In the Houses

San Francisco Summer 2010

By CrewMantle | Published: March 11, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA PRESENTS 2010 SUMMER SEASON June 5–July 2 PUCCINI’S LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST, WAGNER’S DIE WALKÜRE & GOUNOD’S FAUST

CHARLES FRANÇOIS GOUNOD’S FAUST (June 5–July 1)

San Francisco Opera’s summer repertory opens June 5 with Gounod’s classic French Romantic masterpiece Faust. A complicated triangle of characters is headlined by Mr. Stefano Secco, the Italian tenor who made his San Francisco Opera debut last season in Verdi’s Requiem, as Faust. Stunning American dramatic soprano Miss Patricia Racette continues her more than 20-year relationship with San Francisco Opera as she returns to sing Marguerite, and Mr. John Relyea sings Méphistophélès, a role he has recently sung to great acclaim at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Italian maestro Maurizio Benini, hailed for his mastery of this lush score, makes his San Francisco Opera debut conducting Gounod’s orchestration which showcases the artistry of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Mr. Jose Maria Condemi directs this passion-filled production from the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Assistant Music Director Giuseppe Finzi conducts the final two performances.

GIACOMO PUCCINI’S LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST (June 9-July 2)

A love triangle set during the California Gold Rush, the work Puccini considered “the best of my operas” returns to San Francisco for the first time in three decades in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The superb cast is led by American dramatic soprano Miss Deborah Voigt in her role debut as Minnie. Italian baritone Mr. Roberto Frontali, who made his Company debut in 1993 as Riccardo in Bellini’s I Puritani, sings the role of Sheriff Jack Rance and Mr. Salvatore Licitra makes his highly anticipated San Francisco Opera debut as the cunning bandit Dick Johnson. San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts Puccini’s lush score and Assistant Music Director Giuseppe Finzi leads the final performance.

RICHARD WAGNER’S DIE WALKÜRE (June 10-30)

A powerful god finds himself torn by conflicting loyalties as the second installment of Wagner’s majestic Ring cycle comes to San Francisco after a successful debut at Washington National Opera. in this co-production with Washington National Opera. Mr. Donald Runnicles leads a world-class cast, including two stunning sopranos: Miss Nina Stemme, whose portrayal of  Senta in the Company’s 2004 production of  The Flying Dutchman garnered rave reviews, will make her role debut as Die Walküre’s Brünnhilde and Miss Eva-Maria Westbroek will make her San Francisco Opera debut as Sieglinde. British tenor Mr. Christopher Ventris, who has starred in San Francisco Opera productions of Wagner’s Parsifal and Der Fliegende Holländer, returns to sing Siegmund. Former Adler Fellow Mr. Mark Delavan, whose 2008 Wotan in the Company’s Das Rheingold was hailed as “robust and commanding” by the San Francisco Chronicle, returns to make his role debut as Die Walküre’s Wotan.

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Romeo and Juliet Roundtable

By CrewMantle | Published: March 10, 2010

COMMANDOpera is bringing to readers a roundtable discussion featuring the entire cast of the San Diego production of Romeo and Juliet which premiere’s Saturday March 14. COMMANDOpera has heard it said that an entire hour of artist’s talking and not singing is perhaps not the most worthwhile experience operatically. Nevertheless, the roundtables offered by The San Diego Opera in fact are not that excruciating to sit through simply because no one who participates has brought their ego with them. They are imminently watchable for the entire hour, particularly if your home theatre system can access the Internet. COMMANDOpera will likely offer more roundtable video’s like this from other theatres who utilize the forum if they meet the dispassionate standard of not wishing to garrote oneself after five minutes.

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The Royal Opera 2010 2011

By CrewMantle | Published: March 10, 2010

 

COMMANDOpera has determined The Royal Opera House Covent Garden 2010 2011 season to be the finest in Europe for the 2010 2011 season. STUNNING casts everywhere: Mr. Roberto Alagna as Radames in  the AIDA revival. Mr. Dimitri Hvorotosky as Rigoletto, Miss Eglise Gutierrez as Gilda, Mr. Andris Nelsons conducts Butterfly which stars Miss Patricia Racette and Mr. James Valenti. Mr. Rolando Villazon as Werther with Miss Sophie Koch. Mr. Simon Keenlyside as Macbeth. Miss Karita Mattila as Tosca with Mr. Jonas Kaufmann as Cavaradossi. Mr. Piotr Beczala as Romeo. Mr. Ben Heppner as Peter Grimes. Miss Nicole Cabell as Leila.






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Paris Opera 2010 2011

By CrewMantle | Published: March 10, 2010



COMMANDOpera is impressed with the 19 new productions offered by the Opéra National de Paris. Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra, Diana Damrau as Zerbinetta. The Paris Opera 2010 2011 season is landscaped predominately with European artists. Here is the direct link.

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Withdrawal at the Lyric Opera

By CrewMantle | Published: March 9, 2010


COMMANDOpera has been alerted to this announcement moments ago. For those who have tickets, you are duly notified.

German soprano Anne Schwanewilms withdraws from Lyric Opera of Chicago revival of THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO due to bronchial infection

American soprano Amanda Majeski portrays Countess Almaviva at Lyric March 9 and 12

American soprano Nicole Cabell will perform the role of the Countess for the remaining six performances, March 15 – 27

German soprano Anne Schwanewilms has withdrawn from eight remaining performances in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s current revival of The Marriage of Figaro Feb. 28-Mar. 27 due to a stubborn bronchial infection, and has returned home on her doctor’s advice, Lyric’s general director William Mason announced today. Schwanewilms sang the role of Countess Almaviva in the Mozart masterpiece for the opening performance Feb. 28 and subsequent performances Mar. 3 and 6.

