The Fresno State Opera Theatre and Symphony Orchestra volition harvester for a unsocial accumulation of Giacomo Puccini’s beloved masterpiece, “La bohème.”
Performances are astatine 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, astatine the Fresno State Concert Hall. The opera volition beryllium sung successful Italian with English surtitles projected supra the stage. Tickets are $30 for wide admission; $25 for Fresno State employees; $20 for progressive military, veterans, seniors and non-Fresno State students; $10 for children 12 and nether and escaped for Fresno State students. Parking is escaped successful tons P1, P4 oregon P31.
First performed successful 1896, this timeless opera follows a radical of young, impoverished artists navigating young love, friendship, poorness and sacrifice successful the Latin Quarter of Paris. Based connected the 1851 book, “Scènes de la vie de bohème” by Henri Murger, the opera’s libretto focuses connected the emotion communicative betwixt Rodolfo and Mimì.
One of the astir beloved and often performed operas successful the classical repertoire, La bohème is renowned for its lyrical quality and affectional depth, capturing joy, vitality and the heart-wrenching calamity of loss.
While the archetypal opera is acceptable successful the 1830s, this Fresno State accumulation takes spot successful 1950s Paris. Dr. Maria Briggs, subordinate prof of voice, said the updates assistance the students and assemblage link to the scenes and characters.
“In opera houses, we volition precise often reinvent an opera and enactment it successful a antithetic setting,” explained Briggs. “I conscionable emotion the 1950s look and fashion, truthful it is truly amusive to ideate antithetic characters successful a 1950s look.”
The setting, she said, helps students subordinate to the characters and their fiscal and narration struggles portion coming to grips with the harsh world of beingness arsenic they find their spot successful the world.
The opera accumulation includes 55 members of the Fresno State Symphony Orchestra, on with 18 Opera Theatre performers wrong the 270-seat Concert Hall, promising a almighty yet intimate acquisition for the audience.
“One of the large things astir opera is the powerfulness of it,” said Dr. Anthony Radford, prof of dependable and opera. “What the assemblage gets successful this intimate mounting is the afloat powerfulness of opera, and they’re up adjacent and personal. You tin consciousness it. It’s arsenic if you’re successful the beforehand fewer rows astatine the Royal Opera House, London.”
The module accumulation squad includes manager and chorus maestro Briggs, shaper Radford, conductor Dr. Thomas Loewenheim and manager and repetiteur Dr. Drew Quiring.
To presumption the afloat database of performances this spring, arsenic students, module and impermanent artists instrumentality the signifier successful dozens of nationalist concerts astatine Fresno State’s School of Music, sojourn the Fresno State calendar for implicit performance details and tickets.
