Opera isn’t just for snobs anymore.

 

The Ohio State School of Music will present the American premiere of George Frideric Handel’s Opera “Faramondo” starting Friday at the Southern Theatre.

 

The opera, which is originally set in sixth century B.C., has been updated to make it more accessible for current audiences, said Peter Kozma, the production’s director.

“The strong family ties, the blood oath, the opposing kingdoms made me very much think about the 1920s Chicago,” said Kozma, director of OSU’s Opera and Musical Theatre Program.

The mafia wars and prohibition-era Chicago is something everyone in America knows about, he said.

Kozma cites many classic films such as “The Godfather,” “The Untouchables,” “Dick Tracy” and “Guys and Dolls” as examples of America’s ongoing fascination with the mob.

Updating the opera required no changes to the actual story, except a couple words, Kozma said.

“The only thing we had to change was the word ‘sword’ to ‘gun,'” said Jon Jurgens, who plays the title character, Faramondo.

The themes that run throughout the story remain universal, said Jurgens, a second-year graduate student in vocal performance.

Amedee Moore, a second-year graduate student in vocal performance, called the story phenomenal.

“It’s about love conquering. Kind of like ‘Romeo and Juliet,'” she said. Moore plays Clotilde, sister of Faramondo.

The cast and crew understand that for many, opera can be intimidating. However, members of OSU Opera want everyone to feel comfortable coming to see their productions.

“It’s a new concept now that opera is supposed to be some high art that only special people can understand,” Kozma said. “People coming in off the street should be able to understand the production and have a great time. If the audience doesn’t understand what’s going on, on-stage, we failed.”

Moore said audience members shouldn’t be afraid.

“It’s so poignant,” she said. “There is no way that you can’t get.”

Updating the setting might help audience members who are less experienced with opera relate to the story and the characters.

“We have guns in everything,” Moore said. “And lots of alcohol.”

Kozma said, “It is no longer something no one has ever heard of. It’s a familiar place.”

When operas were first staged, they were contemporary, Jurgens said.

“When opera came over to America, people decided to make it this traditional thing from what they remembered,” Jurgens said. “Everything was contemporary and all of a sudden people went backwards.”

The storyline of “Faramondo” deals with many of the issues that face college students today, Moore said.

“It’s young people doing it,” Moore said. “We’re their age. They can totally relate to this. It’s all those same emotions, but it’s sung so it’s even more powerful,”

“Faramondo” is one of Jurgens’ favorite operas when it comes to the plot and characters.
Moore said “Faramondo” is a wonderful piece, even though it is not one of Handel’s well-known works.

“The music is absolutely incredible,” she said. “We’ve been listening a long time and it’s never gotten old.”

The opera is performed in Italian, but the production will provide supertitles projected on screens above the stage.

Translating opera is always problematic, Kozma said.

“The English language flows differently than Italian, but we want the audience to understand what is going on,” he said.

This is the first time OSU Opera will perform downtown at the Southern Theatre.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday.