Review: Snider’s Brilliant Score Anchor’s HILDEGARD at Prototype under Pulitzer’s Caring Eye

This is Beth Morrison’s first year as sole curator, producer and presenter of New York’s PROTOTYPE Festival of indie opera/music theatre. She’s also midwife for the birth of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s gorgeously composed HILDEGARD, its centerpiece, which I heard at the Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College on January 11.

Morrison has proven herself, once again, to be true to her eponymous organization’s seeming marching orders: “I never do anything twice.”

The work (co-commissioned by the Aspen Music Festival and School) is unlike any of the major pieces that Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) has underwritten over the last 20 years—at least as highlighted in the dozen-plus excerpts heard at BMP: SONGBOOK CONCERT & CELEBRATION, the overview concert that opened the year’s festival on January 6.

Earlier, she’d explained to me in an interview that HILDEGARD was “beautiful and lush” and “a more traditional kind of opera than I would say a lot of what we do. It’s linear, narrative storytelling.” And what a story!

The libretto by the composer is an admittedly fictional version of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century German Benedictine abbess/polymath, who was haunted by mysterious visions she couldn’t explain.

She is remembered mostly these days for her visions as well as her religious musical compositions. This telling is about how “love illuminates the way to wisdom” and her relationship to Richardis von Stade, who has become her collaborator as an illustrator as she transcribes her visions for Papal evaluation and with whom she has a physical relationship.

The production is splendidly directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, with its simple stage design by Marsha Ginsberg, lighting by Pablo Santiago, multilayered costume design by Molly Irelan and wonderful artwork & projections by Deborah Johnson.

But when speaking of HILDEGARD, one must necessarily begin with its music, with its striking sound design by Drew Sensue-Weinstein.

Indeed.

What I noticed first and foremost is that, unlike many contemporary operas that often rely on their libretti to make their impact, this one flies with its score. It’s a stunning piece of work by any standard, more so considering that this is Snider’s first opera, though she’s hardly a novice composer. (No pun intended.)

Her persuasiveness in the genre certainly was assisted by the music direction of Gabriel Crouch and the Novus Ensemble (a shoutout to harpist Tomina Parvanova Lyden) and, particularly, the glorious singing of sopranos Nola Richardson (Hildegard) and Mikaela Bennett (Richardis von Stade).

 To call Richardson’s singing “heavenly” would not be overstating her contribution to the evening’s success, varied and sweet-voiced as it is, but she is a fine actress as well. It’s not a one-woman show, for Bennett’s performance is first-rate and rich; as her ally, Volmar, tenor Roy Hage, is indispensable.

But some sections—particularly the portrayal of her nemesis, baritone David Adam Moore, who gave multi-faceted richness to the Abbott Cuno—are more dramatic in style and not as musically rich as I might have wished, considering Snider’s skill in vocal writing.

Mezzo Blythe Gaissert gave a smartly calculated power to Richardis’s mother, Margravine, who is not averse to using a little blackmail to achieve her goals, as well as to a couple of other roles that showed composer Snider’s vocal writing ability. Soprano Raha Mirzadegan was a clear asset in a couple of smaller roles.

Having seen many performances at the Prototype Festival over the years, I can honestly say that Snider's HILDEGARD is a highlight.  And that's high praise indeed.

Caption: Soprano Nola Richardson

Credit: Angel Origgi

Prototype’s last performance of HILDEGARD at the Lynch Theater will take place on Wednesday evening, the 14th, at 7:30 pm. For tickets, see the festival’s website.