MANSFIELD — The upper gallery of the Mansfield Art Center will echo with Wagner’s arias later this month.
The Mid Ohio Civic Opera will present Arias and Songs of Richard Wagner on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. at 700 Marion Avenue.
The recital will feature the renowned opera singers Heidi Skok and John Hines, accompanied by internationally-acclaimed pianist and composer Sophia Pavlenko Chandley.
Bass John Hines grew up in from Crawford County and a graduate of Buckeye Central High School. He went on to earn music degrees from Heidelberg University, Kent State University and a doctorate in music from Shenandoah Conservatory.
Hines has performed at Carnegie Hall and the State Academic Cappella in Saint Petersburg, Russia, as well as other venues across Italy, Austria, Russia and the United States. Many of his performances have been broadcast live over Russian Federal Television and Radio. He currently teaches at the University of Northern Iowa.
Contralto Heidi Skok recently portrayed the Madam Floria in Tulsa Opera’s production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Medium” in October.
She has performed at New York City’s Metropolitan Operas well as Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall in Boston and The 92nd Street Y in New York City. Skok has also performed in Israel, Argentina, Uruguay, Austria and Italy.
Skok lives and teachers in Mentor, Ohio.
“They’re both wonderful, dramatic voices,” said Joel Vega, director of the Mid Ohio Civic Opera.
Hines said he’s excited to make his debut with the Mid Ohio Civic Opera.
“I am originally from New Washington, Ohio,” Hines said. “Mansfield was always the go-to town for me and my family on weekends whether it was shopping or going out to dinner.”
“For me to get to “come home” and share excerpts of Wagner’s music genius is a tremendous honor,” he added.
Who was Wagner?
Wagner was a 19th century German composer, conductor and theatre director primarily known for his operas. Though a controversial and openly anti-Semitic figure, his work had monumental impact on Western music and modern film scores.
“(Wagner’s) works are of epic length and proportion, both in terms of orchestral and vocal demand, but also with each element of the presentation,” Hines said.
“Special orchestral tubas had to be designed, an orchestral pit that was designed to be under the stage rather than in front like most opera houses that could seat well over one hundred instrumental musicians — everything was bigger than known prior. All of which was designed for the performance of his operas.”
Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” from the 1850 opera Lohengrin is commonly played at weddings. It’s more commonly known as the “Wedding March” or “Here Comes the Bride.”
Wagner’s themes have been used in films like Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator,” Alfred Hitchcock’s “Murder!” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now.”
Wagner’s works were also parodied in “What’s Opera, Doc?” — a 1957 cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.
“We’ve all kind of heard of Wagner, where we know it or not, from Bugs Bunny,” Vega said.
Vega said the goal of the Mid Ohio Civic Opera is to make the work of artists like Wagner more accessible.
“We’ve all been introduced to it, but I don’t know that many of us have heard it live,” he said.
According to Hines, producing a Wagner opera in its entirety today would exceed the budgetary limits of all but the largest opera houses in the world. Arias on the other hand are typically solos which require less instrumentation.
Vega described the selected works as rich, deep and dramatic.
“Folks are going to get these solo works, kind of ‘hit singles,’ from the various operas,” Vega said.
Vega said the concert will run about an hour and 15 minutes with a brief intermission.
“You can come in a t-shirt and jeans,” Vega said. “It’s relaxed; come experience it. It’s free.”