A conductor since his late 20s, William Vendice has spent more
than a few nights at the opera in his lifetime.
This weekend, Vendice brings his 30 plus years of experience to
Opera UCLA’s presentation of “L’Heure
Espagnole” and “L’Enfant et les
Sortilèges,” two one-act operas by Maurice Ravel.
As the current Artistic Director and Conductor of Opera UCLA,
Vendice is a major figure in the world of opera and classical
music. His resume includes the Metropolitan Opera and Houston Grand
Opera. He is also currently Head of Music Staff and Chorus Master
of the Los Angeles Opera.
Vendice has conducted the two Ravel operas several times before
on the professional level. However, this is the first time in his
seven year tenure with Opera UCLA that the works will be performed
on campus.
“It’s fun to work with students who want to
learn,” he said. “You work through things … I am so
pleased with the quality of the orchestra here, they’ve
gotten better every year.”
Vendice emphasized that the orchestra music for the two Ravel
operas is extremely difficult for the musicians. The interaction
between Vendice and the orchestra is a spectacle: he waves and cues
with a clearly visible feel for the music, as if he were drawing
the notes right out of the players’ instruments.
“These two operas are very unusual,” Vendice said.
“They’re very short ““ each one is under an hour.
Ravel happens to be one of my favorite composers, and these two are
as different as possible.”
In “L’Enfant et les Sortilèges,” the
orchestra aurally recreates the surreal and chaotic nature of the
story, from the seemingly aimless twin oboes that open and close
the opera to the percussion in the dizzyingly violent climaxes.
Ravel seems to have thrown in everything but the kitchen sink in
a mishmash of styles: the ominous garden scene features
threateningly tense strings and even a slide whistle. Meanwhile the
harp and strings enhance the dreamlike appearance of a princess
from a storybook.
The prevailing mood of “L’Heure Espagnole,” on
the other hand, is decidedly more whimsical and tongue-in-cheek.
Its “risqué” atmosphere, as Vendice describes it,
is quite a contrast with the more emotional “L’Enfant
et les Sortilèges,” which he calls funny, yet sad.
In “L’Heure Espagnole,” the orchestra
exaggerates the comic effects of the opera, seemingly playing with
a more lighthearted and playful tone. By the time both operas end,
the orchestra has more or less musically run the gamut of
emotions.
And in the middle of it all is William Vendice, always striving
to conjure up the sound in his head with a few waves of his
baton.