Above: Brett Umlauf (Fleur), Christiana Cole (Briar), and Hirona Amamiya (Rue) in Kate Soper's opera The Hunt; photo by Ron Davidson for the Miller Theatre, Columbia University
~ Author: Shoshana Klein
Thursday October 12th, 2023 - Kate Soper is one of those composers whose name I started hearing a few years ago and then promptly began seeing everywhere. She works with extended and somewhat distinctive vocal techniques often, and is an active performer as well.
The Hunt is a 90-minute one-act opera with only 3 singing roles, in addition to ukulele and violin played by the singers and some electronic sounds in various places. The opera was simple in a lot of ways, with there being only the three characters and a relatively simple set. The whole thing was very effective - the set design, costuming, lighting, sound design - all in all, a well produced opera. In an interview in the program notes, Soper described the opera as “a ‘ukulele opera’ set in ambiguously Medieval times”. I found this a very apt description - and the opera became more contemporary feeling as it went on, in clothing, lighting, sets, and content.
I didn’t really know what the plot was before I got there, and I think it’s because it’s a little hard to put into words. Three virgins audition and win spots in the king’s court to lure a unicorn to the castle. We watch them on a journey of boredom, self-discovery, considering their place in their kingdom and society, and realizing what their role is in this particular “hunt”. Some of the beginning scenes used the same basic form, which slowly broke down over the course of the opera. I think it was a very cool narrative structure, showing time passing and the monotony, as well as the changes, that happened throughout. This is put into context a little more when realizing most of the opera was written during the pandemic. From this lens, the semi-captivity and monotony that the virgins experience is very relatable.
There are a few male characters who appear briefly on stage, including one who is named (“stableboy”) and interacts a little with one of the others, but he never speaks, which is interesting. I also noticed that when the entire creative team was called to the stage, I believe there were no men involved - very refreshing!
Projections in the opera were used in really interesting ways, including showing a livestream that was honestly the most significant thing other than dialogue that indicated that we weren’t in Medieval times. One of the anachronistic moments would be when they would read a comment on the livestream - it would be projected on the wall in a Medieval-looking font. Another thing was the songs they’d sing throughout - sort of a play-within-a-play situation: they’d sing to pass the time, and these were often arrangements of actual early music, or at least used texts from such.
A highlight of the opera was a scene in which the 3 virgins get high and have this trippy scene with some vocal improv that is delightful to see in the score as well. This is the final straw that breaks them out of their pure, virgin personas and decide to do what they want.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable opera. I thought the pacing was good, the story engaging, the creative aspects really interesting. I liked the music, particularly the different styles, and thought the vocalists did a great job. I was also impressed that I was so engaged, despite there only being three voices and no orchestra or anything - mostly just one ukulele and one violin to round out the music. If there was an overarching moral lesson (other than a critique of the concept of virginity) I didn’t really get it, but the themes of breaking out of patriarchy and heteronormativity, and embracing self-expression are always a hit with me, so if I’m missing something I didn’t really mind.
Above: curtain call, photo by the author
~ Shoshana Klein