An American opera given its world premiere by the Frost School of Music has new life in a recording. “The Leopard,” presented by the Frost Opera Theater and the Frost Symphony Orchestra two years ago, has been released on NAXOS, one of the world’s leading classical music labels.
Performed and recorded live at what is now the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center in South Miami-Dade in March of 2022, “The Leopard” was a major production that attracted national and international attention. Composed by Michael Dellaira and with a libretto by acclaimed poet, editor and librettist J. D. McClatchy, “The Leopard” opera was commissioned by American Opera Projects and is based on the best-selling 1958 novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which was made into a revered 1963 Luchino Visconti film. Together, they made Lampedusa’s story, of a conflicted Sicilian prince and his family during the downfall of the Italian aristocracy in the mid-1800’s, one of the most popular narratives of the 20th century.
Professor Alan Johnson, the music director of the Frost Opera Theater and “The Leopard,” brought the project to the Frost School. “We had been looking for some time for the right opera to bring the Frost Opera Theater off campus to the greater Miami area,” Johnson says. He had conducted and recorded a previous Dellaira opera, “The Death of Webern,” at the Frost School, and saw the composer’s new work as an ideal vehicle for a wider audience. Dellaira and American Opera Projects embraced the opportunity for the Frost School to premiere “The Leopard,” following earlier interest from New York City Opera and other major opera houses.
Dean Shelton Berg responded enthusiastically to the idea, raising the funds to produce and record “The Leopard.” Maestro Gerard Schwarz, distinguished professor of conducting and orchestral studies, was taken with Dellaria’s score, and conducted the Frost Symphony Orchestra in two performances. (Schwarz’s long relationship and extensive discography of award-winning releases on NAXOS inspired the label to release “The Leopard.” )
“It was a huge success,” Johnson says of the opera’s premiere. South Florida Classical Review praised “The Leopard” as “unabashedly grand opera” and “a landmark production for the University of Miami’s Frost Opera Theater.” Opera Magazine said it was “superbly crafted,” with “exquisite moments” and OperaWire said there was “much to enjoy from this fascinating take on Lampedusa’s novel,” enthusiastically commending the score, performers, and production. A review in the German publication Pizzicato praised the NAXOS recording, saying it was “a great modern opera” and the performance “is of high quality.”
Associate Professor Jeffrey Buchman, stage director for the Frost Opera Theater, directed the production. The cast featured Frost vocal faculty Kim Josephson, Robynne Redmon, and Frank Ragsdale, all of whom have sung in major opera companies and works, with Frost vocal students in other principal roles and the Frost Opera Theater Chorus.
“It is one of the most rewarding experiences there is for a creative artist, to get to work with the composer of a new work,” said Josephson at the time of the production.
The NAXOS album, available as either a download or a CD, includes the libretto and extensive production notes. It will bring the achievement of “The Leopard,” and the talent of the Frost School of Music, to audiences everywhere.
