The Bent Nail in the News

As publicity for the Connecticut Lyric Opera’s presentation of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca (discussed below), my local newspaper, The Waterbury Republican American, ran an article about me in the Arts section. For a copy of the story click here.

World-Famous Diva Comes to Waterbury

After receiving many requests from fellow classmates, I organized another operatic adventure – this time to the Connecticut Lyric Opera’s May 20th presentation of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca at Waterbury’s Palace Theater. As this was the first opera for many of my guests – a total of 20 students, teachers, and parents – we were pleased that the CLO’s creative production, the opera’s intense drama, and an abundance of talented singers brought the Puccini’s sensational melodrama to life.

My group after the performance of "Tosca"

As the title character, the opera diva Floria Tosca, Jurate Svedaite excelled with a gorgeous voice and intense acting. Ms. Svedaite brought her clear and powerful tone to this role and sang with lyricism and accurate high notes. Ms. Svedaite also excelled as an actress, though at times playing the role in a very traditional, melodramatic style. She presented every aspect of the complex character, allowing the audience to understand Tosca’s jealous side and feel sympathy for her in the opera’s more tense moments. As in every role she portrays, Ms. Svedaite made this role her own without losing the essential qualities of the character.

Ms. Svedaite sings “Vissi d’arte” from Act Two:

John Tsotsoros portrayed Tosca’s rebellious lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi. Mr. Tsotsoros, in his second role with the company, sang Cavaradossi with an Italianate sound and produced soaring top notes. In addition, Mr. Tsotsoros was a convincing actor and exhibited wonderful chemistry with Ms. Svedaite. The Act One exchange between the two lovers in the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle was passionate and entirely believable – this was one of my favorite moments of the evening.

John Tsotsoros performs “E lucevan le stelle”:

Luke Scott, though younger than the typical Baron Scarpia, presented a sinister and lecherous characterization of the opera’s villain. Mr. Scott’s voice is lyrical and has beautiful tone but may have been dwarfed by the blazing orchestra. However, his acting was superb, and his youth allowed the character to take on new dimensions. Mr. Scott was committed to the demanding role, yet he never let his performance get out of control.

As the kooky Sacristan, Michael Gamble delivered a solid performance with a smooth baritone voice and expressive acting. Laurentiu Rotaru as the escaped prisoner Cesare Angelotti brought much to the small role with his full-bodied bass. The other singers – Daniel Juárez as Spoletta, Ryan Foley as Sciaronne, Skip Wilson as the Jailer, and Adrianne Bitting as the Shepherd Boy – delivered well-sung portrayals of their characters. The CLO chorus, although diminished, was still a vibrant presence onstage. An especially stirring moment was the chorus’s beautifully sung cantata in second act.

Luke Scott sings the “Te Deum” with the CLO Chorus:

The Connecticut Virtuosi Orchestra, under the baton of Artistic Director Adrian Sylveen, continued its partnership with CLO for this run of Tosca. Although overpowering the singers on occasion, the orchestra was nothing short of excellence. As always, the orchestra’s small size, combined with the players’ high level of musicianship, allowed the audience to hear each part of the score individually but also nicely blended.

The production, designed and directed by Stephen Fried, was clever and original. The sets were elegant yet subdued, and the acting was intense without being absurd. As always the CLO presented this opera in a unique way and approached the work with a fresh perspective.

After the performance with Jurate Svedaite

Although Tosca was the final opera of the CLO’s 2010-2011 season, the company will present Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann this fall, Mozart’s Cost Fan Tuttle in the winter, and Verdi’s Otello next spring. I strongly urge you to support this thriving local opera company.

For more information on Connecticut Lyric Opera, visit the company’s website.

With questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me at cbrowner@taftschool.org

My Conducting Debut

Through an independent studies program at my school – The Taft School in Watertown, CT – I learned the art of orchestral conducting. After eight months of study under music director TJ Thompson and countless rehearsals with the school’s Chamber Orchestra (ranging in ages from 14 to 18 years-old), I made my conducting “debut” on May 26th leading the Overture to Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte. I will continue my studies this coming year and will work with a greater variety of pieces. Although I still have much to learn, I benefited greatly from this experience and hope to pursue it further. Enjoy!