Saturday: Two Puccini Operas, One Magical Night at Sands Point Preserve

The big news this week at Sands Point Preserve is Giacomo Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” and “Il Tabarro” as a double bill Saturday at 8 p.m., performed by the North Shore Music Festival.

The operas are from Puccini’s Il Trittico, a collection of three one-act operas.

Il Tabarro is another ”squarcio di vita” slice of life, in the verismo style, complete with an unhappy marriage, a cheating wife and a suspecting and rather violent husband, all on a barge on the River Seine in Paris in 1910.
The very funny “Gianni Schicchi” takes place in Florence, when rich old Buoso Donati dies, upsetting his greedy family members when they discover he left his wealth to the church. In steps Gianni Schicchi to their apparent rescue, promising to find the will so that the relatives can enjoy a sizable inheritance.

North Shore Music Festival performances are an opera-lover’s summertime tradition at Sands Point Preserve. Returning this year are Eric McKeever who first performed with the festival as Figaro in “Barber of Seville,” taking on the two roles of Gianni Schicchi and Michele in Tabarro – “a real tour de force,” said Daniel Klein, NSMF’s executive director. Adam Cromer, who sang Rodolfo with the festival in “La Boheme” will sing Rinuccio in “Gianni Schicchi” and Luigi in “Il Tabarro.” Julie Hamula, who sang Gilda last summer in “Rigoletto,” will sing Lauretta in “Gianni Schicchi.” Hannah Spierman, who sang Mimi in “La Boheme” will sing Georgetta in “Il Tabarro.“

Saturday’s opera double bill wraps up this year’s music festival at Sands Point Preserve. The series included sold-out performances of “Cavalleria Rusticana,” a popular opera by Pietra Mascagni’s; Broadway Showstoppers II, a Tiger/Fried production; and Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” performed by Arena Players.

As summer segues into fall, cultural arts continues at the Preserve. Shotgun Wedding, featuring Broadway star Catherine Porter and backed by band members who play regularly with Billy Joel, performs at the Preserve on Oct. 24, as part of the Long Island Arts Alive festival. Tickets are $60.00 and can be purchased online or at the Preserve’s gatehouse.

Tickets for Saturday’s opera double-bill are $50 and include wine, soft drinks and dessert/coffee. Doors open at 7:45 p.m.

To purchase tickets, see www.TheSandsPointPreserve.com, call 516-571-7901or visit the Gate House at 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, NY, 11050, open daily in summer from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Friends of the Sands Point Preserve is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to protect and preserve the 216-acre waterfront grounds and historic mansions and to provide a range of cultural arts events and educational programs for families and schools in the Phil Dejana Learning Center and Outdoor Classroom.