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Pierre Beaumarchais

THE MAN BEHIND FIGARO
By Olin Chism

Figaro. The very mention of the name conjures up a certain kind of character. Likable, intelligent, energetic, witty, of humble birth but never obsequious to the rich and powerful. Figaro stars in two operatic masterpieces, Mozart’s The The Marriage of Figaro and its prequel, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. There are other Figaro operas as well. As great as Rossini’s Barber is, most would grant supremacy among Figaro operas to Mozart’s, which the Dallas Opera is currently presenting. Many consider it a landmark of Western civilization. A typical expert’s evaluation is that of the late music scholar Stanley Sadie, editor of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. He thought that only Shakespeare’s comedies equaled The The Marriage of Figaro in “depth and seriousness.”

Mozart’s matchless music is the supreme contributor to that depth and seriousness, but it’s the combination of text and music that has kept it an audience favorite through the last 222 years. Opera-lovers owe a great deal to the grandfather of that text, a remarkable Frenchman named Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. (The father is, of course, Lorenzo Da Ponte, who turned Beaumarchais’ French comedy into an Italian operatic text.)

It was Beaumarchais who invented Figaro, as well as Count Almaviva, the Countess, Susanna, Cherubino, Doctor Bartolo and all the other vivid characters in this timeless comedy. Figaro was Beaumarchais’ favorite -- or at least it becomes clear while reading his biography that the character Figaro was modeled after Beaumarchais himself. He was of humble birth but he moved easily among aristocrats. Highly versatile, he was a master watchmaker, a music teacher, a publisher, a playwright, a secret agent, a specialist in getting others (and himself) out of difficult situations.

Beaumarchais took up causes to the end. He backed the American Revolution and fought for the rights of authors, who at that time were considered secondary characters in the theatrical business. In one extremely farsighted move, he urged the French government to get involved in the field of aeronautics. Hot-air balloons had recently been invented, and he envisioned something like blimps or dirigibles as practical applications. His proposal went nowhere.

After a lifetime of excitement, Beaumarchais died peacefully in his sleep on May 18, 1799. He had lived to hear Mozart’s masterpiece, but he missed Rossini’s by 17 years.

NASHER PERFORMING ARTS SERIES: OVERTURES WITH THE DALLAS OPERA

The Dallas Opera is pleased to take a leading role in a new performing arts series sponsored by the Nasher Sculpture Center; the first significant effort to unite the major resident performing arts groups of the soon-to-be-completed Dallas Center for the Performing Arts in a single artistic endeavor.

“Overtures with The Dallas Opera” will feature free live performances in the intimate setting of the 180-seat Nasher Hall by internationally renowned opera artists including Daniel Okulitch, Wolfgang Holzmair, Maria Kanyova and Patrick Carfizzi, in addition to lively panel discussions with Dallas Opera General Director George Steel and key members of the artistic and production teams hosted by Associate Director of Marketing Suzanne Calvin (“Inside The Dallas Opera”).

“I am delighted to be partnering with the Nasher Sculpture Center on this wonderful series,” says General Director George Steel. “The Dallas Opera is planning to significantly expand its cross-disciplinary partnerships with its peers.

“The company will be moving to the heart of the Arts District in October 2009, with the completion of the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts,” Mr. Steel adds. “I hope this is the first of many dynamic new collaborations between the organizations destined to work and create art, side-by-side, for all the world to see.” The first “Overture with The Dallas Opera” will take place at the Nasher Sculpture Center (next to the DMA) on Sunday, November 2nd at 2:00 PM and the special guest artist will be bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch, who recently created the title role in the world and American premieres of David Cronenberg’s The Fly in Paris and Los Angeles to popular and critical acclaim.

Mr. Okulitch will be performing selections from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in which he will star as Figaro. (November 14-22, 2008).

"Overtures with The Dallas Opera" is free with your regular admission to the Nasher Sculpture Center ($10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for students).


