CIM Opera Theatre Archives - Cleveland Classical

Mozart’s Così fan tutte at CIM: thoughts from Don Alfonso & Dorabella

February 28, 2017 by Mike Telin

by Mike Telin

“I cannot sing Mozart and not have it be fun,” bass-baritone Daniel Fridley said during a telephone conversation. “His music has so much buoyancy, and is full of long, smooth musical lines that just pull you along.”

This week at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Fridley will sing the role of the conniving Don Alfonso in CIM Opera Theatre’s production of Mozart’s comic opera Così fan tutte. Performances run from Wednesday, March 1 through Saturday, March 4, beginning at 7:30 pm.

Così fan tutte, which is often translated as “all women do the same,” is the third of three operas Mozart composed with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. The plot centers around the soldiers, Guglielmo and Ferrando, and their respective brides-to-be, Fiordiligi and Dorabella. [Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts return with plenty of festive cheer (Dec. 11)

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — If the twinkling lights, leafy green garlands and festive poinsettias didn’t already clue you in, the holidays have arrived at Severance Music Center. ‘Tis the season for annual traditions — including The Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts, which began on Wednesday evening.

Running through December 22, the programs feature plenty of seasonal classics plus some potential new favorites. The first performance proved that this mix is a delightful recipe for festive cheer.

“Look at you all, out on a school night!” conductor Sarah Hicks proclaimed joyfully from the podium. Just as many concertgoers donned red outfits to get into the spirit, Mandel Concert Hall was also decked out with decorations and stage lighting effects.

[Read on…]

Oberlin Conservatory convincingly tells Omar’s story (Dec. 8)

by Stephanie Manning

The Cleveland premiere of Rhiannon Giddens’ and Michael Abels’ Pultizer Prize-winning opera Omar on December 8 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center proved that concert productions of opera can succeed without sets, elaborate costumes and extensive staging. Indeed, the Oberlin Conservatory presentation offered more than enough to keep the audience in the crowded house enthralled.

The Opera, which was also presented at Oberlin’s Finney Chapel two days earlier, is based on the 1831 autobiography of Muslim scholar Omar ibn Said, the only such work written by an enslaved person during their enslavement, and the only such document written in Arabic.

Rhiannon Giddens’ brilliant libretto chronicles the life of ibn Said, beginning in present-day Senegal and following him through his capture, journey via the Middle Passage, and enslavement in North and South Carolina. [Read on…]

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