Zanettoby Pietro Mascagni |
Suor Angelicaby Giacomo Puccini |
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Saturday, January 31, 7:00pm
First United Methodist Church of Bellevue 1934 108th Ave NE Bellevue, WA |
Suggested donation: $15 general, $10 student/senior
Cast and Characters
| Zanetto | ...... | Sharon Annette Lancaster |
| Angelica/Silvia | ...... | Regina Thomas/Mariatana del Rosario |
| La Principessa | ...... | Carla Hilderbrand |
| Genovieffa | ...... | |
| La Suora Zelatrice | ...... | Emma Alvarez |
| La Suora Infermiera | ...... | Meg Daly |
| Dolcina | ...... | Teresa Lewis |
| La Prima Novizia | ...... | Sunday Moore |
| La Seconda Novizia | ...... | Robyn Clapper |
| La Prima Conversa | ...... | Emily Purcell |
| La Seconda Conversa | ...... | Sibyl Adams |
| Suora Osmina | ...... | Kaaryn Black |
| La Badessa | ...... | Katie Hochman |
| La Maestra delle Novizie | ...... | Katie Hochman |
| I Cercatrici | ...... | Krista Mercier (1st) & Emily Robinson (2nd) |
| Suora Lucilla | ...... | Erin McMullen |
| Suora Bernadetta | ...... | Vicky Monk |
| Pianist | ...... | John Burkhardt |
| Conductor | ...... | Samuel D. McCoy |
About Zanetto (1896)
A lonely, aging courtesan (Sylvia) who has obtained fame and notoriety because of her great charm and beauty, laments the fact that true love has perhaps passed her by. Enter Zanetto, a young singer (played in a trouser role by Jennifer Larmore) who is coming into Florence (in a renaissance-era setting), perhaps the answer to the dream that Sylvia has had of a young Florentine. He arrives and falls asleep, whereupon Sylva spots him and begins a dialog with him. Zanetto speaks of the famous courtesan Sylvia, though she never does reveal to him that she is indeed the one he is speaking of. Ultimately, moved by the young man and flattered over his desire to meet this famous woman, Sylvia disparages herself to him, suggesting for various reasons that he should avoid meeting this fallen woman at all costs. The boy takes her meaning, and says that he will have no intention of seeking her out, and moves on. Sylvia, happy that she is still capable of feeling pure and true love, breaks into tears at the thought of real love lost.
Recordings of Zanetto:About Suor Angelica (1918)
The action takes place in a convent in the latter part of the 17th century. The nuns are engaged in their daily activities when a visitor is announced. Sister Angelica, a Florentine noblewoman, has been compelled by her family to take the veil, following the birth of her illegitimate son. For seven years she has been waiting to hear news of her family or friends. The abbess announces that Angelica’s aunt, the Princess, has come to see her and warns her to be full of humility in her visit with the old lady. The Princess tells Angelica that she has come in order that she may relinquish her rights in writing which is made necessary by the upcoming wedding of Angelica’s younger sister. She adds that lifelong penetence is Angelica’s only remaining path to salvation. Then, in answer to Angelica’s question, the Princess informs Angelica that her son died two years before. Filled with hysterical despair, Angelica drinks poison. As she is dying, she is seized by remorse and begs forgiveness. A miracle takes place and the Virgin Mary is seen bringing a blond child and putting him into his mother’s arms as Angelica dies. A choir of nuns and angels sing "Thou art Saved".
Part of the Il Triticco, three one-act operas meant to be performed together, Suor Angelica stands out in the operatic repertoire and having an all-female cast. Il tabarro, the first act, is very dark and brooding, full of the violence and grit associated with verismo opera. Suor Angelica, the second act, Puccini's personal favorite (and usually the one to be omitted if only two of the acts are performed), is an uplifting tale of religious redemption. Gianni Schicchi, the third act, is the most popular, a comedic farce full of greed and conniving.
To learn more:About Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)
Most famous for his one act opera, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pietro Mascagni wrote many fine works and was highly influential during his time. He was a contemporary of Giacomo Puccini, having written most of his works in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Mascagni wrote 15 operas and one Operetta, many orchestral works. He was also very much in demand as a conductor.
Mascagni is also considered to be one of the most important composers of the verismo style of opera. Verismo means realism in Italian. Advocating a more realistic style of composition, verismo composers tended to compose the music continuously through the opera, so that the dramatic movement of the story flows uninterrupted instead of dividing it into separate "numbers" in the score which could be easily excerpted as arias or duets. This is not exclusively true, though, as many verismo operas do have one or two pieces that are often performed separately as part of recitals or concerts.
To learn more:- www.mascagni.org - Includes synopsis and libretto of Zanetto as well as detailed biography of the composer
- Wikipedia article on Mascagni
About Puccini (1858-1924)
Puccini was born into a family of musicians. For generations, they had held respectable music posts in the town of Lucca, Italy. Puccini’s uncle attempted to train him in the musical arts, but soon declared that Giacomo was a "backward Puccini", incapable of carrying on the family tradition. The family sent Puccini to study with Carlo Angeloni and under his instruction, Puccini grew in talent and ability. However, he was often irresponsible and mischievous. He was a trouble-maker in school, purposefully singing the wrong notes in choir and interpolating opera arias into church organ music, scandalizing the priests. Puccini may have continued on in this way had he not seen Verdi’s opera Aida, the viewing of which was to change his life. From this point on, Puccini dedicated himself to the vision of becoming a great opera composer.
He was able to gain patronage and moved to Milan for more intensive musical instruction. A string of operas soon followed with mixed results, the first of which was Le Villi. Puccini’s most famous operas are La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca, but many of his other operas are still very popular and performed often. His compositional style was different than that of Verdi and Wagner, both of whom created epic stories of heroism, death and grandeur. Rather, Puccini focused on creating "slices of life". He even said once, "The only music I can make is that of small things". He is most famous for creating poignant dramas in which the characters are human, subject to the same emotional storms and stresses as everyday human beings. Puccini created some of the most beautiful, detailed and delicate character portraits ever.
To learn more: