Orchestra
Cynthia Huard, harpsichord
Zheng Zheng, violin 1 ‘11
Kelsey Henry, violin 2 ‘14
Matt Weinert-Stein, viola ‘14
Shelsey Weinstein, cello ‘10.5
Emily Scarisbrick, clarinet 1 ‘12
Hilary Cunningham, clarinet 2 ‘12
Hannah Brotherton, flute 1 ‘11
Hannah Postel, flute 2 ‘13
Adrienne Losch, horn 1 ‘12
Suzanne Calhoun, horn 2 ’14

Jeanne Rogow , Stage Director
Susanne Peck, Musical Director

La Canterina, written in 1766 when the composer was 34, is Haydn's earliest surviving opera.  The work may have been meant to be performed between the acts of a more substantial opera seria or it may have been performed as an independent entertainment, as it is this afternoon.  It was written early in Haydn’s long career as court composer to the Esterhazy family and the first performance took place in the Archbishop’s Summer Palace in what is now Bratislava, Slovakia.

The singer of the title is a young operatic soprano, Gasparina, who is living with her mother, Apollonia, in the studio of her voice teacher, Don Pellagio.  Gasparina is very talented, very pretty, and completely mercenary.  In a 1930s backstage musical movie, she would be the scheming “gold-digger,” and her efforts are earnestly supported by her mother, who still harbors memories (or perhaps just dreams) of her own stage career.  Don Pelagio’s benevolent interest in Gasparina is, of course, not merely artistic; as they rehearse a completely over-the-top dramatic aria he has written for her, he clumsily courts her and proposes marriage. 

But marriage would not be entirely convenient, since Gasparina is also enjoying the attentions of Don Ettore, the young son of a local merchant.  Don Ettore is new to world of romantic intrigue, and plies Gasparina with bolts of fabric and bits of jewelry that he steals from his mother.

In the first act, Gasparina’s efforts to juggle her two suitors lead to disaster, and the act closes with a quartet of angry accusations and general consternation.  Don Pellagio threatens to denounce the two women from the roof-top in the most damaging terms: “What else can I say – They Are SINGERS!”

In the second act, Don Pellagio threatens to throw the women out, but Gasparina’s impressively stormy aria bewailing her fate and her equally (soap-) operatic fainting spell rekindles Don Pellagio’s sympathy.  He attempts to revive her with the most effective medicine at his disposal, waving a purse under her nose.  Don Ettore, showing more profound medical understanding, insists that the scent of diamonds would be more effective.  Gasparina miraculously responds to the ministrations, and everyone joins in a cheerful final quartet.

This performance of Haydn's La canterina was prepared in my MUSC 240 course, “Performing Opera,” during this past fall semester.  Our goals were to develop the musical and acting skills needed to bring opera to life: dramatizing recitative - those passages of dialogue and plot development (in Italian!) that lead to the arias and ensembles;  character analysis and the psychology of interactions; effective and communicative stage movement; and, of course and always, the music.

Jeanne Rogow, stage director, Susanne Peck, music director, Cynthia Huard, rehearsal pianist and harpsichordist, and our voice faculty have made this a far richer experience than I could have reasonably imagined.  And India, Katie, Mindy, and Noah have worked with tremendous focus and engagement (and a lot of well-developed “natural” talent), learning the music, developing the characters and the skills to bring them into the world, and generally being a wonderful group of people to work with (all while juggling demanding schedules that apparently had something to do with “other classes” they were taking).  The same goes for our orchestra, who worked with dedication and good will to complete the sound world of Haydn’s comedy.

                                                                        - Greg Vitercik