Thursday, May 2, 2013

A Night at the Opera

Last night I attended the Utah Valley Symphony production of "Opera's Greatest Hits" at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo.  There is another event tonight, and tickets are only $10 or $12.  Perhaps it goes without saying, but this performance was a musical delight, a treat for the ears as well as the soul.

During the symphony, the conductor gave brief explanations to introduce each of the songs.  These background sketches made the songs more meaningful and more enjoyable, and the musicians were superb.  There will be a few different songs performed tonight, but some of the opera pieces from last night's performance include: Der Rosenkavalier (R. Strauss), Musetta's Waltz, La Bohème (G. Puccini), Hai già vinta la causa, The Marriage of Figaro (W.A. Mozart), Ombra mai fu, Serse (G.F. Handle), La ci darem la mano, Don Giovanni (W.A. Mozart), La donna è mobile, Rigoletto (G. Verdi), Nabucco overture (G. Verdi), Sous le dôme épais (Lakmé) (L. Delibes), Una furtiva lagrima, L'elisir d'amore (G. Donizetti), O mio babbino caro, Gianni Schicchi (G. Puccini), March from "The Love of the Three Oranges" (S. Prokofieff), Bei Männern, Magic Flute (W.A. Mozart), Papageno, Papagena, Magic Flute (W.A. Mozart).

And it looks like tonight there will be a rendition of L'amour est un oiseau rebelle from Bizet's Carmen...