Gaetano Rossini
Pacific Opera Project’s next production is the west coast premiere of an opera by a major composer. You might expect a contemporary name like Glass, Hegge or Adams to fill in that blank, but with La Gazzetta, POP is presenting a rarely seen work by one of the most prolific and enduring composers of Bel Canto, Gaetano Rossini. First performed in 1816, the opera has been staged only a handful of times; the five performance run that begins on June 28th at the Ebell Club in Highland Park and ends on July 7, 2018, represents just the second American presentation of the work.
Gazzetta, ironically, was the composer’s follow up to the much more successful Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), still popular to this day with its unmistakable overture known to opera buffs and Warner Brothers cartoon fans alike. Like Barbiere, the piece is a broad comedy in the tradition of Opera Buffa.
Brooke deRosa conducts, and the cast includes E. Scott Levin, Rachel Policar, Armando Contreras, Kyle Patterson, Molly Clementz, Jessie Shulman, Scott Ziemann and Phil Meyer. Performances are at 8 p.m. June 28-30 and July 6-7, 2018, at the Ebell Club, 131 S Avenue 57, Los Angeles, CA 90042. For tickets, starting at $15, and other information, visit POP’s website.
