aka Nebuchadnezzar, plus his two daughters Fenena, the lovely, and Abigaille, the fierce, plus a host of Hebrews in captivity, a high priest of Baal and a cast of hundreds including a magnificent chorus.

I thought about the WHCD a little during the long course of “Nabucco” because director Thaddeus Strassberger (who also designed the sets) brought a two-edged sensibility to the production, a kind of showtime aspect as well a faithful presentation of the kind of opera for which Verdi was famous.

Strassberger’s main conceit or invention is to stage the opera as it might be seen on an opening night in Milan’s Teatro alla Scala on March 9, 1842, with the tuxedoed swells and their jeweled ladies in boxes watching from boxes, presaged by marching soldiers. He revisits the concept later in the opera when the stage is transformed, with a large, white-clad chorus assembling to sing the moving “Va, pensiero,” a musical piece so powerful that it became the unofficial national anthem of Italy once it achieved unification. Closer to the front of the stage, you can see a ballerina practicing, men and women milling at a table, and patrons of the time moving about.

This apparently approximated performance practices of the times–frequent intermissions, prologues, performances by ballet dancers, a kind of informality that was both grand and intimate.

Since “Va, pansiero” is a kind of longing, full-bodied lament on the part of the Israelites in captivity in Babylon for the lost homeland, one might think the business on the stage might distract from the plight. But the opposite takes hold–it becomes a moving, extended moment (which had echoes for a divided and occupied Italy), so moving that it is done again, with the hope that the audiences of the time might join in.

Historically, “Va, pansiero” is a highlight of any production of “Nabucco.” That was true for the WNO production, but Verdi’s music, so expansive and such a boon for the orchestra, draped itself over the principals, all of them in various degrees gifted with requisite vocal and acting skills. While several narrative strands emerge from the opera–there’s Nabucco’s calamitous, blasphemous destruction of Solomon’s Temple, the defeat and captivity of the Hebrews and the effect on their leaders — a love affair between one Fenena and a handsome Hebrew warrior, the anti-hero and anti-heroine of “Nabucco” are the Babylonian king and his low-born, grandly angry and resentful warrior daughter Abigaille.

While there are imposing vocals and star turns by bass Soloman Howard as a venomous high priest of Baal, Turkish bass Burak Bilgili as the Hebrew leader Zaccaria, French mezzo-soprano Geraldine Chauvet in a moving performance as Fenena and tenor Sean Panikar in heroic form as Ismael, the burden of the opera has to be carried by Italian baritone Franco Vassallo as Nabucco and Hungarian soprano Csilla Boross, as his usurping daughter as Abigaille. They occupy large chunks of this nearly three-hour opera, sometimes in cross-purposed, combative duets, sometimes by themselves, especially Vassallo as Nabucco moves in and out of madness alone in a prison cells. Boross hits the highest notes possible at the top of the scale in full rage, her bile and resentment boiling over, preceded by lower-level guile as she attempts to manipulate the king.

This is Verdi-style grand opera, of course, and not to be mistaken for history, per se, although the scale and sources are somewhat biblical–gods, the Babylonian Baal and the Hebrew Jehovah, are omni-present if not in the flesh. The production–subtle in some of its staging–also means to bowl you over with sheer grandiosity, and it succeeds. Mattie Ullrich’s diverse, eye-pleasing costume designs–the clean white of the Hebrews contrasts sharply with the rich, intricate, gold and greens of the Babylonian hierarchy, mixing in with more spectral presences and the 19th-century evocations of the on-stage onlookers.

“Nabucco” is being performed at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House through May 21. [gallery ids="102449,121127,121137,121133" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

The Helen Hayes Tribute, sponsored by Jaylee Mead, was presented at the Warner Theatre on April 23 to Kevin Spacey. Chairman of the theatreWashington Board of Directors Victor Shargai termed him a man who understands that theatre is a transforming experience. Spacey delighted the audience with tales such as when his mentor Jack Lemmon recommended him for an apartment in New York by saying of the then young actor “the only things he’s ever stolen are my scenes.” Greater Washington is second only to New York for the number of yearly productions.

