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Show ArtsEntertainment Tuesday, December 3, 1989 The Dailv Herald, Provo, Utah '8 Allen prowls m broadcast opera ed its 50th season sponsoring Met the longest continuous broadcasts national sponsorship of a program in radio history. By the end of the season, Texaco will have aired 990 performances of 124 different operas, without commercial interruption. The company now spends $3.5 million a year on the broadcasts, which the Met estimates are heard by 2 million to 6 million people. For Texaco, the close identificalater called "a blemished final tion with one of the nation's most cherished cultural institutions has tone." But radio listeners who heard a proved a public relations dream d broadcast of the Doni- worth every dollar. "There is nothing new about the zetti opera the next day never detected a false note. In its place, principle on which we acted in engineers had spliced in another merging oil and opera," company high F from the same aria one that President W.S.S. Rodgers said at Miss Pons had hit squarely on the the time of its initial broadcast Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" on mark. The disparity between the re- Dec. 7, 1940. "American business views and the radio caused an has long acted on the policy of success through service to the uproar in the music world. Texaco, sponsor of the Saturday greatest number." In the years since then, Texaco matinee broadcasts, had known that many stations would delay "Lucia" radio audiences have thrilled to because it conflicted with the Rose virtually all of the world's leading Bowl football game. But the inciopera singers in their prime from dent helped bring such tape-delaKirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Mel-chiinto disrepute, and eventually a to Birgit Nilsson and Jon special network was set up just for Vickers, from Licia Albanese and the opera series. One requirement Eleanor Steber to Maria Callas and for membership: Stations had to Joan Sutherland, from Richard agree to carry all performances Tucker and Jussi Bjoerling to Lucilive. ano Pavarotti and Placido DominOn Dec. 2, more than 300 stations go. in the United States and Canada did They have occasionally heard hisjust just that, as Texaco inaugurat tory in the making, as when the By MIKE SILVERMAN Associated Press Writer NEW YORK AP) It was New Year's Day 1949, and soprano Lily Pons was nearing the end of the mad scene from "Lucia di on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House. Reaching for one of the fiendishly difficult high F's that were her trademark in the role, the diminutive French diva fell short, emitting what a New York Times reviewer - r" tape-delaye- or great comic basso Salvatore Bacco-lo-ni made his debut on the very first broadcast. Or on the broadcast of Feb. 9, 1974, when a New Zealand soprano named Kiri Te Kana-w- a made an unscheduled debut as a substitute for Teresa Stratas in Verdi's "Otello." And they have been witness to tragedy, as on the broadcast of Jan. 23, 1988, when an vocal coach jumped to his death from a balcony during intermission after Act 2 of Verdi's "Macbeth." The announcer who conveyed that grim news to the radio audience was Peter Allen, who is launching his 15th season in the broadcast booth behind the Grand Tier. That stint might normally qualify him as an institution, were it not for the astonishing record of his predecessor, the legendary Milton Cross, who presided over the broadcasts from their days in the 1930s until his death in 1975. "I had auditioned because they thought Mr. Cross might want to retire," recalled Allen, who at the time was a staff announcer for classical radio station WQXR. "I used to be a subscriber to the opera myself. To take over his job was more than anything I had dreamed of." Allen said he prepares for each week's broadcast by doing research on the operas and composers, attending dress rehearsals and even prowling around the stage to inspect the scenery. last-minu- te pre-Texa- "I wander all over the place looking for details, so I can try to give the listeners a picture of what they're "I tell them that Florestan's chains will rattle in the prison scene in 'Fidelio' and that the audience will laugh when the inventor's workshop comes to life in 'Tales of Hoffmann,'" he said. At broadcast time, he has one constant com'anion in the booth his wife, Sylvia. "Thank goodness she always sits next to me," Allen said. "During the centennial gala I was introducing a conductor, and I either said Leonard Bernstein when I meant James Levine or vice versa. She kicked me and I was able to recover before the baton came down." Allen said his most exciting challenge came during a 1987 performance of Wagner's "Parsifal." "It was the middle of the first act, and suddenly I heard: 'Curtain coming down.' I barely had time to shut the door and put on my earphones when the music stopped and I had to go on." Stoppard play runs backwards By MICHAEL KUCHWARA AP Drama Critic NEW YORK (AP) Imagine a begins at the is a play about perception. How three men all of them artists look at life, love and art. And their views are just as fractured as the nude in Marcel Duchamp's famous painting. "Artist Descending a Staircase" is also a mystery. Who did in one of the artists, found dead at the bottom of the stairs as