A Modern Fable on a Hasidic Tale

By Leo Kraft ©2004

Martin Halpern:The Satin Cloak . With Darren Chase and September Bigelow. Symphony Space, NY, NY. October 30, 2004.

Mimi Stern-Wolf's Downtown Music Productions came uptown to Symphony Space for three performances of The Satin Cloak, a chamber opera, libretto and music by Martin Halpern. I heard the performance of October 30th.

The story, which has an Old World flavor centers around a simple shoemaker, Tameem, who is suddenly thrust into the position of governor of the province. In this capacity he is remarkably successful, earning the admiration of the villagers who sing and dance in his praise. A secondary plot concerns a friend who borrows the only fine garment the shoemaker possesses, a white satin cloak. Towards the end of the opera, the friend returns with the cloak; he has suffered much during his journey and having returned the cloak, expires. Despite its presence in the title, the cloak itself is not of primary importance to the story.

The music is diatonic and quite straightforward, nicely written for a small instrumental ensemble that supports the singers well. The vocal lines are attractive and singable, without rising to a very high degree of expressivity. The opera flowed easily from one scene to another, creating the necessary continuity.

The singing was outstanding. Darren Chase, as the shoemaker Tameem, September Bigelow, as the adoring wife Akara, William Amory, as the narrator and messenger, and Samuel Smith, as the friend, Aruhm . Not only were they vocally superb and effective as actors, but also their diction (mirabile dictu) was exemplary. Mimi Stern-Wolf conducted with her customary energy and commitment. She brought out the best features of the instrumental part while constantly subordinating them so as to support the singers. Scenery and costumes were quite attractive; Mr. Halpern's stage direction effectively made use of the limited space available, so that it did not seem so limited after all. The sizable audience was warmly appreciative.