Tuesday morning I attended an open rehearsal of the opera-themed program that the New Century Chamber Orchestra is presenting this week in 4 Bay Area locations. In the first half, we heard the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, the Prestissimo movement from Verdi’s string quartet, & the Meditation from Thais, with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg as soloist. New Century plays without a conductor, though Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg definitely leads. They played each piece first without stopping, then went back over it, working out tempo & ensemble issues through discussion among members. After they played the Intermezzo a 2nd time with more articulation between sections, Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg joked to the audience, “Disregard the first performance.” Her solo in the Meditation had a dark, woody texture. Weirdly, the arrangement by Clarice Assad has a marimba replacing the harp.
After a break, we saw a complete run-through of Rita, an ebullient one-act comic opera by Donizetti, lasting an hour. Adler Fellows Maria Valdes, Thomas Glenn & Efraín Solís are a lively & appealing cast. They sing in Italian but speak the dialogue in English, & that is enough to communicate the basic plot, which involves 2 men each trying not to be declared the rightful husband of the shrewish title character. Eugene Brancoveanu, another Adler Fellow, did the funny, fast-paced staging, which involves a lot of spousal abuse & fights. The addition of woodwinds & horns gave the orchestra a much fuller sound. Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg was very busy playing, conducting, & keeping an eye on the singers. After the run-through, she went over spots where the singers were dragging. The rehearsal took place in a high-ceilinged room that was nice for voices. The enthusiastic audience applauded frequently. Coffee & donuts were served during the break.§ Open Rehearsal
New Century Chamber Orchestra
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Music Director
Mascagni (arr. Assad): Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana
Verdi: Prestissimo from String Quartet in E minor
Massenet (arr. Assad): Meditation from Thais
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
Donizetti: Rita
Rescored & edited by Peter Grunberg
Maria Valdes, Rita
Thomas Glenn, Beppe
Efraín Solís, Gasparo
Eugene Brancoveanu, Director, Script, Production Design
Tuesday, February 11, 2014, 10am
Kanbar Performing Arts Center, San Francisco
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