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Saturdays, 1:30pm, on WOSU. 89.7. NOTE: Romeo and Juliet and Cosi Fan Tutte will begin at 1pm. Lyric Opera of Chicago 2006-07 season to be rebroadcast, May 12 – June 30, 2007
TURANDOT / Giacomo Puccini - Sung in Italian APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours
Turandot (1926), the final work of Puccini's career, showcases the composer's magnificent melodic outpourings (including the tenor's celebrated "Nessun dorma") and reveals Puccini at his peak as a creator of exotically beautiful orchestration. Taking place in ancient Peking, the story centers on the icy Princess Turandot (soprano Andrea Gruber), who will marry the prince who answers her three riddles correctly, but any suitor who fails is put to death. Tenor Johan Botha portrays Calaf, the unknown prince who falls in love with Turandot at first sight and, victorious in the riddles, challenges her to learn his name. Calaf is loved by the slave Liù (soprano Serena Farnocchia/Lyric debut), who serves his father Timur, the exiled Tartar king (bass Andrea Silvestrelli). The lighter side of the opera is contributed by Turandot's three lively ministers: Ping (baritone Quinn Kelsey), Pang (tenor David Cangelosi), and Pong (tenor Scott Ramsay ). The cast also includes tenors Bryan Griffin and Rodell Rosel, and bass-baritone Brandon Mayberry.
Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis. Director: Garnett Bruce/Lyric debut. Set and Costume Design: David Hockney and Ian Falconer. Lighting Design: Christine Binder. Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo. Children's Chorus Master: Amelia Fonti.
Turandot is co-owned by Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera. The AT&T Foundation production. Revival generously made possible by The Port,WashlowandErrantFamilies, Mr. and Mrs. John V. Crowe, and the Abbott Fund.
May 19, 2007 1:30 pm
IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE (IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS) / Christoph Willibald Gluck — Sung in French APPROX. LENGTH: 2 hours 30 minutes
New Production, Lyric Opera Premiere A supreme masterpiece of the Classical operatic repertoire, Iphigénie en Tauride (1779) is considered among the finest of Gluck's many operas. It achieves heights of noble expressiveness in its presentation of characters familiar from Greek mythology's House of Atreus. Iphigénie (mezzo-soprano Susan Graham) has been brought to Tauris by the goddess Diana. Now a priestess of Diana's temple, Iphigénie is confronted by the city's king, Thoas (baritone Mark Delavan). An oracle has predicted that Thoas will die if any stranger on his shores goes free. Two Greek strangers appear, Oreste (baritone Lucas Meachem/Lyric debut) and his friend Pylade (tenor Paul Groves ). After the two are imprisoned by Thoas, Oreste is tormented by visions of the Furies; he has previously murdered his mother Klytemnestra, who had herself slain his father, Agamemnon. Iphigénie does not immediately recognize Oreste, and his true identity, once it is revealed, has momentous consequences for all the characters. The cast also includes sopranos Kathleen Kim, Marjorie Owens, and Susanna Phillips; mezzo-soprano Elizabeth De Shong; and bass-baritones Brandon Mayberry and Darren Stokes.
Conductor: Louis Langrée (Lyric debut). Stage Director: Robert Carsen. Set and Costume Designer: Tobias Hoheisel. Lighting Designers: Robert Carsen and Peter van Praet. Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo. Movement Director: Philippe Giraudeau.
Iphigénie en Tauride is co-owned by Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and the Royal Opera House/Covent Garden. Lyric Opera production generously made possible by the the Mazza Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
May 26, 2007 1:30 pm
SALOME / Richard Strauss — Sung in German APPROX. LENGTH: 2 hours 30 minutes
New Production The internationally celebrated American soprano Deborah Voigt made her long-awaited stage debut as the child-woman Salome, Princess of Judea, in the opera that captivates audiences with its sensuous score and the overwhelming dramatic power of its title role. Ever since its sensational Dresden world premiere in 1905, Strauss's one-act opera has not lost its power to astonish. Salome's depraved mother Herodias is portrayed by mezzo-soprano Judith Forst (Lyric debut) and Herodias's husband Herod, who lusts after his stepdaughter Salome, is tenor Kim Begley. The imprisoned prophet John the Baptist, object of the princess's unfulfilled desires, is bass-baritone Alan Held. Narraboth, captain of the guard, whose infatuation with Salome proves his undoing, is portrayed by tenor Joseph Kaiser. Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth de Shong sings the role of the page. The cast also includes tenors David Cangelosi, William Combs, John Easterlin, Bryan Griffin, and Rodell Rosel; baritone Jordan Shanahan; bass-baritones Brandon Mayberry, and Darren Stokes; and basses Andrew Funk, Wilbur Pauley, and Robert Pomakov.
Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis. Stage Director: Francesca Zambello. Set Designer: George Tsypin. Costume Designer: Tatyana Noginova (Lyric debut). Lighting Designer: James F. Ingalls (Lyric debut). Choreographer: Jane Comfort (Lyric debut).
The generous sponsors of this production are The Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust and The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, Mrs. A. Watson Armour, and two Anonymous Donors.
June 2, 2007 1:30 pm
IL TROVATORE / Giuseppe Verdi - Sung in Italian APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours
New Production Packed with unforgettable melodies, Il trovatore (1853) presents a hair-raisingly dramatic plot of love, jealousy, and revenge. The gypsy Azucena (mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick) raises the heroic Manrico (tenor Walter Fraccaro/Lyric debut,) as her own child, although she keeps his true identity a secret. Manrico and his mortal enemy, Count di Luna (baritone Mark Delavan), both love the same woman, Leonora (soprano Sondra Radvanovsky), with no idea that they are in fact brothers. The Count's retainer Ferrando (bass Andrea Silvestrelli ) begins the opera by telling of an event years before that sets the tale's tragic events in motion. The cast also includes mezzo-soprano Buffy Baggott and tenor Rodell Rosel.
Conductor: Bruno Bartoletti, Lyric's Artistic Director Emeritus. Maestro Bartoletti conducted the same opera that marked his American debut and Lyric debut 50 years earlier. Il trovatore was Maestro Bartoletti's 57th opera at Lyric. Stage Director: David McVicar. Set Designer: Charles Edwards. Costume Designer: Brigitte Reiffenstuel. Lighting Designer: Jennifer Tipton. Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo. Movement Director: Leah Hausman.
Il trovatore is a co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera Association, and the Metropolitan Opera Association. Lyric Opera production generously made possible by the Julius Frankel Foundation and the NIB Foundation.
June 9, 2007 1:00 pm
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE / Charles Gounod — Sung in French APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours 45 minutes
The most celebrated operatic stage depiction of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers is undoubtedly that of Gounod (1867). The opera includes no fewer than four breathtaking love duets, as well as lyrical arias, stirring choruses, and a spectacular duel scene. Juliette is sung by soprano Dina Kuznetsova, and the role of her beloved Roméo is tenor Matthew Polenzani. Portraying Mercutio is baritone Christopher Feigum, with bass Kevin Langan as Friar Laurence, bass-baritone Wayne Tigges as Juliette's father Capulet, soprano Katherine Rohrer as Stephano, tenor Bryan Griffin as Tybalt, contralto Meredith Arwady as Gertrud, and bass Wilbur Pauley as the Duke of Verona. The cast also includes tenor Rodell Rosel, baritones Phillip Dothard and Jordan Shanahan, and bass-baritone Kenneth Nichols.
Conductor: John Mauceri. Stage Director: Ian Judge (Lyric debut). Set Designer: John Gunter. Costume Designer: Tim Goodchild (Lyric debut). Lighting Designer: Nigel Levings (Lyric debut). Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo. Choreographer: Kitty McNamee (Lyric debut).
Production owned by the Los Angeles Opera. Lyric Opera presentation generously made possible by Richard P. and Susan Kiphart, Patricia F. O'Connor, and Howard A. Stotler.
June 16, 2007 1:30 pm
DIE FLEDERMAUS / Johann Strauss, Jr. — Sung in German APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours 30 minutes
The most popular Viennese operetta, Die Fledermaus ("The Bat," 1874) is the masterpiece of Johann Strauss, Jr., the immortal "Waltz King." Abundant amorous intrigues unfold through a score that perennially enchants. At the center of it all is a glamorous couple, Gabriel and Rosalinde von Eisenstein (baritone Bo Skovhus and soprano Andrea Rost), whose suspicions of each other's infidelity lead to hilarious complications, engineered by Gabriel's devious friend Falke (baritone Martin Gantner/Lyric debut) - who is exacting merry revenge on Eisenstein for having left Falke asleep on a park bench costumed as a bat, making him the laughingstock of passersby the next day. Also figuring in the high-jinks are the Eisensteins' vivacious chambermaid, Adele (soprano Marlis Petersen/Lyric debut); Rosalinde's old flame and opera singer Alfred, (tenor Bonaventura Bottone); the blasé Prince Orlofsky (mezzo-soprano Alice Coote); Frank, the prison warden (baritone Andrew Shore); Adel's sister Ida (soprano Lauren Curnow); and Gabriel's bumbling lawyer, Dr. Blind (tenor Dennis Petersen). The cast also includes actor Fred A. Wellisch (debut) as Frosch and tenor Bryan Griffin as Ivan.
