Weekend Preview – USA (7/28-30): Dvorak’s ‘Dimitrij’ to Get First US Staging At Bard Summerscape

By David Salazar

It will be another busy opera weekend as we enter the home stretch of the summer season. But this one is special because it will feature the first fully staged production of an opera by a beloved Czech Composer.

Dvorak’s “Dimitrij” will make its first staged production in the US as part of the Bard Summerscape with performances on Friday and Sunday. The opera will be performed five times.

Portland Opera is particularly busy with performances of “The Difficulty of Crossing a Field” and “The Little Match Girl Passion” on Friday. Opera Chautauqua puts on its first “Don Pasquale” of the season and Opera Maine closes out its run of “La Traviata.”

Elsewhere, Central City Opera continues its run of “Carmen,” Santa Fe Opera presents “The Golden Cockerel” and Glow Lyric Theatre puts on “The Crucible.”

On Saturday, the Santa Fe Opera premieres “Alcina” for the summer season. Charlottesville Opera also opens “Oklahoma!” on that same night while Glow Lyric Theatre closes out “The Gondoliers.”

Central City Opera continues with “Così fan tutte” and “Cabildo,” as does the Glimmerglass Festival with “Porgy and Bess,” which stars Musa Ngqungwana, who recently commented on the difficulty of taking on the lead role in the famed opera. “Musically, Porgy is not an easy role to sing, especially in the second and third acts. He has a lot of singing in the second act, and the Buzzard Song alone is hefty and demanding,” he noted.

“Oklahoma!” dominates the states on Sunday, getting performances with Charlottesville Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival. “Carmen” at Central City Opera offers a contrasting work.

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