La Rondine offers class, culture

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Paris in the late 1940s: The beautiful and the brilliant gather for a party at the home of a fashionably elegant albeit “kept” woman. As the story unfolds, the audience is swept away to the cafes, salons and other locales of the postwar Parisian smart set.

This is Puccini’s La Rondine, the romantic, heartbreaking musical featuring stunning vocals and lush orchestration that’s opening on campus this Friday.

Directed by well-known Portland theater director Jon Kretzu and conducted by PSU Orchestra Director Ken Seldon, the opera tells the tragic love story of Magda, a courtesan who falls in love with Ruggerio, a young artist.

La Rondine was written before World War I and is set in late 19th century Paris. Kretzu feels that the music of this piece lends itself well to the period after World War II as well.

The music boasts a cinematic style reminiscent of the romantic melodramas of the ’40s and ’50s.

Although much of the opera is light and stylized, Kretzu pointed out that there is ultimately a very emotional element to the show that audiences are sure to be moved by.

Kretzu likens this production to the films of Douglas Sirk, who directed the classics Obsession and Imitation of Life and whose films depict “elegant women suffer[ing] beautifully,”
Kretuzu said.

Puccini, who is perhaps best known for his classic operas La Boheme and Madame Butterfly, originally composed La Rondine in 1916. However, the opera’s opening was delayed because of the outbreak of World War I.

Thus when it finally did open—in Montreal in 1917—it didn’t really get the attention it deserved, and went on to have a rather sporadic production history with long passages of time between productions.

As a result, La Rondine has become one of the lesser-known Puccini operas.

“There have been big chunks of time in which it wasn’t performed,” said Christine Meadows, PSU’s opera director. “We really felt that this would be something that people would like to see, because this may be their only chance to see it.”

This production is made up primarily of PSU Opera Program students with the notable exception of tenor Zachary Borichevsky, who is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.

Borichevsky, who also holds degrees from George Washington University and the Yale School of Music, has an impressive international professional singing career.

Most recently, Borichevsky acted at the Santa Fe Festival as Matteo in Tim Albery’s production of Arabella, which was conducted by Sir Andrew Davis.

The PSU production’s director appreciates the opportunity to work with a renowned international artist.

“It’s amazing to work with such a great talent, who is clearly at the beginning of a wonderful career,” Kretzu said.

The music will be provided by the PSU student orchestra, which is conducted by Ken Seldon. For orchestra students such as cellist Hannah Heath, Puccini’s arrangement offers a challenging yet rewarding experience.

Puccini’s orchestration includes many tempo changes that can take some time to master, but Heath pointed out that the work results in lush, beautiful melodies.

PSU has been presenting award-winning opera productions for more than 50 years and is the only university in Oregon that produces a full opera with orchestra accompaniment each year.

One of the goals of the program is to provide students with the opportunity to perform in operas from around the world. The program gives both undergraduate and graduate students the chance to explore all aspects of the preparation for and performance of an opera.

For students like Heath, the biggest reward comes when the talents of the orchestra mingle with the sublime vocals to create “one beautiful voice.”