A Free Night at the Opera

GW’s Department of Music performs Gianni Schicchi, Dec. 4 and 5.

November 30, 2009

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By Rachel Muir

The tale of an old man’s death based on a stanza in Dante’s Inferno hardly seems the stuff of comedy, but as reimagined in Puccini’s one-act opera it becomes farce with greedy relatives scheming to get their hands on an inheritance. It’s also a treat for the ears that includes one of opera’s most famous arias, “O mio babbino caro.”

“Gianni Schicchi is an ideal opera, because it is both funny and beautifully composed,” says GW lecturer in music Muriel Von Villas, who is drawing on her experience staging more than 200 operas around the world to co-direct the GW production.

Set in 13th-century Florence, the opera revolves around the death of a wealthy man who, rumor has it, left everything to the friars. Anxious to secure their hold on his money and property, family members enlist the aid of Gianni Schicchi, who devises a plot to disguise himself as the old man and change the will leaving everything to them—but things don’t go quite according to plan.

The opera is Puccini’s only comedy, says Ms. Von Villas, and one of the composer’s sources was Dante, who references (far more grimly) the character Gianni Schicchi in the Divine Comedy.

The roles are performed by GW students with one big exception: alumnus Adam Hall, B.A. ’00, as the lead tenor Rinuccio. A rising opera star, Mr. Hall has performed in myriad productions across the country.

“This is the first time we have had an alum join us, and I think it’s exciting for the cast to work with a former GW student who is embarking on an operatic career,” says Ms. Von Villas.

Mr. Hall says being back on campus is a little surreal, noting the new buildings and other transformations in the past decade. “But some things are the same, like being back in the Betts Theatre,” he adds.

He calls Gianni Schicchi “a great opera for beginners,” citing its short length and light subject matter. “The fact that we are performing it in English only increases its appeal for audience members not familiar with opera,” says Mr. Hall, who will next be singing in “Armide” with performances at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center in New York in the new year.

Jennifer Russo, a GW senior and Presidential Scholar in the Arts, plays Lauretta, the female lead. She says the most challenging part for her is getting acclimated to new music and a new character. “Many people have played this role, and you, as a performer and musician, have to discover a new and interesting way to portray the character,” says Ms. Russo, who began her musical career at age 8 as a cellist and started singing when she was 11.

She says the cast has been rehearsing four days a week for three hours a day starting in September with Ms. Von Villas and the production’s music director Frank Conlon, a GW adjunct professor of music.

Performances will be held in the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre on Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and on Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. The opera is approximately one hour long and is in English. Admission is free, but donations of money or toys are welcome to benefit Toys for Tots.