Byrnes-Harris as the Dyer’s Wife in ‘Frau’

In her first venture in the role, Aleicia Byrnes-Harris made a sympathetic Dyer’s Wife in Richard Strauss’ “Die Frau ohne Schatten” on Monday in a Los Angeles Music Center Opera cast otherwise previously reviewed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

A native of Canada who studied in Southern California, Byrnes-Harris avoided facile shrewish attitudes and histrionics, portraying the wife as brooding, even puzzled, whether by her lot in life, failure to produce children or nameless misunderstandings and apprehensions. She did not easily reject her husband; later, she was conscience-stricken over her consent to sell her shadow.

The corruption of the character unfolded from touching innocence--simple pleasure in newly acquired jewelry--and vulnerability, to a frightening if unfocused morass of witchy egotism. Through her torment, she recovered her humanity in the monologue at the start of the Third Act.

Vocally, Byrnes-Harris revealed a pale-toned, sometimes lyric, sometimes dry and narrow soprano, which turned squally under pressure, especially when competing--mostly in vain--with orchestral fortissimos. Still, she managed to sing the role more often than rip through it, and she could be quite fervent in the upper register when she wasn’t pushing too hard.

She will appear again in the final performances of the opera tonight and Saturday evening.