Larger Than Life: Verdi's Falstaff with Quinn Kelsey

Larger Than Life: Verdi's Falstaff with Quinn Kelsey

Author: The Santa Fe Opera July 2, 2022 Duration: 35:51

Who'll serve the infamous jolly knight his just desserts? The list of candidates is long, and their scheme is hilarious. All will be revealed when Falstaff, Giuseppe Verdi's classic farce, arrives on the Santa Fe Opera stage.

Host Jane Trembley speaks with Hawai'i native Quinn Kelsey about embodying the larger-than-life titular character and learns why comedy is more challenging to play than tragedy. Quinn also answers the million-dollar question: what would the celebrated Verdi baritone ask the great composer if given a chance? 

If you think you know Verdi, think again. "[Falstaff] behaves like a totally different animal," says Quinn. The final opera of Verdi's storied career is a comedic masterpiece propelled by complex wit, outsized swagger, and vibrant music.

"John Falstaff is at that age where life is beginning to pass him by," Quinn explains. "He still thinks he can charm the ladies, and you have to give him credit for having a huge amount of confidence." 

It doesn't take long for that swagger to get the jolly knight into riotous trouble. "I don't normally get to play comedic characters," Quinn says. Although pompous Falstaff is more serious than his fellow characters, all the fizzy stage antics are in response to his self-delusion.

In a role he's played in different ways since 2014, Quinn is more than up to the vocal and emotional challenge, fully embracing Falstaff's hubris, hedonism, and gullibility for Sir David McVicar's sparkling new production. "The fact that I finally get to do something with Sir David from scratch? I'm looking forward to a really fun summer."

FEATURING

Quinn Kelsey - Baritone

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CREDITS

Destination Santa Fe Opera is a Santa Fe Opera podcast, produced and edited by Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor Studios.

Post-Production Audio: Edwin R. Ruiz

Hosted by: Jane Trembley

Show Notes by: Lisa Widder

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Behind every curtain call at The Santa Fe Opera is a world of craft, history, and human effort. Destination Santa Fe Opera pulls back that curtain, offering a rare backstage pass to the artists, technicians, designers, and visionaries who bring the spectacle to life. This podcast is a series of intimate, revealing conversations that go far beyond the performance notes. You’ll hear from a costume designer about the weight and meaning of a single garment, from a singer unraveling the emotional core of a challenging role, or from a stage director mapping the journey from concept to opening night. It’s about the problem-solving, the collaboration, and the occasional happy accident that defines a season. Each episode connects you to the living, breathing process of opera, focusing on the people whose dedicated work transforms a New Mexico evening into something unforgettable. Listen for stories about musical discovery, artistic risk, and the sheer logistical marvel of mounting world-class productions against a backdrop of southwestern skies. Produced by The Santa Fe Opera, this series is an essential companion for anyone curious about the alchemy that happens when countless disciplines converge to create a single, powerful story in song.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 31

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