Salem saga

The Crucible
Indianapolis Opera
Clowes Hall
March 4 and 6

Witch hunts, literally and figuratively, have been going on for as long as people have been social animals. Despite the advancement of scientific thought in recent centuries, they regrettably continue today. Playwright Arthur Miller (who just died this Feb. 10) wrote The Crucible — dealing with the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials and hangings — in the 1950s during the Senate/McCarthy/House of Un-American Activities Committee investigations. Miller used Salem as a parable, a metaphor for the latter event — one which ended up scarring his own reputation.

Composer Robert Ward (b. 1917) and librettist Bernard Stambler then recast the play as an opera in 1961. And Indianapolis Opera, stepping out of its standard-repertoire security cocoon, gave the four-act Crucible its Indianapolis premiere last weekend. Some empty seats scattered throughout the hall did not detract from Clowes’ having a well-filled look at Friday’s performance. Considering the opera’s subject, this was a good “omen.”

Though historical records may differ in details somewhat from Miller’s play, the Salem saga of so long ago appears to center around oat farmer John Proctor, his devoted wife Elizabeth and his very young ex-lover/mistress Abigail Williams. The other “players” in the saga — and it’s a quite large ensemble cast — contribute their share of superstition and religious zealotry toward the inevitable tragedy of witchcraft and devil-worship accusations and the hangings that resulted. Ironically, the punishment resulted from the accused refusing confession to these acts — of which none were proven guilty. No group was spared: Adults of all ages and both sexes found their heads in a hangman’s noose before common sense finally prevailed. It turns out that greed, land control, power acquisition and sex were the real drivers; accused witchery and devil worship provided the excuse. Anything really “new” here?

The ensemble soloists in this production gave us a slightly lower singing caliber than IO’s average, principally manifesting in many cast members’ vibratos being too wide. However, kudos must be given to soprano and IO newcomer Angela Horn, who dominated with her even-centered, excellent projection and her otherwise powerful portrayal of Elizabeth Proctor. Sarah Hagstrom’s delivery of Abigail’s teen-aged cohort Mary Warren also was superior. Baritone Jeff Mattsey sang a convincing, if overly opulent, John Proctor. John Ames provided a nice vocal contrast as the often solicitous the Rev. John Hale, with his lean, penetrating basso-profundo.

Unfortunately, Diane Alexander’s Abigail produced a tone sufficiently wobbly to make it a challenge determining her pitch (rather like young Sayaka Shoji’s violin playing in the Feb. 18 Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concert). The role of Tituba, the one black slave woman, was well-handled by Judith Skinner, another IO first-timer.

Others deserving mention include Adam Klein singing a determined, go-by-the-law-or-I’ll-know-the reason-why Judge Danforth — quick to sentence those who may have confessed but failed to sign their confession, of which John Proctor was “guilty.” Dianna Heldman sang a heartfelt Rebecca Nurse, another who would not confess. Both she and Proctor were hanged at the opera’s final cadence. Space precludes mentioning the many other vocal soloists, all of whom put heart and soul into their efforts.

Ward’s score, well-managed by IO artistic director James Caraher conducting the ISO, mainly provided a narrative backdrop for the on stage drama, lending ominous power at its telling points, but not calling much attention to itself. This departs from the Mozartean ideal of the stage action as “the obedient servant of the music.” Here, audience attention was riveted on the stage and on the projected sur-titles making clear all the important dialogue (which was sung, of course, in English). With some notable exceptions, this is the evolved style of post-WWI opera. In this case, it certainly worked.