The
Longwood University Department of Music
Opera Workshop
presents
Friday, April 23, 2004
7:30 p.m.
Wygal Recital Hall
with
Alexandria Brent, soprano
Lisa Jackson, soprano
Adrienne Hampton, soprano
Jessica Mohr, soprano
Melissa Morgan, soprano
John Gilbert, tenor
Aaron Sletten, baritone
Mark Rutherford, baritone
and
* * * * *
Adrienne Hampton as Zerlina
Aaron Sletten as Don
Giovanni
Jessica Mohr as CunŽgunde
John Gilbert as Candide
Alexandria Brent as Gretel
Adrienne Hampton as Hansel
Act 2, Scene 7,
recitative and duet, ÒCaro elisir, sei mio!Ó Gaetano
Donizetti
Lisa Jackson as Adina
John Gilbert as Nemorino
with Alexandria Brent,
Adrienne Hampton, Jessica Mohr, Melissa Morgan, Mark Rutherford,
and Aaron Sletton.
pause
Act 1, no. 7 duet,
ÒBei MŠnnernÓ Wolfgang Mozart
from
Magic Flute
Melissa Morgan as Pamina
Mark Rutherford as Papageno
with John Gilbert, Adrienne Hampton, Lisa Jackson, Jessica Mohr, and Aaron Sletten.
Aaron Sletten as KoKo
with Alexandria Brent, John Gilbert, Lisa Jackson, Adrienne Hampton, Lisa Jackson, Jessica Mohr,
and Melissa Morgan.
Act I Finale, duet,
ÒVanne a regnar, ben mio.Ó Wolfgang Mozart
from
Il re pastore
Jessica Mohr as Elisa
Melissa Morgan as Amintas
Final scene Gian Carlo Menotti
from
The Telephone
(b.1911)
Adrienne Hampton as Lucy
Mark Rutherford as Ben
ÒSome Other TimeÓ Leonard Bernstein
from
On the Town
Soloists: Alexandria Brent,
Lisa Jackson, and Aaron Sletten
with John Gilbert, Adrienne Hampton, Jessica Mohr, Melissa Morgan, and Mark Rutherford.
Notes and Translations:
In the country-side near Don GiovanniÕs castle, two young lovers, Masetto and Zerlina, are celebrating their coming marriage. The Don, after distracting the fiancŽ, attempts to seduce the beautiful and seemingly innocent Zerlina.
Don Giovanni:
At last we are free, my
little Zerlinetta from that idiot. What do you think, my dear, did I handle
that neatly?
Zerlina:
Sir, he is my husband.
Don Giovanni:
Who? Him? Do you think
that an honest man, a noble cavalier, as I consider myself, could allow that
this face of gold, this face which is sweet as sugar, should be worked to death
by a vile peasant?
Zerlina:
But, sir, I have given
him my word that I will marry him.
Don Giovanni:
Such a word is worth
very little. You were not made to be a peasant; another fate will come to you
by those roguish eyes, those pretty lips, and those fingers so sweet and
scented, I seem to be touching cream and smelling roses.
Zerlina:
Ah, I donÕ want toÉ
Don Giovanni:
DonÕt want to what?
Zerlina:
I donÕt want to be left
alone and betrayed. I know that you gentlemaen are rarely honest and sincere
with women.
Don Giovanni:
That is slander told by
the common people! The Nobility are a completely honest class. Come, lest we
lose time; I want to marry you this very moment!
Zerlina:
You?
Don Giovanni:
Certainly I do. That
small castle is mine. We will be alone, and there, my joy, we will be married.
There we will join
hands, there you will say, Òyes.Ó See, it is not far from here, letÕs leave at
once, my dear.
Zerlina:
I would not, I should
not, my heart trembles a bit. It is true, I would be happy, but he could still
make a fool of me.
Don Giovanni:
Come, my beautiful
delight.
Zerlina:
I pity Masetto!
Don Giovanni:
I will change your fate.
