Cincinnati Opera begins 87th season June 14

By Burt Saidel

If you love opera, Dayton is the place to be.  Every necessity for an opera lover is right here, or right near.

Dayton Opera has just completed another gala season with Ruth Ann Swenson’s brilliant recital performance. This was preceded by three sparkling operas, Madam Butterfly, HMS Pinafore and Samson and Delilah.  

If that weren’t enough, Dayton’s Regal Theatre was home to the area premiere of the Metropolitan Opera’s live telecasts.  It was a new experience for all, opera well mixed with popcorn. While not a live opera, cinematic focus on the action was exciting. We saw the stars, warts and all, in extreme close-ups.

The six operas were sellouts and attracted visitors from Columbus and Cincinnati.  Next season will bring eight operas to the silver screen here in Dayton.

It is the summer which adds more live opera excitement to Dayton’s opera aficionados. The Cincinnati Opera, beginning its 87th season, is a major resource for great performances.  

Many of us remember when the opera was held at the Cincinnati Zoo.  For some reason, resident seals of the zoo loved opera and often joined in a chorus accompanying an aria.

The seals have been deprived of their operatic experience for many decades.  Cincinnati Opera is now housed in Music Hall, a massive Federal Building with a 3400 seat auditorium.  Ornate and commodious, it is a venue steeped in history with its own intrinsic beauty.

Music Hall is quite a contrast with the state-of-the-art Schuster Center.  Both are marvelous opera venues.  Both are easily accessible and fun to visit.

Many of my dear readers are regulars at Cincinnati Opera.  For those of you who haven’t joined the caravan, let me introduce you to “Dayton’s other opera company.”   From Oakwood to Music Hall, the driving time is well under one hour.  In other cities, that is hardly the trip from the suburbs.  There is a convenient parking garage with covered bridges to adjacent Music Hall.  

For pre-opera dining, the Prelude Dinners are an excellent choice.  Held in the top floor ballroom, these buffets can be reserved through the opera office.  It is fun to rub shoulders with the opera staff, some of the stars of the next opera and Cincinnati’s very loyal audience.

Speaking of dining, now we go to the “meat” - the operas.  Cincinnati’s opera season is nothing short of spectacular.  The summer festival, beginning June 14 and ending July 31, features an ideal opera buffet.  Two performances of Faust, Così Fan Tutte and Nixon in China will be followed by four opportunities to see and hear the grandest of operas, Aida.

Artistic Director Evans Mirages describes the season as one of masterpieces for every taste and interest.  Gounod’s Faust, directed by multitalented Bernard Uzan, opens the season. Uzan is well-remembered by Dayton Opera audiences for his many appearances as stage director, including a memorable Faust.  Dayton’s Gala recitalist Ruth Ann Swenson will star as Marguerite, a role she performed for the Met this season.  As Faust, Cincinnati’s favorite tenor, Richard Leech, will join Russian-Israeli bass Denis Sedov, who makes his debut as Méphistophélès.

The Mozart comedic delight Così Fan Tutti lends itself to many interesting interpretations.  It is an adult comedy, dealing with a love quadrangle rife with dirty tricks being played by everyone on everyone else.  

An attention focusing picture-frame set holds the action.  To add zest, the cast will be costumed in 1930’s elegance.  As the lovers, Canadian soprano Alexandra Deshorties and Italian mezzo Marianna Pizzolato, making her US debut, will do their best to confound their lovers who do their best to confound them right back.

As the romantic “hunks,” the handsome pair of New Zealander Teddy Tahu Rhodes and American Shawn Mathey will give the girls plenty to stew about.

Next, a long-awaited area premiere of the contemporary opera Nixon in China arrives with much fanfare.  Although the opera is approaching its 30th birthday, it is still unexplored to many.  Who has not heard the energizing music of “The Chairman Dances?”  Who knows any of the rest of the opera’s musical content?

The minimalist music of Adams and John Cage is becoming less shocking.  The success of the opera, seeing President Nixon and Pat, Chairman Mao and Henry Kissinger as opera characters, is a bit of a stretch.  The success of the Nixon story as opera, the excellent cast, with stars experienced in these roles, will provide an “insurance policy” for a memorable experience.

The season closes with Aida. Verdi’s great spectacle is in reality an opera of intimate moments among characters caught in a web of love and political intrigue.  When asked how this Aida will be presented, Evans Mirages, with a wry smile, hints that there will be spectacle enough but the tragic tale, sung to some of the greatest music in the opera literature, will tug at the heart strings of the audience.

The opera will feature debut of American soprano Lisa Daltirus as Aida and tenor Richard Margison, often hailed as the leading Radames in the world today.  The stunning cast will make the fatal love chemistry explode like fireworks.  

The all-star cast in an all-star Aida will close another fabulous season at “Dayton’s other opera company.”  To be part of the caravan of Daytonians who meet regularly at Music Hall, call 513 241 2742.  Single tickets are available but, my suggestion is; get into the “summer festival” mode and share the excitement.

Ballerinas Shine!

On Sunday, May 20, these talented Oakwood dancers took to the stage along with their classmates in the Dayton Ballet Workshop performance. Pictured from left to right, standing are: Alex White, Olivia Morris, Erica Ohmer and Anna Deitz; in front row: Jessica Garrity and Erin Miller. In the recognition ceremony that followed the performance Olivia Morris received the Walter J. McCaslin Memorial Award  which includes a full scholarship to Dayton Ballet’s Summer Intensive. In addition, she will be attending the summer program at Boston Ballet. In addition, Jessica Garrity will be attending the American Ballet theatre in Detroit, MI. All six dancers are graduates of Miss Camille’s Dance Program at the Oakwood Community Center.

WSU’s Big Lens Film Festival at Neon May 31

On May 31 at 7:30 and 9: 45 p.m. the fifteenth annual Big Lens Festival will take place at the Neon Movies in Dayton, Ohio.  The festival showcases work by student filmmakers from the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures at Wright State University.  The students have worked on these projects for a number of years as the “thesis” component of this nationally recognized professional training program.  For most of the films, this will be their world premiere.  And if past experience is any guide, the work will go on to screenings at many of the top independent film festivals in the United States, as well as having international premieres at festivals around the world.

This year’s festival will honor a recent graduate, Carol Trevino, who died this past winter in an auto accident while leaving the set of a feature film being shot in Louisiana.  This was one of Carol’s first professional jobs after graduating the motion picture program.  She will be remembered at this year’s event through the showing of her thesis film, Standstill, and through a short tribute film made by two of her filmmaking collaborators at Wright State.

The program includes six other brand new student films and will be followed by a question and answer discussion with the makers.  A second screening follows at 9:45 p.m.

The Big Lens Film Festival is organized and completely staffed by the students as part of their learning experience in independent filmmaking. Ticket prices are $6 in advance and $6 the day of the show and may be purchased through the Neon box office at 130 E 5th St, Dayton or through the Wright State Theatre Arts office by calling 937-775-3072.

More information can be found at the Big Lens Film Festival website at www.biglens07.tripod.com or visit www.neonmovies.com

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May 29, 2007
Volume 16, No. 22

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A listing of visual arts, music, theatre, and other events in Dayton and beyond.