Robert Devaney •

The parties before and after the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, April 28, are at least half the fun of running around town, whether to Vote Latino at the Hay Adams, NPR’s party at the Gibson Guitar Showroom, Tammy Haddad’s brunch at Mark Ein’s house on R Street (the former home of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham), the newly launched Google party, the Time reception at the St. Regis, the Capitol File party at the Newseum or the MSNBC party at the Italian Embassy. Of course, the pre-dinner receptions at the Washington Hilton are great for checking out the scene. Just show a ticket to the guard at the escalator. And, of course, the main event itself, where the president and Jimmy Kimmel threw out jokes on the GSA, Secret Service, Mitt Romney, dogs and the media. Thank goodness for the McLaughlin Group-Thomson Reuters brunch on Sunday atop the Hay-Adams: a sunny, mellow way to recover from the parties with friends and colleagues. Yeah, it was sort of a nerd prom when “glitz meets geeks,” as one smartie observed, but it’s ours for a few days in April each year. [gallery ids="100769,123448,123441,123433,123428,123461,123420,123468,123413,123475,123405,123482,123454" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

The D.C. Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative held its spring event “Patriotic Arts Education Celebration Fete” at the Lincoln Restaurant, where more than 150 arts education enthusiasts turned out to support the mission of providing access to arts and humanities for all of D.C. public school students. Honorary co-chairs included Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Representatives John Lewis and Louise Slaughter as well as D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. [gallery ids="100802,124482,124476,124469" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

At Virginia’s Gold Cup races, May 5, rider Ross Geraghty and trainer Joseph Delozier are awarded the Washington Fine Properties Cup by Tom Anderson (center) along with Dana Landry, Marc Schappel and William Moody (behind), thanks to their horse, Lake Placid, owned by Irvin Naylor. This fourth race of about 2.5 miles held a purse of $25,000, of which the winner received $15,000.

Mary Bird • June 8, 2012

Meridian International Center was a logical venue on May 10 for the D.C. Arts Center to present the Herb White Award to multi-media maverick Bill Warrell, whose life “goes all up and down Georgia Avenue.” Restaurateur White was unstinting in his support for adventuresome artists. The honoree said, “We are all cultural warriors.” The event celebrated the creativity of D.C.’s visual and culinary artists. Collaborations included “Hieronymus Borscht” and Frittata Kahlo.” Founded in 1989 in Adams Morgan, the D.C. Arts Center provides a gallery and black box theater where emerging artists can hone their craft. [gallery ids="100810,124688,124680,124658,124674,124667" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 9th Annual Will on the Hill [gallery ids="99743,99744,99745,99746,99747,99748,99749,99750,99751" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Mothers and daughters modeled Lilly Pulitzer’s spring and summer lines at a tea and fashion show benefitting Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic at the Fairmont Washington on May 12. President and CEO Maura Harty said over 700 volunteers help make wishes come true. T.J. Morales shared that his wish to go to Disney World with his family had brought respite from the debilitating effects of cancer treatment. DC Magazine was the media partner and Alexa Rubin of American Girl Washington DC hosted a craft table where young ladies could create a special Mother’s Day gift. Guests departed with Lilly goodie bags. [gallery ids="100811,124711,124702,124729,124693,124735,124685,124741,124676,124747,124720" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Anthony Walker, artistic director and conductor of the Washington Concert Opera, presented “Samson et Dalila” at Lisner Auditorium May 13. Principals Frank Porretta, Michelle DeYoung and Greer Grimsley accompanied by the splendid orchestra and chorus brought the audience to its feet. At the cast party and dinner following at the Arts Club of Washington, the maestro hailed WCO as “a small company with a big heart and big aspirations.” The WCO has presented more than 40 operas in a concert format and offers educational programs to introduce school-age children to the world of opera. [gallery ids="100812,124771,124737,124764,124745,124758,124753" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

The Ambassador of Mexico and Mrs. Veronica Valencia-Sarukhan, Washington Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre and co-chairs Pilar Frank O’Leary de la Cruz Ernst choreographed a fabulous evening on May 11, Noche de Pasión, celebrating the world premiere of Noche Latina. Guests gathered on the Rivers restaurant terrace alongside the Kennedy Center before the ballet performance and then proceeded to the Mexican Cultural Institute’s “Café Pasión” for dinner and margarita-fueled dancing. The event raised scholarship funds for Spanish dancers. [gallery ids="102454,121108,121085,121069,121096,121077,121053,121091,121061,121102" nav="thumbs"]