In January, the opera workshop attracted audiences to Corson Auditorium for a performance of Mozart’s comic opera, “Cosi fan tutte.” In previous years, the workshop typically chose to perform smaller sections of two or three different operas, but this year, Isaac Hurtado, the opera workshop instructor wanted to try something bigger.
“This year I wanted students to have the opportunity to develop a character from beginning to end,” explained Hurtado. In order to accomplish this, he adapted some of the vocal writing to fit the capabilities of adolescent voices and abridged the opera.
In another change from previous years’ performances, the students performed much of the dry recitative, a style which utilizes the natural rhythms of speech with little or no orchestral accompaniment. “Recit is difficult to learn, but almost all of the plot, humor and character details in ‘Cosi fan tutte’ are contained within the recitative sections, so we needed to use it,” explained Hurtado. “The singers worked hard and learned the recitative very well. That played a big role in the success of the show and will give our students a big leg up as they move on to the next level.”
The scale of the production was also expanded compared to previous years with unprecedented access to costumes, set, lighting, and props. The addition of supertitles projected above the stage was also a crowd-pleaser. Hurtado is already planning to undertake a similar project next year.