American soprano Amanda Majeski portrays the Countess at Lyric Tues., Mar. 6 and Fri., Mar. 12.  She is a first year member of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and is scheduled to portray the Countess at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis this summer.

American soprano Nicole Cabell will portray the Countess for the final six performances at Lyric, March 15 through 27. Currently portraying Musetta in the Metropolitan Opera production of La Bohème, Cabell has been graciously released by that company, Mason said.

“We deeply appreciate Ms. Schwanewilms’ three valiant performances and offer all best wishes for her swift recovery,” said Mason. “We are fortunate that Ms. Majeski, a current member of our Ryan Opera Center and Ms. Schwanewilims’ understudy, is able to step in with confidence. “We are additionally grateful that Ms. Cabell, a former member of the Ryan Opera Center who just starred as a brilliant Adina here, is available to sing the final six performances of the Countess, having been graciously released to do so by our friends at the Metropolitan Opera.”

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Lyric Opera Edition of IDOL

By CrewMantle | Published: March 9, 2010


On so many levels COMMANDOpera smiles broadly at this story. Perhaps the most fun is that the Lyric Opera of Chicago is going to New York to poach some Eastern Seaboard vocal talent. COMMANDOpera HIGHLY advises vocal artists in the Tenor range who reside in the New York area to take a good look at this article. A year of chorus with The Lyric Opera of Chicago looks pretty decent on any C.V. thank you very much!  

Chorus Tenor Auditions in New York City for LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO on Monday, April 12,  for Lyric’s 2010-2011 Season Macbeth, Carmen, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Masked Ball, The Mikado, The Girl of the Golden West, Lohengrin, & Hercules.

William Mason, General Director
Sir Andrew Davis, Music Director
Donald Nally, Chorus Master

Lyric Opera of Chicago will hold auditions in New York City on Monday, April 12 for experienced, classically trained tenors to fill chorus tenor openings in the company’s choral ensemble for the 2010-2011season.

The world-renowned opera company has openings for tenors in its Regular Chorus and Supplementary Chorus for its 56th season, which commences Oct. 1. Lyric Opera of Chicago’s eight-opera season comprises 68 performances in 24 weeks.
 
CHORUS TENOR AUDITIONS will be held in NEW YORK on Monday, April 12, from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. AUDITIONS ARE BY INVITATION ONLY. To be considered for an audition, tenors should send a current résumé and photo to:

Chorus Auditions Coordinator
Lyric Opera of Chicago
20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 860
Chicago, IL 60606

or choraud@lyricopera.org

The deadline for submitting materials is Monday, April 5, 2010. Once materials are received, applicants will be evaluated by the Chorus Master and appointments will be made for qualified candidates.  Not all applicants who submit a résumé and photo will be asked to audition.  Walk-ins will NOT be seen.

New York City chorus tenor auditions for Lyric Opera of Chicago will be held on the Lincoln Center campus in the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio. The Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio is located in the Rose Building, 10th floor, at 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
Lyric Opera of Chicago seeks classically trained tenors who are prepared for a professional career. Candidates are expected to prepare one operatic aria in a foreign language by memory that best demonstrates vocal ability. A second aria may be requested which may be in English. Lyric Opera of Chicago will furnish an accompanist. Candidates must provide a copy of each aria for the accompanist – legible and in the correct key. They should also be prepared to sight read. The ability to read and memorize music quickly and accurately is a must.

Candidates are required to prove United States citizenship; permanent residency; or possess, at the time of the audition, legal permission to work in the United States of America during the rehearsal and performance period.

Please note that guests will not be permitted into the audition site.

For more information please call the audition hotline at (312) 827-3548 or email choraud@lyricopera.org

REGULAR CHORUS
In the 2010-2011 season, first-year choristers will be offered a 32-week contract at a salary of $1,343.50 per week. Musical rehearsals will begin on or about August 2, 2010, with staging rehearsals beginning in September. Prior to the beginning of staging, musical rehearsals will be held Monday through Friday during the day and evening hours. Once staging begins, there will also be weekend rehearsals. A full (tentative) schedule will be provided prior to the commencement of rehearsals. The 2010-2011 performance season runs from October 2010 through March 2011.

SUPPLEMENTARY CHORUS
Musical rehearsals will begin on or about August 2, 2010, with staging rehearsals beginning in September. Music rehearsals involving the supplementary chorus are scheduled on weekdays in the late afternoon and evenings. Once staging begins, there will also be weekend rehearsals. A full (tentative) schedule of rehearsals and performances will be provided prior to the commencement of rehearsals. The 2010-2011 performance season runs from October 2010 through March 2011. The salary for a supplementary chorister depends on the number of productions for which the singer is engaged, ranging from one to four productions. Compensation for a supplementary chorister in the 2010-2011 season ranges from $49.76 to $71.10 per rehearsal hour and $253.00 to $284.50 per performance.

During Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 56th season, the chorus performs in Verdi’s Macbeth and A Masked Ball, Puccini’s The Girl of the Golden West, Bizet’s Carmen, Wagner’s Lohengrin, Handel’s Hercules, and Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. (Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream uses only children’s chorus.) For more information about the artists and productions of Lyric’s 2010-11 season go to www.lyricopera.org .

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Elektra at the Teatr Wielki

By CrewMantle | Published: March 8, 2010


Elektra comes to the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw for a run of four performances which commences the evening of March 24th. This is the 2000 production by Mr. Willy Decker for De Nederlandse Opera. For those who are unaware, Elektra wishes to revenge the murder of her father Agamemnon by her mother, who in her turn was seeking her own revenge for the sacrificial death of her daughter Iphigenia. The confrontation between mother and daughter forms one of the summits of the opera. The Gothic starkness of these sets underlined a special level of coldness which evolved from Mr. Decker’s mind for this work, which mirrors the dark mythical plot to absolute perfection. COMMANDOpera finds this to be a rather excellent updating from the original period of the work.


