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March 8, 2005
Don Giovanni!
I've been exceptionally busy lately with Lowell House Opera. The production is Mozart's Don Giovanni, which quite possibly is the greatest opera of all time. One of the singers of the title role disputed that judgement, suggesting Verdi's Rigoletto in its stead. A fitting choice, since I haven't been this excited about something musical since I played Rigoletto at Aspen. At the Sunday sitzprobe (rehearsal with cast), the orchestra really "clicked," I felt, for the first time. Professor Hasty claimed yesterday in Tonal Analysis that the difference between Haydn/Mozart and their contemporaries was that Haydn and Mozart understood the use of rhythm. This somewhat controversial claim matches my experience on Sunday, when one of the finales caught fire and I suddenly envisioned myself surrounded by tens of thousands of adoring fans at the Fleet Center. i.e., it rocked. Literally. Not only that, but the arias are gorgeous, and Mozart, in his infinite wisdom and benevolence, has given the best bits to the first bassoon. No wonder I'm so excited about the show.
But really, you should come see it. The cast and orchestra have an usually good rapport musically and professionally, and so as an overall musical package this could be one of the best run of performances at Harvard in a long time. The performance dates are Wednesday 9 March, Friday 11 March, Saturday 12 March, Wednesday 16 March, Friday 18 March, and Saturday 19 March, all at 8:30pm in the Lowell House Dining Hall. Tickets are $8 for students and are available at the Harvard Box Office, or at the door if you want to chance it.
It's been a very exciting year for opera at Harvard between the ambitious success of Dunster House Opera's Candide and now Don Giovanni.
Posted by David Richmond at March 8, 2005 2:53 PM EST
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