Los Angeles Opera at 30: Placido Domingo Teams Up with Woody Allen

The Los Angeles Opera celebrated the opening of its 30th anniversary season this past Saturday evening at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion with glamour, pomp and circumstance. By operatic standards, the LA Opera is a young company. At the same time, it is the United States' fourth largest opera company and a force to be reckoned with. With General Director Placido Domingo, Music Director James Conlon, CEO Christopher Koelsch and Board Chairman Marc Stern at the helm of the organization, it has flourished and developed into an artistic, well-oiled powerhouse.

The LA Opera is an example of how a recently-formed performing arts institution can actually develop and flourish against the odds in the midst of trying times for even the most venerable arts organizations. This can only be achieved through the delicate balancing act between the creative visionaries, well-run operations and strong donor leadership at the Board level.

Saturday's opening performances and the celebratory gala thereafter are evidence of the Company's success. In an unusual double-bill, the Company paid homage to both Hollywood and its traditional operatic roots by presenting two very different productions of  "Gianni Schicchi"  and "Pagliacci."

Puccini's comedic masterpiece, "Gianni Schicchi," tells the twisted tale of a mercenary medieval Florentine family bickering over the estate left by a recently-deceased relative. The staging features the revival of Woody Allen's recent clever, humorous and witty production. It infuses the opera with a touch of Hollywood flair and pays homage to Italian cinematic traditions of the 20th century. The production also demonstrates the LA Opera's ability to enlist the skills of a legendary film director in his debut role as operatic stage director.

Saturday night marked Placido Domingo's debut in the role of Schicchi, a mobster in a pinstripe suit visiting from Sicily as interpreted by Woody Allen. Maestro Domingo's vocal and acting abilities were in fine form for the occasion: one wasn't left having to reminisce about Placido Domingo's legendary clarion tone.

The LA Opera revived Franco Zeffirelli's classic and decidedly colorful production of "Pagliacci," Leoncavallo's tragic tale of the sad clown Canio. Zeffirelli's "Pagliacci" couldn't be more different than Allen's "Schicchi". It is a lively and rambunctious Italian romp set against a dour storyline. Anna Maria Martinez triumphs as Canio's adulterous wife. She is a masterful artist with unwavering intonation and a uniquely lucid voice.

Placido Domingo's well-known maxim, "If I rest, I rust," has certainly come into play this past week. There was no danger of any rust accumulating on Saturday night. Domingo not only sang the lead role in "Schicchi", but he returned to the stage to conduct "Pagliacci" after the intermission between the two operas. He conducted the work with aplomb, giving a rich and textured reading of the score.

Maestro Domingo must have achieved a first in singing a lead role and conducting in the very same evening. More importantly, it was all done with the skill we have come to expect from the storied artist. The fact that Domingo was able to rehearse and perform all of this in the context of a schedule that has included concert dates in Tokyo, Beijing, Macao, Baja California and Las Vegas over the last thirty days is simply breathtaking.

The LA Opera's auspicious opening of its 30th season bodes well for the season. The Company is lucky to have had Placido Domingo as a fearless advisor and leader over the last three decades. He has guided the LA Opera as a seminal force through many of the trials, tribulations and successes one might expect at an adolescent Company.  It wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the unique ecology the LA Opera fosters. The balance struck between  Domingo, management, and the support of the board and donors serves as an example of how to make a performing arts institution work in the 21st century.