The performances are all under the baton of Polish conductor Tadeusz Kozlowski who is the Music Director of The Teatr Wielki. The Klytä mnestra  of this tournee is the famed Polish Contralto Miss Ewa Podleś, Elektra Miss Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet, Chrysothemis  Miss Danielle  Halbwachs, Aegisth Mr. Kurt Azesberger, Orest Mr. Mark Schnaible.

Miss Podles as Klytemnestra, Toronto 2007.

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The Royal Opera 2010 2011

By CrewMantle | Published: March 8, 2010


The Royal Opera House Covent Garden will be releasing their 2010 2011 season this Wednesday and COMMANDOpera is aware it will rank as one of the finest offered internationally. COMMANDOpera will go live with an article outlining the complete details minutes after the announcement has been made public.

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El Palacio de Bellas Artes

By CrewMantle | Published: March 4, 2010

Above are three recent video’s from the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. COMMANDOpera is pleased to report the website of the theatre has been updated slightly. Mexico which is celebrating 200 years of independence this year, has determined to refurbish the august theatre which was built to mark its first centennial. COMMANDOpera has gone to extraordinary lengths to get through to this particular house, including speaking with the Ambassador from Mexico to the country where I reside. COMMANDOpera will continue working all avenues to gain entry into this theatre (which is run by the department of education in Mexico) regardless of the brick walls one keeps running headlong into. Here is their YouTube page.

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Rigoletto in Dusseldorf

By CrewMantle | Published: March 3, 2010


To conclude COMMANDOpera’s trio of upcoming performances in European houses, we alight on the steps of the Opernhaus Dusseldorf  where the Deutsche Oper am Rhein is mounting a production of Rigoletto. True to German deconstructionist modern style, this Rigoletto has been attended to by the spare hand of young Franco German modernist, Mr. David Hermann. COMMANDOpera is curious as to what this new wave of directors will be attempting once they have tired of utilitarian clean lines. One cannot help but contemplate, that perhaps the day will dawn when Mr. Zeffirelli will be considered something of a lightweight, once these boys find sequins, and feathers. However that is a day far down the road.


The work will see its premiere this Friday evening and will run for 12 performances intermittently at the Opernhaus Dusseldorf, then move over to the sister theatre in Duisburg for an additional three performances. The conducting duties have been triple cast with Mr. Johannes Debus opening the run, and Mr. Chien Wen-Pin, and Mr. Ralf Lange taking on other performances. Mr. Daniel Jakobi is announced to cover for all of the conductors.


The cast for the performance is comprised of names not particularly well known outside of Europe. Rigoletto Boris Statsenko,Herzog von Mantua Andrej Dunaev, Gilda Olesya Golovneva, Graf von Monterone Daniel Djambazian / Markus Marquardt / Adrian Sampetrean, Graf von Ceprano Rolf Broman, Gräfin von Ceprano Jaclyn Bermudez / Judita Nagyová, Marullo Dmitri Vargin / Richard Sveda, Borsa Simeon Esper / Florian Simson, Sparafucile Riihonen / Günes Gürle, Maddalena Geneviève King / Katarzyna Kuncio, Giovanna Cornelia Berger,Henker Jwa-Kyeom Kim / Franz-Martin Preihs, Page Chieko Higashi / Victoria Demkina.




COMMANDOpera is always mindful of the tight budgets provincial houses must work with, however one does not know where to look when the mannequins out distance the live artists vertically. The Duke of this performance, Mr. Dunaev owns such a delightful vocal instrument, COMMANDOpera is obliged to present it. There is nothing forced, and there is that discernible Italianate shimmering vibrato favoured by artists in the early post war period.

Mr. Dunaev sings ‘Kuda Kuda’ Lenski’s air from Eugene Onegin, Paris Opera Garnier 2008.

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Mefistofele in Rome

By CrewMantle | Published: March 3, 2010


The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is mounting a production of Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele which will see it’s prima on Tuesday March 16 at 8:30 Rome time. The double cast performances will all be under the baton of Mr. Renato Palumbo who appears to be accepting appearances just about everywhere across the globe. COMMANDOpera marvelled not a little to find the only publicity photograph to do with the production is a photograph of the main Margherita, Miss Amarilla Nizza. Lovely girl that Miss Nizza is visually, don’t be overly concerned on this point. The soprano owns a rather intense vocal instrument we wish we might hear in North America at some point. Consonant with this artist as to how this performance will be held together is the young Bulgarian Bass Mr. Orlin Anastassov pictured below as the main Mefistofele. The buzz surrounding the muscular 32 year old within informed opera circles is deafening. You see this man has eyes you cannot take your eyes off of. Mr Anastassov is the first individual which COMMANDOpera has ever heard informed operaphiles agree on as the first real successor to Miss Callas as a visually rivetting presence on stage.


Shockingly and depressingly this is where the brilliant casting of this production goes brutally south. And COMMANDOpera means through a manhole. The main Faust is none other than Mr. Stuart Neill. No offense to Mr. Neill, but his entire top register has moved consistently beyond strident and unpleasant to ragged and painful. COMMANDOpera does not enjoy declaiming such egergious words (however rightful) about any artist, nevertheless it is incorrect for a theatre of the pre emminence of The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma to engage a tenor with a vocal instrument of this decay. And the other Faust? Mr. Walter Fraccaro. 

