In what’s become an annual tradition, Joel Rosenberg’s Paradigm Chamber Orchestra and Robert Breault’s Lyric Opera Ensemble once again join forces this weekend for a concert performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni. “This is our sixth collaboration, but our groups have a longer history together than that,” Breault told Reichel Recommends. “Joel has invited a number of our students (from the University of Utah) to join professional singers and his orchestra for years,” something that’s a win-win situation for everyone, he added. “It’s a huge bonus for our students, and the community gets a chance to hear great operas.”
Daniel TuuTau (Don Giovanni); Heather Madsen (Donna Elvira); Marissa Sheppard (Zerlina)
Don Giovanni is a favorite of Breault’s. “The music is powerful but also delicate,” he said. But there are a few tricks one needs to understand to make it work, both as a staged opera and in a concert presentation. “You have to find the comedy and also find the seriousness. Once you do that, then you can have a lot of fun with it.”
The Lyric Opera Ensemble staged Don Giovanni in 2006, but it’s an opera that’s worth revisiting, especially if one has the singers to pull it off, Breault said. “We have some great singers. It makes me feel as if I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
Six years ago, the group sang the work in English. This weekend, they’ll be singing it in Italian. “We’ve come a long way since then, and we’re on another level and demanding more from our students.” And they’re living up to Breault’s expectations. “This is a really, really talented group, and some are destined for big careers.”
The opera will be semi staged and condensed. “We’ve cut most of the recitatives and some of the numbers,” Breault said, adding that the performance will clock in at around two hours. Breault will narrate to provide continuity to the story. “I think it will be easy to follow. And if you’re unfamiliar with opera, Don Giovanni is a good one to come to if it’s your first one.”
CONCERT INFO:
What: Don Giovanni, Paradigm Chamber Orchestra and Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble, Joel Rosenberg, conductor
Venue: Libby Gardner Concert Hall
Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17-18
Tickets: $10 general, $7 students
Web: www.music.utah.edu