“The Listeners” at The Norwegian Opera & Ballet – Reviews and recommendations

The Norwegian National Opera must have been struck by a blissful mixture of flair and luck when in 2017 it commissioned an opera from the American Missy Mazzoli.

At the time, Mazzoli was a young and promising composer who did not yet have many great achievements to show for it. In the meantime, she has received a stream of accolades, awards and prestigious assignments.

In 2018, she became, together with Jeanine Tesori, the only female composer who has so far (!) been commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Her opera “Breaking the Waves” from 2016 has also been called one of the best from this century.

“The Listeners” is Mizzy Mazzoli’s biggest and most ambitious work to date. The eyes of the entire opera world are now focused on Oslo.

An opera about sound

The starting point for “The Listeners” is a sound phenomenon known as “The Hum”.

A minority of people around the world report that they more or less constantly experience a low and low-frequency hum, inaudible to their surroundings. The phenomenon is believed to be something more than purely psychological, and various scientific explanations have been launched.

“The Listeners” is not about the causes of this wonderful phenomenon, which is hardly suitable to be treated on an opera stage.

On the other hand, it is about the psychological and social consequences of belonging to a small minority that experiences something highly burdensome that is inaccessible and incomprehensible to the majority.

Most of all, the opera is a story about vulnerable people’s struggle to cope with life, and about how vulnerable we are to manipulation when the foundations of our lives collapse.

The opera’s protagonist, teacher Claire Devon, is estranged from her husband and teenage daughter after being struck by “The Hum”. She begins a relationship with student Kyle, who also suffers from the problem.

These two find a community in a kind of sect of “listeners”, led by the charismatic philosopher Howard Bard.

After Bard is exposed as a fraud, the cult continues under Devon’s more empathetic and seemingly truthful leadership.

Brilliant operatic art

It is undoubtedly both bold and creative to create an opera about such a distinctive phenomenon as “The Hum”.

Here Mazzoli, in collaboration with librettist Royce Vavrek and writer Jordan Tannahill, has succeeded in creating a credible portrayal of real people in demanding situations, combined with biting and hyper-topical social criticism.

The first act of “The Listeners” in particular is brilliant operatic art. Here, Mazzoli and Vavrek succeed in an effective presentation of the action, while at the same time giving sufficient room for reflection by the main characters.

Scenographically, this is supported by smart and elegant scene changes, which also facilitate a liberating mix of humor and seriousness.

On the whole, the opera appears with a scenic realism and richness of detail that is almost similar to a Netflix series.

Just as fully, it is the music throughout that is the supporting dramatic element. Mazzoli’s orchestral palette is strikingly rich, while she also writes well for voices.

With virtuoso operatic craftsmanship, Mazzoli creates a dark and psychologically charged atmosphere, where every little dramatic turn is expressed musically.

Lack of dramatic climax

The second act, however, does not hold quite the same level as the first. The plot here becomes more predictable, and dramaturgically the act suffers somewhat from the need to pack a lot of action into a tedious scene that ends with the fall of the charismatic leader.

The scene with the live-reporting female TV reporter provides a comical change, but still appears more convulsive and stuck-on than the corresponding move in the first act.

The catastrophic events that eventually befall the sect also never quite become the harrowing dramatic highlights they are obviously intended to be.

Nevertheless, I would argue that Missy Mazzoli with “The Listeners” places herself at the forefront of American opera composers after John Adams. Despite weaknesses in plot and dramaturgy, the opera shows a composer with a rich tonal language and a rare good grasp of the opera genre.

Strong singing performances

On the performer side, “The Listeners” is a very convincing production. The soloists consistently maintain a high level, and the opera choir is, as usual, brilliant both scenically and singly.

At the center of it all is soprano Nicole Heaston, who creates a believable and sympathetic portrait of the depressed and exhausted teacher Claire Devon. Heaston’s warm and rich lyrical soprano voice has great dramatic flexibility, ranging from violent tantrums to total resignation.

Baritone Johannes Weisser makes a brilliant effort in the demanding role of the traumatized military veteran Dillon. Weisser has a powerful voice, and is not afraid to push it to the limit, with strong impact.

Bunnsolid is also mezzo-soprano Tone Kummervold in the role of Angela, leading figure Howard Bard’s chosen secretary (read: mistress). Bard’s manipulative personality is portrayed sharply by the British baritone Simon Neal.

Impressive younger singers

Otherwise, there are several younger singers who help make “The Listeners” an effective drama.

Eirik Grøtvedt has a great baritonal (dark) and expressive tenor voice with an appealing light vibrato. His portrayal of the sensitive and introverted teenage boy Kyle makes an impression.

For her part, soprano Frøy Hovland Holtbakk has a relatively modest role as the teenage daughter Ashley, but she makes her limited minutes on stage really mean something. Her bright soprano has a lot of character, and power so it stays in the top register.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the Opera Orchestra plays fabulously under the direction of Ivan Volkov. Mazzoli’s expert and creative use of the orchestra is perhaps her greatest strength as an opera composer, and the most important reason why I think we can expect a lot from her in the future.

If I were the opera director, I would consider throwing in another order – before it’s too late.