The sound of Opera

Summer is a time for festivals, for celebrating everything under the hot summer sun — especially art.

And the Utah Festival Opera has quickly become one of Utah's most popular festivals, drawing audiences from near and (mostly) far to Logan for a culture-filled experience.

This year, the festival is presenting Mozart's "The Magic Flute," Johann Strauss Jr.'s lighthearted "Die Fledermaus," Sigmund Romberg's exotic adventure "The Desert Song" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music."

"(The Magic Flute) is without doubt, one of the great works," said Michael Ballam, general director of the festival, "and I'm not just saying operatic works — one of the great works of art the world has ever known."

Ballam is particularly excited about the cast for "The Magic Flute." He said he usually hears about 1,000 singers during the year to cast the 70 or so roles needed for the annual productions. "One always worries that when you put all the ingredients together, is the souffle going to rise? But yesterday, when I heard our Pamina and Tamino and Sarastro — my goodness! You will not hear a more perfectly blended, exquisitely talented group of singers than you will in this production. We're so excited to be offering it."

"The Desert Song" may have special significance this year, Ballam said, as the popular, optimistic tunes helped get a generation through World War II. "They're going to get us through the challenge we have right now, even though our conflict today is a bit different than the one that was engendered by Mr. Hitler. Our nation still needs the ability to look forward with hope."

He added that "The Desert Song" is about Islam and the conflict between Islam and the desert regions and fanatical people. Even though all of this year's opera selections were made before 9/11, Ballam said he feels "it's very appropriate for the challenges we're dealing with today — in fact, much more so that it was in the '30s when it was written."

"Die Fledermaus" will be an enhanced version of a production the Utah Festival Opera put on a few years back. "It's a traditional Viennese champagne-and-bubbles kind of presentation," Ballam explained. "We're not trying to make a certain statement about 'Fledermaus.' It's a traditional production, as one may expect to see at the Utah Festival Opera, with some phenomenal performances. Our cast is very, very fine."