The Queen of Spades
Pique Dame / Pyotr Iylich Tchaikovsky
NEW PRODUCTION / COMPANY PREMIERE
Fate and obsessive love reach new heights of
intensity and tragic consequence when Los Angeles Opera opens its 2001-02
Season on September 4, 2001 with a new production of Peter Ilyich
Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. The Mariinsky (Kirov)
Theatre's Valery Gergiev (Sept 4 - 10) returns to Los Angeles
Opera to conduct this company premiere; Gottfried Pilz directs
and designs. Plácido Domingo (Sept 4 - 16) and acclaimed
tenor Gegam Grigorian (Sept 19-25) share the role of Herman,
the anti-hero torn between his earnest desire for the lovely Lisa played by Galina
Gorchakova and his desperate quest to secure the secret of the three
cards jealously guarded by a mysterious old countess played by Elena
Obraztsova. The cast also includes Vladimir Chernov as
Prince Yeletsky, Sergei Leiferkus as Count Tomsky and Susanna
Poretsky as Pauline. This new production is a co-production with
Madrid's Teatro Real and is made possible by a generous gift from Kelly and
Robert Day.
Pique Dame / Pyotr Iylich Tchaikovsky
The
complete cast is as follows:
Plácido Domingo - HERMAN (Sept 4-16)
Gegam Grigorian - HERMAN (Sept 19-25)
Galina Gorchakova - LISA
Elena Obraztsova - THE COUNTESS
Irina Mataeva - CHLOË
Susanna Poretsky - PAULINE
Vladimir Chernov - PRINCE YELETSKY
Sergei Leiferkus - COUNT TOMSKY
Jonathan Mack - TCHEKALINSKY
Alexander Vasilyez - SOURIN
Suzanna Guzmán - GOVERNESS
Jessica Rivera - MASHA
Bruce Sledge - MASTER OF CEREMONIES/TCHAPLITSKY
James Cresswell - NARUMOFF
Aidan Schultz-Meyer - A BOY CAPTAIN
THE QUEEN OF SPADES New Production / Company Premiere Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center 135 North Grand Avenue - Los Angeles Tickets: (213) 365-3500 Purchase Online: www.laopera.org. Tickets to The Queen of Spades and Lohengrin are $30, $57, $60, $89, $124, $137 and $155 for weeknight performances and $34, $62, $65, $93, $130, $145 and $165 for weekend performances. Subscriptions and Single Tickets are now on sale. Student and senior citizen rush tickets are $20 and go on sale one hour before curtain, subject to availability. All programs, artists, and dates are subject to change. Runs: September 4*, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 25 (in Russian with English Supertitles)
* 2001-2002 Season Opening Night Gala Tuesday, September 4 at 6:30pm - best availability!
Friday, September 7 at 7:30pm
Monday, September 10 at 7:30pm - best availability!
Thursday, September 13 at 7:30pm
Sunday, September 16 at 2:00pm
Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30pm
Saturday, September 22, at 2:00pm
Tuesday, September 25 at 7:30pm - best availability!
Lohengrin
Richard Wagner
NEW PRODUCTION/COMPANY PREMIERE
Richard Wagner
Don't miss
Maestro Kent Nagano in his debut as Principal Conductor of Los Angeles Opera
with the Wagnerian classic, Lohengrin.
This mythic and
mystical tale will be directed by the great Oscar-winning actor Maximilian
Schell in the Los Angeles Opera premiere production, starring the renowned
Swedish tenor Gösta Winbergh.
Lohengrin is
perhaps the most popular Wagner opera of all. With its sweeping melodies and
the famous "Here Comes the Bride" March, Lohengrin sweeps us
into a valorous age of knights in shining armor, wrongly accused maidens, the
impossible quest for ideal love and the power of the Holy Grail.
As Los Angeles
Opera prepares to produce Wagner's magnificent Ring cycle starting in
2003, Lohengrin, composed some 20 years before, is a foretaste of the
huge innovations he was to make in music drama. An undoubted work of genius,
it is also a bridge between the past and future in German opera.
