Over the past decade, opera has evolved with many composers experimenting and infusing new ideas into the art form. That was what Fay Kueen Wang and Zou Shuang did when they created the new work “Orfeo.”

The work, which was promoted as an “immersive opera,” had its world premiere at the Beijing Music Festival and the results were visually gorgeous with a slew of interesting ideas that sometimes lacked cohesiveness.

A Visual Spectacle

When audiences first walked into the Red space, they were given a red envelope to hand in at the entrance as if it were a present for the newly wedded couple. Then they were given glasses of champagne filled with water. A string quartet was playing wedding favorites and the environment was decorated as a cocktail hour would be. The environment allowed for chatting and for interaction with each other. It was a fun-filled environment and it gave a sign of what was to come.

Then the host finally entered and mezzo-soprano Yajie Zhang performed a tune and then introduced the couple along with a chorus which performed around the audience. In the meantime, cameras were filming throughout the space getting close-ups of the singers and of random audience members. Having the chorus around you allowed the audience to participate in the celebration.

Eventually, the chorus led the audience into a circle shaped space with a stage in the center of it all. Some of the audience members was asked to sit while others were led to the stage to join in on the party and dance with the castmates. It was a bit awkward for some audience members as not all were prepared to get up and dance but it created for that immersive moment where the audience was allowed to celebrate with Orfeo and Eurydice.

Once that party was over and Eurydice was shot, a slew of chorus member disguised as medics came in with yellow tape, giving it to the audience to hold out as if they were part of the scene of the crime. There were also flashes of news reports on screens and the musicians and chorus members eventually sat in with the audience. These were the spots where they would perform for the rest of the evening.

While that was the extent of audience participation, Shuang’s production always made sure that the visual aspects were enticing. For instance, the baroque death saw chorus members dance around the audience covered with ghost-like costumes while a smoke machine created that deathly environment. Then there was the character of Hope, who was always singing from the audience seats.

There were fewer such effects throughout the middle portions of the evening, but they allowed for greater intimacy with the drama. During Orfeo’s extended aria, Shuang had the audience concentrate on the character bringing attention to the stage and the character’s suffering for his dead wife. This was one of the strongest elements of the entire production as Shuang balanced the delicacy of the story with the more virtuosic moments.

But as much as the production was a visual splendor, it wasn’t all perfect.

A Rock-Infused Score

Wang’s score was a unique discovery as it experimented with diverse musical genres.

The opera opened with a quartet performing wedding music and it quickly turned to techno and dance music. The energetic ambiance it created eventually turned to indie rock. The drums, the guitar, the cello, and the keyboard took center stage, bringing a very hip and alternative soundscape. The use of this band helped to reflect the sadness and loneliness of  Orfeo after the death of Eurydice as Wang brilliantly worked in the minor key and the nostalgic feel of the guitar.

But when Orfeo got to hell, this is when Wang’s finest moments came. Not only did she use the quartet with an ominous tremolo, but she also brought in a Guquin to give it an oriental feel. That was topped off with the use of the keyboard as Wang experimented with electronic sounds throughout the scene. And what also made the orchestrations unique was the change in rhythms and beats that were used throughout. There were some science fiction elements to the techno music and the dance in hell was an homage to a baroque avant-garde style. Each time the scene changed there was something new to discover and it was apparent that Wang had fun composing the orchestral parts of the opera.

But with such an inventive orchestral score, one would have expected the same inventive vocal writing. However, what audiences got for the 75 minutes was one recitativo passage after another with coloratura to end each phrase. Wang noted that she was looking to pay homage to Monteverdi in the work and perhaps the writing reflected that. But for so much melodic genius accompanying the singers, the lack of melodic vocal writing felt repetitive and caused a strain in the whole experience. Even the occasional riveting high notes seemed somewhat forced and unearned as the recits never drove the music forward or brought about climaxes. Even more disappointing was the lack in variation of tempi. Every solo piece was some variation of an adagio or andante tempo. One would have expected more upbeat music at some points in the score but Wang’s choice in keeping it the same tempo only reiterated her lack of inventiveness for the voice.

Thankfully Wang’s choral writing, while minimalistic, reflected a sense of urgency and drive. As the music repeated, the dynamics increased, leading to gorgeous, climatic music. One could only wish the soloists got more music similar to that of the choral parts.

Opera vs. Pop

In the title role, Meili Li brought a superb countertenor to the role. He showcased an emotional range through his use of clean coloratura runs and his emphasis on the text. During his aria as he lamented the death of Li used his piano singing to create some haunting effect but eventually rose to a forte to show the desperation of his character. While the writing clearly restrained his capabilities, those moments made up for it.

Yajie Zhang, who performed Hope and music, brought a beautiful mezzo voice with clean coloratura line. However, the lines sometimes seemed extremely pale and expressionless. That expressionless sound was emphasized by her robotic movements throughout. Perhaps it was the music, the character and the writing that didn’t help her as the voice it something to look out for.

But the biggest issue of the evening was probably composer and performer Fay Kueen Wang as the performer seemed completely out of place as Eurydice and Pluto. Of all the voices in the show, she did not have an operatic voice and that caused a major distraction. As she noted in a recent interview Wang does not like to label her works into genre and she likes to fuse styles. This was perhaps her intention using a pop voice with an operatic voice.

However, it didn’t quite work, especially in her brief duet with Orfeo as neither Li nor Wang’s voices melded together to create something cohesive. Instead, her pitchy straight-toned voice caused a distraction away from Li’s gorgeous and creamy countertenor. Wang, however, did have some interesting vocal moments, particularly in the hell scene as she held out some impressive top notes to great effect and that made up somewhat for the constant intonation problems.

Overall, this was a visually immersive evening that deserved a better treatment of its vocal writing.