Zerlina:
I donÕt have any more
strength.
Don Giovanni:
LetÕs go!
Zerlina:
LetÕs go!
Both:
LetÕs go! LetÕs go my
dearest to assuage the pangs of an innocent love.
* * * * *
ÒIn
the country of Westphalia, in the castle of the most noble Baron of
Thunder-ten-tronckh, lived a youth whom Nature had endowed with a most sweet
disposition. His face was the true index of his mind. He had a solid judgment
joined to the most unaffected simplicity; and hence, I presume, he had his name
of CandideÉ.
ÒThe daughter
of the Baroness was about seventeen years of age, fresh-colored, comely, plump,
and desirableÉ.
ÒCandideÉ
thought Miss CunŽgunde excessively handsome, though he never had the courage to
tell her so. He concluded that next to the happiness of being Baron of
Thunder-ten-tronckh, the next was that of being Miss CunŽgunde, the next that
of seeing her every day, and the last that of hearing the doctrine of Master
Pangloss, the greatest philosopher of the whole province, and consequently of
the whole worldÉ.
ÒOne day when
Miss CunŽgunde went to take a walk in a little neighboring wood which was
called a park, she saw, through the bushes, the sage Doctor Pangloss giving a
lecture in experimental philosophy to her mother's chambermaid, a little brown
wench, very pretty, and very tractable. As Miss CunŽgunde had a great
disposition for the sciences, she observed with the utmost attention the
experiments which were repeated before her eyes; she perfectly well understood
the force of the doctor's reasoning upon causes and effects. She retired
greatly flurried, quite pensive and filled with the desire of knowledge,
imagining that she might be a sufficing reason for young Candide, and he for
her.
ÒOn her way
back she happened to meet the young man; she blushed, he blushed also; she
wished him a good morning in a flattering tone, he returned the salute, without
knowing what he said. The next day, as they were rising from dinner, CunŽgunde
and Candide slipped behind the screen. The miss dropped her handkerchief, the
young man picked it up. She innocently took hold of his hand, and he as
innocently kissed hers with a warmth, a sensibility, a grace-all very
particular; their lips met; their eyes sparkled; their knees trembled; their
hands strayedÉ.Ó
Excerpt from
Chapter I of Candide (1759), by Voltaire
* * * * *
A brother and a sister are lost deep in the woods
at night time. Gretel comforts her brother Hansel by reminding him of their
usual bedtime prayer. They sing the prayer together and find a soft place to
sleep for the night.
* * * * *
Act
2, Scene 7, recitative and duet: ÒCaro elisir, sei mio!Ó LÕelisir dÕamore, Donizetti
Nemorino,
the village idiot, just purchased an ÒElixir of Love,Ó believing that a day
after he
takes a sip, all women will fall in love with him.
The bottle, of course, is nothing more than a cheap Bordeaux. Nemorino ducks
into a cafŽ to test out the product and is surprised to find Adina, his true
love. It is for her that he bought the elixir, as she is in a class far above
him and gives him no notice. Nemorino, confident with his new weapon in love,
gloats of his coming victory. This new arrogance both intrigues and irritates
Adina, who is accustomed to having Nemorino follow her about incessantly.
NEMORINO:
Dear elixir, you
are mine, yes, all mine! How powerful your strength must be if before drinking
you, my heart is already full of joy! But why can I not feel the elixirÕs
effect until a whole day has passed? LetÕs try some! (He drinks) Oh good! Oh
dear! Another sip! Oh! What sweet warmth courses through my veins! Ah! Perhaps
even she can feel the same warmth. Certainly she feels it! I can tell by the
joy and appetite that has been awakened in me (He sits and merrily begins to eat and sing
in full voice). La la la la
laÉ.
ADINA:
Who is that idiot? What
am I seeing? Is it Nemorino? He is so happy! But why?