The complete cast is as follows:
Gösta Winbergh - LOHENGRIN
Adrianne Pieczonka - ELSA
Eva Marton - ORTRUD
Tom Fox - TELRAMUND
Kurt Rydl - KING HENRY
Martin Gantner - HERALD
Bruce Sledge - NOBLEMAN
Agostino Castagnola - NOBLEMAN
Pablo Porras - NOBLEMAN
James Cresswell - NOBLEMAN
Jessica Rivera - PAGE
Shane Blake Hill - PAGE
Teresa Brown - PAGE
Cynthia Jansen - PAGE
Lohengrin New Production / Company Premiere Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center 135 North Grand Avenue - Los Angeles Tickets: (213) 365-3500 Purchase Online: www.laopera.org. Tickets to Lohengrin are $30, $57, $60, $89, $124, $137 and $155 for weeknight performances and $34, $62, $65, $93, $130, $145 and $165 for weekend performances. Subscriptions and Single Tickets are now on sale. Student and senior citizen rush tickets are $20 and go on sale one hour before curtain, subject to availability. All programs, artists, and dates are subject to change.
Runs: September 12, 15, 18, 21, 23, 27 and 30 (In German with English Supertitles) Wednesday, September 12 at 6:30pm
Saturday, September 15 at 2:00pm
Tuesday, September 18 at 6:30pm - best availability!
Friday, September 21 at 6:30pm - best availability!
Sunday, September 23 at 6:30pm
Thursday, September 27 at 6:30pm
Sunday, September 30 at 2:00pm
La
traviataGiuseppe Verdi
Sunday, October 21 at 7:30pm
Tuesday, October 23 at 7:30pm
Saturday, October 27 at 1:00pm
Sunday, October 28 at 7:30pm - best availability!
Wednesday, October 31 at 7:30pm
Friday, November 2 at 7:30pm - best availability!
Sunday, November 4 at 7:30pm
Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30pm - best availability!
Saturday, November 10 at 7:30pm SYNOPSIS Artistic Director Plácido Domingo returns to conduct this opulent Los Angeles Opera production of Verdi's La traviata. Giuseppe Verdi is one of the most beloved opera composers of all time! The secret of Verdi's success rests in his gift for melody and his profound and compassionate understanding of human emotions. Both gifts resonate throughout La traviata in this popular revival conceived and directed by Marta Domingo. Following her dazzling company debut as Mimě in La bohčme in 1997, American soprano Ana Maria Martinez returns to star as Verdi's scandalous courtesan, Violetta. We are quickly caught up in the tragic story of Violetta's love for the headstrong Alfredo and her selfless sacrifice as she abandons him to protect the reputation of his family. This is an opera that touches the heart as it explores the themes of human passion, jealousy, pride and forgiveness. LA TRAVIATA - Revival of Los Angeles Opera Production
October 19, 21, 23, 27m, 28, 31, November 2, 4, 7 and 10; in Italian with English Supertitles Returning to Los Angeles Opera October 19, 2001 is a revival of the company's much beloved production of Verdi's La traviata, the tragic story of the courtesan Violetta's love for the headstrong Alfredo and her selfless sacrifice as she abandons him to protect the reputation of his family. Celebrated soprano Ana Maria Martinez sings Violetta in her first appearance with Los Angeles Opera since her dazzling company debut as Mimi in 1997's La bohčme. She is joined by Rolando Villazon and Bruce Sledge, who share the role of Alfredo. Marta Domingo also returns to direct her original staging under the baton of Artistic Director Plácido Domingo (October 19, 23, November 4 and 7). La traviata's set and costume design is by Giovanni Agostinucci. This revival is made possible by Los Angeles Opera Season Sponsor Audi of America, Inc.
The
Merry WidowFranz Lehár
Wednesday, December 5 at 7:30pm
Friday, December 7 at 7:30pm
Wednesday, December 12 at 7:30pm - best availability!
Saturday, December 15 at 1:00pm
Wednesday, December 19 at 7:30pm - best availability!