the play opens? The riddle is eventually solved but not before Stoppard examines the lives of the three men. . Donner (John McMartin) is a born-agai- n e romantic, a member of the avant-gard- e who once carved edible sugar sculptures "It will give cubism a new lease on life," says one of the other artists but who now has returned to more traditional forms of portrait Allen said. missing," "Sometime I even notice things that most people in the auditorium don't. Like the cafe scene of 'La Boheme,' where Franco Zeffirelli has used real street posters from 19th century Paris, advertisements for laxatives and lingerie." Allen also tries to anticipate things the radio audience might hear that wouldn't make sense to them without some explanation. blind girl who died in 1922 after falling out of a window. She was in love with one of them. But which one? Rality is quite different from belief, Stoppard says. The playwright has great fun making fun of artistic pretensions. "Skill without imagination is craftsmanship," sniffs Donner. "Imagination without skill gives us modern one-tim- Utah Opera announces the of a new support club called "Bravo!" The purpose of the club is to acquaint people with the passion, beauty and drama of opera, within a social framework, and to enlarge the community awareness and support for Utah Opera Company. Mike Homer, new president of "Bravo!" says, "'Bravo!' is a great opportunity to expand interest in opera so that more people can appreciate the great artistic contribution that Utah Opera is making to the communi has invited the art association to sponsor a workshop area for young artists where they can learn many art skills and techniques, and the use of many mediums. There will be puppet shows and other art demonstrations. The new president is Jean "JA" Thorpe, and board members are Glenda Lewis, Nola DeJong Sullivan, Ree Roper, Nor-lyeCollins, Connie Rae Hinckley, UVCC Thorpe, Stan Johnson, Dennis Dunn. The purpose of the Association is to promote participation of all artists as well as opportunities for further study under professionals. The Association's monthly forums are held on the last Wednesday of each month. All artists are encouraged to attend. New members are welcome. Membership dues are $15 for 1990. The annual Christmas be an open house at party will our new program featuring recorded ex- cerpts from the 1940-4- 1 season, and a Singers Roundtable with performers who were at the Met at that time, including Rose Bampton, Eleanor Steber and Rise Stevens. Regular broadcasts begin Dec. 9 with Richard Strauss' "Die Frau Ohne Schatten," and continue through April 21. At intermission each week, Edward Downes will again preside over the Texaco Opera Quiz as he has for 32 years. Other intermission features will include analyses of the day's operas, presented by such favorites as impresario Boris Goldovsky, who is celebrating his 45th season on the broadcasts. "The cathedral offers a wonderful ambience for music of the Yuletide season that has a religious flavor," said David J. Dalton, a music professor at Brigham Young University who will conduct the concert. The program will include two contrasting versions of "Sleigh Ride," one by Leopold Mozart and the other by LeRoy Anderson, as well as excerpts from "Suite for Christmas Eve," by Rimsky-Korsa-ko- v and excerpts from Tchaikows-ky'- s "Nutcracker" ballet. "Greensleeves," with flute soloist Gary Blomgren; Corelli's Concerto Grosso, op. 8, no. 5, known as the "Christmas Concerto;" and a selection from Humperdinck's opera "Hansel and Gretel" will be included in the performance. Dalton has conducted the Salt Lake Symphony several times and is well known for his participation as a violist in local chamber groups. Dalton was president of the American Viola Society in 1986 and received his doctorate at Indiana University under the tutelage of concert violinist William Primrose. Springville Art Center, just east of the Springville Art Museum. There will be an art sale for all Artists Guild members. Paintings may be brought Dec. 8. This includes all media. ty. It will also provide a mechato nism to introduce buffets, receptions following the opera." "Bravo!" members Masked Ball. The first membership party, Rigoletto's Feast will be Jan. 13 a medieval banquet complete with authentic food, costumes and entertainment. new-come- rs will be invited to special events surrounding the opera, both educational and social, and will have an opportunity to subscribe to season tickets for the special opera night for "Bravo!" members (the Friday night performances for the 1990-9- 1 season). Future plans for "Bravo!" members include exclusive receptions following performances, opera symposiums, and a Membership for the "Brava!" Club is open to the general public, with those new to opera especially welcomed. Memberships for the year are $20 for a single ticket'; $30 for a couple. Contact Utah Opera at 50 W. 200 on-sta- S., 84101 or pre-ope- ra 534-084- 2. - 1 Art activities sponsored in mall Brian Bates, Les Granger, Verne On that occasion, Allen learnedly discussed how much Puccini loved "Parsifal" and the Met's role in breaking the Wagner family's ban on having the opera performed outside Bayreuth, Germany. The first broadcast this year will be the Met Marathon, a four-ho- The Salt Lake Symphony will give a Christmas