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DTSTAMP:20261101T113701Z
UID:6dee5333-7576-44ff-887a-99e2ed787891
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261202
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261206
DESCRIPTION:Dec 2-6\, 2026\nMario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s operatic swansong
  The Importance of Being Earnest (first performed in 1962) may well be the
  quirkiest bit of music theater ever conceived. Written for eight singers\
 , two pianos\, and percussion\, the score preserves Oscar Wilde’s “Tri
 vial Comedy for Serious People” virtually intact. Perhaps with a tip of 
 the hat to the serious\, Castelnuovo-Tedesco peppers Wilde’s brittle zin
 gers with cheeky nonstop allusions to Don Giovanni\, Der Ring des Nibelung
 en\, Aida\, and much\, much more. (Word has it that he footnoted everythin
 g in the score. But try to get your hands on it.) And who\, you ask\, was 
 Castelnuovo-Tedesco? Born in Florence in 1895\, he belonged to the generat
 ion of displaced Jewish composers from Europe who found refuge in Hollywoo
 d. His vast catalogue includes 200 soundtracks for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer plu
 s The Loves of Carmen for Rita Hayworth’s Beckworth Productions\; (separ
 ate) concertos for the violin and cello titans Jascha Heifetz and Gregor P
 iatigorsky\; some 100 indispensable classics for guitar\; other operas\, i
 ncluding a Merchant of Venice\; and plenty more. As a movie composer and t
 eacher of movie composers\, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s influence on the likes
  of Henry Mancini and John Williams was profound. A meticulous craftsman\,
  he completed The Importance of Being Earnest in parallel English and Ital
 ian editions of equal authenticity\, said to differ in significant musical
  details. For the sake of Wilde’s pun in the title\, Earnest’s Italian
  counterpart answers to Franco.
LOCATION:Chicago Opera Theater at the Studebaker Theater\, 410 South Michig
 an Ave\, Chicago\, IL 60605
SUMMARY:Chicago Opera Theater: The Importance of Being Earnest\, by Mario C
 astelnuovo-Tedesco
URL;VALUE=TEXT:https://airmail.news/arts-intel/events/chicago-opera-theater
 -the-importance-of-being-earnest-by-mario-castelnuovo-tedesco
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