"Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!"
Mozart's famous opera, "The Marriage of Figaro," is coming to BYU.
Beginning Saturday and continuing through Oct. 27 (except Monday), the School of Music presents "The Marriage of Figaro" ("Le nozze di Figaro," in Italian), one of the most well-known and popular operas ever written. The BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kory Katseanes, will provide the music.
It will be sung in its original Italian, with English supertitles displayed for the audience.
Mozart composed "The Marriage of Figaro" in 1786 to a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. The opera takes place in Spain, and recounts the escapades of a single day at the palace of Count Almaviva, where comical acts of flirtation, revenge and cases of mistaken identity abound.
"Our production of 'Le nozze di Figaro' provides an ideal opportunity for our student artists to experience the melding of the interpretation, vocal technique, stage movement and a thorough understanding of the Italian recitative style - all necessary to prepare them for the rigors of a professional operatic career," said Lawrence Vincent, professor at the BYU School of Music, and opera director, in a news release.
Vincent has a suggestion for audience members who may not know a lot about the opera.
"It is an art form that does require a certain amount of preparation," he said. "The best thing you can do to prepare is to become acquainted with the work, by listening to the music on a CD or other recording."
Audiences may be surprised to know there is a lot that goes into planning an opera before the audition process even begins.
"The most important decision to make is what voices we have that will suit the opera we're doing," Vincent said. "This [opera] has leading parts for women and baritones, which we had a lot of, so it was a good fit."
Music performance major Shea Owens, 22, from Phoenix, Ariz., who is playing the lead role of Figaro in two performances this week, used a lot of time outside rehearsals to prepare for his role.
"I had a chance to look over it this summer," he said. "I ended up spending over 100 hours memorizing, blocking and learning Italian."
Even if the audience doesn't understand Italian, the music will tell the story just as well.
"The music Mozart wrote really expresses the words that are being said and the actions that are going on, and
it's cool to see that," Owens said. "Mozart was an absolute genius."
Because the School of Music only presents one full opera each year, audiences may not be as familiar with opera as they would be with other types of performances.
"Opera itself is an older art form, and I think it would be a really fresh thing for BYU audiences to see," Owens said. "This opera is one of the best ones out there; it will be a very enriching experience."
Tickets are $18, or $14 weeknights and $15 weekends with a BYU or student ID. Dress rehearsals are Oct. 20 and 23 and tickets are $9. Tickets can be purchased at the Fine Arts Ticket Office, by calling 422-7664 or by visiting performances.byu.edu.
