'Bluebeard' a superb concoction

Bela Bartok's 1918 opera "Bluebeard's Castle" is a superbly concocted blend of symbolism and psychology.

Duke Bluebeard has murdered his three wives. And his new bride, Judith, willingly chooses death. But, has Bluebeard actually killed his wives, or is he only yearning to find a woman who is his emotional and intellectual equal? And when Bluebeard realizes that Judith is the one he has been searching for, is he ready to accept her? Is the opera reality or merely a dream?

The libretto is intentionally vague, and stage director Peter Webster plays on that ambiguity in his conceptualization. Whether he succeeds will be left to the audience to decide when the Utah Symphony and music director Keith Lockhart present Bartok's one-act opera next weekend in semi-staged performances in Abravanel Hall.

"I don't think it's about the man who kills his wife," Webster said. "It's about having the same dream over and over." He sees the deaths of Bluebeard's wives symbolically. "It's more than just a story of a husband killing his wife. We kill what we love and continually relive it. The work is a map of our humanity and our soul."

Bass Mark Schnaible, who will sing the role of Bluebeard, agrees with Webster. Schnaible sees his character as a complex individual who perhaps has yet to come to terms with who he is. "At first, he has very little to say in response to Judith's questions. But gradually he opens up more, and we get to see a little better who he is."

Uncovering the layers of Bluebeard's character and psyche is part of the story. The room with seven doors, into which Bluebeard brings Judith, and where the plot unfolds, can be viewed symbolically as the layers of Bluebeard's persona, Schnaible said. "I think the seven doors might represent Bluebeard's past life.

"The torture chamber behind the first door shows he had a brutal childhood. The armory behind the second door shows his maturation." As Judith opens each door in succession, the different facets of Bluebeard's personality open up.

The relationship between Bluebeard and Judith, the cornerstone of the story, taken in a symbolic context, is that of the complicated relationships in which men and women find themselves. And far from being Bluebeard's victim, Judith is the core of the powerful ending of this hourlong opera. "Judith is not a victim," Webster said. "She propels the piece to its dramatic conclusion. She is a woman who dares and brings everything to its conclusion."