The run will be double cast as follows; Mefistofele  Orlin Anastassov (16, 18, 20, 23) / Francesco Palmieri (17, 19, 21), Faust  Stuart Neill (16, 18, 20, 21, 23) / Walter Fraccaro (17, 19), Margherita  Amarilli Nizza (16, 18, 20, 23) / Teresa Romano (17, 19, 21), Marta  Chiara Chialli (16, 18, 20) / Letizia Del Magro (17, 19, 21, 23), Wagner  Amedeo Moretti, Elena  Amarilli Nizza (16, 18, 20, 23) / Anda-Louise Bogza (17, 19, 21), Pantalis Chiara Chialli (16, 18, 20) / Letizia Del Magro (17, 19, 21, 23), Neréo  Maurizio Rossi (16, 18, 20, 23) / Luca Battagello (17, 19, 21).  

For the enlightenment of readers, COMMANDOpera will submit videos of the three principals in roles other than those from Mefistofele for the sake of appreciating the vocal instruments discussed here.

Mr. Anastassov sings Zaccaria’s opening air and cabaletta from Nabucco. Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa 2004. Seriously, whoever paid attention to Zaccaria before?

Miss Nizza ‘Senza mamma’ Teatro Massimo Palermo 2008.

Mr. Neill ‘Di quella pira’ Maggio Musical Florence.

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Double Bill at De Nederlandse

By CrewMantle | Published: March 3, 2010


De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam is presenting a double bill which will see its prima on the evening of March 5, 8 P. M. Amsterdam time. And on the bill? Mr. Luigi Dallapiccola’s Il Prigioniero paired with Mr. Bela Bartok’s Bluebeards Castle. This is a pairing not often seen, and worthy is the house who determines to mount these works. The performances will be under the baton of the illustrious Hungarian conductor Mr. Adam Fischer who is the General Music Director of the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra. One can imagine the orchestration to the Bartok work which requires a most ’Germanic” touch could enjoy more capable hands. COMMANDOpera would suggest if there were ever an excellent double bill for Hallowe’en night, this would do rather nicely for the ghoulish factor.

Il Prigionero. Le Madre is portrayed by Miss Paoletta Marrocu, Il Prigionero is Mr. Lauri Vasar, Il Grand Inquisitor is Mr. Donald Kasch.


Spain, during the reign of Philip II. A mother visits her son in prison. She remembers a nightmare in which she saw the face of the King metamorphose into the face of Death. The prisoner tells how the warder called him ‘brother’; this gave him new hope and he could pray again. After his mother’s departure, the warder come and tells the prisoner that revolution has broken out in the Low Countries. The bell Roelandt shall soon once more ring in Ghent and announce the end of Philip’s reign of terror and of the Inquisition. The warder sings a beggar’s song and leaves the cell door open as he departs. The prisoner creeps through dark passageways under the prison. To his horror he meets a monk with an instrument of torture, but finds the courage to continue. Two priests pass and he has to hide. The prisoner feels fresh air on his hands and reaches the outside door. He fancies he hears the bell Roelandt ringing. The prisoner is blissfully happy in a large garden. He winds his arms round a large cedar in joy. Two large arms come out of the tree and embrace him: it is the Grand Inquisitor! The prisoner realises that his worst torture has been that of false hope.

 

Bluebeard’s Castle. Bluebeard is portrayed by Mr. Gabor Bretz, Judith is Miss Elena Zhidakova.


Bluebeard brings his new bride home to his castle. He asks her if she is sure that she wishes to share her life with him; Judith replies that she has no doubts. He lets the door close and Judith notices that the walls are weeping. She is given one more chance to go back, and once more she refuses. Bluebeard asks her why she had chosen him; Judith answers that she wants to bring warmth and dryness to his castle. He is not satisfied with her answer and refuses to open the seven doors that she now observes. The castle itself answers her urgent demands with sighs. Bluebeard asks her if she is afraid; she denies this and repeats her request for the keys to the doors, for the sake of her love for him. He accepts. A sigh resounds as the first door, the door to the torture chamber, is opened. Judith then opens the doors to the armoury, to the treasury, to the gardens and to a terrace with a view over Bluebeard’s estates. Judith wishes to know all his secrets. Finally, much against his will, he gives her the keys to a door that conceals a lake of tears and to the final door. From this final door Bluebeard’s three previous wives now come forth: he explains that they are his loves of the dawn, of the midday and of the evening. Judith is the most beautiful of them all for him, for she is his love of the night. All four women pass through the seventh door and Bluebeard is left alone.

 

De Nederlandse Opera’s exceptional promotional video.

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Vancouver Opera Nixon in China

By CrewMantle | Published: March 2, 2010


Readers of COMMANDOpera are aware of the mesmerising array of marketing artillery the Vancouver Opera utilizes daily. Arriving in today’s crammed inbox was the following outreach which is only of use for local Vancouverites, but oh how one wishes to be there. The actual events on which Nixon in China are based were a thrilling moment in history, which COMMANDOpera recalls clearly. Now…. if The VO had managed to capture the iconic American journalist Miss Helen Thomas who actually acompanied Nixon to China to speak….

VO ANNOUNCES NEW DETAILS ABOUT NIXON IN CHINA COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SERIES

Vancouver, BC ~ Vancouver Opera announces a major program of events surrounding the Canadian premiere of John Adams’s modern masterpiece. VO has partnered with several groups to create this series that explores the historic 1972 meeting between Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong, the opera it inspired and the establishment of the Chinese community in Vancouver.

