The Little Sweep

Operas ’R Us
Harrisburg Opera performs “The Little Sweep”

by Brian Phillips

Children and Opera. Two words that are rarely connected. For reasons unknown, the role of children in opera has always been minimal. The demands of the music and the intensity and unfamiliarity of the adult themes probably both figure into the fact that young voices are generally only found in the chorus, and in the case of most great operas, not at all. In addition, the music to most children’s ears is strange and possibly even boring — opera, perhaps the highest of art forms, is generally believed to be beyond the grasp or interest of youngsters. However, there are those who have chosen to defy tradition and attempt to bridge that gap, making opera fun and more accessible to viewers and performers alike.

Benjamin Britten, the contemporary British and American composer, believed in this so completely that in 1949 he designed and composed an opera that was designed specifically for children. This opera, “The Little Sweep,” includes all of the great elements of traditional opera — arias, recitative, a chorus, a simple story, challenging music, and a central character that overcomes great adversity. But what makes “The Little Sweep” different is that the story centers around a young boy and a group of children who work together in an effort to save him from the less than kind chimney sweep who has mistreated him. It is fun and the ending is, of course, happy. It is the type of story that would appeal to younger minds.

In addition to a fun story, the music is continually commenting on itself and its place within the opera. This running commentary serves to educate and to direct untrained ears about the music and what part each scene performs within the opera.

The Harrisburg Opera, whose 30-year tradition has done much to educate the area in the ways and traditions of and about opera, has taken their outreach mission a step further by bringing Britten’s short opera to the Whitaker Center on February 9. The evening was a wonderful program of opera.

The evening began with a number of selections performed by the Harrisburg Opera Ensemble. Performed choral style, the ensemble sang eight works that represented many of the great operas from “Carmen” to “Candide” and included an intense version of “Toreador Song,” featuring Dominick Cicco, and a fun “Overture to the Marriage of Figaro” sung by the women of the Ensemble. After a short intermission, giving some of the Ensemble member’s time to get in costume and the tech crew time to set the stage, the curtain opened to “The Little Sweep” and the Harrisburg Opera Youth Chorus.

The show, the first featuring the newly founded chorus (the group came together in 1999), was well done. The set was well constructed. The lighting was superb. The use of color and back lighting was professional and effective.

But the highlight of the show had to be the kids. Don’t misunderstand, the adults were grand, including a truly beautiful performance by Elizabeth Lins as Juliet Brook and a funny and grand version of Miss Baggott played by Amy Yovanovich, but more than anything the true focus of the opera had to be the children, both those on stage and those scattered throughout the audience. The smiles on stage were genuine. The music was spirited and fun. And there was hardly a miscue. No doubt, these young singers were loving it. The young Ryan Farling, who performed the central character of Sammy, was very good. He hardly seemed intimidated by the demands of his role, much less an audience of his peers. Quite a lot from a ten-year-old.

These warm smile and the fun was contagious. Throughout the audience parent and child conferred on plot line and characterization; young girls were spotted arguing in the balcony over who would use Mom’s opera glasses. It was a great thing.

And to that end, the Harrisburg Opera Association gets a hearty bravo. Education is a big part of the responsibility of the arts. Homer sang his tale to ensure that it would be passed along to future generations. We too must sing our tradition onward. And it all starts with the children.