Omar Is an American Operatic Masterpiece
/By Truman C. Wang
11/5/2022
Photo credit: L.A. Opera / Cory Weaver
Whatever forces that had brought about the tumultuous social and political changes in America during the past two Covid-pandemic years, they have also had a profound and lasting effect in the arts, by encouraging diversity and social awareness both on and offstage. Omar is a product of such an epochal sea change. Based on the 1831 autobiography of African-Arabic slave Omar Ibn Said (1770-1864), the extraordinary story of his new life and enslavement in South Carolina is vividly and powerfully presented on the operatic stage.
The music, by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, has the old-school charm with modern sensibilities – nineteenth-century Negro spirituals and dances intermingle naturally with operatic ariosos, arias and sung recitatives. Rhiannon Giddens’ libretto successfully condenses Said’s book into a series of dramatic scenes that culminate in the unforgettable Act II slave auction scene (which includes the N-word in all its chilling historical context). Giddens understood Verdi’s parola scenica well and used it expertly in her operatic adaptation of Omar.
The visually-compelling production, by Kaneza Schaal and Christopher Myers, uses video projection on scrims and props to show Said’s Arabic handwriting, often to dramatic effects, as in the scene where Omar is asked by his white slave owner to write a biblical verse in Arabic, and the video projection shows what he actually writes (“I want to go home!”) The handsome period costumes by April M. Hickman and Micheline Russell-Brown add to the theatrical immersion.
For this West Coast premiere (after the 5/27/2022 world premiere in Spoleto Festival USA), L.A. Opera assembled an exceptional cast, led by tenor Jamez McCorkle as Omar; the suave baritonal hues of his voice add much to the gravitas of Omar’s character. Mezzo-soprano Amanda Lynn Bottoms is a warm and lyrical Fatima, Omar’s mother. Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch acts and sings convincingly in the double role of the enslavers Johnson and Owen. Soprano Jacqueline Echols is a winsome Julie, singing with a lovely, pellucid tone. Kazem Abdullah’s conducting is spirited and distinguished. The L.A. Opera Chorus, as mentioned in my Lucia review, is now much more alert and engaging under Jeremy Frank, and it shows.
Three more performances remain on November 5, 9 and 13. Omar next travels to Boston in May of 2023.
Omar Ibn Said (1770-1864)
Truman C. Wang is Editor-in-Chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, other Southern California publications, as well as the Hawaiian Chinese Daily. He studied Integrative Biology and Music at U.C. Berkeley.