Die Rote Zora

Kurt Held's titular children's book is the inspiration for Elisabeth Naske's “opera for families,” filmed here in a 2009 performance conducted by Catherine Larsen-Maguire at the Komische Oper Berlin. Die Rote Zora's celebration of the triumph of the downtrodden against their exploiters reflects the composer's political views (Held was a socialist who fled into Swiss exile during the Nazi era). The title character, not coincidentally nicknamed for her red hair, is a fiery tomboy who leads a gang of four other orphans against their enemies—the town's rich, well-fed, fashionably dressed schoolboys. The poor kids are also mistreated by the wealthy townspeople and targeted by the bumbling local police, while some of the fishermen and less affluent shopkeepers come to their defense. A subplot finds the mayor's daughter falling for the most recent addition to Zora's band. Unfortunately, much of the piece consists of long swaths of spoken dialogue in German, and while some of the tunes are catchy facsimiles of folk melodies from the Balkans (where the story is set), most are forgettable, and none of the orchestral playing or singing, including that of Olivia Vermeulen as Zora, rises above adequate. In fact, the only scenes boasting any visual magic are a couple of short interludes set underwater and populated by choristers costumed as fish and other aquatic creatures. Zora may be a popular child heroine in Europe, but this opera is unlikely to win her many North American fans. Presented in PCM stereo, this is an optional purchase. (F. Swietek)