This past Sunday I attended a matinee performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca by the Teatro Lirico d’Europa. The lead roles were sung by these cast members:

• Baron Scarpia – William Powers
• Mario Cavaradossi – Gabriel Gonzalez
• Flora Tosca – Olga Chernisheva

Opera buffs will recognize that the title of this post comes from Tosca’s aria which begins, “I lived for art, I lived for love.” I am not a fan of opera, or of music for that matter, but I really enjoyed the show. Perhaps because English supertitling is such an accepted practice now, I was able to follow the storyline and at the same time, listen to the music rather than to words I couldn’t understand. Maybe it helps that I don’t have any preconceived notions about what opera should be, and knowing nothing about either, certainly didn’t have any expectations about this particular work or opera company.

By chance, in late September, I listened to the simulcast of La Bohème, also by Puccini, performed by the Washington National Opera, which was broadcast live to a number of colleges and universities throughout the country. The innovative director Mariusz Trelinski staged a contemporary interpretation of this classic, and I suppose I’m a typical modern audience member because I thoroughly enjoyed it. (I was also smitten by the American soprano who sang the role of Mimi.) The performance was free to the UMass community, so thanks are in order to whomever it was who arranged for our participation.

Although I’m on the Fine Arts Center mailing list, I haven’t faithfully purchased a subscription series; on an impulse, I decided to do so this year. The opera was one of my choices; I’m most partial to dance in all forms, so my other two were Noche Flamenca and the Limon Dance Company. The flamenco artists performed on Wednesday evening, October 3rd, and the Jose Limon troupe the following Friday. Of course, I loved them both. I first experienced a flamenco recital years ago at a cabaret in Seville, Spain, and I’ve never forgotten how mesmerized I was. The Limon Dance Company’s repertoire includes what might be considered classic modern dance choreography; this recital featured Dances for Isadora, The Traitor, and Psalm.

Photography is not allowed during performances, so this post includes no pictures. I could upload a photo of the Fine Arts Center, but in my opinion, next to Tower Library and the Lederle Research Center, the FAC is the ugliest building on campus. In the interests of full disclosure, it was highly praised when it was built in 1975; the design is credited to the prestigious firm of Kevin Roche-John Dinkeloo Associates. Rest assured that I want to keep my day job and don’t plan to dabble in architecture criticism.