After an absence of six years, Utah Opera returns to the Madeleine Festival with a work by one of America's most prolific composers, Stephen Paulus.

Paulus' one-act stage work "The Three Hermits" opens the 2002 Madeleine Festival of the Arts and Humanities today in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

Commissioned by the House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minn., the work had its premiere in 1997. The libretto, by fellow Minnesotan Michael Dennis Browne, is based on a short story by Leo Tolstoy.

The plot of "The Three Hermits" tells the tale of a bishop who's traveling with his mother and two nuns on a ship across the White Sea in Russia. While onboard, he hears about three old hermits who live on a distant island. The bishop decides to go there and give them religious guidance.

After arriving on the island, the bishop spends the day teaching the Lord's Prayer to the hermits, who find it difficult to learn. At the end of the day, the bishop returns to the ship, confident that he has done God's work. As the ship sails away from the island, the bishop's mother notices a disturbance on the water. It's the three hermits, who are running over the water toward them.

Once on the ship, the hermits apologize to the bishop for having forgotten the words of the Lord's Prayer. Humbled, the bishop reassures them that whatever manner they choose to pray would be well received by God. The hermits run back over the water to the island. The final words heard are from their original prayer, "Three are Ye; three are we; have mercy on us!"

"The bishop sees himself as being pious and the hermits as simple people," said baritone Jeffrey Ray, who sings the central role of the bishop, "but he comes to the realization that they are all equal. He realizes that these three simple hermits have a lot to teach him."

For stage director Alexander Gelman, idealism is at the core of the story. "To me, what is fascinating is the nature of idealism. The bishop is the center of the piece. He is a spiritual and dedicated man, but he is troubled by the aspects of practicing his faith. What brought him into religion isn't as strong now."

Gelman added that the bishop represents all of us. "He is what a lot of us are. He practices his religion without thinking. How much do we do in a day without thinking about what we do? The bishop isn't exactly an Everyman — he is more successful than that — but he does have that about him."

Utah Opera chorus master and assistant conductor Douglas Kinney-Frost noted that the text is one of the strongest elements in "The Three Hermits." "The libretto is clear and emotional," he said. "It's simple, straightforward and honest. The story is laid out quickly, simply and emotionally."

Kinney-Frost, who will conduct the performance, also said that the music is uncomplicated and direct. "The music is extremely tonal, and so instantly listenable."

Stylistically, the music is church-based. "It has chant and four-part chorales and prayers, but it's sort of universal church music," Kinney-Frost explained. "And the orchestration is very simple; it supports the vocalisms."

Kinney-Frost pointed out that "The Three Hermits" doesn't fit into any one musical category. It's not strictly opera, nor can it be considered a cantata. "You can call it a sacred drama reading." There is also a distinct relationship between Paulus' work and J. S. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" and Benjamin Britten's three parable operas, "Curlew River," "The Prodigal Son" and "The Burning Fiery Furnace." "Britten's parable operas wander between reality and existentialism, and that is also present in 'The Three Hermits,' " he said.

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"This is a wonderful piece," Ray said. "The story is religious, but it isn't about religion, though. It's about all of us. You can correlate the bishop's humbling experience to our daily life. It's a simple message that's very relevant for our time."

Except for Ray, the cast consists of local singers. Kristen Hurst-Hyde sings the role of the bishop's mother. Carolyn Talboys-Klassen and Mara Bonde are the two nuns, Sister Angelica and Sister Miriam. The three hermits will be sung by Todd Miller, Eric Glissmeyer and James Miller. Members of the OPUS Chamber Orchestra will accompany.

The program begins at 8 p.m. and is free of charge. The Cathedral of the Madeleine is located at 331 E. South Temple.


E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com

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