Oswego Opera to present new version of Mozart's 'Figaro' at Waterman Theatre

Oswego Opera Theater will present Mozart’s comic opera “The Marriage of Figaro” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, in the newly renovated Waterman Theatre of SUNY Oswego’s Tyler Hall.

The production will be semi-staged, and will feature a new, modern translation of the dialogues. The vocal sections will be sung in Italian with supertitles projecting the English translation.

“Figaro” is considered by some to be Mozart’s greatest opera, with the intrigues of Figaro and Susanna against the Count representing a turning point in music. For the first time, an opera depicts the feelings of real people; heartfelt emotions are portrayed alongside comic situations, Oswego Opera Theater organizers noted.

The work also makes a political statement; never before had the lower classes gained the upper hand against the nobility. The goal is for the opera to flow at a fast pace, and make the audience members forget they are watching an 18th century masterpiece. The great composer Brahms wrote: “Each number in Figaro is a miracle; it is totally beyond me how anyone could create anything so perfect.”

Oswego Opera Theater’s production will feature Eric McKeever in the title role; he has sung with Opera Naples, Opera Columbus, Baltimore Concert Opera and Nashville Opera, receiving rave reviews. Kyle Pfortmiller returns to Waterman Theatre as the Count; he has sung with the Metropolitan Opera, Opera Nashville and Opera Carolina. The Countess is, appropriately, his wife in real life: Laura Pfortmiller. She sang the title role of “The Merry Widow” for Oswego Opera Theater a few years back, and has performed with the Tulsa, Chautauqua, Sarasota and Amarillo Opera companies.

The production will feature young, rising star Laura Sanders as Susanna; she made her Italian debut this summer at the Amalfi Coast Festival and is a winner of the American Prize Competition. “Figaro” will also feature opera singers from the greater Central New York area, members of Oswego’s Youth Conservatory singing the choral sections, and a full professional orchestra conducted by artistic director Juan Francisco La Manna of SUNY Oswego’s music faculty.

Tickets are available for $25 (discounted for people ages 62 and over and SUNY Oswego students with valid ID) at all SUNY Oswego box offices, online at tickets.oswego.edu or by calling 315-312-2141.