Conductor: Asher Fisch. Stage Director: Bruce Donnell. Set and Costume Designer: Ulisse Santicchi. Lighting Designer: Christine Binder. Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo. Choreographer: Daniel Pelzig.
The Julius Frankel Foundation production. Revival generously made possible by Mr. & Mrs. Dietrich M. Gross.
June 23, 2007 1:00 pm
COSÌ FAN TUTTE / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Sung in Italian APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours 45 minutes
The most sophisticated and intimate of the three Mozart/da Ponte operas, Così fan tutte (1790) is a fascinating "school for lovers" story in which two couples learn a great deal about their true feelings for each other. The cynically mischievous Don Alfonso (baritone Sir Thomas Allen) stirs the pot with two earnest young officers, Ferrando (tenor Eric Cutler/Lyric debut) and Guglielmo (baritone Nathan Gunn), wagering that their fiancées, sisters Dorabella (mezzo-soprano Lauren McNeese) and Fiordiligi (soprano Erin Wall), cannot remain faithful for 24 hours. The officers depart as if to go to war, then return disguised to woo each other's beloved. Don Alfonso manipulates the proceedings in cahoots with the sisters' maid, the ever-resourceful Despina (soprano Nuccia Focile /Lyric debut).
Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis. Stage Director: John Cox. Set and Costume Designer: Robert Perdziola. Lighting Designer: Robert Bryan (Lyric debut). Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo.
The production is owned by San Francisco Opera. Lyric Opera presentation generously made possible by Exelon, Proud Parent of ComEd and The Negaunee Foundation.
June 30, 2007 1:30 pm
DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES / Francis Poulenc - Sung in French APPROX. LENGTH: 3 hours 30 minutes
Lyric Opera Premiere One of the most memorable French operas of any era, Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites (1957) presents an actual historical occurrence - the martyrdom of the nuns of Compiègne (a small town north of Paris) during the French Revolution - and examines it through the experiences of a fictional, albeit profoundly touching, protagonist. She is Blanche de la Force (soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian), a young Parisian aristocrat who is terrified of life in the world she knows. She seeks refuge as a novice in the convent of Compiègne, where she is welcomed by the ailing mother superior, Mme. de Croissy (mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer) and befriended by the sunny Sister Constance (soprano Anna Christy). Once the Mother Superior dies, significant tension develops between her successor, Mme. Lidoine (soprano Patricia Racette) and the formidable Mother Marie (mezzo-soprano Jane Irwin/Lyric debut). The cast also includes Blanche's father, the Marquis de la Force (bass-baritone Dale Travis), and her brother, the Chevalier de la Force (tenor Joseph Kaiser); mezzo-soprano Eugenie Grunewald, contralto Meredith Arwady, tenor Bryan Griffin, baritones Phillip Dothard and Jordan Shanahan, bass-baritones Brandon Mayberry and Darren Stokes, and bass Kenneth Nichols.
Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis. Production: Robert Carsen. Revival Director: Didier Kersten (Lyric debut). Set Designer: Michael Levine. Costume Designer: Falk Bauer (Lyric debut). Original Lighting Designer: Jean Kalman. Lighting Designer: Christine Binder. Chorus Master: Donald Palumbo. Choreographor: Philippe Giraudeau. Revival Choreographer: August Tye (Lyric debut).
Production owned by the Netherlands Opera. The Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust and The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust are the generous sponsors of this presentation.
Join host John Rittmeyer for WOSU’s weekday, hour-long program, Symphony at 7, at...you guessed it...7pm! Each evening John will feature a full-length symphony for the full appreciation. Discover what John has in store as he finds significant symphonic recordings to share with you. more...
