Loranga, Masaring och Dartanjang, Royal Swedish Opera, 12/9/06

With his new children's opera, Loranga, Masaring och Dartanjang, at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, composer (and tenor) Carl Unander-Scharin showed a young audience the importance of art as a forum where boundaries can be stretched. Swedish author Barbro Lindgren created the libretto for the opera, based on some of her own popular books for children written in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the seemingly idyllic setting of a farm in the forest, a little boy, Masarin, lives with his father, Loranga, and his grandfather, Dartanjang. But this is no ordinary farm and no ordinary family. The barn is filled with hungry tigers, and the garbage-heap behind the house is home to a giraffe. Loranga, who is named after a brand of soda-pop, refuses to work or to send his son to school, and grandpa Dartanjang is in a state of continuous existential doubt about his own identity. It is Masarin who, with the earnest clear-sightedness of a child, is the calm center of the haphazard stories taking place in this little micro-cosmos. Unander-Scharin has managed to catch much of the energy of Lindgren's narrative in his music, translating the twists and quirks of the language into vivid sound pictures; clearly, having the original author as his librettist was a benefit. As a singer himself, Unander-Scharin also has a strong feeling for the voice and its abilities. With stretches of spoken dialogue included throughout the work, and with the singers amplified by mikes, Loranga may not be the most "operatic" of operas, but it nevertheless served as a rather inventive introduction for young children to the concept of mixing words, song and music. Director Karl Dunér, who shared responsibility with designer Peder Freiij for the cleverly playful, bright-colored sets, skillfully balanced the dark-toned absurdities of the plot with devices that were outright funny, such as Dartanjang "conducting" the orchestra after the intermission — a triumph of slapstick. The conducting was otherwise placed in the committed hands of Tobias Ringborg. The entire auditorium was used to good effect, with a striking first entrance by the chorus, who were dressed as amiable policemen in uniform — and pink tutus. As the somewhat disturbing (and decidedly not politically correct) Loranga, baritone Ola Eliasson was the engine of the performance. Mezzo-soprano Katarina N. Leoson was rather moving as the straightforward Masarin. Bass-baritone John Erik Eleby showed comical finesse of the higher order as Dartanjang, exhibiting the inherent sadness and dignity of a fine clown. The composer himself appeared as Gustav the thief — another character embraced by this unusual household. The hot-dog vendor, the little family's slightly truculent neighbor, was sung by baritone Anders Kjellstrand. The children in the audience clearly enjoyed themselves, freely responding to the interaction with the singers when they made their way into the auditorium. One hopes that this feeling of directness and accessibility is something these young people will bring with them on their future visits to the opera.