Music Reviews

Jul 25, 2006 - Nothing can stop Nevada Opera's "Opera in Blue Jeans" at the Hawkins Amphitheater

By Jack Neal

It used to be the U.S. Postal Service that couldn't be stopped by rain or any other of the elements. Now it's Nevada Opera. The company's Friday night (7/21/06) Artown outdoor concert at the Hawkins Amphitheater had thunder, lightning, rainbows, lots of rain and loads of lovely music, sumptuous singing and a webfooted troupe that wasn't going to let a downpour ruin the fun.

The concert was accompanied by Nevada Opera's artistic director, Michael Borowitz, who also acted as impromptu emcee. Borowitz not only hit all the right noted pianistically speaking, he hit all the right themes in what he had to say about the music and weather.

The Nevada Opera Chorus was on hand to lend its oomph of musical punch to the proceedings. The stars of the show were soprano Danielle Talamantes, mezzosoprano Cherry Duke, tenor John Pickle and baritone Dennis Jesse.

It's a dreadful cliche and an awful pun to say they sang up a storm, but they did both literally and musically. Talamantes and Jesse were silly, fun and in remarkable voice for the "Fly Duet" from Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld." Duke and Pickle were magnetic duetting together projecting a radiant "Almost Like Being in Love" to a large crowd of listeners so entranced they hoped it just might be true. A charmingly and exuberantly presented "Ice Cream Sextet" from Kurt Weill's "Street Scene" was - shall we say - the ice cream on the cake.

Presented in good fun and grand voice, Nevada Opera's "Opera in Blue" jeans keeps opera where it should be - in the realm of popular entertainment. It was also a nice, if not too subtle running ad for the company's upcoming season of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" (at Lake Tahoe's Sand Harbor in August), Verdi's "La Traviata," Rossini's "La Cenerentola," and Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld."

There wasn't a moment that didn't enchant.

From a host of Broadway hits such as "The Best of Times" from Jerry Herman's "La Cage aux Folles" to a host of operatic hits such as "Libiamo," the famous drinking song from Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata,"it was an evening of bravissimo music making punctuated with memorable heavenly fireworks flung earthward from a lighting designed that can't be topped.

For information about Nevada Opera's upcoming 2006-07 season and other Nevada Opera events call 775-786-4046.