Music Reviews

Jul 18, 2005 - Nevada Opera's Opera in Blue Jeans is a Reno Artown event that's in fashion

By Jack Neal

Nevada Opera got the double exposure treatment at this year's Reno's Artown festival. The company presented its program at the Hawkins Amphitheater Friday night (7/15/05) and at the Wingfield Park Amphitheater Saturday night (7/16/05).

Artistic director Michael Borowitz conducted and accompanied (the piano) a varied program designed to please summertime audiences and it did. I attended the Wingfield Park concert (I love the Hawkins Amphitheater, but parking is a bit too inconvenient).

In addition to Michael Borowitz, soprano Suzette Thoeni, mezzosoprano Sarah Blaze, tenor John Bellemer, baritone Tim McDevitt, and the Nevada Opera Chorus starred. A crowd of about 800 opera fans listened, enjoyed the soft breeze off the Truckee River on a hot but not uncomfortable Reno evening, and loved everything they heard. And for good reason. It was not just a grand night for singing, the singing itself was just grand.

The program was laced with music from NO's next season. Suzette Thoeni sang Puccini's "Vissi d'arte" from "Tosca." John Bellemer sang that old Mario Lanza chestnut "Be My Love," that I will always love. Miss Thoeni ventured the problematic Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and she managed most of its ungodly peaks and crevasses well. Tim McDevitt and Sarah Blaze brought much presence and fun to Irving Berlin's "Anything You Can Do." Miss Blaze sang Jerome Kern's beautiful "The Song Is You" and she sang it wonderfully. The Nevada Opera Chorus managed a lovely "Va, pensiero" from Verdi's "Nabucco."

There were many selections from next season's "The Pirates oif Penzance," all of them a delight. The "find" for this Saturday-in the-park concert was "I'm on my way to Reno," a number highlighting Reno's reputation as the world's divorce capital ("To get rid of the one you hate, they have divorces while you wait.").

Park concerts are not the best places to hear opera, but they are wonderful venues for creating new audiences for opera in opera houses. The program Michael Borowitz put together was light, fun and good - a grand way to entice prospective fans to the opera house during the winter season. This year's double exposure couldn't help but win friends for Nevada Opera.

This wasn't exactly "Sunday in the Park With George," a very nice closing for NO's summer park concert. But it was a terrific way to spend Saturday evening in the park with fans of great music who got what they came for.

Nevada Opera's 2005-2006 season includes Puccini's "Tosca" directed by Kyle Merrero, with Deborah Raymond, Dennis Jesse, Dinyar Vania, Friday November 4, 2005 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 6 at 2 p.m.; Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance" directed by Gary Briggle, with Thomas Wazelle, Suzette Thoeni, Mark Walters, Friday, February 3, 2006, and Saturday, February 4 at 2 p.m.; Mozart's "The Magic Flute" directed by William Shomos, with Jane Redding, Elizabeth Hogue, John Bellemer, Friday, April 7, 2006 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 9, 2007 at 2 p.m. All performances will be conducted by Michael Borowitz.

For information about Nevada Opera events and performances call 775-786-4046.