Former US Ambassador to the UN to Attend Nixon in China

At the invitation of the US Consul General in Vancouver and Vancouver Opera, former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte, whose early career included working at the National Security Council with Henry Kissinger in the early 1970s, will visit Vancouver to attend private functions and the Canadian premiere of Nixon in China.

Community Engagement Series Details

Inside the Music of John Adams. Tuesday, March 2nd  7:00pm Vancouver Academy of Music 1270 Chestnut Street, Vancouver. Free Admission

An exploration of the music and career of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams. Presenters include writer and educator Thomas May, editor of The John Adams Reader, conductor John DeMain, who conducted the original 1987 production of Nixon in China, and Vancouver composer/conductor Owen Underhill.

Opera Speaks @ VPL – Chinese Vancouver Then & Now: 1972-2010. Tuesday, March 9th  7:00 – 9:00 pm. Vancouver Public Library – Central Branch, Alice MacKay Room. Free Admission – seating is limited.

Explore the history of the Chinese in Vancouver, with emphasis on the Chinese communities’ emergence and development since 1972, the year of Nixon’s momentous trip to China. Discover how our city has been shaped and transformed by Chinese culture over the past 38 years. Moderated by UBC historian Henry Yu. Speakers include eminent architect Bing Thom and filmmaker Colleen Leung.

Presented in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library. Opera Speaks @ VPL is sponsored by Omni BC Diversity Television.

In China: Comparing the Nixon, Trudeau and Harper Visits. Friday, March 12th  4:00pm – 5:30pm. Choi Building Conference Room, 1855 West Mall, UBC. Free Admission

A panel discussion exploring the past and future of Canada-China Relations, which closes a two-day colloquium hosted by the Institute of Asian Research. For more information see www.iar.ubc.ca. 

Presented in partnership with the Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia.

Literary Lunch with Margaret MacMillan and Alexandre Trudeau. Tuesday, March 16th  12:30pm – 2:30pm. Seasons at Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. Tickets: $50 through the VO Box Office: 604-683-0222.

An intimate encounter with acclaimed Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan and journalist and filmmaker Alexandre Trudeau (son of Pierre Ellliott Trudeau) as they take us behind the headlines of history. Hosted by Hal Wake, Artistic Director of Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival. Presented in partnership with Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival.

Margaret MacMillan in conversation with CBC’s Alison Smith. Wednesday, March 17th 7:30pm. Granville Island Stage. Tickets: $18 through VancouverTix: 604-629-8849. www.vancouvertix.com

Margaret MacMillan talks with CBC’s “World at Six” host Alison Smith about her most recent book “The Uses and Abuses of History” and her earlier chronicle “Nixon in China: The Week that Changed the World”. Presented in partnership with Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival.

About Nixon in China; In 1972, Richard Nixon and Chairman Mao Zedong shook hands and changed the course of human events. West and East looked into each other’s eyes and discovered a vast mystery of differences and desires. Henry Kissinger, Chou En-lai, Pat Nixon and Madame Mao all play pivotal roles in this fascinating drama of psychology and global politics.  John Adams’s richly textured and lyrical score pulses with rhythm and Alice Goodman’s literate libretto resonates with poetry. Nixon in China is irresistible and gripping from beginning to end.

Presented with Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. In English with SURTITLES. March 13, 16, 18, 20, 2010. All performances 7:30 pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Tickets starting at $29 are available exclusively at the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre, online at www.vancouveropera.ca or by telephone (604-683-0222).

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L’arbore di Diana Teatro Real

By CrewMantle | Published: March 2, 2010


The Teatro Real in Madrid will be premiering the dramma giacosa ‘L’arbore di Diana’ by the Spanish composer Vincente Martin y Soler on the evening of March 17 th at 8 P.M. The work presented is a co production with the Gran Teatro del Liceu. COMMANDOpera finds this work of particular interest given the way it falls almost in between the cracks of the Baroque period and Bel Canto. Generally when one looks at the Baroque period, it is difficult to remove from ornamentation particularly when one is looking at ‘giacosa’. The cleaner and more dramatic vocal line established within the realm of Bel Canto oddly found manifestations in works which are clearly situated in th Baroque period such as L’arbore di Diana. The orchestrations are obviously correct to the period, yet the vocal line is not. COMMANDOpera has long considered Maestro Luigi Cherubini to be the main proponent of this rather advanced style of musical architecture known uniquely to the Baroque era. Consider this air from L’arbore di Diana’:

Miss Laura Aikin sings ‘Teco porta, o mia speranza’ Liceu 2009.

For those who are unaware, here is the plot to ‘l’arbore di Diana’:

Diana, the goddess of chastity, has a tree in her garden that bears large apples. When one of her nymphs walks beneath it, the apples become shiny and make gentle sounds testifying to her chastity. However, if she has sinned against chastity, the apples turn black and punish her. Love, finding this rule intolerable, enters the garden and shows the gardener how to make the nymphs fall in love. He also brings the shepherd Endymion, of whom Diana herself becomes enamoured. Diana orders the tell-tale tree to be felled and Love turns her garden into a palace of love.

The Liceu promotional video for L’arbore di Diana’ 2009 2010 season.

The Teatro Real is double cast in a number of the roles. Diana: Lyubov Petrova (17, 19, 22, 24, 26), Diana: Ekaterina Lekhina (18, 20, 25),  Amore: Marina Comparato (17, 19, 22, 24, 26), Amore: Ketevan Kemoklidze (18, 20, 25),  Britomarte: Ainhoa Garmendia,  Clizia: Marisa Martins,  Cloe: Jossie Pérez,  Silvio: Pavol Breslik (17, 19, 22, 26),  Silvio: José Luis Sola (18, 20, 24, 25),  Endimione: Dmitry Korchak (17, 19, 22, 24, 26),  Endimione: John McVeigh (18, 20, 25),  Doristo: Marco Vinco (17, 19, 22, 24, 26),  Doristo: Simón Orfila (18, 20, 25). The performances will be under the baton of of the young Italian conductor, Mr. Ottavio Dantone.

