‘Wuthering Heights’ Available Digitally for the First Time Ever
The revitalized opera has established itself as an overlooked classic.
As with other artforms, opera has its fair share of triumphant hits and underwhelming busts. Pieces like La traviata and The Marriage of Figaro are established staples in the opera canon that have stood the test of time, while there are countless other works that have fallen by the wayside or gone overlooked for any number of reasons. Oftentimes the regular rotation of classic works leaves little room for new and emerging stories — some of which might be classics in waiting — to reach mainstream opera audiences.
Thus is the story of Wuthering Heights, an opera based on Emily Brontë’s 1847 eponymous novel about untamed passion and everlasting love. Although popular among some niche opera audiences, this timeless, larger-than-life opera was overlooked upon its staged premiere in 1982. But in 2011, Minnesota Opera brought this classic-in-waiting back to life with its own production that re-introduced an obscure piece of work to mainstream opera audiences. And now, for the first time ever, Minnesota Opera will make this production viewable on demand beginning Saturday, October 10 at 7:30pm.
“It was an old opera we were giving a second chance, which is wonderful — there should be more of that happening all over,” said Eric Simonson, the Stage Director for the 2011 production. “It was exciting to see an excellent and neglected work come to life.”
Simonson, a familiar name for Minnesota Opera followers by now, has worked on his fair share of world premieres for Minnesota Opera (The Grapes of Wrath, The Shining, Bok Choy Variations, Silent Night, The Fix). He described the process for this one as a rewarding challenge.
“It was only the second production of the opera, so there weren’t a lot of test runs for how it would actually work on stage. There were a lot of challenges to make scene-shifts happen the way they should, and in making sure the drama was flowing in a way that would keep it buoyant and compelling.”
For Rodolfo Nieto, who played the role of Joseph, he recalls the aesthetic of the production as something beautiful and breathtaking.
“The word that comes to mind is lush. The music, the set, the costumes — everything had this dark, rich nature to it,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the grim Romanticism of the novel and preparing for the role of Joseph.”
One thing that the cast and production teams seem to both recall fondly is the people they worked with throughout this process.
“What I think of in regards to this production was a stellar cast of great singers and colleagues,” said Victoria Vargas, who played the role of Nelly Dean.
“The cast, crew, and musicians were all great,” added Rodolfo Nieto.
“I loved the rehearsal process. We had a great cast and production crew,” said Simonson. “I have only great memories of the whole experience.”
The New Works Initiative is something with which Minnesota Opera takes great pride, but reinterpreting an old story might not be as simple as it may seem. According to Simonson, championing great stories that haven’t been given a fair chance can be tough and tedious work for a variety of reasons.
“There’s a disadvantage in not having the composer and librettist there,” he said of Bernard Herrmann and Lucille Fletcher, who are both deceased. “Half of the fun of doing new work is getting to make changes along the way that improve the final product. We weren’t able to do that here. But, in this case, the novel exists as an excellent resource for the creative crew. It was fodder for developing enriched performances.”
From the impassioned story of everlasting love to the stunning set design, the 2011 production of Wuthering Heights has solidified its place alongside other successful and memorable Minnesota Opera productions.
Wuthering Heights will be available to stream on demand beginning Saturday, October 10 at 7:30pm until Saturday, October 24. You can purchase tickets for the digital production here.
