The University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble will be bringing Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff to Kingsbury Hall on Friday and Saturday.
Falstaff isn’t a work one expects to find at a college level opera program, but, then, the Lyric Opera Ensemble isn’t an average college program. And neither is its director, Robert Breault. Since coming to the U. some 20 years ago, Breault has been pushing the envelope, challenging his students and showing them their potential. “Bob has always been striving to raise the bar for the students,” said stage director Michael Scarola. “And he’s instilled professionalism into their performances. I always feel like I’m working with professionals at any regional company.”
This will be Scarola’s fourth production with the Lyric Opera Ensemble. “Falstaff is one of the most complicated pieces ever written,” he said. “It’s musically Verdi’s most complicated piece, and it’s very much an ensemble opera.” In many ways Falstaff is the group’s most ambitious work to date, although Scarola’s other productions have also been firsts for the U.’s opera department: in 2010 Scarola directed Francis Poulenc’s powerful Dialogues des Carmélites; the following year it was Claudio Monteverdi’s groundbreaking L’incoronazione di Poppea; and last year he directed Carlisle Floyd’s moving Susannah.
“Each was a challenge for the students,” the New York based director said. “Carmélites was the first opera the students did in a foreign language, and not in an English translation. Poppea was their first encounter with one of the earliest operas ever written. And Susannahtook them to a new level of emotional intensity.”
Steven Condy as Falstaff (Photo Credit: Robert Breault)
Singing the title role will be guest artist Steven Condy, who was last in Salt Lake City for Utah Opera’s production of Falstaff two years ago. This will be his 10th production of the opera and the second with Scarola. “I sang [Falstaff] for the first time as a graduate student,” Condy said. “I fell in love with it then, and I’m still in love with it now.”
What keeps him coming back to the role is the humanity Falstaff shows. “He wants to be liked and accepted,” Condy said. Falstaff also has a larger than life persona. “He drinks too much, he eats too much and he laughs too much. And he also suffers the consequences.” But despite – or because – of his flaws, he’s a likable character. “He’s been loved ever since Shakespeare created him,” Condy said.
And Verdi turned Falstaff into a memorable operatic role, Condy added. “It’s an absolutely demanding role. He’s not really a buffo role, he is a Verdi baritone and musically one of the best baritone roles.”
Working with a student cast isn’t something Condy has done a lot. “I’ve done it a couple of times.” The first time was at Cairn University in Pennsylvania where he teaches. “We did Gianni Schicchi, which was a big undertaking for a small college.”
The other instance was another Gianni Schicchi with Opera New Jersey, in a production directed by Scarola. “It was with a cast of young artists who either were graduate students or were just finishing their graduate degrees.”
Daniel Tuutau as Ford, Olivia Maughan as Alice Ford (Photo Credit: Robert Breault)
Condy said he’s thrilled to be working with the Lyric Opera Ensemble singers. “They’re doing fantastic and working very hard” he said. “The vast majority of them can have careers [as professional opera singers] if they choose.”
He’s impressed with their abilities not only as singers but also as actors. “Falstaff isn’t standard comedy. You have to sing and act in order to make it work, and they’re wonderful in both.”
All of the leads are double cast, except for Falstaff. “Being single cast in a double cast is actually very hard,” Condy said. “For me the challenge lies in pacing myself so that I can sing two nights in a row.” But the way Verdi has written the role helps in this regard. “[Verdi] paces the role for you,” Condy said. “He alternates the intensive, heavier scenes with lighter ones.”
Thanks to Utah Opera artistic director Christopher McBeth, Utah Opera is once again helping out. “Christopher has outdone himself this time,” Scarola said. “He’s taken the program to heart. He said to me that there is only one other school that could do this kind of production, and that’s Indiana University.”
Utah Opera’s tech director and set designer are working on this production, and McBeth has opened up the company’s props and wardrobe departments, as well. “The head of props is doing our props,” Scarola said. “They’re even having specialty props built for us.” And the singers are being fitted by the costume shop with the outfits that Utah Opera used for their production of Falstaff. “For me, this feels like a true collaboration.”
Tyler Oliphant as Ford (Photo Credit: Robert Breault)
Scarola always looks forward to coming to Salt Lake City and working with the students. “I treat my student singers as professionals. There are some beautiful voices here and this production will be as good as any regional production.”
Singing the leads Friday will be Olivia Maughan (Alice Ford); Daniel Tuutau (Ford); Andrew Maughan (Fenton); Amber Stachitus (Nannetta); Erin McOmber (Meg Page); and Demaree Brown (Mistress Quickly).
For the Saturday performance the leads will be Olivia Custodio (Alice Ford); Tyler Oliphant (Ford); Lucas Goodrich (Fenton); Melissa Heath (Nannetta); Gretchen Windt (Meg Page); and Stina Peterson (Mistress Quickly).
Falstaff will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. The Utah Philhamonia under Robert Baldwin will play.
- PERFORMANCE DETAILS:
- What: University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble, Verdi’s Falstaff
- Venue: Kingsbury Hall
- Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. April 19-20
- Tickets: $23 general, $13 non U. students, free for U. students
- Phone: 801-581-7100
- Web: www.kingtix.com