NEMORINO:
La la laÉ. Heavens! ItÕs her. But no, thereÕs no
rush. For now IÕll not bore her with my sighs. Besides, by tomorrow that
heartless girl will be in love with me.
ADINA:
He wonÕt even
look at me! What a change! I donÕt know if heÕs pretending or if heÕs really
happy.
NEMORINO:
So far, she does
not feel the love.
ADINA:
He wants to be
the indifferent one.
NEMORINO:
The cruel one
exults for now in my pain! Tomorrow it will end, tomorrow she will love me.
ADINA:
The simpleton
would like to break and throw away his chains, but he will see they are heavier
than usual (approaching him) Bravissimo!
My lesson has helped you.
NEMORINO:
ThatÕs right,
IÕll put it to work, just as a test.
ADINA:
What about your
former suffering?
NEMORINO:
I hope to forget
it.
ADINA:
What about your
former ardor?
NEMORINO:
It will be
extinguished soon. Yet in just one more day, my heart will be healed.
ADINA:
Really? I am
happy to hear it, but we shall see.
NEMORINO:
The cruel one
exults for now in my pain! Tomorrow it will end, tomorrow she will love me.
ADINA:
The simpleton
would like to break and throw away his chains, but he will see they are heavier
than usual.
* * * * *
Act
1, no. 7 duet: ÒBei MŠnnern,Ó Die Zauberflšte, Mozart
Encouraged that they will find true love, two
strangers, sing about sanctity of Holy matrimony.
Pamina:
The man who feels love's
sweet emotion
will always have a kindly heart.
Papageno:
Each maid must share his
deep devotion
and from this duty never
part.
Pamina and
Papageno:
The joys of love shall
be our own;
we live by love, by love
alone.
Pamina:
To love's sweet might
yields every creature.
It offers everlasting joy.
Papageno:
Its blessings are the
gift of nature,
which no one ever can destroy.
Pamina and Papageno:
Its noble aim shows clear in life:
No greater good than man and wife.
Wife and man, and man
and wife,
reach the height of a godly life.
* * * * *
A solo among duets; a song of a broken heart.
* * * * *
Act
I Finale, duet: ÒVanne a regnar, ben mio.Ó Il re pastore, Mozart
Two
lovers must part. Against his heartÕs desire, Aminta must leave Elisa, his
fiancŽe in order
to fulfill his duty as the rightful king. Elisa,
who is equally upset, encourages Aminta to go, knowing that they will be
together again soon. They offer up a prayer together to protect their love
while they are apart.
Elisa:
Go reign, my beloved,
but keep your heart faithful to she who adores you, if you can.
Aminta:
If I must reign, my
beloved, I shall sit on the throne, still your faithful shepherd.
Elisa:
You are my king.
Aminta:
What cruel fear.
Both:
O gods, protect this innocent
love.
* * * * *
Final
scene, The Telephone, Menotti
Lucy, who is constantly talking on her cell phone,
is distraught in her apartment because Ben left to catch his train while she
was on the phone. Realizing, Ôif you canÕt beatÕem, join Ôem,Õ Ben calls Lucy
from a train station on his cell phone to ask a very important question.
* * * * *
ÒSome
Other Time,Ó On the Town, Bernstein
BernsteinÕs On the Town, written in 1944, was his
first work for musical theater, and one of his earliest compositions. It tells
the story, as did his ballet Fancy Free, of three sailors on leave in New York City
for twenty-four hours. At the end of their day they find, as we all do, there
is never enough time to do all of the things we want to do.
* * * * *
Directed by:
Alexandria Brent
John Gilbert
Adrienne Hampton
Lisa Jackson
Jessica Mohr
Melissa Morgan
Mark Rutherford
Aaron Sletten and
Christopher Swanson
Musical Preparation by:
Celia Malfatti and
Christopher Swanson
Special thanks to:
* * * * *
ÒWhere has the time all
gone to?
HavenÕt done half the
things we want to.
Oh well,
weÕll catch up some
other time.Ó