St. Paul's United Methodist Church
Northport
Opera Night, July 2nd, 2010, 7:30 pm
Program:
"Passing Dreams"
Roger Quilter
Jeanny Schwartz, mezzo soprano
"Serenata"
Pietro Mascagni
Robert Murphy, tenor
"So in Love"
Kiss Me Kate
Cole Porter
Gina Haver, soprano
"Nachtlied"
Felix Mendelssohn
Robert Cinnante, tenor
"O mio babbino caro"
Gianni Schicchi
Giacomo Puccini
Jackie Murphy, soprano
"At the river"
Aaron Copland
Bruce Solomon, tenor
"Habanera"
Carmen
Georges Bizet
Melissa Block, mezzo soprano
"Music of the Night"
Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Gary Lorentzen
"Questa o Quello"
Rigoletto
Giuseppe Verdi
Young Ha Kim, tenor
intermission
"Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Dawn Zahralban, soprano
"Che gelida manina"
La Boheme
Giacomo Puccini
Sal Cappelino, tenor
"Io son l'umile ancella"
Francesco Cilea
Andriana Lecouvreur
Cheryl Savitt-Spielman, soprano
"O Isis und Osiris" (Sarastro's aria)
The Magic Flute
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sergio Maldonado, bass
“Mi tradì quell' alma ingrata”
Don Giovanni
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lucia Stolzenburg, soprano
"Chanson triste"
Henri Duparc
Alex Sheerin, tenor
"Hotel"
Francis Poulenc
Francesca Lunghi, mezzo soprano
"L'alba separa dalla luce l'ombra"
Paolo Tosti
Daniel Gutteriez, tenor
"Willow"
Ballad of Baby Doe
Douglas Moore
Kimberly Iannuzzi , soprano
"Recondita armonia"
Tosca
Giacomo Puccini
Arthur Lai, tenor
"One hand, one heart"
West Side Story
Leonard Bernstein
Robert Murphy and Jackie Murphy
Daniel Ragone, piano accompanist
Chamber Music, 7:30 - 8:00 pm
Peter Howard, violoncello
Suite No. 5 for unaccompanied cello in c minor
Praeludium (Largo)
Allegro Moderato (Fugue)
Allemande
Courante
Sarabande
Gavotte I
Gavotte II
Gigue
Opera Night, July 2nd, 2010
Review by Dominick Caputo
· The opera portion of the evening began with mezzo soprano Jeanny Schwartz treating us to a beautifully sung rendition of “Passing Dreams” by Roger Quilter. As Jeanny noted, a short piece but thought provoking.
· Next tenor Robert Murphy heated up an already warm evening, singing “Serenata”, a Neapolitan love song by Pietro Mascagni. This is the same composer who gave the world the opera Cavalleria rusticana and the unforgettable musical theme of the film Raging Bull.
· In the spirit of the July 4th weekend, Gina Haver presented us a wonderful Americana bouquet, “So in Love,” from the Cole Porter musical Kiss Me Kate.
· Tenor Robert Cinnante offered us yet more variety in the form of a well-sung German lieder song, “Nachtlied” by Felix Mendelssohn.
· And of course, what would opera night be without at least one Puccini aria? Soprano Jackie Murphy came to the rescue with her wonderful rendition of “O mio babbino caro”, from the one-act opera Gianni Schicchi.
· Tenor Bruce Solomon brought us back to Americana with his elegant rendition of the American classic “At The River” by Aaron Copland.
· If there is a runner-up to Puccini on Opera Night, it may be arias from Bizet’s Carmen, and Melissa Block teased her audience with her passionate singing of the famous "Habanera," starting with the lyrics, “When will I love you? Good Lord, I don't know, Maybe never, maybe tomorrow. But not today, that's for sure”.
· Baritone Gary Lorentzen transported us to Broadway with his nicely sung "Music of the Night" from the Phantom of the Opera.
· Tenor, Young Ha Kim closed out part one of our Opera Night evening by giving us a rousing performance of the famous aria "Questa o Quella" from the opera Rigoletto, by composer Joe Green, where the Duke informs us that he is not at all picky about his choice of women. Mr. Green, better known as Giuseppe Verdi, gave the world many of its best loved operas.
· Soprano Dawn Zahralban kicked off part two of the evening with a wonderfully sung Mozart piece, "Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!", (I would explain oh God). This aria was actually part of an opera, Il curioso indescreto by Pasquale Anfossi.
· Tenor Sal Cappelino provided us a delicate rendition of what may be one of the most world’s most famous arias, "Che Gelida Manina," from one of the world’s most famous operas, Puccini’s La Boheme
· Soprano Cheryl Savitt-Spielman presented us with a lovely rendition of Andiana’s ode to creativeness, “Io son l’umile ancella” (I am the humble servant of the creative genius) in the aria from Andriana Lecouvreur, by Francesco Cilea.
· A little Singspiel, anyone? Baritone Sergio Maldonado rendered Sarastro's arias from The Magic Flute, by Mozart with the richness that only the baritone voice can provide.
· Next, soprano Lucia Stolzenburg sang “Mi tradì quell' alma ingrata” (That ungrateful wretch betrayed me) from the opera Don Giovanni, by Wolfgang Mozart. This aria was not part of the original opera but was composed at the request of the soprano Catarina Cavallieri to show off her voice. It has become one of the great jewels of the opera.
· What a coincidence! The art song "Chanson triste," by Henri Duparc was written when he was only 20 years old. And tonight it was sung beautifully by 15-year old tenor, Alex Sheerin. We watch with fascination as Alex continues to develop and proves to us that Bernard Shaw’s quote “youth is wasted on the young” should be taken with a large grain of salt.
· Mezzo soprano Francesca Lunghi gave us another art song with a terrific performance of “Hotel” by Francis Poulenc. Those who are trying to quit smoking will appreciate the lyrics – “My room is shaped like a cage, The sun streams through the window. But I who want to smoke to the mirages I light the fire of the day my cigarette. I do not want to work - I want to smoke.”
· While love songs are usually aimed at women, Neapolitan composer Paolo Tosti directed many of his most sentimental compositions to the sun, the sea, and the sky. Tenor Daniel Gutteriez gave us a beautifully sung example with Tosti’s ode to the dawn, “L’alba.”
· Soprano Kimberly Iannuzzi brought us back to America with her lovely rendition of the “Willow Song” from the American opera Ballad of Baby Doe by Douglas Moore.
· There is never enough Puccini to go around and tenor Arthur Lai did the great composer justice with his passionate, romantic rendition of the romanza "Recondita armonia di bellezze diverse" (Concealed harmony of contrasting beauties) from the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini.
· Well, how do you end a Northport Opera Night on the eve of Independence Day? Perhaps by declaring an end to rigid social mores? That is exactly what Jackie Murphy and her cousin Robert did as they sang the “One Hand, One Heart” duet from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story where Latino Maria and Anglo Tony declare their eternal love for each other.
