And the morale of Donizetti's Don Pasquale is....

A whole lot of musical fun in an evening, or in our case afternoon, at the OH!

After a spiritedly conducted overture, in which the strings sang, sometimes meltingly, sometimes not so, and the winds blew happily with the percussion section drumming merrily along, the farce began.

Strong singers, whose voices evenly matched, insured that the audience left chuckling.

Stefano de Peppo, and experienced bass baritone, set the pace, portraying the Don Pasquale with tongue in cheek acting without making him the archetypical caricature of an old doddering codger.

Equally strong performance came from the Norina, soprano Julia Engel, who was a saucy girl turned into fury. Her high notes were stratospheric and held, seemingly, forever.

Wesley Landry, baritone, as Dr. Malatesta, was quite convincing as the co conspirator to teach the old fool Don P. A lesson. His mellow baritone was,  IMO, a bit too "nice" for the role. 

Eric Bowden, sang Ernesto, the romantic lead, with penetrating power and endurance. 

The non singing role of Notary was taken by Maxim Bitner, a bass, who is part of the chorus.

All in all an amusing interlude on a muggy afternoon in Houston.

If, cheers readers, you miss the usual inclusions of video clips, if available, or photos, I apologize . My trusty desk top languishes at the computer whizz  " hospital", and the iPad and I are yet strangers to each other, to permit such fancies...... ;)!

Just one more note: 

both de Peppo and Bowden sing in all performances which will be Nov.21,22,23,and 24. So you have time to go and enjoy!

OH! La Traviata and VIVA VERDI!

Well, we finally managed to see this opera.
2013 IS a celebration year of Verdi , everywhere. We saw Oberto in Milan earlier.

Opera in the Heights presented a version of La Traviata set in 2013 complete with iPad or equivalent. In today's dresses and suits.

Our cast in today's matinee (why matinee for an afternoon performance-that has puzzled me for awhile) was well matched vocally, IMO.

Julia Ebner sang Violetta movingly.  And reminded me of another opera icon.. in the video clip below: Maria Callas.

I have seen this opera multiple times, and yet, her singing and acting still brought not a few tears to my eyes.

Alfredo was tenor Christopher Trapani, with a pretty big voice although once or twice he didn' t quite manage the upper reaches. Overall he had Alfredo down pat.  A very youthful Domingo as Alfredo below:

 

His Papa, Giorgio Germont, was sung with a voice of strong, yet mellow, baritonal heft by Robert Aaron Taylor (sometimes also listed as a bass-baritone), and - while not quite as lyrical as it could have been, his solo  Di provenca.. was sung with deep feeling. Here Dmitri Hvrostovsky in concert.

 

Daymon Passmore, a Heights regular, was a debonair Barone, the off and on protector of Violetta. Sadly, there were few moments to enjoy his huge deep bass in a solo.

 

4 Chorus ladies as gypsies danced, and sang, their way into the hearts of the audience, while tenor Gerardo Nunez made a dashing matador ;-).

Photo by Gwen Juarez Turner

Accompanied by his attendants,

one in purple traje de luces (which really caught my eye ;-), Rojan Easo, also a tenor.

 

Megan Bertl as Flora and Maxim Bitner as Marchese, made a well-matched vocally, suitably interesting couple.

 

Lisa Borik, soprano, made her debut at OH as a modern Annina, more friend than maid.

 

I am sad to report that this afternoon was THE last performance.

 

A powerful production, beautifully sung, accompanied by an orchestra that out did itself, under the enthusiastic, authoritarian,  and - yes, lovingly - wielded baton of Maestro Carreon-Robledo.

 

A BRAVO to Opera in the Heights.