Latest news with #OperaColorado
CBS News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Opera Colorado performs classic opera Il trovatore in concert format
Opera Colorado is performing the Italian opera, Il trovatore, in a concert format. The four act classic is shortened to 90-minutes, but still brings all the drama of the original. "You would think it's bare bones, but it's far from that. It's all the muscle, blood and guts of a full three house condensed... distilled to its essence," said Marcia Ragonetti, who is the Narrator in the production. Il trovatore is a twisty, turny melodrama. Secrets and misunderstandings drive the action to a dramatic conclusion. The opera starts with a love triangle. Count di Luna wants to marry Leonora, and Manrico, a knight, is in love with Leonora. The rivalry and desire for vengeance runs deep between Manrico and Count di Luna which leads to duels, capture, and ultimately, a devastating final scene. Production photography of Opera Colorado's 2025 Production of Il Trovatore in Concert in The Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Photographer: Matthew Staver Matthew Staver Il trovatore in Concert delivers all of Verdi's most powerful music and the iconic moments of the opera. There is also a Narrator who guides the audience through the story. "I have the best seat in the house because I'm on stage and the orchestra is right behind me. The singers are the most magnificant creatures. There are six of them plus a dancer. I'm happy to be among them and be their cheerleader," Ragonetti told CBS News Colorado Il trovatore in Concert would make a great entry into opera. It is a different experience than a fully staged, full length performance, but it may be easier to follow for a newcomer to opera. "The purists love it because they're getting the hits non-stop. A lot of it is very familiar. People will recognize this. I don't think a lot of it has been used in TV commercials, but it's beautiful, beautiful, dramatic music," Ragonetti explained. LINK: For Tickets and Information about Il trovatore in Concert Il trovatore in Concert has one more performance on Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
CBS News
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Love is in the air in Opera Colorado's La bohème
Opera Colorado is staging a production of La bohème, one of opera's most iconic stories of love and loss. In this production, there is a real life love story playing out behind the scenes. La bohème tells the story of four friends living the bohemian life; a poet, an artist, a musician, and a philosopher. Two of the friends fall in love and then the group faces tragedy. It's one of the most popular operas in history, and has been the basis of many other works including the Broadway musical Rent, and the movie Moulin Rouge. The two couples at the center of the story are Rodolfo and Mimi, and Marcello and Musetta. "Rodolpho and Mimi meet at the beginning. They fall in love," said Zach Borichevsky, who sings Rodolpho. "Marcello and Musetta are pretty spicy...a lot of arguing," said Kathryn Lewek, who sings Musetta. Off stage, Lewek is in love with Borichevsky. "Most of the other operas that we've sung together have been that we are the love pair, and in this show, it's the first time that we're not in love with each other on stage," Lewek said. The couple met nearly 13-years ago at a vocal competition in Verona, Italy. Now Lewek and Borichevsky have been married for 8-years, and have two children. They also get to share their passion for opera. "It feels like the height of emotional expression for me," Lewek said. "The truths of opera and the truths of any great art are universal. That's what you try to focus in on when you're performing it," Borichevsky explained. They have performed together over and over, sharing love and loss again and again on stage. "It brings an extra genuine dimension to the chemistry that we have on stage," Lewek explained. "She's the finest artist I've had the chance to sing with, so just as a purely professional issue, it's a privilege," Borichevsky said. While they're on opposite sides of the stage in La bohème, they are grateful to be in the same city sharing their love for each other and their craft. "We would both agree that we live a pretty charmed life," Lewek told CBS News Colorado. "I can't imagine any better person to sing with," Borichevsky said before giving his wife a kiss. Opera Colorado's La bohème runs five nights only: February 22, 25, 27, 28, 2025 and March 2, 2025 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
CBS News
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Colorado audiences get a classic treat in Opera Colorado's La bohème
Opera Colorado is deep in rehearsals for it's production of La bohème, the iconic opera written by Giacomo Puccini in 1895. It's the story of four young friends living the bohemian lifestyle in Paris. There is a poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher. The opera follows the characters as they pursue their passions, eek out a living, fall in love, and face tragedy. "We see every aspect of their friendship from their laughter to their struggles, and we see everything kind of shift when Rodolfo, the poet, meets Mimi," said Raquel González, who sings Mimì in the Opera Colorado production. La bohème was first performed in Italy in 1896, but many of the themes of the stories hold true today. "It is a wonderful story. It's really fast paced. It's really funny in a lot of places, but it's really moving as well," said Kristine McIntyre, Director of the Opera Colorado production. La bohème includes some of the most recognizable music in opera, and the story has been retold in many ways including the movie, Moulin Rouge, and the musical, Rent. The Opera Colorado production is sung in Italian with English and Spanish subtitles at every seat. Opera Colorado's La bohème will be at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House for 5-nights only: February 22, 25, 27, 28 & March 2, 2025.
