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Opera Night Friday, July 16, 2021 | 7:30 PM the Breakers Lawn

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Opera Night Friday, July 16, 2021 | 7:30 PM the Breakers Lawn Opera Night Friday, July 16, 2021 | 7:30 PM The Breakers Lawn Chelsea Basler, soprano Omar Najmi, tenor Brendon Shapiro, piano Thank you to our generous concert sponsors: Roseanne and Dennis Williams - - - - - - - - - - - - MOZART Overture from Cosi Fan Tutte MOZART Se il tuo duol from Idomeneo ROSSINI Sventurata mi credea from La Cenerentola VERDI Questa o quella from Rigoletto PUCCINI Signore ascolta! from Turandot MASSENET Overture from Werther GOUNOD L’amour...Ah! Lève-toi, soleil! from Romeo and Juliet MASSENET Toi! Vous!...N’est ce plus ma main from Manon BIZET Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante from Carmen LEHAR Dein ist mein ganzes herz from Das Land des Lächelns LEHAR Lippen Schweigen from Die Lustige Witwe HEGGIE Overture from Moby Dick HEGGIE I See from Moby Dick FLOYD Aint it a pretty night from Susannah This program will conclude at approximately 8:45 PM. - - - - - - - - - - - - PROGRAM NOTES By Trevor S. Neal Opera Night is a culmination of some of the best repertoire opera has to offer with stories of love, betrayal, comedic trickery, and hope for what is to come. The evening opens with Mozart’s ever-popular overture to Cosi Fan Tutte followed by an aria from what is considered to be Mozart’s first “mature” opera, Idomeneo. Rossini’s La Cenerentola, which followed the success of his opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia, offers the composer’s take on the classic Cinderella story, highlighted in this performance by his trademark use of coloratura passages and dramma giocoso. From Verdi’s signature opera, Rigoletto, the Duke of Mantua sings, "Questa o quella" which roughly translates to "this woman or that one." He announces to Rigoletto his intention to court the married Countess Ceprano. Rigoletto agrees to help with his quest, despite warnings about Countess Ceprano's jealous husband. Little does Rigoletto know his daughter and the Duke are carrying on a secret affair, but neither knows of the other's connection to the jester. Liu’s aria, Signore ascolta!, from Puccini’s opera Turandot, begs Calaf not to risk his life for loving the stunning but terse Princess Turandot, who has set a rule for any man wishing to marry her to solve three riddles or risk a cruel death if the task is failed. Massenet’s tantalizing overture to his opera, Werther, leads the French opera section of the program featuring Ah! Lève-toi, soleil!, from Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, in which Romeo has escaped from his companions in search of Juliet's room. He finally spies her on her balcony and sings of her beauty which is like the sun. The words are almost an exact translation from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The duet Toi! Vous!...N’est ce plus ma main from Massenet’s Manon is the perfect bridge to Micaëla’s vulnerability as she finds herself alone along her journey in search of Don José, for whom she is still in love. In her aria, Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante, Micaëla prays for courage and strength. Franz Lehar was one of the most prolific operetta composers of the 19th and 20th century, influencing what is known as the golden age of American musical theater. His operettas, The Merry Widow and Das Land des Lächelns, feature some of the most lush and entertaining music, and though few are familiar with the latter, there exists a stunning aria, Dein ist mein ganzes herz, written for tenor Richard Tauber, a close friend of Lehar and for whom the term “Tauberlieder” would be coined. Jake Heggie’s opera, Moby Dick, follows the great story of the 1851 Herman Melville novel about a courageous crew of whalers led by Captain Ahab, who obsessively wishes to capture and kill the whale that took off his leg – willing to risk everything, including the lives of his crew. The young whaler Greenhorn (the novel’s Ishmael, renamed for the opera) who is a newcomer to the Pequod and loner himself, sings the aria I See as he speaks of the dangers abound from his dreams. Taken mid-sentence by the beauty of the evening, Susannah, from Carlyle Floyd’s opera, Susannah, sings the aria Aint it a pretty night, highlighting the loveliness of the night before her eyes. The perfect way to end a moving night of live operatic music and a splendidly “pretty night” at The Breakers. MUSICIAN BIOS CHELSEA BASLER SOPRANO Grammy Award-nominated soprano Chelsea Basler continues to make her mark in an extensive array of operatic roles due to her unique combination of vocal appeal and artistry. Praised for her "luminous voice" with its "easy