THE 2008-2009 SEASON PREVIEW WEEKEND

The Dallas Opera will kick off the 2008-2009 Season in style, Friday, November 7th through Sunday, November 9th, with a weekend of special events designed to celebrate our season opener, Mozart’s THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (Nov. 14-22, 2008), and four more outstanding productions: DIE FLEDERMAUS (Dec. 5-13, 2008), ROBERTO DEVEREUX (Jan. 23-31, 2009), LA BOHÈME (Feb. 13-21, 2009) and THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS (March 6-14, 2009).

The Dallas Opera Season Preview weekend will begin Friday evening at 6:30 PM with a special lecture by the ever-popular Dr. Stephen Dubberly, head of the Opera program at the University of North Texas School of Music, on THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. This event, hosted by and for The Dallas Opera’s young professionals group, Amici di Opera (members are allowed to bring a guest, at no charge) will be held in the lobby of One Arts Plaza, our presenting sponsor for the highly successful “Figaro in Flip-Flops” series.

The fun continues all day Saturday, November 8th at One Arts Plaza, beginning with a presentation of “A Night in Old Spain,” featuring renowned arts and humanities lecturer Barbara Benac at 10:30 AM followed by a Season Preview Panel at 11:15 AM. At noon, a live broadcast of Inside The Dallas Opera will be recorded immediately followed by a live performance atop the Plaza at 12:45 PM. The afternoon will continue with Suzanne’s Bookclub, “The Librettist of Venice” about the life and times of Lorenzo Da Ponte at 1:00 PM followed by another live performance on the Plaza at 1:45 PM. We will end the afternoon with the “State of the Union” with new General Director George Steel at 2:15 PM; and the big finish—ballroom dance lessons atop the Plaza at 3:00 PM.

The Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is also offering free tours of the nearby Preview Center containing models of the new Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and other center venues. The Preview Center is located in the Trammel Crow Center at 2001 Ross Avenue, Mezzanine Level.

Sunday, November 9th, at 4:00 PM The Dallas Opera Guild will present the first “Opera Insights” of the season with singers, staff members and production personnel from THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO—engaged in a lively panel discussion at Gooch Auditorium on the campus of UT Southwestern Medical Center (use the Butler St. entrance off Inwood). The event is free to Guild and Amici di Opera members, $10 for non-members. For information on joining the Guild, call 214.443.1040.

Also on Sunday, from 6:00 until 7:30 PM, The Dallas Opera will host an encore of one of our most popular tastings: Tapas and Spanish Wines at Café Madrid, 4501 Travis St., Dallas, TX 75205. For just $15 per person, you can enjoy superb traditional Spanish fare accompanied by an outstanding selection of wines.

OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION

You are cordially invited to be a special guest as we celebrate the marriage of Susanna and Figaro and honor another extraordinary couple, Marilyn and Ward Halla at the The Opening Night Celebration on Friday, November 14th. This elegant evening, presented by Chubb Personal Insurance, will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres at The Music Hall, and a sumptuous seated dinner will follow the performance of The Marriage of Figaro at the Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park. The flowers and décor are being provided courtesy of The Garden Gate, and the Spanish wines are courtesy of Segura Viudas Aria.

For more information call Nancy Abbott Torell at 214.443.1055.


Michael Todd Simpson has shamelessly been used in over 500,000 publicity efforts already - and the season hasn't even begun! But, with the hunks cast this season, can you really blame us?

Daniel Okulitch’s signature roles show a dedication to both old and new works, including the title roles in Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro, as well as Joseph DeRocher in Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Olin Blitch in Floyd’s Susannah. He recently created the title role in Howard Shore’s The Fly, conducted by Placido Domingo and directed by David Cronenberg in Paris and Los Angeles.

Likewise, his musical tastes are rich and varied. We asked him what he is listening to today.

I started today in the 'J' section with Janis Joplin and Jeff Buckley, then to the M's with Michael Buble and Massive Attack, moved back to the 'A's with Amy Winehouse, and then rounded off my morning with Dmitri Hvorostovsky singing a song cycle by Sviridov. No rhyme or reason to it all.