gift to the public in the form of a free Christmas concert Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, 300 E. South Temple, in Salt Lake City. Club to organize activities for Utah Opera fans end and story that ends at the beginning. That is the tricky dramatic framework Tom Stoppard has devised for "Artist Descending a Staircase," an intriguing entertainment that arrived Thursart." day at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theater. McMartin, Gould and Whitehead The play is small in scale but are an appealing trio of cranky old superbly crafted, down to the most artists, particularly Whitehead, who minute production detail, particuturns Martello's moroseness into larly Tony Straiges' intricate, Rube high comic art. Their younger counGoldberg-lik- e settings. Although it terparts are played by Michael doesn't have the scope or characWinther, Michael Cumpsty and Jim terizations of such major Stoppard Fyfe. Their resemblance to the efforts as "The Real Thing" or older men is remarkable. And Ste"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are phanie Roth is appealing as the Dead," it's a richly rewarding painting. Beauchamp (Harold tragic Sophie, the muse for most of is a "sound" Gould) artist, tape these artists' careers. piece of theater. The evening is divided into 11 recording the noises of everyday Tim Luscombe has directed the scenes which go from the present to life. Martello (Paxton Whitehead) the past and then back again to the concentrates on completing a hid- play with astonishing skill. Despite eous statue of a long-dea-d the complicated time sequence, it is girlpresent. Stoppard wrote "Artist Descending a Staircase" for the radio friend, using fake pearls for teeth always clear where and when the and pears for breasts. characters are. Straiges' best set is 17 years ago, but it was staged last In his journey backward in time, the aging artists' studio, an almost year at a pub in North London and later in the West End before mak- Stoppard also puts the aging art- surreal room filled with old paintists' younger selves on stage. They ings, bicycle wheels and assorted ing the trek to Broadwav. "Artist Descending a Staircase" are all infatuated with Sophie, a junk from creating 50 years of art. The artists association has several activities planned. During December the group will "Focus on Youth." At the University Mall in Gallery 28, KZOL Radio Part of the stage that was supposed to move forward mechanically for a scene change had snagged, and it took technicians 23 minutes to move it into place by hand. "Luckily, I had lots of written material ready," Allen said. "Since you never know what the intermission guests will say, I don't want to anticipate or contradict them. So I look for something relevant, interesting, but out of the way." S.L Symphony to perform in cathedral " j rV The party will be Dec. 9, from 11 a.m. until the dinner dance that night at 7 p.m. The 7 p.m. party is potluck. Dancing is until midnight. The address is 2nd East 4th South, Springville. It is the same day as the Christmas Home Tour, sponsored by the Springville Art Museum. Christmas concert slated The Music Department at Utah Valley Community College (UVCC) will present its annual Christmas Concert Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The UVCC Symphonic Band will begin the concert with their rendi William's "Sinfoni-ans- ". Other selections to be performed by the band include Vaughan William's "Folk Song Suite" and the always popular "Valdres" concert march by Hantion of Clifton son. New community band Utah Valley Community College (UVCC) announces the formation of a community band to be named the "Directors". "The 'Directors' is being organized to provide a creative outlet for those people in the valley who wish to continue their musical activity," said Wayne Erickson, director of Bands. "Instrumentalists who wish to play in the band are invited to audition for membership. Membership in the band is open to people of all ages. The band will meet twice a month. Concerts will be given several times a year," Erickson said. Persons wishing to audition for a spot in the band may do so by seeks musicians The UVCC A Cappella Choir will also perform a series of traditional Christmas selections. Among these are "The Word was made Flesh" by Rovland, "Alma Redemptoris Matt." by Palestrina, and "Christmas Day" by Gustav Hoist. Several soloists and a guitar trio will be featured. UVCC offers students a complete two-yecurriculum for those who would like to major in any aspect of music. Courses offered include music theory, music history, conar contacting Wayne Erickson at 222-80- ext.430. The first rehearsal will be held on Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. in the UVCC music room. ducting, private instructing, and group piano. Guest of Honor. That's how many steps takes Sunrider to achieve superior quality in all of it's herbal food products, You see, quality to us is more than a destination, 1901 by it precise formalization, sampling and of encapsulation. These are just the steps it takes us to ensure, 1 quality control. J and your health. You're always welcome when you bring Village Inn pies. daughter, Mercedes. At participating restaurants Sunrider standards require K9 more. 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