ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 3, 1997 TAG: 9701030049
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PEARISBURG
SOURCE: ANNE DAUGHERTY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
Although the small town of Pearisburg might seem an unlikely venue for the performance of an opera, the Southwest Virginia Youth Chorus will change that impression.
When the choir presents "Amahl and the Night Visitors" on Saturday and Sunday, it will be the culmination of three years of hard work. Choir directors Jim and Rhonda Frazier held the first auditions for the chorus in September 1993 with the hope that the group would one day be able to produce an opera for the local community.
"Amahl and the Night Visitors" is the perfect vehicle for the fledgling group. Jim Frazier explains that the opera is enjoyable to people of all ages. It is also less than an hour long and features a very touching story. It was written especially for television by American composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1951.
The plot concerns an unscheduled stop made by the Magi as they travel to Bethlehem. When the story opens, a crippled child tells his poor widowed mother about a magnificent star which is directly over their house. It is believed that the Magi were astrologers, although they are known by several names, for example the Three Wise Men, or the Three Kings. But in this opera, the star suddenly brings Amahl three magnificent guests and some big surprises.
As part of the opera, Amahl and his mother call on their community to help them entertain and feed the three dignified guests. In the same way the Southwest Virginia Youth Chorus has called on the community in Pearisburg to bring this opera into being. Musical director Jim Frazier plays the role of Kaspar, one of the Magi. His wife, Rhonda, is the accompanist for the opera, and their three children are in the production.
Rhonda is the organist and choir director at the Pearisburg Presbyterian Church where the opera will be performed. Her church choir along with other community members were co-opted to play the roles of shepherds and shepherdesses. Friends of the Fraziers, Andy Wilburn and Eddie Higgs, were asked to be shepherds, but suddenly found themselves wearing regal clothing and playing the roles of Melchior and Balthasar. The resplendent costumes of the Magi are on loan from Virginia Tech.
The Fraziers opted to have two Amahls and two mothers not only to ensure that sickness would not stop the show, but also to provide more children with the opportunity to play solo roles. The two Amahls are 12-year-old Chelsea Keating from Newport and 9-year-old Whitney Hayes from Pearisburg. The mothers are Amanda Lundbery, 13, and Grace Carpenter, the mother of two choir members.
The premiere of the opera was on Christmas Eve 1951. The Fraziers decided to schedule their performance closer to the day the story might really have happened. Sunday marks the 12th night of Christmas, well known as a day of celebration. Because the Magi arrive in Bethlehem on the 12th day of Christmas, it was the traditional day on which gifts were exchanged. Shakespeare wrote a comedy called "Twelfth Night" that celebrates the merriment and masquerading traditions of the day, and there is a well-known song about the 12 days of Christmas.
"Amahl and the Night Visitors" will be performed at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Pearisburg Presbyterian Church. It is free and open to the public.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON STAFF. A scene from the Southwest Virginiaby CNBYouth Chorus production of "Amahl and the Night Visitors." color.