2017-2018 Royal Opera Season Live Screens Six Operas From Covent Garden

Summary: The 2017-2018 Royal Opera season live screens six operas from Covent Garden to cinemas around the globe.

The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season 2017-2018 features operas by Bizet, Mozart, Puccini and Verdi: Royal Opera House @RoyalOperaHouse, via Twitter April 17, 2017

The 2017-2018 Royal Opera season live screens six operas from Covent Garden to cinemas across the globe in a program that mixes new and classic productions.

The 2017-2018 Royal Opera live screening season opens in September and closes in April. Works by two opera giants frame the 2017-2018 Royal Opera live screening season.

The first live-screened performance spotlights 18th century composer Wolfgang Mozart. The sixth and last live-screened performance highlights 20th century composer Giuseppe Verdi. Online database Operabase places Verdi in first place and Mozart in second place in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/12 to 2015/16.

Die Zauberflöte by Classical era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791) is live in cinemas Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. Covent Garden performances run from Tuesday, Sept. 12, to Saturday, Oct. 14.

Two casts are headed by conductors Richard Hetherington and Julia Jones. Julia Jones conducts the live-screened performance. British conductor Richard Hetherington debuted at the Royal Opera in 1981 in the title role as a boy soprano, also known as treble, in Pollicino by German composer Hans Werner Henze (July 1, 1926-Oct. 27, 2012). English conductor Julia Jones debuted at the Royal Opera in 2010 in Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

The staging is David McVicar’s classic production. The Glaswegian opera and theatre director debuted at the Royal Opera House in 2001 in The Kirov Opera’s production of Macbeth by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

McVicar’s production team comprises John Macfarlane as designer, Paule Constable as lighting designer and Leah Hausman as movement director. Scottish designer John Macfarlane made his Royal Opera House debut in The Royal Ballet’s 1985 production of Giselle by French composer Adolphe Adam (July 24, 1803-May 3, 1856). British lighting designer Paule Constable debuted at The Royal Opera in 1990 in British film and stage director Bill Bryden’s production of The Cunning Little Vixen by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928). American choreographer Leah Hausman debuted at The Royal Opera in 2001 in McVicar’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto.

A new production of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924) is live in cinemas Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. Covent Garden performances run from Monday, Sept. 11, to Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, and from Saturday, June 16, to Friday, July 20, 2018.

Richard Jones directs the new production. The English director debuted at the Royal Opera in 1994 in Der Ring des Nibelungen by German composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Jones’ production team comprises Stewart Laing as designer, Mimi Jordan Sherin as lighting designer and Sarah Fahie as movement director. American lighting designer Mimi Jordan Sherin debuted at the Royal Opera in 2004 in Richard Jones’ production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich (Sept. 25, 1906-Aug. 9, 1975). Australian choreographer and director Sarah Fahie debuted at The Royal Opera in 2008 in Eugene Onegin by Russian late-Romantic composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840-Nov. 6, 1893).

Three conductors take turns on La Bohème’s podium. Antonio Pappano conducts the live-screened performance. The English conductor debuted at the Royal Opera in the 1990 staging of La Bohème. British conductor and accompanist Paul Wynne Griffiths is on The Royal Opera’s music staff. Italian conductor Nicola Luisotti debuted at The Royal Opera in 2007 in Verdi’s Il Trovatore.

Verdi’s Rigoletto is live screened Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. Covent Garden performances run from Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, through the live-screened date.

Under David McVicar’s direction, the production team comprises Michael Vale as set designer, Tanya McCallin as costume designer, Paule Constable as lighting designer and Leah Hausman as movement director. English designer Michael Vale debuted at The Royal Opera in 2001 in McVicar’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto. English designer Tanya McCallin debuted at The Royal Opera House in 2001 in McVicar’s production of Verdi’s Macbeth for The Kirov Opera.

Puccini’s Tosca is lived screened Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. Covent Garden performances run from Monday, Jan. 15 to Saturday, March 3.

Three casts are headed by two conductors. Dan Ettinger conducts the live-screened performance. The Israeli conductor debuted at The Royal Opera in 2010 in Verdi’s Rigoletto. He shares the conductor’s baton with Plácido Domingo. The Spanish conductor and tenor debuted at The Royal Opera in 1971 as Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca.

The staging is Jonathan Kent’s 2006 production. The English opera and theatre director’s 2006 production marked his Royal Opera debut.