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Simon Boccanegra in Montreal

By CrewMantle | Published: March 1, 2010


The Opera de Montreal will debut Simon Boccanegra on the evening of March 13th at 8P.M. COMMANDOpera will attend the opening night prima in full regalia with a complete review the following day. The tournee will run a total of 5 performances concluding March 25th. This is the first time the Verdi masterpiece has been offered to the Montreal opera going public, and the company is going all out. No expense has been spared. The company has brought in the new production from the San Diego Opera. Miss Hiromi Omura, in the role of Amelia, daughter of the Doge. Italian baritone Alberto Gazale (as the pirate Simon Boccanegra), Turkish bass Burak Bilgili (Fiesco), and Italian tenor Roberto De Biasio (Gabriele Adorno)—all three of whom are making their company debuts—as well as with American baritone Daniel Sutin (in the role of Paolo Albiani). Conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson will lead the Orchestre Métropolitain and the Opéra de Montréal Chorus.

Given this production arrives from San Diego, COMMANDOpera has been able to supply readers with a complete pictorial set from their dress rehearsal through the auspices of that house. All of the photographs arrive courtesy of the San Diego Opera.












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Mr. Camarena in Cleveland Cosi

By CrewMantle | Published: March 1, 2010

Photo credit: Mr. Roger Mastroianni courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra.

The seriously cool Cleveland Orchestra brings Mozart’s comic opera Così fan tutte to Severance Hall for four performances of a fully staged production from the Zurich Opera.  The performances will premiere tomorrow evening on March 2, an then on the 4, 6, and 8.  Music Director Franz Welser-Möst conducts the production, which he previously led in Zurich in collaboration with stage director Sven-Eric Bechtolf, set designer Rolf Glittenberg, and costume designer Marianne Glittenberg. The seats run from $68 to $222, but in the opinion of COMMANDOpera worth every dolloar spent: this is some cast!  Malin Hartelius, soprano (Fiordiligi); Anna Bonitatibus, soprano (Dorabella); Martina Janková, soprano (Despina); Javier Camarena, tenor (Ferrando); Ruben Drole, baritone (Guglielmo); and Antonio Abete, bass-baritone (Don Alfonso) all appeared in the Zurich production (with the exception of Mr. Abete).  

 
Cleveland Orchestra Music Director, Mr. Franz Welser-Möst. Photo credit: Johannes Ifkovits.

When Franz Welser-Möst led the Zurich production, Marinella Polli wrote in Corriere del Ticino: “It was a great musical evening above all because of the magic baton of Franz Welser-Möst, who offered a powerful reading of this tragicomedy in two acts, offering at the same time a powerful reading of Mozart’s genius as well.” With Franz Welser-Möst, the Orchestra has re-established itself as an important operatic ensemble. Together, they gave five sold-out performances of Dvořák’s Rusalkaat the Salzburg Festival in 2008. Last spring, Mr. Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra gave four sold-out staged performances of The Marriage of Figaro in Cleveland, marking the return of staged opera to Severance Hall for the first time in decades. Così fan tuttecontinues a traversal of the remarkable three operas created by Mozart with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. In 2011, the Orchestra and Mr. Welser-Möst will complete the set with staged performances of Don Giovanni at Severance Hall.COMMANDOpera has been aware of the The Cleveland Orchestra’s aspirations towards opera for some time now, and applauds the company. More orchestral companies should follow the Cleveland example. The Cleveland Opera itself can only marvel at having such a powerhouse next door which offers works so complimentary to their own season..

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De Nederlandse 2010 2011

By CrewMantle | Published: February 26, 2010


De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam has released their 2010 2011 season. There is not a great deal the theatre is offering in the way of casting to transcribe to English, nevertheless It is an interesting season which offers TWELVE works for the Amsterdam opera going public. Here is a link to where tickets can be purchased and the season is further delineated.

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The Resident American

By CrewMantle | Published: February 25, 2010


COMMANDOpera came across The Florentine Opera which is a regional company centered in Milwaukee. After blinking at the screen a few times, one determined to investigate further as is the practice. The Florentine Opera generally runs three productions a year which was initially slanted rather heavily towards Italian repertoire. Why? There is a huge expatriate Italian community in the city of Milwaukee which has been around since the turn of the last century. 


The 2009 1010 season included Tosca, Rigoletto, and Elmer Gantry. Elmer Gantry? Here is what the Florentine Opera tells us;  ’Based on the satire by American novelist Sinclair Lewis (which was also the basis for an Academy Award-winning film starring Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons), Elmer Gantry mixes traditional operatic forms with vibrant gospel hymns and ensemble to explore the complex and sometimes conflicted role of religion in American life. This quintessentially American story of love and corruption follows a fraudulent womanizer through both his rise to power and fall from grace in early 20th century rural America.’ There is something very cool about American opera companies who determine to offer a work such as this which is imminently suitable to their regional audiences. The Atlanta Opera is offering Porgy and Bess. Other regional American theatres should aspire to this model. Its brilliant. The Florentine Opera will be recording the work for the Naxos label, the first ever CD of the work  which debuted in 2007, to be released.   

