Can t Help Singing! A concert of favorites from opera, musical theater, and the silver screen The Bostonians (The Bostonian Opera & Concert Ensemble) Bethany Worrell, soprano; Roselin Osser, mezzo-soprano Michael Calmés, tenor; Philip Lima, baritone William Merrill, piano and arranger Treasures from the Operatic Stage Brindisi: Libiamo ne lieti calici The Quartet Giuseppe Verdi From La Traviata (1813-1901) Si può? Si può? Mr. Lima Ruggiero Leoncavallo from Pagliacci (1858-1919) De miei bollenti spiriti Mr. Calmés Verdi Mir is so wunderbar The Quartet Ludwig van Beethoven from Fidelio (1770-1827) Que fais-tu? Ms. Osser Charles Gounod "Je veux vivre Ms. Worrell (18181893) from Roméo et Juliette "O Mimì, tu più non torni" Mr. Calmés Giacomo Puccini from La Bohème Mr. Lima (1958-1924) Flower Duet: "Sous le dôme épais" Ms. Worrell Léo Delibes from Lakmé Ms. Osser (1815 1910) Days of Pleasure The Quartet George Frederick Handel music from Semele (1685-1759) text/concept from The Metropolitan Opera s production, The Enchanted Island -----Intermission-----
Voices from the American Musical Stage and Screen Can t help singing The Quartet Jerome Kern/Yip Harburg from Can t Help Singing (1944) arr. Merrill Come to me, bend to me Mr. Calmés Alan Jay Lerner/ from Brigadoon(1947) Frederick Loewe Til there was you Ms. Osser Meredith Wilson from The Music Man (1957) So in love Ms. Worrell Cole Porter from Kiss Me, Kate (1948) Mr. Lima arr. Stickles It ain t necessarily so The Quartet George and Ira Gershwin from Porgy and Bess (1935) All the things you are The Quartet Kern/Hammerstein from Very Warm for May (1939) arr. Merrill A Bernstein (almost 100 th ) Birthday Bash! Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) Tonight Ms. Osser lyrics: Stephen Sondheim from West Side Story (1957) Mr. Calmés Lucky to be me Mr. Lima lyrics: Betty Comden/ from On the Town (1944) Adolph Green Old Lady s Tango: "I Am Easily Assimilated" Ms. Osser lyrics: Bernstein Glitter and Be Gay Ms. Worrell lyrics: Richard Wilbur Make our Garden Grow The Quartet lyrics: Richard Wilbur from Candide (1954) PROGRAM NOTES FOR OPERA EXCERPTS Treasures from the Operatic Stage Brindisi: Libiamo ne lieti calici Raise your glass and drink a toast! Let the dawn find us drunk with joy and love!
Si può? Si può? from Pagliacci Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, as I interrupt the maestro! Despite what you ve heard, the stories you are about to witness are true, for we poor players are just like you. Now, ON WITH THE SHOW! De miei bollenti spiriti Violetta s generous, selfless love has tempered my boiling, ardent passion. Here in our love nest I have forgotten the entire universe and live in heavenly bliss. Mir is so wunderbar from Fidelio Four characters independently reveal their separate, private thoughts, weaving a sublime, unified musical whole. Marzelline speaks of her infatuation for the handsome stranger, Fidelio. Fidelio (Leonore in disguise!) expresses fear at her mission to free her unjustly jailed husband. Rocco, the jailer and loving father of Marzelline, sees Fidelio as the perfect match for his daughter. Jacquino despairs that Marzelline will never love him. from Roméo et Juliette Que fais-tu? Romeo s page, taunts the vultures (The Capulets) to, come out and fight! After all, the beautiful dove you hold hostage (Juliette) will eventually flee to the green groves of her love bird (Romeo). "Je veux vivre" Before she meets Romeo, Juliette reveals her joie de vivre: I want to live as in a joyful dream! Flame of joy, you are my treasure! "O Mimì, tu più non torni" from La Bohème Rodolfo, the poet: Mimi, you, your precious little hands, and our days of joy will never return. O, my wasted youth! Come to my dead heart. Marcello, the painter: No matter what I try to depict sky, ground, winter, spring I paint Musetta s bewitching eyes and luscious lips. My heart calls to her, and waits in vain.
