The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Fresco Opera Theatre turns rock band and gives a “Farewell Concert” this Friday night at the Overture Center.

By Jacob Stockinger

This Friday night a local opera company turns rock band and says a belated goodbye as it reunites — even before it makes it real debut.

Although they are not one of the resident performing arts companies, our friends at the ever-inventive Fresco Opera Theatre will take part — in a figurative sense and as a preview —  in the 10th anniversary celebration this weekend of the Overture Center for the Arts.

Here is what the topsy-turvy Fresco folks sent over as a preview:

“What would Bizet sound like with a heavy rock drum beat?

“How about Richard Wagner with electric guitar?

“And what if Giuseppe Verdi’s famous aria “La donna e mobile” (at bottom in a popular YouTube video that has over 6 million hits and is performed by famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti) was sung from the point of view of 3 sopranos instead of 3 tenors?”

Find out at 8 p.m. on this Friday, Sept. 26, in The Playhouse at the Overture Center when Fresco Opera Theatre presents “Opera Unplugged,” the story of the formation, success, breakup and reunion of a fictional band called “The Band Fresco.” Tickets are $20. Visit the Overture Center box office or call (608) 258-4141.

Here is a description from the Overture Center’s website:

“The Band Fresco thrilled audiences with their fresh take on a traditional art form. Through the whirlwind years, there were highs and lows. Virtuosos all of them -– the group soon felt the pressure that comes with skyrocketing fame. Ego. Addiction. Heartbreak. Love.

“Their meteoric rise inevitably crashed before the group could say a proper goodbye.

“Until now.

“Fresco Opera Theatre in association with Eddie Slim Productions is proud to present a once in a lifetime event.

This is the story of “The Band Fresco –- Behind The Music,” including a live concert celebrating their legacy, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Madison Overture Center for the Arts.

The “band” is made up of three singers, bass, violin, cello, guitars and drums. In between numbers, the story of “The Band Fresco” will be told in the style of VH1’s “Behind The Music.”

The story is very much like that of the popular satirical movie spoof “This Is Spinal Tap.” But instead of heavy metal, the subject matter is opera, and the trials and tribulations that are associated with operatic performers and performances.