Lamar University Opera Theatre to present “Der Betrogene Kadi”

The Lamar University Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music will present “Der Betrogene Kadi,” a comic opera in one act by Christoph Willibald Gluck, presented by the Lamar Opera Theatre on April 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Rothwell Recital Hall on the campus of Lamar University. Admission is free and open to the public.

Directed by Associate Professor of Voice and Opera Dr. Serdan Ilban, the action takes place in the Ottoman Empire circa early 18th century and tells the tale of the Cadi, a powerful judge who uses his unlimited power in an attempt to marry a second wife.

The production will feature a musical score conducted by Michael McAndrew, instructor of collaborative piano, and will include a chamber ensemble featuring students from the Department of Music.

“In ‘Der Betrogene Kadi’, we find the standard musical idiom of the “Turkish Opera” with limping rhythms in even time, dark minor keys hinting exotic color and scoring for instruments found in Janissary (Ottoman marching band) orchestras like piccolo, triangle and drums,” said Ilban. “More importantly, Gluck’s dramatically charged ensembles, his character and situation-oriented duets, and the opera’s finale, go beyond traditional custom.”

To learn more about the Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music, please visit lamar.edu/music.