“Suzel, buon dì”

Pietro Mascagni, L’amico Fritz, Cherry Duet: “Suzel, buon dì” 

Martin Luther Clark, tenor (Fritz); Denis Vélez, soprano (Suzel)

Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) composed Cavalleria rusticana, which made him famous overnight and launched the verismo period of operatic composition in Italy. Few of Mascagni’s 14 other operas are now produced by companies outside Italy, the occasional exception being L’amico Fritz (Friend Fritz), which received its premiere in 1891. The vast majority of Mascagni’s stage works are blood-and-thunder tragic dramas, but L’amico Fritz is a bucolic romance, with (for a change in verismo) a happy ending. Its great moments are the hero’s aria, the heroine’s two arias, and above all, the “Cherry Duet,” in which these two characters begin to fall in love.

Fritz Kobus, a wealthy landowner, lives in a quiet nineteenth-century town in which the villagers gather to celebrate his birthday. Fritz has no interest in getting married, to the dismay of a friend of his, Rabbi David. Losing patience with the rabbi’s talk of marriage, Fritz finally agrees to a bargain: he promises to give David one of his vineyards should he (Fritz) ever marry. Early in the opera’s second act, Suzel—whose father is the steward of Fritz’s farm—decides to pick some cherries. As she sings a ballad, Fritz appears, having been awakened by a nightingale (Suzel doesn’t realize he means her singing). Suzel climbs a ladder and he holds it, catching the cherries she tosses down to him. The two sing of the beauty of flowers and spring. Mascagni deftly and elegantly sets this gentle conversation, creating true magic when the two voices join in a moment of soaring lyricism,  before they end the duet on a sustained pianissimo.

*** Ryan Opera Center Ensemble

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About the Ryan Opera Center

About the Ryan Opera Center

The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center is Lyric's preeminent artist-development program that nurtures the talents of some of the most promising operatic singers and pianists of each generation. The program's Ensemble members earn their coveted spot by successfully auditioning among more than 400 artists worldwide. Its alumni are among the dominant names in opera today. Donor generosity ensures continued unparalleled training, performance experience, and professional readiness of Ensemble members. This highly competitive program, established in 1974, is honored to enjoy the support of acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming as Advisor, along with full-time staff Director Dan Novak, Music Director Craig Terry, and Director of Vocal Studies Julia Faulkner.

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Photos: Kyle Flubacker