"This is the violet hour, the hour of hush and wonder, when the affectations glow and valor is reborn, when the shadows deepen along the edge of the forest and we believe that, if we watch carefully, at any moment we may see the unicorn."


Saturday, June 5, 2010

"The Girl of the Golden West" or...."La Fanciulla"

Yesterday was the Final Dress Rehearsal for Puccini's "La Fanciulla"..or for those who do not speak Italian - "The Girl of the Golden West". The opera is being advertised here in SF as the "Original Spaghetti Western"... and I guess it is a bit funny to see an opera set in the Gold Rush Era, written and sung in Italian. (Supertitles in English, of course.) The music is wonderful, as are the sets...and, it is the only Puccini Opera where the heroine DOES NOT die! In fact, no one dies! Anyway, thought you would like to see a few photos... pictured above is Deborah Voight, who sings the lead, telling her Cowboy-miner friends about life and love.


Some of "the Boys" getting into character! And y'all remember Whizkid, the "Wonder Horse"....I posed with him a few posts back.


The set from the third act.....see that noose! Thar's a gonna be a hangin'.... (naah....the heroine saves the hero....didn't I tell you that no one dies)?


Here they go, up the backstage stairs - ready to make their entrance.


"La Fanciulla" opens (for real) on June 9th. We'll see how Whizkid performs as he makes his debut. Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse...cause it's pretty much all I have been doing the past week
Posted by Robin at 5:53 PM
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13 comments:

  1. MimJune 6, 2010 at 3:19 AM

    woohoo - that's gonna be some performance (said with a john wayne accent) I didn't know that there was a Puccini opera where the hero/heroine doesn't die - what a relief! enjoy the opening.

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  2. studio loloJune 6, 2010 at 5:12 AM

    Wonderful photos! The setting (with the noose) looks wonderful. I had often thought about being a set designer.

    I adore WhizKid :)

    I'm sure you'll be at the opening, right?
    Have a blast, Ms. Robin!

    xoxo
    Lo♥

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  3. sukipoetJune 6, 2010 at 8:01 AM

    thanks for these insider shots of the cast. how exciting. this opera sounds like fun for sure. cowboys singing in Italian. Oh dear, Whizkid's debut. I hope he does okay. Gosh, being horsey in front of all those people. Break a leg!

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  4. RobinJune 6, 2010 at 8:05 AM

    Mim, I "heared your John Wayne accent"!
    This particular Puccini Opera is not done very much.... I had never seen it before... don't really know why, as the music is gorgeous...

    Perhaps Opera Audiences are "happier" when someone (or in some cases) evryone dies!

    Love,

    ♥ Robin ♥

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  5. RobinJune 6, 2010 at 8:08 AM

    Lo, you would be a spectacular set designer...you have that vision to understand what needs to be done to enhance the music.

    Whizkid is adorable....he would be the "Star" -except he only comes on in the last act...
    Debbie Voight actually has to ride him on, sing an aria, dismount, sing some more - save "her man" - then Whizkid (or "Kid" as his owner calls him) is hitched to a wagon and the hero and heroine ride "off into the sunset".

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  6. RobinJune 6, 2010 at 8:12 AM

    Suki, you would like this opera - for sure!
    As for Whizkid, so far, he has behaved admirably on stage.... one always hopes that nothing "out of the ordinary" occurs....like "Nature Calling"...

    Enjoy your Sunday! I am off to see a totally different kind of Opera tonight.... "Die Walkure"... (complete with parachuting Warrior-Maidens!) Two deaths in this one....

    Love,

    ♥ Robin ♥

    p.s. will e-mail you about which Met production to see....

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  7. Annie CoeJune 6, 2010 at 10:10 AM

    I love Puccini(one of the few I even know besides Wagner! But I dislike westerns. I do love whizkid, so maybe I could stand it :-).
    The photos are wonderful.
    Have fun!
    xoxo

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  8. Lori annJune 6, 2010 at 9:46 PM

    OH! i do love westerns! But i love most how delighted this makes you Robin! It's always so much fun for me to see people happy and enjoying all the different things life has to offer.
    Do you say break a leg before an opera?
    or hows this? Cheers!
    xo lori

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  9. AnonymousJune 7, 2010 at 8:26 AM

    Aww Whizkid already looks like a character and a real star. I hope he doesn't totally upstage the singers...well there might be just the tincyist wish that he does. :-) Gorgeous fellow!

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  10. RobinJune 7, 2010 at 12:50 PM

    Lori, thank you for stopping by "Opera Central"! There are not many "Western" based Operas....but this one is lovely. It is my biggest passion - even before I met my ex (who still works in Opera) - I adored it...

    Yes, "Break a Leg" is appropro!

    Love,

    ♥ Robin ♥

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  11. RobinJune 7, 2010 at 12:52 PM

    Melanie, take it from me - whenever there is an animal on stage - they upstage EVERYONE!
    And "the Kid" is so adorable....people gasp when the heroine rides out on him! He is a particularly lovely and gentle horse.

    Hugs,

    ♥ Robin ♥

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  12. Tess KincaidJune 7, 2010 at 7:20 PM

    Behind the scenes news is always so much fun! Voight looks amazing. Bet she sounds it, too!

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  13. RobinJune 7, 2010 at 7:46 PM

    Voight IS amazing! She looks and sounds great!
    (And she sings while sitting on Whizkid!)
    I had never seen "Fanciulla" before - and I really like it.

    ♥ Robin ♥

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