If the Minnesota Opera’s historic staging of Bernard Herrmann’s long neglected only opera, an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, proves anything it’s that suspense was inextricably fused into the composer’s musical DNA. Best known for his film compositions, including the suspense driven scores to some of Alfred Hitchcock’s most revered films (such as North by Northwest, Psycho, and Vertigo), it may come as a surprise that Herrmann’s work on Wuthering Heights actually predates his most iconic projects. Nevertheless, Wuthering Heights is driven by the Herrmann signature of foreboding brass and spiraling strings that have come to define cinematic tension. Despite the spellbinding score, however, the work’s libretto and storyline fail to share the same virtuosity, resulting in a production better described as a fascinating curiosity than an uncovered masterpiece.
Focusing on the doomed romance between Catherine Earnshaw, daughter to a wealthy landowner, and Heathcliff, an orphan raised in the Earnshaw household, Herrmann’s adaption of Wuthering Heights has endured a long and arduous journey to arrive at the Ordway Center via the Minnesota Opera. With a libretto written by Herrmann’s first wife, Lucille Fletcher, the original composition was completed in 1951. The resultant work, however, was an unwieldy presentation that ran 3 ½ hours. Ever obstinate in his vision, Herrmann refused to emend the work; a stubborn decision that resulted in the opera languishing for decades. It was only in 1982, nearly 7 years after Herrmann’s death, that the Portland Opera premiered the work, albeit in a truncated and altered state. But although the Portland Opera’s changes might have been imperfectly implemented, the new revival by the Minnesota Opera exemplifies the necessity of a disciplined editor.
Lest there be any doubt, Herrmann’s score is exhilarating lavish, both in precision and diversity. While the atmospheric suspense will come as little surprise to anyone familiar with Herrmann’s work, Wuthering Heights displays a number of musical dimensions seldom associated with the composer. In particular, the central romance is emphasized by a luxurious backdrop of strings that recall the novel’s windswept setting. Conducted by Michael Christie and performed by the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, the electrifying score is enthralling enough to withstand the work’s narrative shortcomings.
The work’s primary flaw stems from a storyline that lacks the sweeping breadth or emotional depth of the score. Confronted with class inequities and personal affronts, Catherine yields to a marriage of convenience with Edgar, an agreeable neighbor who matches her social status, rather than the unsuitable Heathcliff. Emotionally maimed by the rejection, Heathcliff bitterly resolves to avenge his heart by making Catherine experience the agony of having love cruelly spurned.
Romantic yearnings and renunciations are the essential stuff of opera, of course, but the narrative lacks urgency and earns precious little empathy. Rather than achieving pathos, Lucille Fletcher’s libretto simply establishes a dour condition that slowly proceeds toward the foreseen conclusion. Even Eric Simonson’s energetic direction cannot compensate for the prolonged passages of treading gloominess.
The resilient cast is similarly stymied by the preponderance of melancholy. Sara Jakubiak, in the role of Catherine, uses her soprano to evoke the heartrending pain of her romantic compromise. Heathcliff projects equally striking angst through the baritone of Lee Poulis. But while Jakubiak and Poulis convey richly expressive ranges (especially in their eloquently rendered duets), the material simply isn’t up to the task. Between the two performers, high points are few as scenes tend to meander to a close without cathartic crescendos.
Such criticism is not to say that resonate movements are entirely absent. Mezzo-sopranos Adriana Zabala (as the romantically naïve, Isabella Linton) and Victoria Vargas (as the discerning housekeeper, Nelly Dean) earn standout scenes that convey emphatic emotion. Further sparking the narrative are commanding portrayals from tenor Eric Margiore (as Catherine’s suitor, Edgar Linton) and bass Ben Wager (as Catherine’s volatile brother, Hindley).
Whatever the inherent flaws in the material, however, the Minnesota Opera’s presentation retains the company’s innovative design standards. Set designer Neil Patel has crafted a series of looming edifices that perfectly capture the imposing atmosphere. Matching the environment is an expressive costume design by Jane Greenwood which subtly mirrors each character’s psychological state. All such elements are further enhanced by the mesmerizing screen projections of Wendall K. Harrington and the eloquent lighting design of Robert Wierzel.
Wuthering Heights is unmistakable as a Bernard Herrmann creation, possessing the strengths and weaknesses of a gifted composer working without limitation; resulting in a dazzling score backing a ponderous narrative. There’s a compelling story to be found in the Minnesota Opera’s production, but until a judicious editor is enlisted, Wuthering Heights is likely to remain a curious diversion in Bernard Herrmann’s revered musical legacy.
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