Loudoun Symphony Notes |
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| March 2009 | Issue 8 |
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Mark Your Calendar! Adults $20, Seniors $15 Or at the door: Adults $25, Seniors $20 Those 18 and younger: Free! ---------------*--------------- Remember this? You're a kid in a darkened theatre. Up there on the screen is an old- time Western with a quack doctor selling "potions" from the back of a Conestoga wagon. His drinkable nostrums promise a full head of hair, or less itching, or strong muscles, or a cure for what ails ya...or love! Well "L'elisir d'amore" isn't a Western, but it certainly is a funny and farcical opera by Gaetano Donizetti--featuring the potentially rugged Nemorino (our love-starved hero), the strikingly beautiful Adina (the object of his intentions)--and the traveling quack I mentioned, known as Dulcamara (who calls himself "Dr. Encyclopedia.") Let's put on a show!!! At this point "Dr. Unqualified" starts to sell his goods to the locals. And, ah ha, Nemorino decides that the promised delights of the wonder-potion, that "elixir of love" of our opera's title, is just what he needs to win Adina as his bride. But just a minute here... ...standing stage-right is the highly self-important Sergeant Belcore, who has already proposed marriage to Adina...and, you guessed it, problems ensue. Problems? In an Italian opera? Who'd believe it? You will, as you discover that Nemorino gets a tad tipsy from the potion (a cheap wine), and suddenly notices that all the ladies of the town want to marry him. The potion worked! Sadly no...'cause Nemorino is the last to learn that he's inherited scads of money (an 1832 stimulus package?) when his uncle died. Let's just say that even though the less-than-magical yet highfalutin love-potion is nothing but discount chaff in a carafe, the opera is nothing but joyful throughout. Yes, it's silly at times, laugh-out- loud outrageous elsewhere, heartwarming at every moment (because we know who the bride and groom will really be when the curtain falls)...and one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. And now it's in Leesburg! (Imagine that!) Back in Italy, where Donizetti lived and wrote, this type of opera is known as a "melodramma giocoso," or "merry melodrama." In Leesburg, it's going to be called splendid, bringing together the richness of your own Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, and the wonderful voices from the Loudoun Lyric Opera. Indeed, it's an event of the highest order, one that you should note on your calendar now. Moreover, for those in your family (or among your friends) who are unaware of the power, joy and fun of opera, "The Elixir of Love" will be the ideal introduction for them. Invite them as your guests, or do a Dutch Treat to the Italian opera and let everyone broaden a few horizons. Either way, you're bound to remember this remarkable evening forever...just as you remembered the cowpoke selling a cure-all from a wagon. It sticks. Two Useful Notes 1. No need to understand Italian to laugh (or hold back a tear or two), for all the lyrics will be presented in English surtitles: the words projected on a special screen above the stage (the opposite of subtitles), making it comfortable to follow along all the way through. 2. The opera will be presented in Concert form, which usually means the singers wear tuxedos and gowns. BUT, our vocalists will be wearing costumes designed for this light-hearted work, making it easier to understand the motivations and subtleties of characterization. In sum, the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra and the Loudoun Lyric Opera are delighted to be able to present Donizetti's merry melodrama to you and those you love. Yes, it is a droll and unusual romance, but it'll also be a warm and powerful evening with the art of music alive in all its diversity. Join us for a sip of the elixir of love. (Don O'Brien) View Previous Issues of "Notes" Issue 1, March 2008 Issue 2, April 2008 Issue 3, May 2008 Issue 4, Summer 2008 Issue 5, Fall 2008 Issue 6, Winter 2008 Issue 7, February 2009 |
Attend the Concert, Win a Prize! Look at this: you could win a surprise prize (to be announced at each performance--one prize on each day) just by correctly answering the three true/false questions below. Print your answers on a 3" x 5" card or same size white paper, and print your name (and e-mail address please!) on the other side. There will be a box for entries near the Ticket Counter. We will draw one correct entry during Intermission on Saturday and another on Sunday. The "correct" answers will be found in this issue of Loudoun Symphony Notes. Important: Only one (1) entry per person; only one win per entrant. You must be present to win. TRUE OR FALSE? 1. This opera could be called "Love Potion Number 9" or even "Viagra Variations". 2. I can sing that aria a lot better than Enrico Caruso. 3. You know, for being written in two weeks, this opera isn't half bad! ---------------*--------------- Be instrumental! Forward a copy of this Newsletter to friends and family. To subscribe, simply send an email to news@loudounsym.org with the word subscribe in the subject line. Likewise with unsubscribe to remove yourself from the list. ---------------*--------------- The Two-Week Opera It's 1832. In Milan, the theatre manager is waiting for the new opera to arrive. The commission had been given to a well-known composer a long time ago...the curtain was set to go up in fourteen days. But so far there were no lyrics on the paper, no notes on the paper-- but there was an orchestra, there were singers, and there were nervous wrecks aplenty. Tickets had been sold, too--for something or other. Enter our hero, Gaetano Donizetti. "I'll write the opera for you, and I'll beat the deadline too." Or something like that. And he did it. Together with lyricist Felice Romani, who stole (borrowed?) the opera's general idea from the French composer, Eugene Scribe, and his opera "Le Philtre"--or "The Potion." "L'elisir d'amore" arrived as promised, along with what must have been astonishingly confused rehearsals: from tenors to trumpets, everyone on stage (and our perspiring manager) could have used a genuine potion! The eager ladies and gentlemen of the audience enjoyed the debut, but knew nothing of the path the opera took to make it on to the stage. But you do. Join us for this wonderful work. (Don O'Brien) Listen to This! We've found a four-minute surprise that's 98 years old.... And a special treat it is: you can actually listen to a 1911 recording by Enrico Caruso as he sings the most famous aria from "L'elisir d'amore." Paste the following link into your browser's address bar (or click on it if your computer supports that), then click on the little arrow near the top-left corner of the page. Wondrous stuff this. (I'll wait here until you get back.) (Don O'Brien) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Enrico_Caruso,_L%27elisir_d%27amore,_Una_furtiva_lagrima.ogg ---------------*--------------- FREE Family Fun.... The Symphony and the Rust Library, along with our good friends at Melodee Music, will host two Instrumental "Petting Zoos" this Spring. It's a terrific chance to see, touch, listen to...and maybe test-out some of the instruments heard at our concerts. FREE (which is good) and fascinating (which is better) for youngsters of all ages curious about music and how it's made. Mark your calendar:
---------------*--------------- Please note that the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra has no connection, financial or otherwise, with any of the Web sites or other outside resources mentioned in this Newsletter. They are suggested only to help you discover additional information. Loudoun Symphony Notes, copyright 2009. All rights reserved. |