Xerxes tells Persian tales this weekend

The Musical Arts Center was nearly empty, but the orchestra pit buzzed with activity as conductor Gary Thor Wedow guided the players through the complex music.

“You have to think like a dive-bomber,” he told them. “We are parachuted into the middle of these arias. We have to adapt.”

Wedow and the orchestra were preparing for the upcoming performances of Xerxes, an opera by George Frideric Handel debuting at IU this weekend. The show is loosely based on King Xerxes I of Persia, though it is entirely in Italian and focuses more on personal relationships than historical events.

“A Handel opera is a special genre, a special kind of singing,” Wedow said. “His operas tend to be real psychological studies of the characters.”

Wedow, who is currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School, is an Indiana native and received his bachelor’s degree in piano studies from IU. He and stage director Tom Diamond previously collaborated in IU Opera Theater’s production of Giulio Cesare, also by Handel, in 2009.

Xerxes will be Diamond’s and Wedow’s fifth production together, giving Jacobs students another opportunity to benefit from the pair’s signature style. Amanda Russo, a doctorate student who will play the title role this Friday and next Saturday, Feb. 9, said she had a very positive experience working with Wedow and Diamond.

“They are both educators, which is so important,” she said. “They are so passionate and it’s contagious...it’s inspiring.”

Russo received her master’s degree from IU and has appeared in several IU Opera Theater productions, most recently as Octavian in Richard Georg Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. She said she relishes the opportunity to play the male lead.

“It’s not very often that a woman gets to play the role of a king and have people bow down to her,” she said.

Russo has spent countless hours preparing for the show since staging began in early January. She described the process as intense and difficult and said the show proved challenging in many ways. The success of the show relies heavily on timing, she said, and that it is essential for the actors to understand what they are saying.

“It’s really important that we know what we’re saying and are listening to the other characters and reacting to each other,” she said.

Diamond, an acting coach, also emphasized the importance of strong acting in the production. Diamond was a theater director and said he used to find opera boring, and now aims to make it lively.

“The days where (performers) just stand and sing are long gone,” Diamond said. “You better be able to act.”

He added something original to this production of Xerxes with the archer Amore, a character Diamond himself created for the show. Amore is simply the embodiment of love, Diamond’s version of Cupid, he said.

“It’s basically a comedy of errors about love,” Diamond said. “All these people desperately love, but can’t find satisfaction.”

Wedow said he thinks the show is going to be wonderful.

“It will be lively entertainment for the audience and an enriching educational experience for the performers,” he said. “Humans are unpredictable, and it makes for great
opera.”