Cal State San Bernardino’s Opera Theatre presents its eccentric rendering of Gaetano Donizetti’s comedic Italian opera, “Don Pasquale a La Tarantino,” Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the CSUSB Performing Arts Recital Hall.
The opera has been revamped unconventionally to tell the lighthearted story of love and betrayal by tying themes of Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” movie into the opera.
“Don Pasquale a La Tarantino” tells the story of an old rich “eligible bachelor,” Don Pasquale, who seeks to wed in order to teach his nephew, Ernesto, a lesson for not wanting to marry the woman Pasquale chose for him. In an arranged twist of events, Pasquale’s young bride, Norina, turns out to be Ernesto’s love interest. Norina plans to drive Pasquale mad with her antics, and dupe the old man into allowing his nephew to marry her.
The opera is directed by Stacey Fraser, CSUSB professor of music, CSUSB Opera Theatre ensemble director and critically acclaimed Canadian soprano. Fraser is known for her zany adaptations of the standard operatic repertoire, which includes Xavier Rodríguez's “La Curandera” and “Concert Suite from Frida;” Ástor Piazzolla's “Maria de Buenos Aires;” Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti;” Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel;” Mozart’s “Impresario;” Offenbach’s “RSVP: or a Musicale at Mr. Cauliflower’s;” and “Cosi Fan Tutte.”
“Onstage sword fighting, drama, love, betrayal, complicated arias and a superb musical score, are to be expected”, said Fraser. “‘Don Pasquale a La Tarantino’ brings elements to our Recital Hall stage that have never been seen before. Martial arts pared with a comedic opera are rarely seen together, but we made it work beautifully!”
Guest conductor, maestro John Mario Di Constanzo, will be taking the stage conducting “Don Pasquale a La Tarantino.” Di Constanzo has guest conducted some of the world’s finest orchestras: Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Chicago Symphony Center Pops, Utah Symphony, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and many more. He has made more than 50 appearances in major cities throughout the U.S. and abroad. The CSUSB Music Department is honored and delighted to have such a remarkable conductor for this year’s opera production.
CSUSB’s ChoEun Lee will be the musical director for the opera. Lee, a native of Korea, is an active pianist, vocal coach and chamber musician. She has given numerous performances in Australia, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, and the United States, and in major venues including Carnegie Hall in New York City, Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood Music Center and Harris Concert Hall in Aspen Music Festival.
Tickets, which may be purchased online, are $15 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets for CSUSB alumni, faculty/staff, military and visiting colleagues are a special rate of $12. Parking is a daily rate of $6.
For more information on the production, contact Diana Reyes at (909) 537-7516.
Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015-2016, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually.
For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.