This is the summer of Bernstein. Classical music festivals across the region, as well as a theater or two, are celebrating the centennial of Leonard Bernstein, who as a composer, conductor and educator was arguably the most important American musician of the 20th century.
Though there are lots of events I’m still looking forward to, it’s hard to image a night of music, theater and dancing that will rival the Glimmerglass Festival’s production of “West Side Story,” which opened on Saturday night in Cooperstown. Once known exclusively as an opera festival, Glimmerglass has been producing an annual work from the Broadway canon since 2011. Its staging of “West Side Story,” directed by company boss Francesca Zambello, is as strong as anything I’ve seen there. I said the same thing about last year’s “Oklahoma,” but this is probably even better.
The young talents that make up the Jets and the Sharks are raring to go. They dance the original glorious steps by choreographer Jerome Robbins and their singing is as strong and clear as you’d expect from an opera company. Vanessa Becerra as Maria is a petite thing with a big voice that leans toward the operatic. Joseph Leppek as Tony is more street wise and his rendition of “Maria” is one of the highlights of the night.
Of course the show is packed with hits, but what stayed with me long after the curtain came down was “America,” marvelously sung and danced by the Shark girls, lead by the dynamic Amanda Castro as Anita. The Glimmerglass Orchestra under conductor David Charles Abell added plenty of punch.
“West Side Story” runs in repertory at Glimmerglass through August 24. But don’t delay getting in your reservations since most of the performances are already sold out, making it the likely to be biggest hit in the company’s 43 year history.
On Sunday afternoon, the second new production of the season opened, Janacek’s “The Cunning Little Vixen,” which takes place in a forest and features more characters that are animals than humans. It’s a charming production by director E. Loren Meeker and conducted by music director Joseph Colaneri.
The musical score, sung in English, is a vivid depiction of the unceasing cycles of natural life. The orchestral writing scampers about, darts here and there, and reveals its riches through patient observation, just like the winged and four-legged creatures it depicts.
Bass baritone Eric Owens, a popular favorite at Glimmerglass, leads the strong cast. There are no traditional arias in this unique opera, but it’s given to Owens, as the Woodsman, to sing the radiant concluding narration about “the blissful dance of life.”
“The Cunning Little Vixen” continues in repertory at Glimmerglass through August 25.
Local arts writer Joseph Dalton is the author of Artists and Activitists Making Culture in New York's Capital Region.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.