Flower Duet: "Sous le dôme épais" from Lakmé Beneath a dome of jasmine and fragrant roses, let s go down to the sun-soaked riverbank. We float with the current, greeting the lotus-eating swans, where fountains sleep and birds sing. Days of Pleasure music from Semele text/concept from The Metropolitan Opera s production, The Enchanted Island Reviving the 17th-century genre of the pastiche, in 2011 The Metropolitan Opera created a new Baroque fantasy that brings together some of the greatest arias and ensembles by Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau, Purcell, and other composers with a new English libretto inspired by Shakespeare s The Tempest and A Midsummer Night s Dream. Two pairs of honeymooning lovers sweetly and naively sing that their days of pleasure and nights of love are safe within their marriage vows. The Bostonians ~ Bethany Worrell, Roselin Osser, Michael Calmés, Philip Lima, and William Merrill are five members of The Bostonians, a repertory company of outstanding vocal and instrumental artists founded in 2003 by renowned singer and impresario Richard Conrad. Known for sonorous singing and virtuosic playing, The Bostonians have enjoyed praise for their eclectic programs ranging from opera to cabaret; American favorites to Armenian classics. "Delightful and stylish" - The Boston Phoenix "Hardly a dry eye in the house" - The Boston Globe "An extraordinary recital" - The Boston Phoenix Learn about The Bostonians at thebostonianssing.org. Bethany Worrell is hailed for performing with a gorgeous and flexible soprano and dramatic intelligence and musical acumen. In August 2016, Ms. Worrell made her Boston Symphony Orchestra soloist debut as the High Priestess in Aida under the baton of Maestro Andris Nelsons. She has been featured in opera, concert, and recital productions in Boston, Chicago, and Pittsburgh, as well as Salzburg, Austria, and Florence, Italy. Tonight Ms. Worrell makes her debut with The Bostonians.
Roselin Osser - Praised for her vocal adeptness, Ms. Osser has particularly excelled in such diverse opera roles as the fiery Rosina in The Barber of Seville (Longwood Opera), Pitti-Sing in The Mikado (Opera Providence), and Satirino in La Calisto (Harvard Early Music Society). Recent engagements have included the title role in OperaHub s production of Montsalvatge s El Gato con Botas. Earlier this year she was a finalist in the prestigious Yokohama International Music Competition in Japan. Michael Calmés has achieved a distinguished record of performances in concerts, recitals, oratorio, and opera. He has been a soloist with orchestras, choruses, and ensembles in the U.S., Austria, Belgium, China, England, France, Germany, and Italy. In the Boston area, Mr. Calmés has been a soloist with Boston Cecilia, Cantata Singers, Handel & Haydn Society, Masterworks Chorale, Boston Aria Guild, and Boston Lyric Opera. He is featured on numerous live performance CDs, and most recently recorded Cantique de Noel: Beautiful Songs of Christmas on the Centaur label. Philip Lima s performances regularly are marked by critical praise. Noted as a vibrant baritone and a commanding presence, he has sung a wide array of leading operatic roles, including world premieres, in Germany and with numerous opera companies across the U.S. In concert, Mr. Lima has appeared as soloist with dozens of orchestras, choruses, and concert series in the U.S., Italy, Korea, and Ukraine. His performance of Schubert s Winterreise with pianist Beverly Orlove was cited in an annual review of Best of Boston by The Boston Phoenix. He is heard on the Naxos record label. William Merrill is one of Boston s most sought-after and highly respected collaborative pianists/coaches. Critics routinely describe his work glowingly: wonderfully subtle; elegant and apparently effortless. He has worked with preeminent singers at major venues across the U.S., such as Jordan Hall and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Mr. Merrill also has performed internationally in Austria, China, Germany, Holland, and Italy. His extensive professional affiliations include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, the Opera Company of Boston, Boston Academy, the Goldovsky Opera Institute, New England Conservatory of Music, and the Longy School of Music. He has recorded for both Newport Classics and Pearl Records.