Free
Readers Ensemble
Oak Park
Festival Theatre
Robert Swan presents
Bellissima Opera's La Traviata
Saturday July 26, 8pm ET
New Buffalo, MI
Tickets: $20, $10 seniors & students
" A beautiful production loaded with talent in all areas. Christine Steyer is stellar in every role we have seen her in, and Franco Martorana is a gift to lovers of tenors."
Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
The Original Poster from 1900
Oak Park
Festival Theatre
Robert Swan presents
Bellissima Opera's La Traviata
Saturday July 26, 8pm ET
New Buffalo, MI
Tickets: $20, $10 seniors & students
" A beautiful production loaded with talent in all areas. Christine Steyer is stellar in every role we have seen her in, and Franco Martorana is a gift to lovers of tenors."
Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
The Original Poster from 1900
Italian Text
"Vissi d'Arte"
Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,
non feci mai male ad anima viva!
Con man furtiva
quante miserie conobbi aiutai.
Sempre con fè sincera
la mia preghiera
ai santi tabernacoli salì.
Sempre con fè sincera
diedi fiori agl’altar.
Nell’ora del dolore
perchè, perchè, Signore,
perchè me ne rimuneri così?
Diedi gioielli della Madonna al manto,
e diedi il canto agli astri, al ciel,
che ne ridean più belli.
Nell’ora del dolor
perchè, perchè, Signor,
ah, perchè me ne rimuneri così?
English Translation of
"Vissi d'Arte"
I lived for my art, I lived for love,
I never did harm to a living soul!
With a secret hand
I relieved as many misfortunes as I knew of.
Always with true faith
my prayer
rose to the holy shrines.
Always with true faith
I gave flowers to the altar.
In the hour of grief
why, why, o Lord,
why do you reward me thus?
I gave jewels for the Madonna’s mantle,
and I gave my song to the stars, to heaven,
which smiled with more beauty.
In the hour of grief
why, why, o Lord,
ah, why do you reward me thus?
"Vissi d'Arte"
Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,
non feci mai male ad anima viva!
Con man furtiva
quante miserie conobbi aiutai.
Sempre con fè sincera
la mia preghiera
ai santi tabernacoli salì.
Sempre con fè sincera
diedi fiori agl’altar.
Nell’ora del dolore
perchè, perchè, Signore,
perchè me ne rimuneri così?
Diedi gioielli della Madonna al manto,
e diedi il canto agli astri, al ciel,
che ne ridean più belli.
Nell’ora del dolor
perchè, perchè, Signor,
ah, perchè me ne rimuneri così?
English Translation of
"Vissi d'Arte"
I lived for my art, I lived for love,
I never did harm to a living soul!
With a secret hand
I relieved as many misfortunes as I knew of.
Always with true faith
my prayer
rose to the holy shrines.
Always with true faith
I gave flowers to the altar.
In the hour of grief
why, why, o Lord,
why do you reward me thus?
I gave jewels for the Madonna’s mantle,
and I gave my song to the stars, to heaven,
which smiled with more beauty.
In the hour of grief
why, why, o Lord,
ah, why do you reward me thus?
The Original Poster from 1900
The Original Poster from 1900
© Suburban Journals of Chicago
photo
Lyric soprano
Rebecca Davis as Floria Tosca and
Tenor John Sumners, as the painter Mario Cavaradossi
Tenor John Sumners, as the painter Mario Cavaradossi
DuPage Opera Theatre stages
Tosca
Love and betrayal in Puccini’s classic opera
reviewed by Ed Vincent
Lyric soprano Rebecca Davis as Floria Tosca
Tenor John Sumners, as the painter Mario Cavaradossi
Baritone Thomas Hall as Baron Scarpia
John Frederick as Cesare Angelotti
David Eickstaedt as a Sacristan
William Chamberlain as Spoletta
The aria 'Recondita armonia', where Mario Cavaradossi compares his painting and its loveliness to that of the
Prima Donna Floria Tosca is one of the most popular
and recognizable pieces, one that helped bring the young
Enrico Caruso to the stage in a big way. It is recorded
that Puccini had to get a new tenor at the last minute
to sing the role of Mario Cavaradossi and so he auditioned
a young singer who was said to have a 'voice of gold'.
Puccini played the piano while the unknown singer,
Enrico Caruso sang 'Recondita armonia'. When the
aria was over Puccini spun around on his piano stool
and asked the young Caruso; "Who sent you to me?,
God?" The rest is history. Caruso did not finish the
premiere, but did get his foot in the door. The young
singer in this production has a sweet small voice in
contrast to Caruso.
Lyric soprano Rebecca Davis as Floria Tosca, from Carol Stream, is a delightful presence on stage. She has a powerful and beautiful voice suited well for one of the top arias in
this or any opera, "Vissi d’arte". A pensive aria with enough melody to charm millions. Rebecca Davis looked
beautiful on stage and sang the role of Diva Tosca with
elegance and charm. Her rendition of 'Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore' was worth the price of admission by itself.
The stage sets might very well have you thinking you were
at the Teatro alla Scala in Grand Opera (little smaller scale though--we call it intimate). The sets and costumes were glamorous and the drama of the opera was sung and performed on a marvelous production. The tragic tale
keeps honor in its place and hearts true, but broken.
Thomas Hall as Baron Scarpia was evil and delightful
in his horrid life of abuse and disgust, and presented with
a beautiful baritone resonance, and the thug dressed nicely, too.
This is a wonderful show with grand singing, sets and costumes, and all with theatrical excellence... get your
tickets soon.
Only 2 Shows remain.
Ed
Vincent, Suburban Journals of Chicago
Lyric soprano Rebecca Davis, Maestro Kirk Muspratt,
and baritone Thomas Hall rehearse this wonderful gift
from Puccini and know you will love it.
Lyric soprano Rebecca Davis, Maestro Kirk Muspratt,
and baritone Thomas Hall rehearse this wonderful gift
from Puccini and know you will love it.
Tosca
Love and betrayal in Puccini’s classic opera
Artistic and Music Director Kirk Muspratt, the New Philharmonic Orchestra and DuPage Opera Theatre will present Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca for four performances
only at 8 p.m. Friday, July 18; 2 p.m. Sunday, July 20; 8 p.m. Thursday, July 24; and 8 p.m. Saturday, July 26; at
the McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. The opera will be sung in Italian with English supertitles.
“Of all the operas I know and love, Tosca is most definitely my favorite,” Muspratt said. “It is so replete with gorgeous melodies, and the harmonies Puccini employs are something extremely dear to me. As a musician I am astonished at
what he does with the harmonic language of the piece.”
Tosca is a story of cheating and doubt. Nothing seems honest and direct, and even love is troubled by jealousy. Political power and its abuse intensify the tragic love
triangle consisting of the fiery diva Floria Tosca, the handsome painter Mario Cavaradossi, and the sadistic police chief Baron Scarpia. Obsessed with the tempestuous singer, the wicked Scarpia plays a cruel cat-and-mouse
game with Tosca and her lover Cavaradossi. Tosca strikes
a bargain with the diabolical Scarpia only to experience horrifying consequences.
“The action is packed,” Muspratt said. “Each moment of
the drama is necessary. There is nothing that one can cut from Tosca – nothing!”
Tosca is known as the "greatest film score of all time," because the music reflects every hair-raising detail of this gripping melodrama in a way that keeps the excitement at
a fever pitch.
“Puccini creates such moments of sweetness and intimacy between Tosca and Cavaradosi and conversely, he crafts dreadful feelings of violence and evil with Scarpia,” Muspratt said. “He does the same thing with the orchestrations. Of all opera composers, Puccini is probably the greatest orchestrator.”
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was born in 1858, in Ducca, Italy. He came from a long line of church musicians and, obeying the lineage, he became a church organist at 14. Very soon, he discovered
his life’s passion – opera. Puccini developed the great tradition of Italian opera with its emphasis on expressive singing. He believed in the fusion of music and drama, and his operas focus on life's bittersweet passions and intense emotional storms.
In 1893, when Puccini was 35, he premiered Manon Lescaut, which was met with resounding triumph. The two operas that followed, La bohème (1896) and Tosca (1900,) secured his role as one of the most important composers in Italy. Then came Madama Butterfly (1904) and La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West,) (1907.)
