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Poster Design by Melanie
Fabrizius -- Graphic Designer Billings Gazette
Photo: LARRY MAYER/Gazette Staff
Performers in the current Rimrock Opera "Cosi" sing for students in Amy
Logan's chorus class at Skyview High School Wednesday afternoon. The opera
singers are, from left, Curt Olds, Dennis Rupp and Adam Flowers.
Performances are March 23 and 24 at the Alberta Bair Theater.
You tube Laughter,
music lift 'Cosi fan tutte'
JACI WEBB Of The Gazette Staff Mar 24, 2007
We don't usually associate opera with belly laughs, but
that unique dichotomy of silliness and beautiful music
makes Rimrock Opera Company's production of "Cosi fan
tutte" soar.Billings soprano Lisa Lombardy, playing the
role of Fiordiligi, is a marvel. The challenging vocal
range of the part, paired with the need to ham it up as
the target of a madcap prank, could have soured the
performance of a lesser artist. But for Lombardy, who
most recently played Musetta in a Helena production of
"La boheme," it was a career highlight.
Billings Skyview vocal teacher Amy Logan was so much fun
to watch Friday night as the cunning maid Despina that
you almost forgot she had such an evil bent. She and her
friend, Alfonso, played by opera stalwart Dennis Rupp,
connive to lure Fiordiligi and her sister, Dorabella,
played by Wyoming vocalist Diedra Walker, away from
their lovers.
Logan's character dons the goofiest of disguises to
carry out their plot, from an Albert Einstein lookalike
doctor who treats patients with a huge magnet to a
bumbling notary with a sideways mustache. Logan eases
effortlessly among all three characters, showing off her
fine soprano voice. Walker shows a penchant for
character roles in her outstanding debut as main stage
lead.
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Photograph by Larry Mayer, Billings Gazette Staff
"Cosi fan tutte," one of Mozart's most popular operas,
challenges the premise that women are fickle. Two men,
convinced their lovers are faithful, take on a bet with
Alfonso to prove their ladies are true. So, disguised as
Albanians, they set out to woo each other's lady. They
shouldn't have tried so hard.
Butte native Curt Olds plays one of the young men,
Guglielmo, and Adam Flowers plays the other, Ferrando.
Flowers' expressive face brought down the house just by
raising an eyebrow, and his vocal range was incredible.
Olds filled his role with cheeky charm and warm vocals.
The two wore garish turbans with horns sticking out the
front and huge handlebar mustaches.
Sung in Italian with English titles projected above the
stage, the work was sprinkled with odd witticisms like
this one from Guglielma, "Our mustaches could be called
the triumph of manhood. Love's plume." One of the show's
musical highlights had the two men trading jibes in a
staccato duet in Act I.
A 28-piece symphonic orchestra, directed by Timm Rolek,
was vital to the production, which was under the
artistic direction of Billings native Doug Nagel.
Just more than 800 people took in the performance Friday
night. Among them were first-time opera viewers Lisa
Huertas and her son, Alec, who came to see Logan, Alec's
former teacher.
"The harmonies were just fabulous and they were soaring
on those notes," Huertas said.
Alec added, "I thought it was a blast!"
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Photograph by Larry Mayer, Gazette Staff
Homegrown talents thrive in Rimrock Opera
Company
Local performers joining international vocalists has
become a mainstay of Rimrock Opera stagings
JACI WEBB Of The Gazette Staff Mar 15, 2007
In the second act of the Rimrock Opera Company's
production of "Cosi fan tutte," a Butte native and a
Lander, Wyo., veterinarian's assistant, croon the
loveliest of Mozart duets.
It's a treat for opera fans because it's one of the
sweetest moments in the opera and these two fine
vocalists nailed every note in a rehearsal earlier this
week. But what makes the scene even more amazing is
something we've all come to expect from the ROC - its
knack for showcasing international vocalists as well as
local performers. And, in some instances, they are one
in the same.
Baritone Curt Olds, who grew up in Butte, is playing
Guglielmo, one of the leading roles in the Italian opera
"Cosi fan tutte," which roughly translates to "Women are
Fickle." He is one of the rare vocalists who
successfully performs in both opera and stage musicals.
He has toured with the New York City Opera and performed
on Broadway in "Riverdance" during his career. Yet every
time he prepares for a role, he said it's different
because of the vocalists he is paired with.
"No matter what your experience level is, you have to
find a balance," Olds said.
A bus-load of friends, family and opera fans will travel
from Butte to see Olds perform next week at the Alberta
Bair Theater.
"This is a good opera to see because Mozart achieves
perfection in writing," Olds said.
