La Rondine: LA Opera

Saturday June 7, 7:30 P.M.

Puccini’s lesser- known La Rondine contains beautiful pieces including: “Chi il bel sogno di Doretto,” and “Ma come puoi lasciarmi.”

“La Rondine,” the swallow, revolves around the love between a free-spirited courtesan, Magda, and her beloved Ruggero. Can she escape the chains of her past, or like a swallow, will she be forced to return to her life as a kept woman?  Go see the opera and find out!

Patricia Racette as Magda and Marcus Haddock as Ruggero.

Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts.

Marta Domingo directs.

http://www.losangelesopera.com/productions/0708/larondine/index.htm

Huntington Art Gallery

Summer hours:  10:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

 Walk through the home of Henry Huntington and his wife Arabella. The Huntington Art Gallery opened this month after a $20 million facelift.  The collection of European art includes objects from the 15th to 20th centuries. The Huntington. 1151 Oxford Road. San Marino, CA, 91108. 626.405.2100

The Diaryof Anne Frank: Long Beach Opera

Sunday June 8, 4:00 P.M. The LA Times calls soprano Ani Maldjian a “technical and emotional Tour de Force.” Russian composer Grigori Frid translated Anne Frank’s story into an opera-monodrama in four scenes for soprano and chamber orchestra, consisting of 21 episodes.

 If you are wondering how the tragedy of Anne Frank’s life could be made into an opera, consider this quotation from her diary:“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” 

Long Beach Opera. 507 Pacific Ave. Long Beach CA 90802 . Tickets are selling out quickly, so call 562.432.5934 ASAP to see if any have become available. For more information please visit: http://www.longbeachopera.org/