April 26: Opera Behind the Scenes -- a rehearsal of IO's "Lucia di Lammermoor"

An open rehearsal of Indianapolis Opera's upcoming "Lucia di Lammermoor"

When: Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Indiana State Fairgrounds

IndyBuzz reflects my policy wonkish inclinations, so it might seem surprising that I'm plugging opera. Not just opera. Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, which is OPERA:

The foggy moors and stark castles of
Scotland provide the backdrop for this
romantic tragedy. When Edgardo
and Lucia fall in love despite the blood feud
between their families, they try to
hide the affair from Lucia’s brother,
Enrico. However, Enrico learns of
the romance and forces Lucia into marrying the
wealthy Arturo. Ultimately, this deception
leads to heartbreak and death for the
ill-fated couple. Donizetti brings the
powerful emotions of the story to the
audience. From the heights of
Edgardo and Lucia’s hidden love, to the tragic
beauty of Lucia’s renowned scene
depicting her descent into madness, as the
curtain falls you can only hope the lovers
found in death what was taken from
them in life.

One of the most fun event Sagamore Institute has ever done was with Indianapolis Opera, a discussion of civil liberties integrated with a performance of selections from The Crucible (the Robert Ward opera based on the late Arthur Miller's play). And one of the highlights of preparing for the event was attending the IO's rehearsal. You sit fifteen feet away from the performers while they are singing and you realize: "Oh my goodness, these kids got pipes!"

Indianapolis Opera’s productions are rehearsed for three weeks before opening night in Clowes Memorial Hall. We have the opportunity to come to the rehearsal site and see how it all comes together. Beginning half an hour before the evening rehearsal, Josh Major, the stage director of L di L, will talk about his or her concepts for the production and the particular scene being worked on during that session. Afterwards, guests are invited to stay for part or all of the rehearsal.

L di L is in Italian. When it is performed in Clowes there will be English language supertitles, but the State Fairgrounds aren't set up for this. You'll want at least to know the plot of the opera for the rehearsal. The Scots will tell you a lot about this hometown girl made good. The Manitoba put togehter a nice student guide a couple of years ago when they performed the opera. I haven't found an English translation of the libretto, you can get it in Italian.

It is one of the best free evenings of entertainment I can think of. Admission is free, but reservations are required. Contact: Patty Harvey, Director of Education Indianapolis Opera at (317) 283-3531 or pattyh@indyopera.org