Something's Brewing
☕ In Bach's COFFEE CANTATA, a young woman is hopelessly devoted to her daily coffee, much to her father's dismay. Written at a time when coffee drinking by young women was considered scandalous, this playful mini-opera proves that some obsessions never go out of style.
Sung in English
👩🏻🍳 Donizetti's RITA, this whip-smart farce where the past doesn't just catch up, it crashes through the door! When a long-lost husband returns to collect a death certificate, he is stunned to find his wife, Rita, alive and more strong-willed than ever. The two husbands suddenly find themselves fighting not for her hand, but for the chance to run away.
🇫🇷 Sung in French with English dialogue & supertitles
Both works will be accompanied by string quartet, flute, and keyboard
Production Photos
COFFEE CANTATA or
Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht
Frustrated by his daughter Lisa’s preoccupation with coffee, Schlendrian tries to convince her to stop drinking it. Nothing succeeds until he forbids her to marry. But she secretly vows that her future husband must sign a prenup that guarantees as much coffee as she wants. On realizing that every generation likes coffee, the pair enjoy a cup together.
Composer: J.S. Bach | Librettist: Christian Friedrich Henrici | English translation: Saundra DeAthos
▶️ Watch Bach scholar and Juilliard professor Ellen Exner explain the humor and themes of women’s liberation in Bach’s satirical Coffee Cantata
RITA or
Deux Hommes et une Femme
Café-owner Rita has married the timid Beppe, believing that her former overbearing husband, Gasparo, drowned at sea. Gasparo, now living happily in Canada, arrives unexpectedly, having heard that Rita has died. The unhappy Beppe discovers Gasparo’s identity and seeks to return the temperamental Rita to her former husband.
The two men engage in a contest to see which of them "wins" the wife neither of them wants. Gasparo "prevails," but plots an escape, once he gets a copy of his old marriage certificate, and prompts Beppe to provoke a fight. Gasparo feigns a disability, prompting empathy from Rita which Gasparo uses to get the desired certificate. Gasparo announces he is leaving for Canada, revealing his ruse, while Rita and Beppe reconcile, promising to replace bullying with peace and harmony.
Composer: Gaetano Donizetti | Librettist: Gustave Vaëz | English dialogue: Curtis Tucker