Soprano Diedra Walker makes her stage debut as a leading
lady in her role as Dorabella, the woman Guglielmo falls
for in the second act. The two of them have some stage
chemistry despite the fact that they met just days ago
when they started full-cast rehearsals at West Park
Plaza.
Walker, who works as a veterinary assistant in Lander,
Wyo., has studied under her famous opera-singing father,
John Walker. After being a guest soloist in last
spring's ROC production of "Die Fledermaus," Walker
landed a role in "The Night Harry Stopped Smoking,"
performing in more than 90 shows of the touring school
production.
The entire cast has been rehearsing their music on their
own - some, like Billings native Lisa Lombardy for 10
months - to prepare for this production. It's up to
artistic director Douglas Nagel and music director and
conductor Timm Rolek to find vocalists who not only fit
the physical description of their roles, but who will
sound good together.
Rolek, who has been involved in two previous ROC operas,
said the duet shows the two are perfect together for
their roles. And, he said, the music, specifically their
duet, is some of the most beautiful ever written by
Mozart.
"And the comedy in the music is just infectious," said
Rolek, who is artistic director of the Sacramento Opera.
Nagel starts looking for vocalists sometimes years
before they actually perform with the ROC. And, many
times, as in the case of bass Dennis Rupp, who plays Don
Alfonso, once they perform with the ROC in Billings,
they keep coming back.
Rupp has performed in several ROC operas, including the
world premiere of "Nosferatu."
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Photo by Larry Mayer, Billings Gazette, Staff.
"They asked me to come for 'Nosferatu,' now they can't
get rid of me," Rupp said.
Tenor Adam Flowers is making his debut with the ROC as
Ferrando, a role he performed six years ago with Opera
San Jose. He said the role is challenging because of its
high tenor notes, but once he's in it, it makes all the
extra effort worthwhile.
Soprano Amy Logan, who teaches choir at Skyview High
School and directs Rimrock Opera Chorus for Kids, plays
the role of Despina, a cunning maid in "Cosi fan tutte."
Logan first got involved with ROC in 2002, when she
played clarinet in the orchestra, and is now making her
main stage debut as a lead vocalist with ROC.
The camaraderie of the cast is half the fun of being in
a big production, performers say.
"It's amazing coming together as a cast," Lombardy said.
"We've all been working on our parts for so long, but
separately. It's fun to see how it all comes together."
About the opera
“Cosi fan tutte,’’ which translates to “Women are
Fickle,’’ was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and
first performed Jan. 26, 1790, in Vienna. Sung in
Italian, it will have English super titles above the
stage when it is performed by the Rimrock Opera Company.
“Cosi” tells the story of an elderly cynic, Don Alfonso,
who discusses women with two young officers Ferrando and
Guglielmo. The two young men insist that their
sweethearts are virtuous and they agree to accept
Alfonso’s wager that he can prove the ladies fickle if
they do what he says for the next 24 hours.
The two sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella revel in their
love for the young officers, showing lockets with their
pictures. But, as part of the scheme, Alfonso comes in
with bad news — the men have been called to their
regiment.
Meanwhile, the maid Despina offers the sisters advice
about forgetting old lovers with the help of new ones.
The sisters reject her advice and Dorabella becomes
outraged. But it isn’t long before the two officers,
disguised as Albanians, arrive to woo the sisters,
according to Alfonso’s instructions. After a mock
poisoning, the sisters’ hearts start to open to the
strangers.
Dennis Rupp, who plays Alfonso in the production, said
highlights of the show include Lisa Lombardy’s aria as
Fiordiligi.
“It’s a tour de force,’’ Rupp said.
Other highlights include a duet between Dorabella,
portrayed by Diedra Walker, and Guglielmo, portrayed by
Curt Olds, in the second act, according to music
director/conductor Timm Rolek.
“To me, the duet is some of the most beautiful music
ever written,’’ Rolek said.
Synopsis
The Cast for Così fan tutte (Women
are Fickle)
Conductor (Directs the music of the opera)
Timm Rolek,
Artistic Director of Sacramento Opera, CA
Director/Producer (Directs the action on the stage)
Douglas Nagel of
Billings, MT
Fiordiligi (Soprano), Ladies of Ferrara and sisters living in
Napoli
Lisa Lombardy
of Billings, MT
Dorabella (Soprano),
Diedra Walker of
Lander, WY
Guglielmo (Baritone), Officer, in love with Fiordiligi
Curt Olds,
formerly of Montana, living in New York City
Ferrando (Tenor), Officer, in love with Dorabella
Adam Flowers of
San Francisco, CA
Despina (Soprano), Chambermaid of the ladies
Amy Logan of
Billings, MT
Don Alfonso (Bass), an old Philosopher
Dennis Rupp of
Burbank, CA |
