Medford Tenor Performs In Retelling Of Britten’s ‘The Prodigal Son'

MEDFORD, MA — Medford resident and tenor Matthew DiBattista is performing in the Boston- and U.K.-based Enigma Chamber Opera’s retelling of Benjamin Britten’s 1968 opera “The Prodigal Son,” taking place on Oct. 21 and 22 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.

The performance retells the biblical parable about two brothers - one loyal to the family business and the other tempted into squandering his inheritance - and their forgiving father. DiBattista, who has worked with both the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Lyric Opera, portrays The Younger Son.

“The Prodigal Son” is the third of Britten's three Parables for Church Performance. Enigma mounted the first, “Curlew River,” to critical acclaim last fall. This new production is directed by Artistic Director Kirsten Z. Cairns, who said she finds in the universal story of parent/child reconciliation and forgiveness a balm for an often bitterly divided society.

“The Prodigal Son” libretto is by William Plomer, based on a Christian parable told by Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel of Luke 15. Its story centers on two sons of a farmer – the older a hard-working laborer who tends to the family business and the younger, whose reckless ways see him leaving with then squandering his inheritance in a far-off city. Destitute and defeated, the younger son returns home, begging his father to take him back. Cairns said the familial reconciliation in the opera resonated for her, but not in the typical way.

“Often with this story we are meant to identify with the Younger Son or the Elder Son,” Cairns said in a statement. “I found myself wondering if we ought to identify with the Father. I am struck by the biblical line, ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.’”

“Last year, in Curlew River we explored the idea that even in your darkest, most desperate days, you will find people who will walk with you, or stand by you; there will be comfort,” Cairns added. “This year our story seems to tell us we must be the people who stand by those in need. Don’t wait for them to come to you; run out to greet them and throw your arms around them – that is the love we need to embody in this world.”

General admission tickets for “The Prodigal Son” are $30 and $20 for students and seniors. Tickets are available Friday, Oct. 1 via EnigmaChamberOpera.org or EventBrite. Access to the Oct. 28-Nov. 4 streamable recording is available for purchase for $15 at EnigmaChamberOpera.org.