Opera returns to the Monadnock Region, July 29

Monadnock Music presents two one-act operas by Argento at the Colonia lTheatre

Live opera will return to Monadnock region with two one-act chamber

operas, "The Boor"  and "A Water Bird Talk," both by American composer

Dominick Argento, at 3 p.m. on July 29 at the Colonial Theatre in Keene,

New Hampshire.

"It’s a pleasure to bring these lesser-known but wonderful pieces to the

region," says Gil Rose, artistic director for Monadnock Music, who notes

that both selections are based on works by Chekhov. "A Water Bird Talk"

features a henpecked lecturer whose descriptions of bird habits come

painfully close to the trials of his own life. "It’s a wonderful piece,

both funny and sad at the same time, about a guy who is just going off

the rails" says Rose.

"The Boor," adapted from Chekhov’s play of the same name, pits a

strong-willed widow against a country gentleman determined to collect an

old debt, with a result that surprises them both. According to Rose, the

works display Argento’s skill and craftsmanship, a combination that

seems to be disappearing from lyric opera. "At the age of 85, Argento

comes from a generation of composers to whom settings and ideas are

important," he notes. "He’s a consummate professional, and the settings

of the words in these works are brilliant."

"A Water Bird Talk" will feature baritone Aaron Engebreth, who has been

featured as a soloist in performances from Sapporo Japan's Kitara Hall,

to Boston's Symphony Hall, to Le Theatre de la Ville in Paris. Engebreth

sings and acts the entire 40-minute piece by himself, no small task,

says Rose. "But I know he is absolutely going to charm the audience."

For "The Boor," soprano Heather Buck performs the role of the young

widow, renowned baritone and Peterborough resident James Maddelena is

the boor, and tenor Frank Kelly plays the widow’s faithful servant. "All

of these performers are great actors as well as superb singers," says Rose.

The Monadnock Music Festival has historically incorporated a wide range

of music, from concert performances to solo recitals, but the program

has not included opera for a number of years. Why these particular

pieces to kick off the return of opera to Monadnock Music?

"We needed to start out with something simple," says Rose. "Each of

these is a small cast with just one set. I also wanted to concentrate on

American music, and Argento is American’s greatest living composer for

the lyric stage."

Asked about his goals for the season Rose said, "We’re trying to engage

the audience, giving them what they know and love, along with what they

don’t know but will love. Over time, we hope to serve as an institution

that is about exploration." That could mean new works, he says, or works

like Argento’s that are being rediscovered. "It should be an exciting

experience, not something like taking your medicine."

As part of the rediscovery process, Monadnock Music will be making a

commercial recording of "The Boor," which helps to document and

disseminate lesser-known but important works like these.

Noting the increasing popularity of broadcast versions of opera, Rose

thinks there is still something very special about opera that is truly

live. "It’s a different experience to be in the same space where live

singers are doing live things, and live things can happen. It’s just a

different experience than seeing a filmed version," he notes.

"The Boor"  and "A Water Bird Talk" will be performed at 3 p.m. on July

29 at the Colonial Theatre, 95 Main St., Keene, New Hampshire

(thecolonial.org). Tickets are $30, reserved seating, available through

the Colonial Theatre Box Office at 603-352-2033. For more information

about Monadnock Music Festival’s 2012 series, go to monadnockmusic.org.