Opera Scenes Program

OPERA SCENES PROGRAM

"Supernatural: Fantastic Opera Scenes and Where to Find Them"

Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

Lenfest Center/Wilson Hall/Concert Hall

“Supernatural: Fantastic Opera Scenes and Where to Find Them,” directed by Scott Williamson, is a program of opera excerpts to be presented at Washington and Lee University on May 18, 2019 at 8 p.m. Williamson is a former W & L faculty member and former Artistic Director of Opera Roanoke.      

W&L students will perform scenes from Mozart’s "Die Zauberflöte" ("The Magic Flute"), Purcell’s Dido and Æneas, Humperdinck’s "Hansel and Gretel," and Maurice Ravel’s rarely performed impressionist fairy-tale, "L’enfant et les sortileges" ("A Child and the Spells")—from the mythic world of "The Magic Flute," where a dragon-pursued prince is rescued by three mysterious “ladies,” to the epic world of Virgil’s "Aeneid" where witches and sorcerers effect history and found kingdoms. "Hansel and Gretel" is among the world’s most re-enacted fairy-tales, and Humperdinck’s romantic score is the most popular German opera (after Mozart’s "The Magic Flute") for its beautiful harmonies and tuneful melodies. Impressionist composer Maurice Ravel paired with the visionary writer Colette to create a modern fairy-tale opera where a child’s world and the objects in it come to life, animating before him.

No tickets are required. For more information visit the Lenfest Center website or call the Box Office at 540-458-8000.