Saints and Sinners – Week 2

Orchestra, Chorale, Chorus, Soloists conducted by Paul Goodwin
Mhairi Lawson, soprano; Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Dashon Burton, bass-baritone; Francesca Faridany, actress-narrator

George Frideric Handel        Acis and Galatea

 Overture

Chorus : Oh the pleasure of the plains

Tenor Aria (Acis): Love in her eyes

Soprano Aria (Galatea): As when the dove

Bass-Baritone Aria (Polephemus) : I Rage –  /  O Ruddier than the cherry

Trio : The flocks shall leave the mountains

Tenor Aria: Help, Galatea, Help!

Chorus : Galatea Dry thy tears

Igor Stravinsky  The Rake’s Progress

Instrumental Introduction

Tenor Aria:  Here I stand

Chorus and Bass Solo:  The Sun is Bright

Soprano – cabaletta:  I go, I go to him

Mezzo-Soprano Aria : Come, sweet, come; Scorned, Abused

Chorus : Ruin, Disaster. Shame

Tenor aria :  I Burn, I burn! I freeze; With roses crowned

Chorus:  Mourn for Adonis

Epilogue

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  The Marriage of Figaro

Overture

Soprano and Bass-Baritone Duet: Cinque, Dieci, Venti

Bass-Baritone Aria:  Se vuol ballare

Mezzo-Soprano Aria: Voi che sapete

Tenor Aria: In quagl’anni

Soprano, Tenor, Bass-Baritone Trio: Cosa sento

Chorus : Gio Vani liete

Georges Bizet  Highlights from Carmen

Overture

Mezzo-Soprano Aria: Gypsy song

Tenor Aria: La fleur que tu m’avais

Mezzo-Soprano and Chorus: Habanera

Soprano Aria: Je dis que rien

Bass-Baritone and Chorus: Toreadors Song

“All opera is about saints, sinners, seducers, victims and death! In this evening of drama and excitement we present four contrasting operas that show elements of all these traits that make opera so compelling,” said Paul Goodwin

The Tuesday evening performances explore the saint and sinner characters as depicted by four major opera composers. The evening begins with the story of the beautiful Galatea’s (Mhairi Lawson) love for the shepherd Acis (Thomas Cooley), and of the monstrous giant Polyphemus (Dashon Burton) jealousy and desire for Galatea.

Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress is a neo-Baroque work, and is nothing like you might have heard before from the Russian master. The story tells of Tom Rakewell (Thomas Cooley), an impressionable young man who jilts his fiancée, Anne Trulove (Mhairi Lawson), for the get-rich-quick promises made by the sinister Nick Shadow (Dashon Burton), who really is the Devil. After several misadventures, all initiated by the devious Shadow, Tom ends up in Bedlam, an insane asylum. In true devotion to Tom, Anne Trulove rescues his soul at the opera’s conclusion.

Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro beings with one of the shortest but most memorable overtures in the repertory. The opera tells the story of the servants Figaro and Susanna, who get married. This spoils the efforts of their philandering employer, Count Almaviva to seduce Susanna, teaching the sinner Count a lesson in fidelity. Marriage of Figaro’s lighthearted and melodic sensibility has made it an audience favorite since its debut in 1786.

The evening concludes with Carmen, which has everything that makes for a beloved opera: passionate drama, great characters, a love story, and some of the best known and loved music. Bizet’s work is packed with great and instantly familiar melodies including the Habanera and the Gypsy Song—sung by the title character as performed by Meg Bragle— and concluding with the Toreador’s Song, as performed by our Toreador, Dashon Burton. The character of Carmen is both saint and sinner and serves as the perfect capstone for the evening. She is a seducer, yet is also a fragile victim and strong feminist.