And this brings readers to Mr. Keith Phares pictured above who will portray Elmer Gantry. COMMANDOpera had heard of Mr. Phares for the first time a few years back, when the artist had appeared in Béatrice et Bénèdict. The artist is in demand at every house, and where he has appeared, esteem Mr. Phares for his courtesy to colleagues and overall professionalism across the board. COMMANDOpera determined to speak with the Elmer Gantry himself to get a perspective on the work. Emails were exchanged, and a time was arranged to speak with Mr. Phares [Actually there were a few conversations. Mr. Phares' partner who is also an opera singer in the mezzo range was away that first afternoon call, with Mr. Phares looking after their two rather young children. It is enough to say, the eighteen month old inherited the lungs of both his parents and the call was short lived and rescheduled for the following day]. In researching the background of Mr. Phares one found the artist had invested a great deal of his professional career in the continental U.S. and the bulk of the artists repertoire was from both British and American composers.

Mr. Phares in duet with Miss Rivera, Elmer Gantry Nashville 2007.

COMMANDOpera could not imagine why it was possible for a lyric baritone of Mr. Phares’ obvious appeal both vocally and physically was not involved with the more traditional repertoire one generally follows. Mr. Phares indeed has taken on a number of roles one would recognise; Sharpless, Almaviva, Mercutio (though it is the buffo repertoire which the artist isn’t offered often that he would really enjoy working with. Who knew one could be typecast simply by owning matinee idol features). In pressing the artist as to other roles which would be of interest (read; which suited COMMANDOpera), he gave in with Wozzeck, though too dark for his instrument at this time. Chou en Lai in Nixon in China was also on the table (he is in fact doing this role in Portland). But at the real heart of Mr. Phares which hit this writer like a blunt object were the words; Contemporary Opera. One did not see that one coming, however in reviewing his career trajectory it made a great deal of sense. This is a man whose favoured composer is Mr. Benjamin Britten. Mr. Phares might have sensed my disconcertedness, and advised that it was with contemporary works that he had finally realized his artistic identity.

Mr. Phares in Sweeny Todd.

Mr. Phares also confided that he prefers working in the English language which one found amusing only because this is the first time an American artist actually admitted to the obvious comfort of working in one’s native tongue. COMMANDOpera could not help but feel a great admiration for the man with a golden voice and matinee idol looks who resolutely determines to enjoy his career the way he see’s it as it should be. Mr. Phares calendar is heavily booked as the baritone is in high demand through out America. Will COMMANDOpera ever know a Nabucco from the golden vocal instrument of  highly regarded Mr. Phares? After speaking with the artist one can hope to live another 20 years when he might determine, that perhaps, yes perhaps…. maybe.

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ATTILA review from The Times

By CrewMantle | Published: February 24, 2010


Since COMMANDOpera could not be there, we certainly trust what Mr. Tommasini of the New York Time would have to say and indeed we could only agree. Here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/arts/music/25attila.html?ref=music

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DALLAS OPERA 2010 2011

By CrewMantle | Published: February 24, 2010

DON GIOVANNI (October 22, 24(m), 27, 30, Nov. 5 & 7(m), 2010)


Soprano Georgia Jarman, described by Opera News as a singer who performs “with glittering precision and high-flying ease” will appear as the obsessed Donna Elvira in her company debut. She will be joined by soprano Claire Rutter, who makes a welcome return to the Dallas Opera as Donna Anna. Ms. Rutter was lauded by Rupert Christiansen in The Daily Telegraph (U.K.) for possessing “an ease, command and tonal splendor I haven’t heard equaled for a generation.” Tenor Bruce Ford will sing the role of the courageous Don Ottavio, a characterization described by Rodney Milnes of The Times (London) as “unusually intense.” Baritone and international heart-throb Mirco Palazzi will make his American debut as the harried Leporello, and soprano Ailyn Perez (Zerlina) and Ben Wager (Masetto) make their first bows on the Dallas Opera stage as young lovers on their way to the altar – who unexpectedly find themselves the targets of a master schemer! The all-important role of The Commendatore will be sung by one of the most interesting basses performing today: Morris Robinson in his Dallas Opera debut. According to the Washington Times, his “chilling return as the Stone Guest (in this production) is the highlight of a marvelously graphic finale.” Mozart’s 1787 masterpiece, thought by many to be his finest work, will be conducted by Romanian Maestro Nicolae Moldoveanu, who made his Dallas Opera debut in 2004 conducting a double bill of works by composer Manuel de Falla. It is both directed and designed by John Pascoe, with lighting design by Jeff Davis in his company debut. The Dallas Opera Chorus will be prepared by Chorus Master Alexander Rom. DON GIOVANNI was last performed at the Dallas Opera in 2003.

ANNA BOLENA (October 29, 31(m), November 3, 6, 12 & 14, 2010)


As the Dallas Opera renews its commitment to a semi-repertory format which will permit visitors to experience two different operas on consecutive days, the second production of the “Dangerous Desires” Season, Gaetano Donizetti’s Lyric Tragedy ANNA BOLENA, opens Friday, October 29, 2010 in a new production conducted by Music Director Graeme Jenkins and staged by director Stephen Lawless. This compelling 1830 drama, the chapter of the “Tudor Trilogy” that details the final days of Anne Boleyn (the controversial second wife of England’s King Henry VIII), stars Armenian soprano Hasmik Papian (Queen Elizabeth I in the Dallas Opera’s 2009 production of Roberto Devereux), a powerful stage presence in the title role. The tyrannical King Henry will be portrayed by Brooklyn-born bass Oren Gradus, a favorite of Metropolitan Opera audiences. Boleyn’s rival for the King’s affections, Jane Seymour, will be sung by renowned American mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, “a vital artist, a beautiful woman, (and) a regal presence” (The Washington Post). Tenor Stephen Costello, “one of the brightest rising U.S. stars” (The Sunday Times), who returns to the Dallas Opera this spring in the key role of “Greenhorn” in the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick, portrays the tragic Lord Percy. American bass Mark McCrory sings the role of Anne’s brother – Lord Rochefort, with mezzo-soprano Elena Belfiore in her American debut as the misguided Smeton and California-born tenor Aaron Blake as the secretive Hervey. The production team includes Scenic Designer Benoit Dugardyn, Costume Designer Ingeborg Bernerth, Associate Costume Designer Julia Müer and Lighting Designer Mark McCullough. The Dallas Opera Chorus will be prepared by Chorus Master Alexander Rom. ANNA BOLENA has only been performed twice at the Dallas Opera, in 1968 and 1975.

