Do you love good opera as much as I do? Premiering for the Empress of Hapsburg’s birthday in 1733, the opera buffa (comedic opera) “La Serva Padrona” (“The Servant Turned Mistress”) by Pergolesi will be the fourth offering in this year’s Camerata Gordon Campbell.
Originally written as an intermezzo, the theme of “La Serva Padrona” is timeless and something most anyone can relate to. A young woman, working as a maid for a wealthy elderly bachelor, has designs on marrying him and inheriting his estate. She works in cahoots with Vespone, a mute fellow servant, to make her goal a reality.
Greg and I recently interviewed the Director of the Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes, Maestro Gordon Campbell, and his wife, Guianeya Román, in our home. Below is their Behind-the-Chamber peek into La Serva Padrona:
The concert will take place at the Angela Peralta Theater this Sunday, February 1st, at noon. Karla Muñoz, soprano, will sing the role of Serpina, the maid. Carlos Serrano, baritone, will sing as Uberto, the master of the house. Actor Larik Huerta will play the mute servant, Vespone. The stage director for this performance is Rodolfo Arriaga.
Sounds sexy, right? Intriguing? This performance, the second in the Camerata Gordon Campbell series this year, sounds absolutely fabulous to me. It will take place on Sunday, January 11, at noon in the Angela Peralta Theater.
We all love art—listening to music or looking at paintings. What is even better to me, however, is when curators use music or visual art to tell us a story, to give us a glimpse into the lives of the artists—to take us with them into their lives. I love an exhibition that showcases the work of two friends who were painters, for example, comparing and contrasting their viewpoints, experiences, personalities and techniques. It’s so much more enriching than simply looking at the paintings and enjoying them. Such an approach accesses more of our senses simultaneously.
“Mozart and His Women” takes such an approach. It is musical tour de force, performed by the Chamber Orchestra, and it will be accompanied by readings from private letters between Mozart and his family and friends. So, we will hear the concerto that Mozart composed for his brother, Frederick, on the latter’s birthday, while we listen to the letter that Wolfgang wrote to him on that very occasion. Sound awesome?
The video below shows Gordon Campbell, Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes and of the Camerata Gordon Campbell, and Guianeya Román, his collaborator and wife, as they talk about the genesis of this performance. Be sure to listen for what Mozart called one of his best friends—he may have been Mazatleco after all!
Joining the Chamber for this concert will be the wonderful Angelica Aragón. I know her as an actress in movies and telenovelas, the daughter of my beloved Ferrusquilla. So my first question to Gordon and his wife was, “Does she sing?” No, in “Mozart and His Women,” Angelica will be performing the roles of Mozart’s mother, sister and wife, as she reads from the letters. We may even see a cameo by Gordon himself, in a white powdered wig.
Be sure to get your season tickets for only 150 pesos each, or your ticket to this event only at the unbelievable price of 200 pesos. Tickets at the TAP box office or online (though, personally, I can never get the online payment to work). We are so very truly blessed here in Mazatlán!
I am doing this series on the Camerata, not because we want to start reporting here on this blog, but because we so often find out about events after the fact. Sure, we see the announcements ahead of time, but often we don’t really know what the various performances are about. And we are blessed with a plethora of terrific options here in Mazatlán! It is my hope that this “Behind the Chamber” series can help you to discern what the performances will involve—they are so exciting this year! Many thanks to the Maestro and his wife for spending time with us to give us some background details and build our excitement.
A twelve year old girl from Guadalajara plays piano so well that she has already performed in Europe and Asia, as well as in both the Palacio de las Bellas Artes and Carnegie Hall—where she received a standing ovation. Earlier this year she won the prestigious Premio Nacional de la Juventud award, given to outstanding young Mexicans between 12 and 28—when she had barely reached the minimum age.
The girl is Daniela Liebman, an incredibly hardworking and naturally talented musician, and she will be coming our way this Sunday, January 4, 2015. Her career is rising quickly, she’s in very high demand on the international stage, and this is most probably the last concert she will play for over a year. Daniela may well go on to world fame, and thanks to the annual Camerata Gordon Campbell series, we get to create lifelong memories right here, in our own Angela Peralta Theater, for only 200 pesos (less if you buy tickets to the full series).
Maestro Gordon Campbell, Director and Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes, and his wife and collaborator, Guianeya Román, sat down with us to talk a bit about next Sunday’s concert, how they came to know Daniela, and how they were able to attract her to Mazatlán to perform for us.
Born to musically inclined parents—a US American father and a Mexican mother—the maestro and his wife tell us that Daniela is both an terrific artist and a very well-adjusted child: she loves reading, and often skips onto stage due to her excitement at performing. View the video of our interview, below:
We were told that the family is very dedicated to Daniela. Her father sat with her four hours a day when she was younger, helping her practice. Daniela’s parents have told Gordon that if at any time the gifted pianist does not wish to continue her musical training, she is free to choose whichever interests suit her. Soon the family will be moving to Fort Worth, Texas to continue her training with a well-known teacher there.
Be sure to get your season tickets for just 150 pesos each for the 8-concert series, while you can still choose the best seats. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Angela Peralta Theater box office.
¡VidaMaz! 