Saturday, December 22 at 1:00pm SYNOPSIS Rodney Gilfry and Carol Vaness, two of the company's most popular singers, return to sing in The Merry Widow - the most popular and consistently-performed work in the history of operetta. Lehár's ravishing melodies sweep us back to a Parisian world of high-kicking can-can girls, popping champagne corks, elegant ball gowns and secret assignations. The plot thickens as Baron Zeta, the cuckolded ambassador of the impoverished Balkan state of Pontevedro, seeks to prevent foreign suitors from securing the hand and fortune of the rich widow, Hanna. Naturally, being operetta, all ends happily, but not before Hanna and her true love, Danilo, have led a merry dance or two. THE MERRY WIDOW - Company Premiere
December 2, 5, 7, 12, 15m, 19 and 22m; in English with English Supertitles In The Merry Widow, Franz Lehár's ravishing melodies sweep us back to a Parisian world of high-kicking can-can girls, popping champagne corks, elegant ball gowns and secret assignations. Los Angeles Opera favorites Carol Vaness and Rodney Gilfry star as Hanna Glawari and Count Danilo in this captivating operetta about the Baron Zeta, the cuckolded ambassador of Pontevedro, and his attempt to prevent foreign suitors from securing the hand and fortune of the rich widow, Hanna. Operalia 2000 winner Virginia Tola as Valencienne, Charles Castronovo as Camille De Rosillon and Dean Peterson as Baron Zeta complete the principal cast for this production. John DeMain will conduct.
MOSES UND ARON - Company Premiere
One Night Only: December 9, 2001 at 7:30 PM; in German with English Supertitles Honoring the 50th anniversary of the death of composer Arnold Schoenberg, who spent the latter part of his life in Los Angeles, the company presents a one-night-only concert performance of his monumental opera, Moses und Aron, conducted by Kent Nagano and performed by his own orchestra, Berlin's Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester. In a story drawn straight from the Old Testament Book of Exodus, Schoenberg's Moses und Aron gives dramatic shape to the conflict between Moses and his brother Aaron. A NIGHT OF ZARZUELA AND OPERETTA WITH PLÁCIDO DOMINGO & FRIENDS
One Night Only: January 8, 2002 at 7:30 PM Continuing the tradition established this past spring with the sold-out success of the Plácido Domingo & Friends Concert, Los Angeles Opera rings in the New Year with a special event: A Night of Zarzuela and Operetta with Plácido Domingo & Friends. Zarzuela is the exuberant and lush music of Spain. It is a world of lyric theatre that remains almost unknown to many music lovers. Zarzuela is to Spain what Gilbert & Sullivan is to England, Offenbach to Paris, Operetta to Vienna and The Musical to Broadway. Plácido Domingo is a great devotee of this unique genre of music that blends opera with the language and music of rural Spain. Mr. Domingo's parents were masters of zarzuela and he himself began his career singing zarzuela and operetta. This special evening marks a memorable moment for Mr. Domingo as he returns to his musical roots. Julia Migenes, Charles Castronovo and Operalia 2000 zarzuela winner Virginia Tola will be among those joining Mr. Domingo onstage. John DeMain will conduct the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. MASS IN B MINOR - Fully-Staged New Production / Company Premiere
February 2m, 6, 9, 13, 15 and 16m; in Latin with English Supertitles On February 2, 2002 Los Angeles Opera presents a fully-staged production of Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor from the 1996 Schwetzingen Festival. Considered one of the most profound and moving works ever composed, Mass in B minor finds spectacular theatrical interpretation in this North American premiere production directed and designed by Achim Freyer and conducted by Bach specialist, tenor Peter Schreier. Soloists include Soprano Simone Nold, Mezzo-Soprano Ulrike Helzel, Tenor Marcus Ullmann and Baritone Stephan Loges. RENÉE FLEMING IN RECITAL
One Night Only: February 24, 2002 at 7:30 PM Hailed as one of the greatest sopranos of our time, Renée Fleming has triumphed on every major stage in the world and has conquered the hearts of music lovers everywhere. A four-time Grammy Award-winner, her numerous recordings and sold-out live performances have elicited rave reviews and public adoration. Named Vocalist of the Year in 1997 by Musical America, Renée Fleming has taken the world by storm. Los Angeles audiences will experience singing at its best in this one-night-only recital on Sunday, February 24, 2002. THE MAGIC FLUTE - Revival of Los Angeles Opera Production
March 24, 29, 31m, April 3, 6m, 7, 10, 12 and 14; in German with English Supertitles
