Living & Arts

‘Scandal’ unfolds at Swat

In print | March 6, 2008

Ever wonder how famous detective Sherlock Holmes would solve a mystery if he appeared in an opera? Well, in “A Window On the Work: A Scandal In Bohemia,” Holmes does exactly that. Grappling with questions of forgery and blackmail, Holmes made an appearance on Swarthmore’s very own campus on Sunday, March 2 as the first act of the still-unfinished opera was performed at Lang Music Hall.

With libretto by English professor Nathalie Anderson and score by music professor Thomas Whitman, the opera is based on the short story by Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The performance featured a cast, chorus and orchestra comprised of both professionals and equally talented Swarthmore students. Director John Alston prepared the chorus and the musically gifted Mark Loria ’08 directed the orchestra.

The opera centers on Sherlock Holmes as he unravels a crime that takes place near his apartment. In the first scene, composer Whitman ended up playing the part of Sherlock Holmes because the original singer was, at the last moment, unable to make the performance. Christine Duranza ’08 said “the musicians and singers did an amazing job … even the stand-in Sherlock Holmes was impressive considering he was a last minute substitute”.

In the second scene, American baritone Markus Beam played Sherlock Holmes. Beam is an up and coming singer in the international operatic scene. Swarthmore’s own Henry Clapp ’09 played the parts of Holmes sidekick Watson and Godfrey Norton. Another guest artist, Laura Heimes, played Irene Adler, the mysterious woman at the center of the crime. Heimes, who has collaborated with many distinguished artists in early music such as Andrew Laurence King, now teaches voice at the Westminster Choir College.

Bass Julian Rodescue played the Reader, the King and the Minister. Rodescue has made important appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Act I is set in London during the 1880s. The first scene opens with melodies from the orchestra led by alumnus Serena Le ’07. Irene Adler is introduced as “the woman” while Holmes is described as the “steel cold reasoning machine.” Holmes receives a mysterious letter that serves as the catalyst for the unfolding events of the story. Moments of suspense are punctuated by the accompanying music as Holmes must solve the crime using his reason over the reminder of the opera.

The orchestra played an interlude before beginning the next scene, which takes place in Holmes’ study the following day. Holmes is late for a meeting with Watson. The percussion mimics the sound of a ticking clock to further portray the character waiting for Holmes to arrive — a detail that was met with much acclaim by the audience; according to Sara Daley ’10, the opera “was effectively orchestrated to bring out instruments as appropriate sound effects”.

To everyone’s surprise, Holmes strolls in, pretending to be drunk, and the audience soon learns that Adler has married Norton. As mentioned previously, the opera is still a work in progress, so the performance unfortunately had to end with this cliffhanger.

Though it ended on an incomplete note, the crowd still responded enthusiastically. Duranza said, “Overall, the piece was very entertaining, and I can’t wait to come back next year to see the second half of it.”