UMS Concert Program, November 17, 1963: New York City Opera -- Julius Rudel

Season: Eighty-fifth
Concert: Third
Complete Series: 3406
Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

1963 Eighty-fifth Season 1964
UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Charles A. Sink, President Gail VV. Rector, Executive Director Lester McCoy, Conductor
Sixth Program Eighty-fifth Annual Choral Union Series Complete Series 3407
NEW YORK CITY OPERA
JULIUS RUDEL, General Director
DON GIOVANNI
Opera in Two Acts
Music by W. A. Mozart
Book by Lorenzo da Ponte
English version by Ruth and Thomas Martin
Sunday Evening, November 17, 1963, at 8:30 Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS
CAST
Don Giovanni, a nobleman.......John Reardon
Leporello, his servant.........Spiro Malas
Donna Elvira.........Arlene Saunders
Don Pedro, The Commandant......Thomas Paul
Donna Anna, his daughter.......Beverly Sills
Don Ottavio, her fiance, Prince of Seville . . . John McCollum
Masetto, a young peasant......William Metcalf
Zerlina, his bride.........Patricia Brooks
and
The Duke of Seville, His Entourage, Attendants and Footmen, Maids, and Peasants
Conducted by Julius Rudel
Staged and Devised by William Ball
Production designed by Robert Fletcher
Lighting by Jules Fisher
Choreography by Thomas Andrew
Chorus Master: William Jonson
Seville--1787
Act I--Scene 1: Courtyard of the Commandant's Palace
Scene 2: A rural road leading to Seville, near Don Giovanni's
villa
Scene 3: Don Giovanni's villa: a terrace outside the ballroom Scene 4: The ballroom
Act II--Scene 1: A street outside Donna Elvira's lodging
Scene 2: A cloister near the Commandant's Memorial Court
Scene 3: The Graveyard
Scene 4: Outside Don Giovanni's villa
Scene 5: Don Giovanni's ballroom
SYNOPSIS
A romantic rogue of a Spanish noble, Don Giovanni, accompanied by his sly and rascally servant, Leporello, invades by night the house of the commandant of Seville, with whose daughter, Donna Anna, he is infatuated. But Donna Anna, betrothed to Don Ottavio, not only repulses his advances but, crying out for help, pursues him. Her father answers her call, only to be slain by Don Giovanni. After the Don and his servant have escaped, Don Ottavio arrives on the scene too late to be of help but in time to assist Donna Anna in her vengeance.
In the street, Donna Elvira, a lady whom the Don has betrayed and abandoned, encounters him and upbraids him for his cruelty. As the Don precipitately departs, Leporello horrifies the sorrowing lady with a catalogue of his master's thousand-and-three conquests.
Presently the Don crosses the path of a peasant wedding party romping into town for the marriage of Zerlina and Masetto. He is so struck with Zerlina's beauty that he is by way of persuading her to run away with him when Donna Elvira unexpectedly appears and thwarts his plan. However, he gives a grand ball in his palace to which peasantry as well as gentry are invited and there once more the same trio save Zerlina from seduction.
After this variety of adventures, at the beginning of Act Two, we find Don Giovanni bent on further exploits. He is still seeking to kidnap Zerlina, who is now living in the house of Donna Elvira under her protection, and when this enterprise ends in nothing more serious than a beating for Masetto, the Don diverts his bravado to other matters by appearing in the cemetery where Donna Anna's father, the Com-mendatore, is buried, and inviting the stone statue of the worthy he has slain to sup with him.
As Don Giovanni sits late at the table feasting with ladies of his choice, Donna Elvira, faithful unto death, rushes in to beg him to make peace with God. He spurns her, but when she hurries back, shrieking, to seek egress by another door, he sends Leporello to see what is up. Leporello, shrieking in his turn, comes back with word that the statue is at the door. Instead of taking flight, Don Giovanni boldly confronts the unwelcome visitor. The statue clasps the Don's hand in a grasp there is no resisting. At his very feet hell opens, and sinful Don Giovanni, struggle though he may, is cast by his victim's image into the fiery pit. Thus the libertine is punished.
THE NEW YORK CITY OPERA
General Director..........Julius Rudel
Associate Director..........John S. White
Music Administrator..........Felix Popper
Executive Assistant...........June Arey
Press Representatives........Nat and Irv Dorfman
PRODUCTION STAFF
Conductors and Musical Staff . . Felix Popper, Julius Rudel, Dean Ryan
Kurt Saffir, Charles Wilson Directors and Staging Staff . . Bill Field, J. Edgar Joseph, Ian Strasfogel
Company Manager.........Catherine Parsons
Executive Stage Manager........Hans Sondheimer
Stage Managers.........John Seig, Bill Field
Chorus Master..........William Jonson
Make-up Director.........Michael Arshansky
Orchestra Personnel..........DnO Proto
Wardrobe.........Kate Gaudio, Arthur Craig
NEW YORK CITY OPERA ENSEMBLE: Barbara Beaman, Anthea DeForest, Bev?erly Evans, Pearle Goldsmith, Helen Guile, Lila Herbert, Lynda Jordan, Anitra Lynch, Joyce Miko, Candida Pilla, Charlotte Povia, Marie Young, Don Carlo, Paul Corder, Jerry Crawford, Glenn Dowlen, Harris Davis, James Fels, Don Henderson, David Hick's, Edson Hoel, Kellis Miller, John Smith, Don Yule.
NEW YORK CITY OPERA BALLET: Oldyna Dynowska, Alexandra Vernon, Paul Berne, Philip Rice.
Progress Report--Hill Auditorium--1913-1963
The proscenium used in these operas, and in the several staged productions pre?sented by the University Musical Society in recent months, has been developed with the Society by the University Plant Department and the Tobin Lake Studios. These removable installations, together with the new interchangeable orchestra pit, enlarged projection booth, and special lighting now make possible opera and ballet presentations. Further improvements are planned for the backstage areas to better accommodate the performers and stage properties.
The front curtains, drapes, and borders are installed on a dismantlable grid structure suspended on seven 1500-pound test cables, each operated from motor?ized winches secured above the stage ceiling.
Chamber Music Festival
New York Pro Musica, Noah Greenberg, Conductor
Friday, February 14, 8:30.....An Elizabethan Concert
Honoring the 400th birthday of William Shakespeare.
Program of works by Morley, Wilbye, Byrd, White, Jones, Bartlett, Hume,
Dowland, Ravenscroft, and Gibbons
Saturday, February 15, 8:30 . Music of Burgundy, Flanders and Spain Program of works by Dufay, Ockeghem, Rivaflecha, Ortiz, de Cabezon, Gombert
Sunday, February 16, 2:30 Early Baroque Music of Italy and Germany Program of works by Monteverdi, Frescobaldi, Spadi, Schutz, Praetorius, Schein
Series Tickets: $6.00--$5.00--$4.00 Single Performances: $3.50--$2.50--$2.00
OTHER PERFORMANCES THIS SEASON
Julian Bream Consort......Tuesday, November 26
Messiah . . . Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8 (2:30)
Sestetto Italiano Luca Marenzio .... Tuesday, December 10 Philharmonia Hungarica,
Tossy Spivakovsky, Violin Soloist .... Monday, January 20
Zurich Chamber Orchestra......Saturday, January 25
Mazowsze Dance Company......Thursday, January 30
Sahm-Chun-Li Dancers and Musicians
from Seoul, Korea.......Sunday, February 9
Vienna Symphony Orchestra.....Thursday, February 20
Teresa Berganza, Coloratura-mezzo . . . Wednesday, February 26
Chicago Opera Ballet........Friday, March 13
Orchestra San Pietro of Naples.....Thursday, March 19
Anna Moffo, Soprano.........Friday, April 3
1964 MAY FESTIVAL. Orders for series tickets accepted and filed beginning
December 1.
For tickets and information, address UNIVERSITY MUSICAL SOCIETY, Burton Tower