The Music Department kicked off the semester with a night of opera selections on March 20, providing upscale entertainment to the Brandeis community at no cost. The show involved scenes from four operas: Mozart and Ponte's Cosi fan Tutte; Mozart and Shikanaeder's Die Zauberflote, also known as The Magic Flute; Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel; and Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. The settings of the pieces spanned from the year 0 to the present day. As Robert McFadyen (GRAD), who served as the narrator for the night, promised, the operas truly did the job of "transporting" us through space and time. The first opera, Cosi fan Tutte, told the story of two sisters and their fiancés. The sisters, played by Sujin Shin '13 and Larisa Klebe '11, sang beautifully, their voices in harmony. The fiancés, played by Ethan Goldberg '12 and Yakov Israel '12, entered next, each singing an aria to his lady love. Goldberg's deep bass provided a great contrast to Israel's sweet tenor. With comic relief from Fiona Lockyer '13, who played the sisters' maid and support from Matthew Cohen '12, their friend, the show opened on a high note.

The second opera, Die Zauberflote, told a somewhat more familiar story, made even more comprehensible by McFadyen's concise and entertaining synopses delivered before each opera. Ben Gold '13 starred as Tamino, an Egyptian prince who falls in love with a girl after glimpsing her portrait. This scene started out differently from the others. Gold ran onstage from behind the audience as he was chased by a serpent. The serpent's vivid blue costume brought both humor and excitement to the stage, as did many of the costumes throughout the night, constructed by Robin Farnsley and Roxanne Becker. The Queen of the Night's three "ladies in attendance" kill the serpent and then stop to admire the fallen Tamino. Ilana Pomerantz '13 shone as the most outgoing of the ladies, matching her vocal talents with her acting ability and, despite the language barrier, since the opera was performed in Italian, her gestures communicated the meaning of the song. The Queen of the Night, played by special guest artist Farnsley, garnered the most attention, both for her singing and acting and for her dress. Farnsley, who was attired in black velvet, dazzling earrings, a necklace and a crown, dominated the stage as she sang about her imprisoned daughter, who is the very girl with whom Tamino has fallen in love. The selection ended with a lovely duet between Papageno, played by Bradley Mahlof '11, and Pamina, played by Ariella Stein '13.

After a short intermission, the show resumed-but this time in English. The second act had a faster pace and was more upbeat. First up was Hansel and Gretel, which was arguably the best part of the show because the actors put the most emotion into it, not just singing their hearts out, but acting them out too. Hansel, (Pomerantz) and Gretel (Jessica Petrino '13), looked the part of peasant children from the countryside in their 18th-century outfits, telling another version of the fairy tale with which most of us are familiar. After Hansel and Gretel are lost in the woods and stumble upon a beautifully constructed house made of candy, they encounter the witch who lives there, suberbly played by Matthew Shear '11. Shear, with purple hair, a witch's hat and outrageous, drawn-on eyebrows, made the piece hysterical, especially when dancing in a circle on a broomstick. The three featured singers of this opera did a fantastic job, giving a dark piece a sense of humor and joviality.

Amahl and the Night Visitors, the last opera presented, was very funny as well. This opera was the most contemporary of the four, holding the distinction of being the first opera composed for television in the United States. This opera had more poignant one-liners and punch lines, such as when Kaspar, (Jared Field '11) sings to Amahl (Amelia Lavranchuk) '12 about his box of wonders, which contains necklaces and licorice-cures for any ailment. The three kings, played by Field, Mahlof and Cohen, worked beautifully together, livening up the scene and adding humor, especially when they stood in height order. Amahl and his mother, played by Alia Goldfarb '13, shone as well in their acting and singing, and the company was joined in the end by the entire ensemble of shepherds, composed of members of the University Chorus and Choir, the a cappella group Proscenium and professional singers.

The night was a huge success, in large part due to the comedy, richness of the operatic selections and the singers' enthusiasm. Directed by Pamela Wolfe, a vocal instructor at the University, the show had a great flow to it, and the splitting up of the two acts definitely enhanced the production. In addition, enormous credit must be given to piano accompanist Sarah Wheeler, who played flawlessly throughout and made the music come alive. With an audience of students, staff and community members, the Music Department demonstrated that anyone can enjoy opera.

Editor's note: Fiona Lockyer '13 is a News editor for the Justice and Sujin Shin '13 is an Arts staff writer for the Justice.