| by Alison Jones "The art of taking stage photographs is a
difficult one, as can be seen by the often far from ideal results emanating from the
highest quarters.
In Australian terms, the unchallenged
master is Branco Gaica. San Diego's ML Hart (identified sporadically as Martha, thus
ensuring that we know a female face hides behind the anonymous initials) is clearly up
there with the best -- and in addition she has had a great idea for a book.
The Art of Making Opera is
Hart's conception, but enthusiastically backed by San Diego Opera under the leadership of
Ian Campbell, as it gives the company splendid exposure. Sitting in through two seasons of
preparation, backstage work and performances, Hart has achieved the double aim of
illustrating and illuminating the making of opera and showcasing San Diego Opera.
Superb as her production shots are,
probably the most fascinating photographs are the informal ones -- performers getting
dressed and made up, in rehearsal, relaxing, and all the areas of backstage activity. She
makes interesting compositions of pots of paint, drawers of eyelashes, an array of open
black umbrellas waiting to be picked up for a chorus entrance. Faceless hands appear
playing instruments, with cards on a table or selecting cakes at an interval drinks party
-- even the audience is not neglected as a vital factor in the equation.
Trained in theatrical design, Hart has
the advantage of being an enthusiastic opera buff as well, and so was able to write her
own text. She kept a journal and her conception of what to use evolved in the course of
the project, from an emphasis on her own feelings ("tedious, reading it over")
to "notes from casual conversations and formal interviews, my impressions of what
happened in rehearsals and what others felt about their work. Some days in rehearsal I
spent more time watching and listening than shooting."
Hart's background allows her to make
expert comments on a new, computer-assisted method of producing what looks like a tapestry
-- less realistic than traditional methods, but miles cheaper. When she photographs a
lighting designer, she comments on his "typical" stance -- "looking down,
always down, at the stage floor, as a small area of light is shaped and focused."
But her interests are not only visual.
Her love of the art form combined with two years of close association with the company at
work have resulted in insights in other quarters.
She quotes resident conductor/music
administrator Karen Keltner on the relationship between pit and stage, explaining the way
singers rely on peripheral vision rather than staring fixedly at the conductor, but points
to additional hazards to co-ordination, such as a duet in L'Italiana in Algeri,
when the singers were riding bicycles: "It takes a total act of faith to just wave
your arms and expect someone riding a bicycle to actually sing, what with disappearing
offstage... and trusting that when it's the right time, one or more singing artists will
again appear on their bicycles!"
Conductor Edoard Müller provides a neat
answer to the perennial question of who leads, singers or conductors: "When you make
love with your wife, who's in charge? Who takes the lead? It constantly changes. It's
balanced."
San Diego Opera's presentation of a world
premiere, Myron Fink's The Conquistador, one of its most significant ventures,
offered Hart the chance to follow the collaborative process between composer, librettist
and performers -- with a nice comment from Fink about how he came across the subject in a
book: "There was nothing unusual about the book, oh the color of it was garish, but
nothing else really. Understand though, that when Ian Campbell tells this story... There
was a Shaft of Light striking the book and the Heavens opened up and voices started to
Speak to me... but let me tell you, it didn't happen that way!"
To complete the book's usefulness as a
document of record, there is a history of opera in San Diego Opera by the local music
critic and a complete list of all San Diego productions -- dates, casts, the lot.
For those looking for local interest,
antipodeans Richard Bonynge, Deborah Riedel, Patrick Power, and Catherine Ireland are
there, but it is in the detail and depth of its coverage that the book is most appealing.
I don't recall having seen anything of the kind with such scope. It is not available here,
but can be obtained from San Diego Opera."
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All material © Alison Jones and Opera-Opera 1998.
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