TEMP Goes to the Opera, Texas Early Music Project at First Presbyterian Church, September 21 & 22, 2013

TEMP's Opening Concert:

TEMP Goes to the Opera: Aires and Arias from the 16th to the 18th Centuries

Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 8PM

Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 3PM

First Presbyterian Church, 8001 Mesa Drive

Buy Tickets Now! http://www.early-music.org/opera.html

The best opera tells a story that is, if not totally believable, at least one that we connect with either through the characters or the music. To kick off its 16th season, TEMP has created an opera experience in which some of the most beloved arias and songs (and also some rare gems) from the first 200 years of opera’s history are performed by some of TEMP’s wonderful singers. Grouped by emotions (heartbreak and fury, the joy of love) or subject matter (myth and legend, opera in Britain, Monteverdi) and other categories, we have created small scenes and tableaus to bring you beautiful, captivating, and spellbinding works by Monteverdi, Lully, Rameau, Purcell, Handel, and others.

As mentioned, several of the most popular and beloved works from the world of Baroque opera are on the docket for the concert, including the Handel works “Lascia ch'io pianga”, “Furie terribili”, “Vieni o cara”, “Ah! mio cor”, and “Ombra mai fu”, Monteverdi’s “A Dio, Roma”, from L’Incoronazione di Poppea, and more. Naturally, we will also explore some of the lesser-known gems during this exciting period of opera’s growth, including works by Cesti, Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, Vivaldi, and others.

The TEMP regulars in the cast are sopranos Gitanjali Mathur, Meredith Ruduski, and Jenifer Thyssen, with mezzo Lisa Alexander, baritone Brett Barnes, and tenor Paul d’Arcy, with David Lopez and Thann Scoggins in supporting roles. We are also happy to present TEMP newcomer, mezzo-soprano Dorea Cook. The period instrument orchestra will include violins, viola, viola da gamba, cello, oboe, flute, keyboards, and theorbo, and will be led by German violinist Veronika Vassileva.

(Opening night only, we will be treated to a cameo performance by renowned countertenor Ryland Angel, who will be singing one of the most ravishingly beautiful arias in Handel’s catalogue, “Stille amare” from Tolomeo.)

Experience the beauty, brilliance, and passion that the best composers from Italy, France, and England instilled in opera, from its intimate beginnings in the late 16th century through the High Baroque virtuosity of Handel. Be treated to intimate opera in an intimate space.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)