PARADIGM CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND UTAH LYRIC OPERA ENSEMBLE TO OFFER ‘LE NOZZE DI FIGARO’

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It’s been an annual operatic collaboration for years. And this weekend, Joel Rosenberg’s Paradigm Chamber Orchestra and Robert Breault’s Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble will once again team up, this time for Mozart’s sophisticated comedy Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). “The marriage ends well, so it’s a great opera to do for Valentine’s Day weekend,” Breault said.

Robert Breault

The collaboration with Rosenberg has been a boon for Breault’s opera students. “In terms of their education, being able to sing with an orchestra is invaluable,” Breault said. ‘We’re fortunate that Joel offers us this opportunity.”

Even with the popularity of Mozart’s operas, especially Figaro, which Breault said remains in the Top 10 of most frequently performed operas, there are students who have never sung anything by the great Austrian composer. “I always have students doing Mozart for the first time.”

Mozart requires a specific style of singing that isn’t the same as for Puccini or other composers. “With Mozart you have to pay attention to how you phrase and to details of pitch to be able to sing his music correctly. As a teaching mechanism, Mozart is good for them.”

Rosenberg added that Mozart’s music also presents challenges for the conductor and orchestra. “It’s difficult because you have to be careful with balance and phrasings. You have to play with élan.” It’s almost like walking on glass, he said. “Nothing is hidden in Mozart. Every note is to be heard.”

Joel Rosenberg

This is the third time the two have collaborated on Figaro. “We’ve done all the major Mozart operas, including Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and The Magic Flute.” And neither one gets tired of doing Mozart. “You always find something new in his music,” Breault said.

Figaro is a lengthy opera, so there will be cuts, Rosenberg said. “We’re leaving out the recitatives and choruses and a few small numbers. Most of the opera will be intact, though.” There will be some narration to bring cohesiveness to the performance.

The opera will be semi staged with costumes. “It won’t be anything fancy,” Breault said.

There will be two performance with two casts. “We have a number of promising students and several graduate students,” Breault said. Also singing are baritone Tyler Oliphant and mezzo-soprano Gretchen Windt, who just sang Cherubino in Idaho. “Those two are real stage vets,” Breault said. “I’m really excited about our cast.”

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Breault/Rosenberg collaboration. It started with a Messiah performance that Rosenberg was conducting with his American West Symphony. “I helped out with soloists for that performance, and I sang the tenor part,” Breault said. This is also the eighth year that Paradigm and the Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble have performed together in Libby Gardner Concert Hall. “It’s been a great collaboration,” Rosenberg said.

  • CONCERT DETAILS
  • What: Le nozze di Figaro, University of Utah Lyric Opera Ensemble, Paradigm Chamber Orchestra, Joel Rosenberg, conductor
  • Venue: Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah
  • Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14-15
  • Tickets: $10 at the door
This entry was posted in Articles, Concert Previews by Edward Reichel. Bookmark the permalink.

About Edward Reichel

Edward Reichel, author, writer and composer, has been covering the classical music scene in Utah since 1997. For many years he served as the primary music critic for the Deseret News. He has also written for a number of publications, including Chamber Music Magazine, OPERA Magazine, 15 Bytes, Park City Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He can be reached at ed.reichel@gmail.com. Reichel Recommends is also on Twitter @ReichelArts.

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