soaring range,” she has also been noted for her "wonderful acting" and ultimately deemed "simply superb.” During the 2020-21 season, Ms. Basler was scheduled to return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Micaëla in Carmen (COVID19), perform the role of Julia Lowell in Borzoni’s The Copper Queen with Arizona Opera (COVID19), perform with Emmanuel Music as Angela in Weill’s Firebrand of Florence (COVID19), and perform as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Cape Symphony (COVID19 – postponed until 2022). In the summer of 2020, she was proud to be part of Boston Lyric Opera’s virtual performance of The Fall of the House of Usher, singing the role of Madeline. In the spring of 2019, Ms. Basler returned to Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) for the East Coast premiere production of Poul Ruders' The Handmaid's Tale, as Moira and made a company debut with Boston Midsummer Opera as Clorinda in La Cenerentola. In the fall of 2019, Ms. Basler joined the Metropolitan Opera roster, covering Poussette in Manon, rejoined BLO to sing Mary Johnson in the New England Premier of Fellow Travelers, made her Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra debut as the High Priestess in Aida, debuted as Penelope in Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana (COVID19) at the Odyssey Opera and returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Musetta in La bohème (COVID19). In the summer of 2019, Ms. Basler performed the role of Angela in Kurt Weill’s Firebrand of Florence at Jordan Hall in Boston and Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. OMAR NAJMI TENOR Tenor Omar Najmi is a familiar face on the stages of Boston, where he makes his home. An alumnus of Boston Lyric Opera's Jane and Steven Akin Emerging Artist Program, Omar has appeared in over ten productions with the company, including his critically acclaimed performances as Vanya Kudrjas in Katya Kabanova, Nick in The Handmaid's Tale, Beppe in Pagliacci, and many more. Omar is a recipient of the Harold Norblom Award, awarded by Opera Colorado, where he completed a residency as a Young Artist in the 2016/2017 season. His appearances with Opera Colorado include Joe in La Fanciulla del West, Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Edgardo in the Lucia di Lammermoor Student Matinee. Off the operatic stage, Omar has maintained an active concert career. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018 as the tenor soloist in Mark Hayes' Gloria, and he has since returned twice - as the tenor soloist in Dan Forrest's Requiem for the Living, and as a soloist in Talents of the World's Caruso Tribute Concert. He has made appearances with the Helena Symphony Orchestra in Rossini's Stabat Mater, the Savannah Philharmonic in Mozart's Requiem, the Greenwich Choral Society in Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, and many more. He has also performed several times with the touring concert Video Games Live, including performances with the Colorado Symphony at Colorado's famed Red Rocks Amphitheater. Omar has worked with composer Joseph Summer while singing the title role in the workshop of his opera Hamlet. Omar can be heard performing several of Summer's works on the albums Music to Hear, and Who is Sylvia?, both released through Navona Records. Omar can also be heard on the album Video Games Live: Level 5, and on the soundtrack to Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Omar is also active as a composer - his first opera, En la ardiente oscuridad, received its premiere in 2019, and it will be performed again at the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice in August 2021. Omar holds a M.M. from Boston University, and a B.M. from Ithaca College. BRENDON SHAPIRO PIANO Brendon Shapiro is a pianist, vocal coach, and conductor with a focus in opera and contemporary music. He is currently in his first season as a member of LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program where he has collaborated with artists such as Susan Graham, J’nai Bridges, and Sean Panikkar and premiered an excerpt from Matthew Aucoin’s upcoming Eurydice. Additionally, he will join Boston Lyric Opera in February as an Emerging Artist pianist and coach for Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. Brendon served as the musical director and pianist for the premiere of Omar Najmi's chamber opera, En la ardiente oscuridad, performed in Boston on September 6 and 8, 2019. Previously, Brendon has been a young artist at Opera North and Opera NEO. He has served as pianist and conductor with Boston Opera Collaborative and MassOpera and has held faculty positions at UMass Amherst and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. .
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