Gotta be thankful to Operavision; without them, I'd really have NO idea what's going on in contemporary opera. One such thing is this war drama. It takes place during, I think, our war in Afghanistan, but there's nothing specific here; it could be anywhen, really.
Whatever the war is, Michael goes off with a friend, Peter, to fight in it, leaving his wife Sarah and his young daughter Nadia. Also left behind is Peter's pregnant wife Anna. Everyone thinks Michael and Peter have died in a helicopter crash, and this obviously causes emotional conflict, especially as Michael's parents compare Michael, their "good" son, to their fuck-up son Jamie, a ne'r-do-well who's been in and out of jail. But then, surprise! It turns out Michael wasn't dead after all, and he comes home, which is great...but in addition to suffering from PTSD, he is harboring a Dark Secret regarding Peter.
This is based on a Danish film (though it's in English and takes place in the US as far as it's possible to tell), and the first thing to say about is that, probably due to the conversion, there are plotlines here that don't feel fully developed and go nowhere. Especially regarding Jamie: in spite of the opera's title, his relationship with Peter is very secondary and definitely NOT the heart of the piece, which seems odd. I suppose him having an affair with Sarah after Michael reveals himself to have changed and not for the better doesn't necessarily need any more attention than it gets, but what DOES stick out like a sore thumb is this one brief scene where we learn--per Michael--that he had been in jail for beating a woman half to death. This cuts against his otherwise sympathetic character, but it's never brought up again and doesn't seem to inform his character in any way, so...like, what? Why?
Well, anyway, these are ultimately nitpicks, because it's a powerful opera very dramatic and well-produced. Well-acted, too: the Icelandic baritone Oddur Arnþór Jónsson, with whom I was wholly unfamiliar gives a performance that can only be described as "bravura" as Michael: he does a great job of portraying a man under unbearable tension and ready to explode at any moment. One must also, no doubt, give all due credit to Selma Buch Ørum Villumsen as Nadia--a child able to sing that well is hella impressive, although it must be noted that unlike the adult singers, she's very visibly miked up--gotta learn to project, kid!
Anyway, really good. The more contemporary operas I see, the more I realize how this is still highly viable form as distinct from musicals. I shall watch more.
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