The virtues of love and kinship return to the Los Angeles Opera stage March 24, 2002 in the company revival of Sir Peter Hall's popular 1993 production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's The Magic Flute. Through eye-catching sets and costumes by Gerald Scarfe, Hall's production transports us into an allegorical fairy-tale world where good battles evil, light vanquishes darkness and love conquers all. Packed with familiar melodies, stage magic and vivid characters - namely Rodney Gilfry's loveable bird-catcher Papageno to Sumi Jo's scheming Queen of the Night - The Magic Flute has earned its place as one of opera's most cherished masterworks. Reinhard Hagen as Sarastro, Michael Schade as Tamino, Andrea Rost as Pamina and Greg Fedderly as Monostatos complete this stellar principal cast conducted by Lawrence Foster. This revival is made possible by The Jane and Peter Hemmings Production Fund, a gift of the Flora L. Thornton Trust. TURANDOT - Company Premiere
May 25, 30, June 1m, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14 and 16m; in Italian with English Supertitles The curtain rises on a new production of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot on May 25, 2002. This production features director Giancarlo del Monaco and designer Michael Scott, while Kent Nagano again takes the podium to conduct. Puccini's masterwork was left unfinished at the time of the composer's death and so under the auspices of Maestro Nagano, Los Angeles Opera is proud to present the North American premiere of a new ending composed by Luciano Berio. One of the grandest of all operas, Turandot tells the story of Calaf who comes to Peking to vie for the hand of Turandot, the emperor's daughter, who has already sent more than two dozen princely suitors to the beheading block as her way of avenging a wronged female ancestor. Against all advice, Calaf accepts Turandot's challenge of answering three riddles that could either earn him death or Turandot's hand and the imperial throne of China. Returning to Los Angeles Opera following his triumph as Radames in Aida, Johan Botha sings Calaf opposite Audrey Stottler's Turandot, a role she has indelibly made her own. Rosendo Flores sings Timur, and Hei-Kyung Hong and Svetla Vasilieva share the role of Liu. DUKE BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE & GIANNI SCHICCHI
Double-Bill -- New Productions / Company Premieres
May 31, June 2, 5, 8, 12 and 15m; in Hungarian & Italian (respectively) with English Supertitles An eclectic combination closes our 2001-02 Season with Academy Award winner William Friedkin (The Exorcist, Rules of Engagement, The French Connection) directing a double bill of Béla Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle and Giacomo Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. The evening opens with the chilling horror and psychological drama of Bartók's blood-drenched Duke Bluebeard's Castle. This powerful production delves into the subconscious and explores the divide between dream and reality as the Duke's beautiful young wife searches to uncover her husband's grim and fateful secrets locked behind seven doors. Samuel Ramey, one of the world's foremost interpreters of bass and bass-baritone operatic, concert and recital repertoire and last seen on the Los Angeles Opera stage as Méphistophélčs in Faust, plays Duke Bluebeard opposite 1999's Dalila, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. In a tantalizing juxtaposition with Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Puccini's Gianni Schicchi tells of disinherited relatives who descend upon a recently deceased man's deathbed and conspire to alter his will. Samuel Ramey returns as Gianni Schicchi who outwits the venal family and in the process secures the future happiness of two young lovers. While comedic, Gianni Schicchi is also macabre and unsparing in its realistic, sardonic depiction of human greed. Gottfried Pilz designs sets and costumes for both productions. Maestro Kent Nagano takes the podium for the fourth time this season to conduct. This double bill is made possible by a generous gift from Mr. and Mrs. Milton T. Okun. All performances for Los Angeles Opera's 16th Season will take place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center, 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Tickets go on sale August 5, 2001 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office, at all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at (213) 365-3500. Tickets are also available for purchase online through Ticketmaster at www.laopera.org. All programs, artists, and dates are subject to change.