'An Evening Of Opera Scenes' Opens Nov. 19

by Richard Veit

The Baylor Opera Theater will present its fall programs of "An Evening of Opera Scenes" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 20, in the Blackbox Opera Theater.
Both performances of opera excerpts -- fully staged and costumed, with piano accompaniment, and sung in their original languages -- will be directed by Richard Aslanian, senior lecturer in music and director of opera at Baylor.
The performances will include the first act of Gioacchino Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri, the opening scene from Act II of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and the trio and "Card Aria" from Act II of George Bizet's Carmen.
"An Evening of Opera Scenes" also will include the duet from the opening act of I Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo, a scene and trio from Act II of Giuseppe Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and -- by Richard Strauss -- the final scene of Der Rosenkavalier and the duet from Act I of Arabella.
Two English-language excerpts will be performed: the fifth scene from Act I of Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe and the third scene from Act II of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.
Baylor's Blackbox Opera Theater is located adjacent to Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center, across the parking lot from the Glennis McCrary Music Building.
The two performances of opera scenes are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Baylor School of Music at (254) 710-3991.