Opera and country? Harmony among friends
Opening Saturday, the Atlanta Opera revisits Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman," a supernatural tale of obsession and redemption.
The traditional production, with a big ship center stage, was first seen in 2002 at the Fox Theatre.
Spruced up, it returns to close the opera's 2008-09 season at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
But between shows next week, instead of musing on life as a ghost, the Dutchman will pull up his cowboy boots, sling a guitar over his shoulder and croon with a legend of '70s and '80s country music.
The way bass-baritone Mark Delavan tells it, he "spent years stalking" Larry Gatlin before finally inviting him to a performance of "Tosca" he was singing at Opera Carolina.
Men of big personalities and generous friendships, they became fast pals.
They don't talk much about opera, said Delavan, who has sung the Dutchman across the country, including a much heralded production at the 2002 Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C.
In Atlanta, they'll sing a $150-a-ticket opera benefit April 29.
To set the stage, we got the dirt directly from Gatlin, reached at his home in the Hill Country outside Austin, Texas.
To our surprise, the man knows his opera: He even serenaded us with a snatch of "Che gelida manina," the famous tenor aria from "La Bohème," in his twangy, country-music voice.
Here's Larry Gatlin:
• On the Gatlin Brothers and opera. "A friend of mine interviewed Pavarotti and asked him if he listened to other music, and he said — I swear to God this is a true story — 'I listen to country music and Larry Gatlin.' "
• On admiration and worship. "I've always had a tremendous respect for the talent of bel canto voices. Growing up in West Texas, I had no exposure — it was gospel, country and western. About 15 years ago, after I'd needed surgery on my vocal cords, I started listening to opera tenors to learn about the projection of the voice — Corelli, Caruso and especially Giuseppe Di Stefano. Golly, Di Stefano's got the voice of God."
• On Mark Delavan. "A while back he was thinking about his career, and I gave him the best advice I knew. I said, 'Don't let million-dollar talent get wasted on $2.50 work — that's bad stewardship.' "
• On the Atlanta Opera benefit. "[Opera board President] Charlie Yates and I were having chili dogs at the Varsity. He's an old golf buddy; I sang at his father's funeral. Charlie was telling me that many people love country music in the opera world, and threw out Mark Delavan's name. I know Mark! So we talked it over and agreed to do a benefit."
• On singing tenor arias. "Atlanta Opera and Grand Ole Opry are two different things. I'd love to sing in the opera chorus, maybe hold a spear. We'll do [the benefit] off the cuff. I live my life with spontaneity — sooner or later the lights cut out or the microphone goes dead and you have to rely on talent."
