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Conductor John DeMain was at the helm again at Saturday's Opera in the Park at Garner Park. - File photo

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• The park is alive with the sound of music

One of the many annual events that makes Madison such a fantastic place to live rocked Garner Park Saturday night, combining classical music, picnics and beer in a celebration of summer and superior singing.

Opera in the Park has been attracting crowds for seven years, and Saturday's attendance topped them all at approximately 13,000 people.

The highlights of the evening performance, a program containing the opera version of summer fireworks, were many. We were first seduced by baritone Luis Ledesma's charismatic rendering of "Largo al factotum," the famous patter aria from "The Barber of Seville."

Ledesma, in addition to his full, lush baritone, is quite the actor. He sparkled as the over-booked, much-adored Figaro before adopting another aspect altogether with tenor Bryan Hymel in the Pinkerton-Sharpless duet from "Madama Butterfly."

"Without the subtitles, you really have to give," Ledesma, a native of Mexico City, said during the post-performance reception. "It's nice to see something more."

It certainly was. Tenor Hymel's "Ah Leve-toi solieil" aria from "Romeo and Juliet" was carefully calculated to make his lady melt, and from the perspective of a female member of the audience -- it worked.

"It's so different," Hymel said about the Opera in the Park venue. "Usually, with the audience, you can't see their faces. Here you can see everything. You can feel the warmth, the energy, the support."

Hymel and soprano Melody Moore made the most of their duet from "Faust," singing "Il se fait tard, adieu!" in tones that might best be described as buttery. Moore was every inch the Hungarian princess in "Czardas" from "Die Fledermaus," making the notes dance with the fireflies that peppered the audience during the second half of the night.

Moore and mezzo-soprano Kendall Gladen also delighted with honeyed tones and sly smiles in the charming and perfectly blended "Ah, guarda sorella" by Mozart. The tune, in which the two women coquettishly sing a tribute to their soon-to-be-betrayed loves, was an exciting teaser for next season's "Cosi Fan Tutte."

Madison Opera Artistic Director John DeMain conducted the Madison Opera Chorus and the Madison Symphony Orchestra. The latter backed the singers beautifully and especially thrilled with the lively castanet-filled overture from "La boda de Luis Alonsa."

"It's no frills, no costumes, no scenery -- just the music," DeMain said, calling opera "the greatest art form in the world."

Opera in the Park shares that great art form with a much larger population than would normally experience it. Also, the short rehearsal time and one-off nature of the program allows Madison Opera to invite world-class singers. Just one example is Hymel, a New Orleans native, who mentioned that his next stops are Ireland, Greece, France and Boston.

Madison Opera General Manager Allan Naplan planned the evening carefully, including selections from next season's operas ("Madama Butterfly," "Cosi Fan Tutte" and "Faust") in part to encourage single-ticket sales. He also gave a nod to election season with a spot-on, updated version of Gershwin's "Tweedledee for President" featuring a dancing John McCain and Barack Obama.

Opera in the Park gives parents an opportunity to expose their children to opera outside of the occasional Bugs Bunny cartoon, in a venue that is expansive, flexible and free. Naplan said it costs close to $200,000 to produce the event, mostly provided by the BerbeeWalsh Foundation and corporate and private donors.

For those of us fortunate enough to sit close to the stage, the sound system was hardly necessary, given the powerful pipes of these virtuosos. Looking back at the waving colorful light sticks during the second act, however, I wonder if that was the case further back on the hill.

Ultimately, the seventh annual Opera in the Park was well-attended, well-supported and well-produced: a smashing success. Gorgeous singing, a full, dramatic orchestra, a glass of wine and temperatures cool enough to keep mosquitoes at bay -- it doesn't get much better for a Madison evening out.