Swapping 13th century Italy for post-gold rush Oregon, the UO Opera Ensemble will perform an updated version of Puccini’s
“Gianni Schicchi” starting Friday at Beall Concert Hall.
The performance caps a double bill of two short comedic operas. The show opens with Rossini’s “La Cambiale di Matrimonio” sung in Italian with English supertitles, followed by the adaptation of Puccini’s classic in English. Adding a local twist to Puccini’s opera was ensemble director Charles Turley’s idea.
“I was inspired by visiting Florence,” said Turley, who is also an assistant professor of voice in the school of music. But the Florence that inspired Turley wasn’t
the revered Italian city where Puccini’s opera takes place; it was
Florence, Ore. While visiting the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum, Turley got the idea to re-imagine the play
during the logging industry’s Gay
’90s heyday.
The adaptation of “Gianni Schicchi,” tells the story of a wealthy lumber baron who dies and wills his fortune to the Presbyterian Church. His family hires a local con man, Johnnie Skeekie (Gianni Schicchi in the original) to help rewrite the will. Skeekie redrafts it so the family inherits most of the fortune, though he leaves a tidy sum for himself and his daughter.
Though many details have been changed to reflect the adaptation’s 600-year leap forward, the story remains intact, as does the opera’s memorable music, like “O Mio Babbino Caro,” which Turley said is one of several well-known arias in the opera.
Rossini’s “La Cambiale di Matrimonio (The Marriage Contract)” is set in colonial England and tells the story of a merchant who falls on hard times financially. He borrows money from a wealthy Canadian business associate and arranges for the businessman to marry his daughter in exchange for his debt. He is unaware that his daughter has already promised herself to another man, forcing the young lovers to deal with the creditor when he unexpectedly arrives in England.
Turley will conduct both performances. The production opens Friday and runs through Sunday. Performances begin at 7 p.m. in Beall Concert Hall at 961 E. 18th Ave. Tickets, available at the door, cost $10 for general admission or $5 for students and senior citizens.

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