Later this month, tenors Donald George and Christopher Swanson along with pianist Lucy Mauro perform in a charming evening that transports listeners to a summer night in Italy. Their program features the rarely performed Gaetano Donizetti’s (1797-1848) Nuits d’été à Pausilippe. From drinking songs, to the melancholy, to the brighter side of life, all are welcome to join this jovial journey to 19th century Italy.

Donald George (Radford University) is an established tenor who boasts performances throughout the United States and Europe, performing with many leading conductors including Kurt Masur, Christoph von Dohnàyi, and the late Leonard Bernstein. George describes the upcoming events as light and full of beautiful melodies. He will split this program with Swanson (Longwood University) for an event filled with music by many of the Bel Canto masters. (Bel canto singing focuses on sweet, lyrical sound, with perfect evenness throughout the vocal range.)

Swanson, who holds a doctorate from Florida State University, was recently featured (twice) as a recording artist on Newport Classics. George and Swanson met through guest work at their respective universities. Collaboration seemed inevitable, so with Mauro’s programming, the recital was created. Both tenors will skillfully sing through the ornate ornamentation prevalent in the music.

Supporting the two tenors is pianist Lucy Mauro (Radford University), a frequent collaborator and skillful accompanist. The piano part is simple yet highly effective, allowing a pianist to access this wonderful music (often given to the orchestra). Under Mauro’s skillful fingers, the absence of an orchestra will be of little concern.

Donzinetti’s Nuits d’été à Pausilippe is an evening’s worth of entertainment, featuring six arias and six duets, in the style of Rossini’s Soirees musicales. He wrote this in the latter portion of his life, following his most famous work Lucia di Lammermoor. This was the height of his career and the composer was specifically looking for a Parisian hit, thus the French title. Many of the pieces are named after famous, French operatic stars of the day. Written while overlooking the Bay of Naples (not far from Mount Vesuvius), many of the exquisite melodies are inspired by this beautiful scene, as well as popular song and Italian opera. The grandeur and charm of these songs solidified the significance of the composers career, being well received in their day and now.

For those unfamiliar with Donzinetti’s work, the first half of the evening features familiar melodies from the other two giants of Bel Canto: Gioachino Rossini and Giovanni Bellini. Selections from The Barber of Seville, Don Pasquale, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Elixir of Love are bound to bring delightful memories of familiar sounds.

Haven’t brushed up on your Italian this year? No need, as former Virginia Tech professor Paul Zweisel brings multimedia support. Overtitles with English translation reveal the humor and delight of Donizetti. Caricatures from some of the composers themselves, as well as pictures of lovely Italy, provide visual enhancement to the experience.

Vocal precision and beautiful melodies sum up this evening that will simply bring a smile to all. This fun occasion is amplified by the skills of all three expert performers. The program will be featured at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., on Feb. 23 and at the Norwood Room of the Bondurant Center in downtown Radford on Feb. 24.

C.R. Kasprzyk is a classically trained saxophonist who enjoys writing, photography, and reeding. Get it? Reed? As in a saxophone?