Bryan Wagorn Played Piano as Lazinski in Fedora in 2022-2023 Season

Summary: Met Opera assistant conductor, pianist and vocal coach Bryan Wagorn played the piano onstage as Lazinski in Giordano's Fedora in the 2022-2023 season.

The piano played by Bryan Wagorn as blonde bewigged Boleslao Lazinski is a Steinway manufactured in 1881, the same year in which Giordano's Fedora is set; Steinway, with upraised lid (center back), is located in front of a floor candle holder in Countess Fedora Romazov's Parisian residence; sets by Charles Edwards, costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting by Adam Silverman, movement direction by Sara Erde: The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook Dec. 27, 2022

Met Opera assistant conductor, pianist and vocal coach Bryan Wagorn played the piano onstage as Lazinski in Giordano's Fedora in the 2022-2023 season.

Italian composer Umberto Giordano (Aug. 28, 1867-Nov. 12, 1948) set the musical score of his fifth opera, Fedora, to a four-act same-named French drama by Victorien Sardou (Sep. 5, 1831-Nov. 8, 1908). Italian journalist and librettist Arturo Colautti (Oct. 9, 1851-Nov. 9, 1914) wrote the Italian-language libretto for Giordano's Fedora. The opera premiered Thursday, Nov. 17, 1898, at Teatro Lirico in Milan, capital of north central Italy's Lombardy region.

Fedora received its United States premiere Wednesday, Dec. 5, 1906, at the Metropolitan Opera House, then located at 1411 Broadway, between West 39th and West 40th streets, in Midtown Manhattan's Garment District. Fedora received five performances in the 1906-1907 season. The second through fifth, closing performances were offered Saturday, Dec. 15; Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24; Thursday, Dec. 27; and Friday, Jan. 4, 1907. The second, third and fifth performances were held at the Metropolitan Opera House. The fourth performance was given in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the opera company's 1906-1907 tour.

David McVicar debuted his new production of Giordano's Fedora in the 2022-2023 Met Opera season. The Scottish opera and theatre director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 16, 2009, in the opera company's 600th performance of Il Trovatore by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Fedora received eight performances in the 2022-2023 season. McVicar's production had the prestigious opening date of New Year's Eve, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. The second through eighth, closing performances occurred Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023; Saturday, Jan. 7; Wednesday, Jan. 11; Saturday, Jan. 14; Thursday, Jan. 19; Sunday, Jan. 22; and Saturday, Jan. 28.

Canadian pianist and vocal coach and Met Opera assistant conductor Bryan Wagorn appeared in all eight performances of the new production as Boleslao Lazinski. As Lazinski, Wagorn played the piano onstage.

The role of the Polish pianist arcs as the protégée of Countess Fedora Romazov's friend, Countess Olga Sukarev, in Act II's Parisian setting and as another of Olga's deceivers in Act III's villa in the Alps, according to Colautti's libretto. Lazinski is described as wearing an immense blonde wig and dressed pretentiously ("fornito di una immensa zazzera bionda e vestito pretenziosamente") for his piano recital at the reception held in Fedora's residence in Paris (Act II scene I). Olga glowingly introduces the Polish musician who, as the nephew and successor of Romantic period Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; March 1, 1810-Oct. 17, 1849), is a poet of the piano, a prince of sentiment and a magician ("Vi presento Lazinski, il maestro polacco, nipte et successore di Chopin. Un poeta del pianoforte, un principe del sentimento, un mago"; Act II scene V).

Wagorn has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera's music staff, since 2011, according to James Barron, The New York Times Metro reporter and New York Today newsletter columnist, in "He's No Singer, but He's Onstage at the Metropolitan Opera," published Jan. 27, 2023, in The New York Times. Wagorn debuted as an assistant conductor in the 2013-2014 season's new production of Verdi's Falstaff, according to his résumé, last updated Dec. 14, 2018, by Canada's National Arts Centre (NAC; French: Centre national des Arts) on the performing arts organization's website.

Wagorn enjoyed wearing and showing off Lazinski's long-haired blonde wig, according to an interview with the new production's conductor, Marco Armiliato, uploaded Jan. 12, 2023, by the Metropolitan Opera to YouTube. Maestro Armiliato had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Nov. 9, 1998, in the opera company’s 1,048th performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Nineteenth-century pianists equate to modern-day rock stars, observes Wagorn. Tossing the long blonde locks is reminiscent of such mannerisms as "throwing their gloves at women."

The rosewood-case Steinway with elaborate legs that Wagorn played in McVicar's new production of Fedora matched the opera's setting in 1881, elaborates James Barron in his Jan. 27, 2023, The New York Times article. The nine-foot-long Steinway's manufacture date was 1881.

Beyond the amusement of characterizing a role, however, Wagorn had the opportunity to display his skills as a professional pianist. Wagorn's Lazinski solo opens with a Chopin-like nocturne and intensifies with the drama enfolding at the reception, describes Wagorn in his interview with Maestro Armiliato. Outside of Met Opera, Wagorn's pianist repertoire includes performances as a soloist, chamber musician and recital accompanist throughout Asia, Europe and North America, according to his National Arts Centre résumé.

