ESU Departments of Music and Theatre to Present Talk, ‘Werther’ – When a Famous Novel and Sublime Music Meet a Great Singer

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Posted by: admin on March 3, 2014, No Comments

Today, people are often introduced to a great literary work through another medium, such as film or television. Before the advent of film, opera often was the medium that brought a novel to a new audience.

Opera enthusiast Eugene Galperin, Ph.D., an assistant professor of mathematics at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, will discuss how the Sorrows of Young Werther, a pivotal work of Romantic literature by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, was transformed into a renowned opera in “Werther – When a Famous Novel and Sublime Music meet a Great Singer.”

The presentation is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, in the Dale Snow Theatre of ESU’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets, and is open to the public at no cost.

In his presentation Galperin will discuss the novel, Goethe’s first masterpiece, its personal and cultural impact and its importance to the Romantic literary movement.

The talk also will examine why the novel was so adaptable to opera and explore the relevance of opera to today’s world.

In addition, Galperin will focus on the lyrical, dramatic and heroic faces of Jonas Kaufmann, one of the greatest singers of our generation, who is cast to perform the title role.

The talk, the fourth presentation on “Why Opera Still is Relevant Today,” is an introduction to the upcoming Metropolitan Opera HD broadcasts at the Cinemark theater at the Stroud Mall.

Jules Massenet’s opera, Werther, will be shown at Cinemark at 12:55 p.m. Saturday, March 15, and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19.

The March 12 program at ESU is being sponsored by the Departments of Music and Theatre. For more information, please call Galperin at 570-422-3931.