Edgar In Concert - MN Opera - April 2026

Edgar in Concert

Program Cover

Music by Giacomo Puccini, Libretto by Ferdinando Fontana

Review By Ernest Edwards

Over the weekend the MN Opera presented the Puccini opera Edgar as a concert. I have never seen Edgar before, but I really liked how the stage was set up for the show. It made me think that MN Opera could do other presentations in concert too. Such as the Stephan Sondheim’s Follies, which did have a concert presentation in NYC back in the 1980’s. Kind of why that show popped in my mind. Or when the NY Philharmonic did Company as a concert presentation. Sweeney Todd has also had two concert productions that I’m aware of. The possibilities are endless. 

We did learn before the opera started that there has been no professional productions of Edgar in the USA for the past 20 years. It was truly a treat to see this MN Opera production at the Ordway in downtown St. Paul. 

I really liked how the stage was set up for this production. The five main principle performers had seats at

The stage, before the opera began. 

the front the of stage. Directly behind them was the MN Opera orchestra, In the back of the stage was the MN Opera choir on risers. Including the intermission, the run time for Edgar was around 2 hours.  

The principle performers were Karin Wolverton as Fidelia, Karen Morgan as Tigrana, John Mburu as Gualtiero, Diego Torre as Edgar, and Thomas Glass as Frank. Before the show began we learned that Diego Torre was under the weather earlier in the week and there was an understudy standing by, but Diego Torre did perform the entire show on opening night. 

As soon as Karen Morgan walked onto the stage in that red dress. I knew she was the character Tigrana. Based on the synopsis that I read in the program. 

Edgar was a wonderful two night only event. The MN Opera still has the opera Pagliacci coming up. The dates for Pagliacci are May 9 - May 17. Check out www.mnopera.org for tickets.