'Marriage of Figaro' -- English style
Westford ChorusWorks by Mozart, including "Great Mass in C Minor" and scenes from "The Marriage of Figaro"Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.Stony Brook Auditorium9 Farmer Way, Westford$20 adults, $15 seniors, $5 children 978-692-3184www.westfordchorus.org
A performance at the Savoy Opera Company in London about a year ago will resound in the northwest suburbs this weekend, when the Westford Chorus opens its 21st season with a program of works by Mozart.
During a trip to London, Westford Chorus director Daniel Rowntree saw a performance of "The Marriage of Figaro," in a translation by British director and composer Jeremy Sams. "I was a little apprehensive about high opera in English, because usually they aren't that great," said Rowntree. "But this translation was fresh, and funny, and right on target."
The Westford Chorus and visiting soloists will perform 10 costumed scenes from "Figaro," in what Rowntree said will be the first performance of the Sams translation in the United States.
Noting that this weekend's performances are occurring "outside of the Route 495 setting," Rowntree stressed the importance of making the music accessible to members of the audience in their native language. "You're not going to get a lot of pedantic listeners trudging in from Boston," he said. "We're much more likely to get soccer moms."
The first half of the concert will consist of the "Great Mass in C Minor," providing what Rowntree called "kind of sacred and profane bookends" to the performance.
While the roughly 50-minute "Mass" is a more intense listening experience than scenes from the comic opera, Rowntree said that Mozart employed varying tempos and textures to sustain interest. "The way it moves along, every three or four minutes, there is a change in texture," he said.
About 100 vocalists will perform the "Mass," with the 50 members of the Westford Chorus supplemented by singers from the Stow Festival Chorus and the Community College of Rhode Island Chamber Singers. They will be accompanied by 21 instrumentalists.
Guest soloists include tenor Thomas Gregg, who is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory and Tufts University and has performed with opera companies in numerous American cities; mezzo-soprano Petra D. Pacaric, who has performed in Europe, Canada, and several New England-based ensembles; baritone Joseph Amante y Zapata, an assistant professor of music and director of choral activities for the Community College of Rhode Island; and soprano Anastasia Jamieson, a member of the Anchorage Opera and sister of Westford Chorus member Demetra Bristol.
Rowntree, a Michigan native who now lives in Hollis, N.H., has led the Westford Chorus since 1997. His training includes studying conducting and orchestration at the Moscow Conservatory of Music, and sessions with conductors Leonard Bernstein and Mstislav Rostropovich at Tanglewood in 1982.
The Westford Chorus consists of amateur musicians, mostly from Westford, and aims to provide a "high-quality, community-based experience," said Nancy Bush, who is the group's marketing director and will sing the part of the housekeeper, Marcellina, this weekend in scenes from "Figaro."
The group's other concerts this season will feature highlights from Gilbert and Sullivan operettas on April 2-3, and a pop concert with songs from the 1960s on June 4.
DEAN INOUYE
