Opera Sacra's sister act

The Buffalo music scene is extremely rich -- it's hard to keep up with everything going on -- but one of the few things we lack is a regular opportunity to hear opera right here in town.

That's why it might be worth checking out the performance of Puccini's "Suor Angelica" being staged at St. Joseph University Church by Opera Sacra. (That is Puccini, on the left in the picture, with the conductor Arturo Toscanini. Don't they both look dapper? The picture appeared in Life magazine.)

Over several decades. Opera Sacra has staged an impressive variety of religion-themed operas. That doesn't narrow the field as much as you would think. Countless operas have religious themes, and Opera Sacra has tackled a lot of them, mostly smaller-scale works. (Although I do remember a wild production of Saint-Saens' "Samson and Delilah." St. Joseph's Church has never been the same.)

Friday and Saturday, Opera Sacra is presenting Puccini's "Suor Angelica." This is one third of "Il Trittico," the set of three one-act operas intended to be performed together as a group. The other two operas of "Il Trittico" are "Il Tabarro" ("The Cloak") and the well-known "Gianni Schicchi," from which comes the famous aria "O Mio Babbino Caro." Dramatic, melodic and emotionally intense, "Suor Angelica" lasts an hour. It tells the story of a noblewoman who has an illegitimate child and is punished by her family by being sent to a convent. It ends with the apparition of the Virgin Mary. (How the opera's director, Brother Augustine Towey, will carry this out remains to be seen.)

The high point of the opera is generally considered to be the concluding aria, "Senza mamma," in which Suor Angelica pours out her anguish. I found this clip of Renata Scotto singing it, complete with subtitles.

Isn't You Tube wonderful? You can hear Callas singing the same aria here.

This weekend, Suor Angelica will be portrayed by Colleen Marcello. During the evening's second half, Opera Sacra will present a host of excerpts from Puccini operas that inspired modern musicals. In some cases, they inspired lawsuits, too. Did everyone know that the Puccini estate sued Andrew Lloyd Webber, arguing that "The Music of the Night" from "The Phantom of the Opera" was cribbed from Puccini's opera "The Girl of the Golden West"? The lawsuit was settled out of court.

Puccini's estate also sued songwriter Vincent Rose, saying that he lifted the popular song "Avalon" from "E lucevan le stella" in "Tosca." It seems like a stretch to me, but the court found Rose guilty as charged and awarded Puccini's heirs $25,000, in addition to all future royalties from the song.

Enjoy "Suor Angelica," as well as this trip through Broadway history, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at St. Joseph University Church, 3269 Main St., Buffalo. Admission is $10. For info, call 833-0298.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman