Oct. 5 program previews one of opera's 'top 10'

David Bamberger, director of CIM Opera Theater, will present a preview of "The Marriage of Figaro" at Porter Library on Oct. 5.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s "The Marriage of Figaro" was a hit when it premiered in 1786 and over 225 years later it is on a “top 10” list. Mozart’s captivating comedy is listed among the top 10 most-performed operas worldwide on Operabase, the online database.

David Bamberger, artistic director of the Cleveland Institute of Music Opera Theater, spotlights Mozart’s “Figaro,” considered a masterpiece of Italian comic opera, at the FYI: Opera program on Monday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m., at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road.

Several CIM voice students, who will perform arias from "Figaro," will accompany Bamberger at this FYI: Opera program, which is sponsored by the Westlake-Westshore Arts Council. John Simmons, CIM music director, will provide piano accompaniment for the singers.

Presenting a program of story and background on composer and composition, Bamberger combines his expansive knowledge of opera with his gift of timing and humor to present an entertaining, informative and colorful back-drop for the talented young singers.

And the history of this opera provides interesting avenues for exploration. Mozart’s "The Marriage of Figaro" libretto was based on the second of a trilogy of plays written by a French dramatist, before the French Revolution. Figaro was the central character in the plays, which mocked royalty. It wasn’t until 1816 that the first play in the trilogy was set to music as "The Barber of Seville."

The Oct. 5 program is part of the FYI: Opera series which the WWAC has sponsored for 25 years, offering the programs free to the public.  The FYI program offers an inviting sample of CIM’s fully costumed production of "The Marriage of Figaro," which will be performed Nov. 4-7 at CIM’s Kulas Hall in University Circle. Information and tickets for CIM’s production are available at cim.edu/events/onlinetickets or call 216-795-3211.