MUSIC
BY BRETT CAMPBELL
SOPRANO EMILY PULLEY STARS AS ‘MINNIE’
IN THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST
SPAGHETTI WESTERN OPERA
Voices and violins highlight this month’s music
M
ore than half a century before Sergio Leone,
Ennio Morricone, Clint Eastwood et al brought
us an Italian view of the American West’s
good/bad old days, New York’s Metropolitan
Opera asked famed Italian composer Giacomo
Puccini to make a new opera from a play of the Gold Rush
days. The March 14 and 16 performances of that pioneer-
period drama The Girl of the Golden West are a pioneering
step for the Eugene Opera, too: Not only is this Hult
Center performance the local premiere of Puccini’s favorite
among his operas, it also continues the plucky company’s
recent willingness to take chances, albeit this time not with
contemporary works, alas, but with less familiar fare.
Less popular with audiences than critics (despite the 55
standing ovations it earned at its 1910 premiere), The Girl
of the Golden West has never been one of those endlessly
recycled top-10 operas, in part because it’s hard to find
strong-voiced singers who can handle the tough soprano
and tenor roles — hence the three Met singers Eugene
Opera has brought in. And for Americans, the show’s
juxtaposition of cowboy and Italian idioms can produce
unintentional comedy: a character whose job description is
“agente della Compagnia di trasporti Wells Fargo”; a bang-
up chorus called “Whiskey per tutti!” Early audiences
giggled at the “ugh” sounds the Indians made.
Still, opera-holics will happily imbibe Puccini’s ever-
appealing melodies and applaud the smart, pistol-packing,
strong-willed title heroine whose love saves and redeems
a tough character; classical music fans in general will
appreciate its sophisticated scoring; and anyone who
fancies old-fashioned Western mythology will enjoy the
card-playing miners, bandit-chasing posses, saloon antics
and gunplay.
What’s more, EO has again enhanced its production by
partnering with Lane County Historical Museum, White
Lotus Gallery, Eugene Public Library, Bijou Metro and
UO’s Knight Library for exhibitions, discussions and other
contextual offerings that help today’s audiences fully
appreciate this early cross-cultural creation.
Speaking of opera, Portland’s Vagabond Opera
(featuring erstwhile opera tenor/accordionist Eric Stern)
brings its theatrical melange of cello, clarinet, sax
accordion, operatic vocals, burlesque and Hot Club jazz
back to the WOW Hall March 14, accompanied by the
city’s ever-energetic Gypsy/klezmer/Balkan/brass band
(plus guitar, accordion, vocals and more) Chervona for a
Bohemian Russian dance party.
Another former trained opera singer, Eugene’s Siri Vik,
has also broadened her musical horizons, and her newest
project at The Shedd pairs her with another terrific local
musician, saxophonist Joe Manis, in a tribute to what may
be the most beautiful combination of voice and instruments
ever recorded, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman’s
magnificent 1963 duo album. The March 13 concert at The
Shedd also features music from another Coltrane jazz
classic from that year, Ballads, with the rest of the band
comprising the superb veteran Portland jazz pianist Randy
Porter, drummer Todd Strait and bassist Tyler Abbott.
Also on March 13, Beall Hall presents UO prof and
vibrant violinist Fritz Gearhart joining prizewinning guest
violinist Hal Grossman for a program of duets by Martinu,
Hindemith and Schumann, accompanied by pianist Asya
Gulua. And Sunday afternoon, March 16, at United Lutheran
Church, violinist Wyatt True and harpsichordist Margret
Gries trace the development of violin repertoire from its
early Baroque origins based on vocal music, which brings
us back to where we started, with the voice. ■
Ki-ho’alu Foundation Presents
1 0 1 0 W I L L A M E T T E S T R E E T D OW N T OW N E U G E N E M C D O N A L DT H E AT R E .C O M
MAR 19
7:00PM DOORS
8:00PM SHOW
with The Main Squeeze opening
“Eugene Style”
Hult
Center
for the Performing Arts
FEATURING GRAMMY AWARD
WINNER & NOMINEES
Eugene, Oregon
SATURDAY
Dennis Kamakahi
1 of 50
MUST SEE
Events in
America Today
LT Smooth
Acoustic Guitar
Magazine
January 2014
APR 03
MARCH 22
7:00PM DOORS
8:00PM SHOW
A Thousand Faces Tour
7:30PM
HultCenter.org
541-682-5000
Adults $28
Seniors $23
Students $15
Stephen Inglish
APR 09
7:00PM DOORS
8:00PM SHOW
L IK
K E U S O N
TIX AVAIL. BY CALLING 1-800-992-TIXX.
also avail. at
the EMU or online
..........
Special Guest
“Taimane”
..........
Danny Carvalho
..........
with The Brothers Comatose opening
eugeneweekly.com • March 13, 2014
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