|
|
Article: Curtain rises on Sousa's `El Capitan'
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- September 22, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1997 Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
|
URBANA, Ill. He may be known as the "March King," but it's a
newly restored version of his comic operetta about a blundering
governor that has the music world talking again about John Philip
Sousa.
"El Capitan," an operetta full of polkas, marches and waltzes
wedded to a clever, lighthearted plot, was first staged in 1896 and
proved to be the most popular of eight performed operas composed by
Sousa.
But as Sousa's work with his band became more demanding, "El
Capitan" slipped into obscurity and the few published materials on
the piece were incomplete.
A restored version of "El Capitan" will premiere Saturday at
the University of Illinois in a production featuring a 35-piece
orchestra, a ...