Kent’s production team comprises Paul Brown as designer and Mark Henderson as lighting designer. Welsh designer Paul Brown debuted at The Royal Opera in 1991 in English opera director Graham Vick’s production of Mozart’s fourth opera, Mitridate, re di Ponto. British lighting designer Mark Henderson made his Royal Opera House debut in The Royal Ballet’s 1990 production of The Planets by English composer Gustav Holst (Sept. 21, 1874-May 25, 1934).

Carmen by French romantic era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875) is live screened Tuesday, March 6. Covent Garden performances run from Tuesday, Feb. 6 to Friday, March 16.

Barrie Kosky directs The Royal Opera House’s new staging of Bizet’s popular tragic opera. The Australian director debuted at The Royal Opera in 2016 in Shostakovich’s The Nose.

Kosky’s production team for the new staging comprises Alan Barnes as assistant director, Katrin Lea Tag as designer, Joachim Klein as lighting designer, Otto Pichler as choreographer and Zsolt Horpácsy as dramaturg. Austrian choreographer and director Otto Pichler debuted at The Royal Opera in 2016 in Kosky’s production of Shostakovich’s The Nose.

Two casts are headed by conductors Jakub Hrůša and Christopher Willis. Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša conducts the live-screened performance. British conductor and accompanist Christopher Willis is on The Royal Opera’s music staff.

Verdi’s Macbeth is live screened Wednesday, April 4. Covent Garden performances run from Sunday, March 25, to Tuesday, April 10.

The staging is Phyllida Lloyd’s 2002 production for The Royal Opera. The British director’s 2002 production marked her Royal Opera debut.

Lloyd’s production team comprises Anthony Ward as designer, Paule Constable as lighting designer and Michael Keegan-Dolan as choreographer. British designer Anthony Ward debuted at The Royal Opera House in 1999 on British choreographer and director Michael Corder’s production of Masquerade by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (June 17, 1882-April 6, 1971) for The Royal Ballet. Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan debuted at The Royal Opera in Lloyd’s 2002 production of Verdi’s Macbeth.

Antonio Pappano conducts all seven performances. The English conductor has been The Royal Opera House’s music director since 2002.

The 2017-2018 Royal Opera live cinema season shares six operas from Covent Garden with over 1,500 cinemas in over 35 countries. The Royal Opera House’s cinemas page notes the constant addition of new cinemas at the beginning of the season (www.roh.org.uk/cinemas).

The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season 2017-2018 comprises six ballets and six operas: Curzon Knutsford @CurzonKnutsford, via Twitter May 27, 2017

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season 2017-2018 features operas by Bizet, Mozart, Puccini and Verdi: Royal Opera House @RoyalOperaHouse, via Twitter April 17, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/RoyalOperaHouse/status/853927944376418304

The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season 2017-2018 comprises six ballets and six operas: Curzon Knutsford @CurzonKnutsford, via Twitter May 27, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/CurzonKnutsford/status/868406424501600258

For further information:

“Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seaons 2011/2012 to 2015/16.” Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/top.cgi?lang=en

Curzon Knutsford @CurzonKnutsford. "The 2017/2018 season for the Royal Opera House. All tickets now on sale at Curzon Knutsford." Twitter. May 27, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/CurzonKnutsford/status/868406424501600258

“Macbeth (2001).” Royal Opera House Collections Online > Performance Database > Macbeth (1865).
Available @ http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/production.aspx?production=1608&row=2

Royal Opera House. “Director Jonathan Kent on What Makes Tosca Such a Classic (The Royal Opera).” YouTube. Feb. 18, 2014.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG662vXvwTY

Royal Opera House @RoyalOperaHouse. “Popcorn, anyone? We’ve announced our 2017/18 cinema broadcasts from @TheRoyalBallet & @TheRoyalOpera.” Twitter. April 17, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/RoyalOperaHouse/status/853927944376418304

Shipman, Chris. “Opera and Music at the Royal Opera House 2017/18.” Royal Opera House > News. April 5, 2017.
Available @ http://www.roh.org.uk/news/opera-and-music-at-the-royal-opera-house-201718

Spencer, Mel. “Royal Opera House 2017/18 Season Announced.” Royal Opera House > News. April 5, 2017.
Available @ http://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-2017-2018-season-announced