Live: Mozart Opera "Cosi fan tutte"

Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca Street, Geneva, NY

Albert Bergeret directs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte," a giddy satire by Vienna’s Imperial court poet Lorenzo Da Ponte, with guest pianist Pablo Zinger at 8p.m. on July 30 and 31 at the Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca St. in Geneva.

Commissioned to Mozart by Emperor Josef II subtitled, "The School for Lovers," this comic opera -- one of the gems of all "opera buffa" -- is a satire of the highly acclaimed fidelity of the female sex. It was finished by Mozart in 1790 -- the year before his death. It was his third and final collaboration with Da Ponte, who also provided the texts for "Marriage of Figaro" and "Don Giovanni."

Don Alfonso, an old philosopher and cynic, is determined to prove to his two young friends, Guglielmo and Ferrando, that their fiancées, Fiordiligi and Dorabella, are not to be trusted like any other woman. With the help of Despina, the ladies' maid, Alfonso lays his plot. First he tells them that as officers, their lovers have been called up on duty; and as a part of the old man's plan, he introduces the sisters to two Albanians, who are, of course, Guglielmo and Ferrando disguised. After inner conflicts the two women succumb to the advances of the "Albanians," forcing Guglielmo and Ferrando to concede defeat. However, Don Alfonso reveals the plot to the two deceived ladies and they are reconciled with their original lovers.

Appearing in the cast, and singing in English, are operatic baritone Jimi James, tenor John Bernard, baritone Charles King, sopranos Michelle Seipel and Sara Thomas and mezzo soprano Laurel Cameron.

Albert Bergeret’s hilarious stagings of "Die Fledermaus," "The Impresario," and "Trial by Jury" have delighted Smith audiences in previous summers. Though critically acclaimed as both stage and musical director of a wide variety of operas, it is his work as founding director of the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) for which he was hailed by New York magazine as, "the leading custodian of the G&S classics." His work as both stage and musical director has been widely acclaimed in the New York press as well as on tour throughout the United States.

Bergeret co-founded NYGASP in 1974 and has served as its Artistic Director/General Manager ever since, conducting and directing all of the company's repertory of thirteen Gilbert and Sullivan productions, as well as Gershwin's "Of Thee I Sing." His boundless energy and clear understanding of the comic operetta genre have helped to shape the company's artistic output and to develop a loyal following for its annual performances at New York City Center in Manhattan and in other communities where the organization has toured.

He has conducted programs with Orchestra London Canada, The Northwest Indiana Symphony, and The Erie Philharmonic (featuring Broadway star Mary Beth Peil and Metropolitan Opera Baritone Robert Goodloe). He has also conducted and directed such widely diverse personalities as Steve Allen, Hal Linden, John Astin, Noel Harrison, Pat Carroll, John Rubinstein, Louis Quilico, Lando Bartolini, and John Reed, O.B.E.

Bergerat's collaboration, this summer, with conductor Pablo Zinger, known world-wide as a conductor of zarzuela (a Spanish variation on light opera) should prove ground-breaking.

The production is presented by American Landmark Festivals and the Smith Center for the Arts.

Tickets to this special presentation are $20 general admission, $16 for college students and senior citizens; children in grades k-12 are admitted free of charge. Tickets are available at the Smith Opera House, by calling 315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll-free 1-866-355-LIVE (5483), and online at www.TheSmith.org. The Smith accepts MasterCard, Visa and Discover. Box office hours are weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Contact the box office for more information.
 

$20 General Admission/$16 College students & Seniors/Students Grade 12 and under-Free