<<<  <<  -- 5 --  Maria Nockin    A TRIP TO HEAVEN

As Nedda, the young and pretty wife who incites Canio's jealousy, Elizabeth Futral looked beautiful and sang with soprano radiance, particularly in her 'Ballatella'. Bruno Caproni was a commanding and seriously threatening Tonio with a stentorian voice. Scott Hendricks was a commendable Sylvio who played a movie-styled love scene with Nedda. The most pleasant surprise of the evening was the handsome singing of Simeon Esper in the small role of Beppe. More will certainly be heard of him.

Both these operas require skilled choral singing and this company's excellent ensemble added to both the vocal acumen and the gripping theatrical values of this excellent performance.

Italian conductor, Edoardo Müller, was in his element here and he brought out all the melodramatic passion of these two verismo operas. For lovers of the genre, and their number is legion, this was a trip to heaven.