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The Terrible Two: Mozart and Da Ponte

Instructor
Paul Offenkrantz
SM242
Video Catch-up
Available

Course Description

Two of the most creative and flamboyant personalities ever to grace the court of the Viennese emperor, Joseph II, were composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Poet librettist Lorenzo da Ponte. It was inevitable that these two innovative geniuses would join forces in a collaboration that would set the world of 18th-century opera on its collective ear. By examining "Don Giovanni" and "Cosi Fan Tutti,"  mainstays of the modern-day opera repertoire, this series will explore the essence of the musical and literary content of these two operas, but also the life and times of Mozart and Da Ponte.

Lectures

  1. "Don Giovanni": A brilliant adaptation of the revolutionary play by Beaumarchaise. It suited both men's political sense of humor perfectly.
  2. "Don Giovanni": Part II
  3. "Cosi Fan Tutti": Are women capable of fidelity? This wry, bittersweet lesson shocked the tender sensibilities of both the court and audience. Considered, by some, as lewd and lascivious, this would be their final collaboration.
  4. "Cosi Fan Tutti": Part II

Course Info

  • Time: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
  • Date: Tuesdays, August 30; September 6, 13, 20
  • Location: Friedberg Auditorium, Lifelong Learning Building
  • Fees: Member - $60
    Non-member - $80
    One-time guest pass, Member or Non-member at the door - $35.

About the Instructor

  • Paul Offenkrantz, D.M. a graduate of Oberlin College, attended the Yale School of Music and earned a Master of Sacred Music from Hebrew Union College, where he was also ordained as a cantor. In his distinguished career, he has served communities in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and West Palm Beach. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Hebrew Union College and received rabbinic ordination from The Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute. He began singing professionally on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera at the age of nine and appeared in over 30 different operas at the MET over the course of five seasons. He has worked with Leonard Bernstein, Richard Tucker, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, and many other important artists. He concertizes and lectures extensively throughout South Florida and is also an adjunct professor of Music History at the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University.

    Recipient of the 2000 Excellence in Teaching Award