Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Iphigenie en Tauride’ Onstage at CAPA; Pat McArdle Modernist Art Exhibit (Sat., 1/20/24)

Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Iphigénie en Tauride’ is being performed at the Pittsburgh CAPA with Iphigénie (Emily Richter) and Oreste (Brandon Bell) as the leads. Photo: David Bachman Photography for Pittsburgh Opera.

1) Nothing happens quickly in classic opera. By design, that’s all the better for audiences to enjoy the earthshaking ethos of dramatic musical composition. After all, the idea of opera is to immerse an audience in a thrilling experience of triumphant orchestration embellished by stunning, vocalized emotion. That said, an opera’s storyline need not offer more than scant context for the action which is soon—or, if we’re being honest, eventually—to unfold.

Iphigénie en Tauride, Pittsburgh Opera’s next great production, may be a good example of dramatic tension drawn out to the max. Written for the French stage by Viennese composer Christoph Willibald Gluck in 1779, Iphegénie en Turide is a four-act tour de force of opera seria, then the more popular Italian construct of dramatic opera. Except that Gluck famously did away with an overture, and he pulls back on lengthy arias in his many works. Perhaps most “shocking” of all, Gluck’s choice in retelling an ancient story popularized by Euripides excludes the typical entanglements of romance between lovers. Here, based on the stories of Agamemnon, the conflict arises between a brother and sister. In brief, following the Trojan Wars, two Greek sailors, Oreste and Pylade, are washed ashore on Taurus, where Oreste’s sister, Iphigénie, a high priestess, is commanded to kill the invaders. Of course, she has no idea, despite ominous dreams, that one of the men is her brother. Although Gluck was not the only composer to tackle this tale (Andre Campra and Niccolo Piccinni have their own similarly named operas,) his has been the most popular in the nearly 250 years since it was first staged. Featuring an all-resident cast of artists, including Emily Richter as Iphigènie, Brandon Bell as Oreste, and Fran Daniel Laucerica as Pylade, Pittsburgh Opera’s new production will assuredly answer the question: why? At the CAPA School Theater, January 20, 23, 26, and 28. 8 p.m. tonight. 111 9th Street, Cultural District, Downtown. (C.P.O)

A modern art piece done by Leonor Fini, Paris 1960s, that will be on display at the exhibit.

2) Art connoisseur/collector Pat McArdle  has curated eight one-night shows composed of works from his collection—some of which date back to the 1920’s. Each exhibition is uniquely themed and have over 40 original works. Tonight’s exhibition features works in the Live•Worship•Shop series which includes European and American modernists, along with the Pittsburgh artists. There will be three watercolors of Isodore Duncan by Abraham Walkowitz and work by Marie Laurencin, Benjamin Kopman and Leonor Fini. 125 Modern paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, mosaics and mobiles. There will be a new exhibit on the next five Saturday nights. 6 to 9 p.m. John A. Hermann Memorial Art Museum, 318 Lincoln Avenue, Bellevue. (R.H.)

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