Even without its signature set, BLO's ‘The Seasons' is no dry run

Early in the opera, The Poet (as portrayed by countertenor and 'The Seasons' co-progenitor Anthony Roth Costanzo) sings: 'You know poets, sometimes we feel the weather inside of us more than we feel the weather outside of us.' Given Wednesday's performance, it's clear that axiom doesn't just apply to poets.
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There's no doubt that 'The Seasons' would have been a different show had the six singers and six dancers been working with the visual and tactile elements of Lien and Forman's soapscape set in addition to the lighting, the lithe modern choreography by Pam Tanowitz, the diaphanous costumes by Carlos J Soto, and Vivaldi's music as performed by a zesty Baroque pit band. Regardless, 'The Seasons' was on solid ground musically and visually.
The iconic concertos of 'The Four Seasons' served as the piece's creative springboard, but thoughtfully selected arias, songs, and other pieces from Vivaldi's vast catalogue made up the bulk of the score, blending the familiar with the old-made-new. Baroque arias often manifest emotions through nature or weather imagery in both voice and instrumentation: plinking pizzicato for rain here, twittering birds for spring there, and 'The Seasons' made plentiful and effective use of that trope.
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In Ruhl's dramatic scenario, an artists' rustic retreat is disturbed when the seasonal cycle falls out of order due to climate change, and the singers portraying those artists were all outstanding. As the Farmer, soprano Ashley Emerson unfurled luscious melismas while chopping vegetables, and countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim's warm, velvety timbre as the Painter provided a keen contrast to Costanzo's icy, clear precision. In the role of the Choreographer, mezzo-soprano and BLO emerging artist Alexis Peart partnered with dancer Lindsey Jones in a touching and tragic duet for human voice and human body. Every baroque opera must have its rage arias, and soprano Whitney Morrison and bass-baritone Brandon Cedel tackled those with incisive wrath.
Special kudos goes to Ji Yung Lee, who led the pit ensemble from the harpsichord on only minutes' notice after production music director Stephen Stubbs was accidentally injured backstage on his way to the pit and needed to sit the performance out. (A BLO spokesperson confirmed Stubbs was OK, but that's not the first medical emergency
Maile Okamura, front, and other members of Pam Tanowitz Dance in Boston Lyric Opera's "The Seasons."
Nile Scott Studios
The narrative of weather disrupted seems simplistic on the surface. The paradigm of four seasons neatly divided into spring, summer, fall, and winter has only ever been true for very specific parts of the world. And even in those parts that can claim those four seasons, like New England, it gets more complicated than that. I'm reminded of
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But therein lies the point: No matter the exact rhythms of the cycle you're used to, the effects of climate change can turn it into disaster followed by disaster. The most powerful tableau of the show featured the violent third movement of 'Summer' from 'The Four Seasons,' as haze effects filled the air and the stage was illuminated in orange with the back wall invisible through the smoke. It's an image
Further productions in New York and beyond are planned for 'The Seasons,' and hopefully by then the complications with Lien and Forman's iridescent setpiece will be resolved. I do look forward to experiencing 'The Seasons' as its creators envisioned it. Still, though the Boston run of 'The Seasons' may not have realized everything it had wanted, the show is not lacking anything it needs. It's even there in the stage directions of Ruhl's libretto: 'Mostly an empty set. And weather.' And so they have it.
THE SEASONS
Presented by Boston Lyric Opera and ArtsEmerson. Through March 16. www.blo.org
A.Z. Madonna can be reached at

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