The fatal attraction between a sorceress and a Christian Crusader in Lully's opera Armide is the very definition of angst. For a work written in 1686, Armide was also way ahead of its time since it features a plot driven by the continuous character development of a female anti-hero. Who better to portray a woman of such dynamic power than Opera Columbus's own Artistic Director, Peggy Kriha Dye. Plus, it seems she has some tricks up her sleeve off-stage, as well.
The Opera Interpreted
With an opera as old as Armide, it can be helpful to understand the subplot. The rest of it is pretty easy; Armide is a seductive sorceress who accidentally falls in love with the irresistible and infallible Christian knight Renaud when she tries to kill him after capturing the rest of the Crusaders in her homeland. Of course, her delicate female sensibilities simply cannot stand the quandary and her plans are dashed.
But what is the opera really saying, and how could something so overtly biased to Anglo-Patriarchal notions still be engaging in this day and age? Quite simply, it is a beautiful history lesson. Through the musical-poetic lens of Lully and Quinualt, we can see how the Parisians of 1686 might have actually felt about their country and their faith. That is impressive.
Based on Torquato Tasso's La Gerusalem liberata, ("Jerusalem Delivered") and Philippe Quinault's libretto, Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera Armide was very popular in the 18th Century, and it has been getting a bit of a revival recently, as well. The opera depicts an allegory pertinent to late-17th Century Parisians by means of an exoticized woman's internal struggle with love and war.
The opera opens-- traditionally-- with an allegorical prologue praising a "hero" and obliquely referencing a, "monster" which he has recently vanquished. This was a pretty direct political statement, since the Parisians of Lully's time would have been steeped in news of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes October 22nd, 1685, and thus the celebrated demise of Protestantism in France. The referenced "hero" was a thin veil for Lully's patron, Louis XIV.
You have to remember that the people of France had endured years of persecution at the hands of the Huguenots, and were obviously quite keen on their defeat. In this light, the sorceress herself represents the alluring, but ultimately heretical Protestantism, and the undeniably attractive and loveable knight Renaud represents the Catholic Church. This was officially approved literature, so it had to be rather straight-forward and blunt in its representation of the Church.
Much of the play and the opera centers of Armide's own inner turmoil. Her character is beyond fickle; she's unstable and convicted for both the cause of vengeance against the crusaders and her intolerable love for her sworn enemy. I won't even get into the gender politics of having the irrational and unstable character portrayed as an alluring woman... At least she is the main character.
So, when the libretto is understood in this way, the moments of music that express disorder and internal chaos can be seen in an entirely new light. We can understand how the French felt about their allegiance to their country and their Church rather than simply reading about the important dates and events. It brings history to a very personal level.
In Act 2, Scene 5, Armide has captured Renaud and in under three minutes she goes from singing, "I’ll pierce his invincible heart. He it was who freed my captive slaves, Now may he feel my rage!" to "Who would believe that he was born for war alone? He seems to have been made only for love."
That is some pretty substantial inner turmoil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPSiWmUU4gM
Armide in Columbus
So, who has the chops not only to sing this work, but also the acting ability to cut through the French poetics and bring the conflicted anti-heroine to life with actual relevance for Columbus's audience? My money is on Peggy Kriha Dye.
I had the fortune of running into Ms. Dye last week as she was on her way in to her (fabulous) interview with Classical 101's ( fabulous) host, Christopher Purdy. The two sat down with Edwaard Liang of Ballet Met and Rossen Milanov, conductor of the Columbus Symphony. You can watch or listen to the entire interview here. It is definitely worth your time.
Why is Peggy perfect for Armide? She looks the part; she has charisma; she has the voice; and everything she does is impassioned. Armide needs to be conflicted, but her character also needs to be strong and anachronistically powerful.
If you have not heard, Peggy Kriha Dye is turning opera in Columbus on its head in a very good way. Her leadership as Artistic Director at Opera Columbus has been paramount to the new talent we have seen onstage recently, the adventurous projects the company is undertaking, and the truly exciting future Opera Columbus has in store.
The portion of Christopher Purdy's interview for All Sides Weekend Edition with Peggy, Edwaard, and Rossen that piqued my interest most was her brief explanation of the budding relationship between Opera Columbus, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the Juilliard School of Music. Yeah, you should definitely watch that interview.
In sum, Armide is a bright season opener for Opera Columbus even if the opera is, well, dark. There is quite a bit of forward momentum happening around our city, and you can see some of it onstage this weekend.