ROMEO & JULIET (February 11, 13(m), 16, 19, 25 & 27(m), 2011)


The third production of the “DANGEROUS DESIRES” Season is Charles Gounod’s ROMEO & JULIET, one of the most successful stage adaptations of a work by William Shakespeare. This 1867 opera swiftly propels us into the heart of one of the world’s best-loved (although doomed) romances. Maestro Marco Zambelli, in his Dallas Opera debut, conducts the Dallas Opera Orchestra and a tremendous, international ensemble directed by Michael Kahn, artistic director of Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company. Starring in the title roles are Russian soprano(Juliet), whose recent appearance with the Dallas Opera in The Marriage of Figaro prompted Classical Music Critic Scott Cantrell to write: “Petrova is an adorable dynamo of a Susanna, as sweet as she is feisty and playful…Her soprano can blaze but also lap teasingly and glow warmly;” and one of the most sought-after performers working in opera today: American tenor Charles Castronovo (Romeo), a frequent guest artist of the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden, Paris Opera and many other prestigious companies and venues – now making his thrilling Dallas Opera debut. The remainder of the cast includes a host of international stars: British bass Robert Lloyd as Friar Lawrence; baritone Joshua Hopkins as Mercutio; mezzo-soprano Jane Bunnell as Gertrude; tenor Aaron Blake as Tybalt; bass Stephen Morscheck as Capulet; baritone Stephen LaBrie as Paris; and mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu in her American debut as Stephano. This production, originally designed for Montréal Opera and never before seen in Dallas, is the creation of Production Designer Claude Girard and Lighting Designer Mark McCullough. The first of six performances will take place on February 11, 2011 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. Chorus preparation is by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom. ROMEO & JULIET was last performed by the Dallas Opera in 1995.

RIGOLETTO (March 25, 27(m), 30, April 2, 7 & 10(m), 2011)


One of the most popular works in the repertoire will return to the stage the evening of Friday, March 25, 2011, when the Dallas Opera presents the revival of Giuseppe Verdi’s RIGOLETTO, for its first performances in the Winspear Opera House. Conducted by Maestro Pietro Rizzo, who elicited excitement from local audiences when he made his American operatic debut conducting our most recent revival of La bohème, this powerhouse drama will be staged by director Harry Silverstein with sets by Tony Award-winning designer Michael Yeargan, costumes by the legendary Peter J. Hall and lighting by Steven Strawbridge. RIGOLETTO will star Bulgarian baritone Vladimir Stoyanov, a Verdi specialist making his company debut in the title role, Texas-born coloratura soprano Laura Claycomb will make her long-awaited Dallas Opera debut as Gilda and tenor James Valenti, who wowed North Texas audiences as Rodolfo in the 2009 production of La bohème and won that season’s “Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award,” now portrays the magnetic but malevolent Duke. Bass Raymond Aceto (who last appeared in Otello as the Venetian Ambassador) returns to the Dallas Opera stage as the cold-blooded assassin, Sparafucile. This production also stars mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chavez in her Dallas Operadebut as Maddalena. Tenor Aaron Blake (this year’s Dallas Opera Emerging Artist)appears in the role of Matteo Borsa. Chorus preparation is by Dallas Opera Chorus Master Alexander Rom. RIGOLETTO was last performed by the Dallas Opera in 2001.

BORIS GODUNOV (April 1, 3(m), 6, 9, 15 & 17(m), 2011)


It’s an historic season finale, as the Dallas Opera presents, for the very first time, Modest Mussorgsky’s towering masterpiece BORIS GODUNOV. Originally completed in 1869 and subsequently revised by Mussorgsky, BORIS GODUNOV holds a special place in the repertoire and is the single most recorded Russian opera. The Dallas Opera will perform this work – absent from any stage in Dallas since a Metropolitan Opera tour in 1978 – in a stunning production from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The Dallas Opera Orchestra and ensemble cast will be under the direction of Music Director Graeme Jenkins, with chorus preparation by Chorus Master Alexander Rom. The huge, ensemble cast includes internationally acclaimed bass Mikhail Kazakov, a highly regarded star of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater, in his Dallas Opera debut in the title role; mezzo-soprano Elena Bocharova, hailed for a voice that “blooms at both top and bottom” in her company debut as Marina; and Kazakhstan bass Vitaly Efanov making his company debut as Pimen. It also marks the return of one of the world’s most renowned bass voices to the Dallas Opera stage: Sergei Leiferkus, who gave searing performances in our earlier productions of Beethoven’s Fidelio and Wagner’s Lohengrin, in the role of Rangoni. “To produce BORIS for an opera company is like doing the Russian Ring,” says Dallas Opera Music Director Graeme Jenkins. “It’s one of the biggest pieces in the repertoire and it’s a fantastic opportunity to bring new audiences into the Winspear to see this epic, enormous piece.” BORIS GODUNOV, never before performed by the Dallas Opera, opens on Friday, April 1, 2011 in the Winspear Opera House.

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