- Intermezzo
- 2011 Season
- Plot Synopses and
Background Information
A Place of Beauty, world
premier
by Robert
Edward Smith, libretto by William A.
Fregosi and Fritz Bell
The
New England Chamber Opera Series and the Chamber Orchestra of Boston have joined
forces to bring a new one-act opera about the life and work of Isabella Stewart
Gardner to the stage. A Place of
Beauty, with music by noted New England composer Robert Edward Smith, based
on a libretto by William A. Fregosi and Fritz Bell, is the 9th commissioned work
Intermezzo has presented since its inception in 2003. The premiere will take
place on May 14th and 15th at Boston Conservatory’s
newly renovated Hemenway Theater, Boston, MA.
The Chamber Orchestra of Boston’s Musical Director, David
Feltner, conducts; Kirsten Cairns serves
as stage director, and William A. Fregosi
will be the set and lighting designer for the production.
The role of Isabella will be sung be internationally acclaimed soprano Barbara
Kilduff.
The
opera begins on March 18, 1990 at the Gardner Museum, the night of the world’s
largest art theft. As the thieves
make off with their priceless treasures, Isabella’s spirit is forced to
witness the robbery. She can’t
believe what is happening and is quickly chastised by the ubiquitous Boston
Matron for her bringing her outrageous behavior and New York ways to Boston’s
reserved society. Isabella recounts
important events from her life with her husband Jack, the loss of their only
son, how they began collecting great works of art, surviving her husband death,
and how it inspired her vision to give Boston a truly world class exhibit.
The
1-act work is scored for 7 singers and 8 instruments. Featured in the cast are
some of the area’s best-known singers, including Janna
Baty as the Boston Matron, baritone
Paul Guttry as Isabella’s husband Jack Gardner, tenor Ray
Bauwens as Bernard Berenson, the noted international art dealer, and Paul
Soper as
couturier Charles Worth.
Performances
are May 14 at 8 pm & 15 at 4 pm at The
Boston Conservatory’s Theater, 31 Hemenway Street, Boston.
Tickets range from $20 to $45, and are available at the door or by
calling 617-899-4261 for reservations. See www.intermezzo-opera.org
for more information.
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