Thanks to the Spokesman-Review, which printed a wonderful article in today’s paper. Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite for a tasty, musical treat starting on June 15 .

As operas go, Spokane Opera’s summer dinner theater is a bit of an appetizer – a way for audiences who might not be familiar with the art form to get a taste of what it’s all about.

The opera company returns to Luigi’s Italian Restaurant starting Tuesday for its ninth annual production there.

On this year’s menu: “The Maid Mistress (La serva padrona),” Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s one-act comic opera about an elderly, grouchy bachelor, Dr. Pandolfo, and his cheeky maid, Zerbina.

Dinner Theatre takes place at Luigi’s Italian Restaurant in downtown Spokane on June 15-17, and 22-24. For more information on ordering tickets, see our other post about it here or call 509-533-1150.

Baritone Derrick Parker and Soprano Heather Parker, great friends of Spokane Opera, perform “Pa, Pa, Pa” from Mozart’s The Magic Flute at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Spokane, Wa. See them both perform in our upcoming Dinner Theatre!
You can see more photos from Spokane Opera at our Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/spokaneopera

On December 31, 2010, Spokane Opera is hosting it’s 10th Diamonds & Divas black tie gala and fundraiser.

Italian food, Italian wine, and Italian opera: What could be a better combination? This June, you’ll have the opportunity to experience it for yourself, when Spokane Opera presents The Maid Mistress (La serva padrona) in Dinner Theatre at Luigi’s Italian Restaurant. The Maid Mistress stars husband and wife Derrick and Heather Parker, as Dr. Pandolfo and his cheeky maid Zerbina, and musical accompaniment by Greg Presley.

Dinner Theatre is a fantastic way to experience opera for the first time. The Maid Mistress is performed in English (using the Kalmus translation), and has a short running time — only 45 minutes. The ticket includes a meal at Luigi’s, which is a great value, and a perfect time to bring company with you. If you have a friend who has never experienced the pleasures of opera, Dinner Theatre is a good introduction.

We thought you’d like to browse some photos of the rehearsals for Pagliacci. The costumes look great, don’t you think?

Flickr: Pagliacci rehearsal

Take a look at The Spokesman-Review’s re-cap of our production of Pagliacci. They thought it was a “splendid gift.” What did you think? Share your thoughts in our comments, or reply back to us on Twitter and facebook.

Take a look at Blair Tellers’ story on Pagliacci in The Inlander.

Travis Rivers has written an excellent piece on Pagliacci for The Spokesman-Review. Go check it out!

During February, we are publishing a two-part series on Pagliacci. Part one discussed the composer, Leoncavallo. Part two discusses Pagliacci’s origins and rise to prominence. Pagliacci can be seen at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox on March 5 and 6.

The tragic opera Pagliacci is about a man named Canio who murders his wife and another man on a stage, in front of an audience of horrified fans. “I have a hard time calling Canio a bad guy,” says tenor Gregory Carroll. Hit the jump to read more.

Carroll, who plays Canio in Spokane Opera’s upcoming production, says, “I think Leoncavallo wanted to stress that this is about the destruction, the downfall of a man. Crowds pronounce him as ‘the Prince of Clowns.’ He’s treated less than human as an entertainer. He wants to be heard, and that makes people laugh. He opens his heart about his jealousy, and people laugh.”

In the space of a prologue and two acts, Pagliacci relates Canio’s story, as he is leading and performing in a troupe of clowns. His younger wife Nedda, also an actor in the clown troupe, is having an affair with the villager Silvio. Canio is intensely jealous of his wife, and when he discovers her affair, he breaks into jealous rage and stabs her on stage, before his audience. As he stands over their dying bodies, gripping the knife, he chillingly exclaims, La Commedia è finita! — “The play is over!” 

A man who murders his wife. A wife who betrays her husband. Is there good to be found in such characters? Soprano Heather Parker, performing the role of Nedda, believes so. “There’s no bad people in this opera. The audience will be able to sympathize with every character,” she says.

“Canio found her when she was very young, homeless, and starving,” Parker says. “She was an orphan. She was trying to survive. Canio took her in, fell in love with her instantly, and always hoped she would love him back. I think she looked at him as more of a fatherly figure.”

Such a sordid, violent story, set in the lower classes of society, places Pagliacci firmly in the verismo, or realism, style. In fact, it practically defined it. The success of Pagliacci helped propel versimo style to fame. Puccini and Mascagni were other composers of versimo operas. These composers created works of music and story that stood in bold contrast to the prevailing romantic and mythological opera styles, which dealt with lofty, historical subjects such as royalty and gods.

Despite such superficial grimness in the story, versimo operas are known for rapturously beautiful music. “The music is like a beautiful film score,” says Parker. Act 1 of Pagliacci concludes with one of the most touching and emotional arias in all of opera, “Vesti la Giubba”, meaning “On with the greasepaint”. It follows Canio’s discovery of his Nedda’s affair. He is heartbroken, but must still put on his makeup and smile for audiences so that the show may continue. Under his public persona is growing insecurity, to the point where he just collapses,” says Carroll, “But Canio is a businessman and he does what he needs to do when he performs.

Parker says that Pagliacci is an excellent choice for first-time opera-goers as well as long-time opera fans. “It’s a very short opera. The music is very melodic and beautiful. Pagliacci is a staple of Opera. I hope they enjoy the intimacy of the Fox Theater, which is such a beautiful theater. I hope people see it, enjoy it, and come again!”

Both Carroll and Parker believe audiences will be able to appreciate the humanity in these flawed characters. “It’s a story of true life feeling and emotion,” Parker says. Carroll says, “I hope that something I deliver through my singing and my character helps people examine themselves. I hope they explore their interpersonal relationships as a result of seeing this character.”

And, says Carroll, “I hope people are entertained.”