The main constant that the Oakland Opera Theater has in its favor is the superb group of musicians assembled for each production. They're currently doing Igor Stravinsky's "Histoire du Soldat," which is set during World War I and updated to reflect America's involvement in Iraq.
Under the musical direction of Deirdre McClure, this ensemble has three standouts: Skye Atman on piano, Chris Grady on trumpet and Andy Strain on trombone. McClure collaborated with stage director Tom Ross to form a seamless blend of actors and musicians.
Our story begins when an American soldier named Joe (Ben Jones) returns home after service in Iraq and is met by the devil (Matthais Bossi). The devil offers him a deal: he'll trade Joe a book that foretells the future for his violin. But, for the book to work, Joe must take a three-day course on how to master it.
Joe agrees but the devil tricks him and three years instead of three days pass. Eventually Joe masters the book and becomes wealthy with its prescient information. At the same time, Joe misses those three years of his life.
After a while Joe grows weary of material success and realizes the money is making him unhappy. He then decides to lose all his money to the devil in a card game and it works: he's happy again. He also got his violin back.
Joe then embarks on his new life. When he arrives in a new village, he's met by the devil playing his violin. The experience of war follows Joe wherever he goes.
Even though Stravinsky composed this music nearly a century ago, the impact that war has had on soldiers is the same today as then. It's a universal story, a never-ending story: a soldier's story. Website: www.oaklandopera.org.
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