The Talent
Muspratt is pulling out all the stops, with sets coming
from New York and costumes designed especially for the production by Barbara Niederer. DuPage Opera Theatre welcomes Jonathon Field as stage director.
Talent is Muspratt’s most important component, and DuPage Opera Theatre’s Tosca features gifted singers in
lead roles.
The cast is led by Lyric soprano Rebecca Davis as Floria Tosca. A resident of Carol Stream, Davis is known for her rich “brassy” and brilliant vocal timbre, vocal versatility, and remarkable vocal extension. She made her Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut last April singing Salaambo’s aria from the movie score of Citizen Kane. Davis has received rave reviews not only for her singing but also for her acting and stage deportment. Pioneer Press heralded
her Musetta as being “portrayed with full force and fire.” Davis has appeared in the roles of many heroines including Donna Elvira, Violetta, Fiordiligi, Leonora, Poppea,
Abigail Williams, Mimi, Musetta, Micaela, and Magda in
La Rondine. In 2008-2009 Rebecca will sing Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, and Micaela in Carmen with the San Jose Opera.
Tenor John Sumners, as the painter Mario Cavaradossi, is a native of Indianapolis. Tosca is his second appearance with DuPage Opera following his summer 2007 La bohème
debut in the role of Rodolfo. He recently bowed at Indiana University as Don José in Carmen, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, and Le Chevalier in Dialogues des Carmélites. Sumners has performed with Central City Opera as Detlef in The Student Prince, Conchenille in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, and in the title role in Massenet’s Jongleur de Notre Dame. Sumners holds a Master’s degree in music from the University of Tennessee and a Performer Diploma from Indiana University.
He has performed to much acclaim with Indiana University Opera Theatre, Central City Opera, Knoxville Opera and Ohio Light Opera.
Chicago resident and baritone Thomas Hall as Baron Scarpia, the wicked chief of the Roman police, has been heard frequently as a soloist throughout the Midwest in opera as well as concert performances. Most recently Hall was heard as Amonasro in Aida with da Corneto Opera, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor with Miami Lyric Opera, the title role in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Opera Quad Cities, in Davenport, Iowa, and Scarpia in Tosca with Raylynmor Opera in Keene, New Hampshire. Hall has been heard as a soloist with many Chicago area companies, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Grant Park Symphony
Other cast members round out the solid musical gifts of the cast: John Frederick as Cesare Angelotti, David Eickstaedt as a Sacristan, and William Chamberlain as Spoletta. Soprano Alexandra Rafalo, who is the protégé of Winifred Faix Brown, is Tosca cover.
“These are passionate singers portraying passionate characters – villains, artists and lovers in Rome in 1800,” Muspratt said.
Tickets to Tosca are $43 for adults, $41 for senior citizens, and $33 for students and patrons under age 17. Call 630-942-4000 or visit www.AtTheMac.org.
About DuPage Opera Theatre
Since 1977, DuPage Opera Theatre (DOT) has given opera
a voice in the western suburbs of Chicago. The professional ensemble is led by Artistic and Music Director Kirk Muspratt, recently named Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts by the Chicago Tribune. Under Muspratt’s direction, DOT provides innovative operatic programming for its patrons while engaging newcomers to opera through education and outreach. DuPage Opera Theatre is a professional resident company at the McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn and performs a full season annually.
About the McAninch Arts Center
The McAninch Arts Center (the MAC) at College of
DuPage is a state-of-the-art facility serving as a home for professional theater, music, dance, comedy, opera and
visual art. Housing three distinctive performance spaces
and an art gallery, the MAC provides a central location
in the DuPage area where northern Illinois residents can experience, as audience members and/or participants, all
the arts under one roof.
Since 1986, more than a million people have attended performances, gallery exhibits or rental events at the facility. During the 2005 season alone, the MAC welcomed more than 80,000 patrons from a total of 213 Illinois towns and
23 states. In the upcoming 2008-2009 season, more than
250 performances are scheduled including the best in
dance, classical, pop, jazz, theatre and comedy.
For tickets and information, please call (630) 942-4000 or visit www.AtTheMAC.org.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago
published by Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
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