TnRTS The Michigan Daily Fridoy, November 20, 1987 Page ' La Rondine': Of love and By David Hoegberg Three performances remain in the * University of Michigan School of Music Opera Theatre's fall presenta- tion of Puccini's seldom heard La Rondine ("The Swallow"). The opera is sung in English by graduate and undergraduate voice students at the University and is accompanied by the University Symphony Or- chestra under Gustav Meier. La Rondine is a bittersweet ro- mance set in 1870s Paris. Magda is I the mistress of a wealthy banker who falls in love with a young man of good family. Torn between her love for the young man and her de- sire to keep her past hidden, she sadly turns down his offer of mar- riage and returns to the banker. As the swallow flies to the sea and back each year, Magda follows her pas- sions but is drawn back by her past. "The opera is a little too light for political statements," says the, show's director, Jay Lesenger. "But it is about a woman who makes an attempt to free herself and can't, so she goes back to the only life where she'll be accepted." After its 1917 premier in Monte Carlo, La Rondine remained strangely earthbound. Puccini had been commissioned in 1914 to write a light operetta in the "Viennese style" by the directors of the Vienna Karl theatre. But soon after, Italy declared war on Austria and the opera hung in a limbo created by interna- tional conflict. Its popularity has soared since 1984, however, when the New York City Opera staged a lavish revival, including a national telecast, to rave reviews. The fresh young voices of the Opera Theatre promise to bring new vitality to this long-neglected masterpiece. La Rondine falls between L a Fanciulla del West and Il Trittico in Puccini's musical development. This was an adventurous period for the already famous composer. Puc- cini made it a point to be aware of what was going on around him and to respond to it. By 1914 he was well aware of Wagner's achievement. Musical impressionism a la Debussy and Ravel also had animpact on his later operas. Most important of all, perhaps, was Richard Strauss, who strife had already written Salome, Electra, and Der Rosenkavalier by 1914. "La Rondine contains a quotation from Salome, a sort of private musical joke," says Lesenger. It also con- tains much of the bittersweet regret and Viennese charm of D e r Rosenkavalier. "Each of the three acts offers something different," says Lesenger. "The first act is very conversational, not your typical operatic fare of one aria after another. The second act is in the operetta style --lots of danc- ing and chorus work, and a gorgeous quartet, one of the best things Puc- cini wrote. The third act brings us back to the Puccini we recognize from his earlier operas: soaring melodies charged with emotional in- tensity. The final duet is just shattering emotionally." This production marks the local debut of Peter Beudert, recently ap- pointed Assistant Professor of Set Design at the University, and the Opera Theatre appears to have spared nothing for 'the occasion. "The physical production - sets, cos- tumes, lighting - is really quite See 'LA RONDINE' Page 9 Gregory Broughton as Ruggero, Beth Veltman as Magda, Monica Donakowski as Lisette, and Robert Breault as Prunier in the Opera Theatre production of Puccini's 'La Rondine' at the Power Center this weekend. Crossland returns for local gig St. Andrewvs 3{uii[ 1 Mock West of Ureektow n Dlowntown fletroiA By Mark Swartz After an absence of more than six months, folksinger Dave Crossland is returning to the good old Ark in good old Ann Arbor. When this alumnus of the Univer- sity Class of 1987 plays Sunday night with guitarist Preston Reed, his small but loyal local following is sure to be on hand. Crossland finished his last year at the University with a victory in the campus-wide Starbound talent search, a (premature?) farewell gig at the Ark, and the release of his. debut LP, Don't KnoW Where I m Goin'. The record sold briskly at first, but lately it has been, "Inch by inch, row by row," as the artist concedes. When asked about the possibility of it going gold, h e deadpans, "Only if we spraypaint it." The album, available at PJ's Records and at the club Sunday, is a fully accomplished piece of work. It features ten mature and subtly emotional originals. Accompanied by family and friends, Crossland gives an appreciably low-tech, but very professional performance. Sunday's show is sure to feature material from this impressive debut LP. Since his move to M a s - sachusetts, where he works at a school for dyslexic children, Cross- land has been working on still more originals. "I've been writing a lot about where I am, about places. I'm trying to get people to look at their world a little differently," he says. Crossland plays in the stripped- down guitar and harp style of Woody Guthrie, making full use of a rich (ex-Glee Club) voice and charismatic between-song banter to draw in the audience. It is a musical form that he says is "in danger of dying away." Even in Boston, a folk music hub for years, clubs are closing down. But he keeps on do- ing his thing in the face of it all. The comparison to Guthrie is not incidental; the late music pio- neer was the subject of Crossland's honors thesis last year. "Learning about Woody Guthrie was an adventure," he explains. "After writing the paper, I feel closer to a tradition." Research into Guthrie's life also revealed that Crossland's "Old hero" was not the perfect man. "He had a kind of Mr. T. attitude about mu- sic," he admits. "He put a bumper sticker on his guitar that said 'This machine kills fascists,' and that's not what I'm about." Crossland prefers the motto emblazoned on the guitar of Guthrie's comrade, Pete Seeger, which reads, "This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender." Dave Crossland affirms, "There's something in the music that allows you to reach other people." Warming up for Crossland is Flying Fish recording artist, Pre- ston Reed. Reed is a skilled jazz/folk guitarist, who plays intri- cate all-instrumental. music on his six and 12-string guitars. DAVE CROSSLAND and PRESTON REED will play the Ark Sunday night at 8 p.m. Tickets are $6.50, $5.50 for members and students. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21 11:30 p.m. sh im= TAS PR INT ING HIGH QUALITY LOW PRICES SINCE 1973 1002 PONTIAC TR. The Michigan Daily CLASSIFIED MAIL=IN FORM 1. Form must be filled out completely. 2. Mail money and form to: The Michigan Daily Classifieds, 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. 3. Payment (check or money order) must be, enclosed with the ad. Please do not send cash. 4. 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