A High Note
Music students perform in classic opera scenes
Mandy Toepfer
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: After Hours
A collaborative ensemble of a conductor, a piano accompanist and more than 10 singers, took to the McCray Recital Hall stage Friday and Saturday night to perform scenes from 10 operas.
The night's performance, "An Evening of Lyric Music Theatre: A Tribute to the Musicals of Stephen Sondheim," featured an operetta, a lighter and shorter opera from Jacques Offenbach, "Bluebeard;" and operas from Mozart, "Le Nozze di Figaro" and "Don Giovanni." Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" was performed, as well as "West Side Story" from Leonard Bernstein. "Follies," "A Little Night Music," "Into the Woods," "Sweeney Todd" and "Sunday in the Park with George," were operas created by Stephen Sondheim.
Megan Roberts, graduate in school psychology, says the performance was just what she wanted to see.
"I'm just a big musical fan, so anytime I get to see people singing and dancing on stage just makes me happy," she said.
Whether the performers were dressed in brightly colored clothing for "Carmen" or ghastly white makeup to portray the poisoned brides in "Bluebeard," the characters of the various operas were brought to life.
The popular song "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story" was performed, as well as a scene from the evil story of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street," which was recently made popular by the 2007 movie starring Johnny Depp.
The audience laughed at the play on words in the song "A Little Priest" from the musical, especially when Mrs. Lovett asks Todd whether he'd like his piece of general with privates or not. Privates would be extra, she sang.
Jason Lord, junior in music education, says everyone could appreciate the humor in the song, and that humor could even make people enjoy opera as a whole.
"I know that sometimes people think some opera works can be kind of what they call 'artsy-fartsy,' but I think when you add a little humor into it, people can sort of appreciate it when they aren't too formal with the idea of opera," he said.
The night's performance, "An Evening of Lyric Music Theatre: A Tribute to the Musicals of Stephen Sondheim," featured an operetta, a lighter and shorter opera from Jacques Offenbach, "Bluebeard;" and operas from Mozart, "Le Nozze di Figaro" and "Don Giovanni." Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" was performed, as well as "West Side Story" from Leonard Bernstein. "Follies," "A Little Night Music," "Into the Woods," "Sweeney Todd" and "Sunday in the Park with George," were operas created by Stephen Sondheim.
Megan Roberts, graduate in school psychology, says the performance was just what she wanted to see.
"I'm just a big musical fan, so anytime I get to see people singing and dancing on stage just makes me happy," she said.
Whether the performers were dressed in brightly colored clothing for "Carmen" or ghastly white makeup to portray the poisoned brides in "Bluebeard," the characters of the various operas were brought to life.
The popular song "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story" was performed, as well as a scene from the evil story of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber on Fleet Street," which was recently made popular by the 2007 movie starring Johnny Depp.
The audience laughed at the play on words in the song "A Little Priest" from the musical, especially when Mrs. Lovett asks Todd whether he'd like his piece of general with privates or not. Privates would be extra, she sang.
Jason Lord, junior in music education, says everyone could appreciate the humor in the song, and that humor could even make people enjoy opera as a whole.
"I know that sometimes people think some opera works can be kind of what they call 'artsy-fartsy,' but I think when you add a little humor into it, people can sort of appreciate it when they aren't too formal with the idea of opera," he said.
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