Taust9 reason for rejoicing
Opera Review
by BILL WALLIS
If the Omaha Civic Opera's
production of Gounod's
"Faust" Saturday was an in
dication of the quality ' of
performances which area opera
fans may now expect from that
organization, there is reason
for rejoicing. The production
was a complete success.
Credit for such a success
must be divided among many
dedicated people. Foremost of
these is the artistic and
musical director, Leo Kopp.
Kopp, who has conducted the
Lincoln symphony concerts for
several years, is no stranger to
Lincoln residents. The produc
tion had no awkward musical
moments.
NATIONALLY - KNOWN
stage director James Lucas
added another production to his
formidable qualification as one
of America's best. Lucas'
direction of crowd scenes
(always a great problem)
resulted in dynamic patterns
which appeared and disap
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PAGE 8
peared from the stage with
ease and grace.
One of the great advantages
of civic opera is that generous
funding allows the acquisition
of top professional talent for
the more demanding roles and
to supplement area talent.
Professional and amateur
performers were excellent and
good in Saturday's "Faust."
The day3 of non-acting
singers in professional opera
are nearing a close. This
became evident early in
Saturday's production. Three
Metropolitan Opera stars
performed.
ENRICO DI GIUSEPPE, who
por' rayed the title role, is one
of the best young American
tenors on stage. As the opera
opened, he was convicing as
the ancient scholar poring bit
terly over the useless
knowledge to which he had
dedicated his life. After his
metamorphosis he played the
role of the young Faust with
vigour and competence.
His vocal performance was
excellent and improved con
t.
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LfcaWWMW
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hour Mini Lesson we can show you how.
stantly as the show progressed.
His "Salut! demeure chaste et
pure" in Act II was the vocal
high point of the show; the high
C in that aria was unforced,
solid and beautiful to hear.
The role of Mephistopheles
has been a fofte for the bass
baritone since the opera's
premiere in Paris in 1859.
Joshua Hecht fulfilled the re
quirements of this demanding
role with a large handsome
voice and a formidable acting
ability. He was sly, insinuating,
facile, blood-chilling,
humorous and, above all evil.
JEAN FENN'S Marguerite
was beauty to see and hear.
She was captivating as the in
nocent and charming village
maid Faust falls in love with;
she was radiantly beautiful as
he ardently courted her. Her
rendition of the famous "Jewel
Song" was delightful and she
was startlingly pathetic as the
seduced and deserted lover in
Act III.
Her death scene in the prison
was excellent; she teetered on
the brink of madness as h e r
lover attempted to rescue her.
These superb performances
were augmented by local
talent: Celeste Youngstrom as
Siebel, a young suitor for
Marguerite's hand, brought
grace and beauty of figure, and
a pleasing vocal effort to that
role. Daniel Sullivan as Valen
tine, Marguerite's brother,
presented a strong (though
often pushed) baritone voice
and a pompous stage figure.
His duel with Faust and his
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THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
death in Act III were either
awkwardly staged or
awkwardly executed.
Dorothy Davitt as Marthe,
the senseless widow who
becomes enamored with
Mephistopheles, was suitably
flighty and handled the vocal
demands of the role admirably.
Robert Roberts as Wagner was
inaudible.
THE CHORUS had its vocal
ups and downs, but the
numbers were lively, colorful
and full of vigor. Valerie
Roche, trained in Englands'
Royal Academy of Dancing,
was choreographer of the two
short, but effective dances.
Technically, the production
was not quite all one could wish
for. The set pieces, which
tended toward the abstract,
proved distracting at times.
Lighting was adequate, b u t
some spotlight cues were
clumsily handled, leaving ma
jor characters in shadows.
But these are minor points,
which did not distract from the
over-all high quality of the
production. It was of sufficient
excellence to engage the large
audience for well over two
hours with the ancient story of
Dr. Faustus, who sold his soul
to the devil for eternal youth.
DUE TO THE HIGH quality
of individual performances by
both professional and amateur
performers, the audience saw a
large number of beautiful
moments, the type which can
only be found in opera well
done. These are the moments
when the effect of all elements
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MINI-LESSON SCHEDULE
FRI., FEB. 13, 4 pm, 5 pm & 6 pm
CLASSES BEGINNING
SAT., FEB. 14, 9 am
435-2168
EVELYN WOOD READING DYNAMICS
1601 'P St., Lincoln, Nabr.
FRIDAY,
of opera combine successfully
to produce the great art which
the term opera truly implies.
"Faust" gives area au
diences much to look forward
to in Omaha's two coming at
tractions: Leoncavallo's "I
Pagliacci," and Mascagni's
"Cavalleria Rusticana,"
(which received a fine amateur
production here in Lincoln last
week) to be presented together
April 16 and 18 with 8 p.m.
curtain.
lift
Soul Dinner and Dance
Fri., Feb. 13, 7 p.m.
Nebraska Union Ballroom
Exhibition of Recent Sculpture
by Mike Whitney through
March 8
Sheldon Art Gallery
Flick: "The Collector" Feb. 13
& 14, 7&9p.m.
Nebra ska Union Small
Auditorium Feb. 15, 7 p.m.
East Union
LaSalle String Quartet
Feb. 13, 8 p.m., Feb. 14, 10
a.m. Kimball Recital Hall
Kansas State University Con
cert Choir Feb. 16, 8 p.m.
Kimball Recital Hall
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FEBRUARY 13, 1,970