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

The piano played by Bryan Wagorn as blonde bewigged Boleslao Lazinski is a Steinway manufactured in 1881, the same year in which Giordano's Fedora is set; Steinway, with upraised lid (center back), is located in front of a floor candle holder in Countess Fedora Romazov's Parisian residence; sets by Charles Edwards, costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting by Adam Silverman, movement direction by Sara Erde: The Metropolitan Opera, via Facebook Dec. 27, 2022, @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=709006513927454&set=pcb.709006623927443

Metropolitan Opera. "The Music of Fedora." YouTube. Jan. 12, 2023.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x82D9Mehuvg

For further information:

Barron, James. "He’s No Singer, but He’s Onstage at the Metropolitan Opera." The New York Times > Newsletter New York Today. Jan. 27, 2023.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/nyregion/pianist-metropolitan-opera-fedora.html

"Debuts: David McVicar, Charles Edwards, Brigitte Reiffenstuel, Leah Hausman." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353605 New Production Il Trovatore {600} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/16/2009.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353605

Giordano, Umberto; and (Arturo) Colautti. Fedora; a lyric drama in three acts by V. Sardou. New York: Published by F. Rullman, at the Theatre Ticket Office, 1906.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007699110
Available via Internet Archive @

Marriner, Derdriu. "Fedora by Giordano Is Jan. 14, 2023, Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/01/fedora-by-giordano-is-jan-14-2023.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Joseph Urban Designed Sets for 29 New Productions at Met Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 20, 2018.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/08/joseph-urban-designed-sets-for-29-new.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2022-2023 Season Has 24 Saturday Matinee Opera Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2022/11/met-operas-2022-2023-season-has-24.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Umberto Giordano, Born Aug. 28, 1867, Composed Madame Sans-Gêne." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 26, 2019.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2019/08/umberto-giordano-born-aug-28-1867.html

Metropolitan Opera. "The Music of Fedora." YouTube. Jan. 12, 2023.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x82D9Mehuvg

The Metropolitan Opera. "Today, December 27, at 4PM: $25 rush tickets will be released for the season premiere of Giordano’s Fedora! Ring in the New Year with Giordano’s verismo masterpiece, starring the thrilling soprano SONYA YONCHEVA in the regal title role, alongside a stellar cast that includes soprano Rosa Feola, tenor Piotr Beczała, and baritone Lucas Meachem. Maestro Marco Armiliato conducts David McVicar’s sumptuous new staging. Rush tickets: bit.ly/39Ha5zJ. The drama begins on December 31: bit.ly/3HoLbS2. Photos by Ken Howard / Met Opera." Facebook. Dec. 27, 2022.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/pfbid03ew9N7jF7ChX38ixdCHM8cXU8orFG67L8u3Wx27zj6ZVbq88C2jDwRzxwwKj3kXLl

Miller, Rachel Lockwood. "Frederick Rullman." Pages 166-167. "Capital Entertainment: Stage Work and the Origins of the Creative Economy, 1843-1912. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (American Culture) in the University of Michigan 2018."
Available @ https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/145816/ralomi_1.pdf?sequence=1

NAC Arts Alive / Arts Vivants du CNA. "YAP alum (2003-2005) Bryan Wagorn, pianist and vocal coach, and Assistant Conductor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, will teach piano at the Young Artists Program in June 2018! "In the 2013-2014 season, Mr. Wagorn made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Assistant Conductor in their new production of Falstaff. He has performed with James Levine and the Met Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall as solo pianist and chamber musician, and in recital for the George London Foundation, the Marilyn Horne Foundation and Richard Tucker Foundation, and also serves on the music staff of the Glyndebourne Festival. "A participant at the Marlboro Music Festival, Mr. Wagorn has also been engaged as Staff Coach at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and has served on faculty of the National Arts Centre Orchestra's Summer Music Institute directed by Pinchas Zukerman. He made his solo recital debut at New York's Carnegie Hall in 2009, and has since made over a dozen Carnegie Hall appearances. He has performed two extensive tours with Jeunesses Musicales de Canada and performed chamber music with members of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. "Mr. Wagorn holds degrees in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Canada, and the University of Ottawa (Bachelor of Music), the Mannes College of Music (Masters of Music), and he Manhattan School of Music (Doctorate of Musical Arts). He is a former graduate of The Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Timelines Jan. 20, 2018."
Available via Facebook @ https://m.facebook.com/NACArtsAliveVivants/posts/10156361186001686/

"New Production: Fedora." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357794 New Production Fedora {36} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2022, Broadcast (New Production {36} Peter Gelb General Manager Broadcast). Metropolitan Opera House December 31, 2022 New Year's Eve Gala New Production.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357794

Opera News. "Style: Notable Player. Designer Alexander Olch creates a tux-free recital look for collaborative pianist Bryan Wagorn, an assistant conductor at the Met." Opera News, vol. 80, no. 7 (January 2016).
Available @ https://www.metguild.org/Opera_News_Magazine/2016/1/Departments/Style__Notable_Player.html

Sardou, Victorien. Fedora: a lyric drama in three acts / by V. Sardu; music by Umberto Giordano. New York: F. Rullman. New York : C.E. Burden, 1906.
Available via HathiTrust @ https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006221211

Tommasini, Anthony. "The Choice Seat at This Opera Is Reserved for a Choice Pianist." The New York Times, Section 2, Page 33.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/29/arts/the-choice-seat-at-this-opera-is-reserved-for-a-choice-pianist.html

"United States Premiere: Fedora." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 38090 United States Premiere Fedora {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/5/1906. Debut: Lina Cavalieri, Tullio Voghera.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=38090