Earth and Space News: 2017-2018 Royal Opera season

Showing posts with label 2017-2018 Royal Opera season. Show all posts

Monday, August 14, 2017

2017-2018 Royal Opera Season Premieres L’Ange de Nisida by Donizetti

Summary: The 2017-2018 Royal Opera season features the world premiere of L’Ange de Nisida by Gaetano Donizetti.

Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury sings the title role in Donizetti's love triangle centering on a Neapolitan king's mistress: Jamie Henderson @jsdhenderson, via Twitter April 5, 2017

The 2017-2018 Royal Opera season includes the world premiere of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida (The Angel of Nisida), in July 2018.

Italian composer Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (Nov. 29, 1797-April 8, 1848) opted for a French libretto for L’Ange de Nisida and for presentation in France because the topic of a Neapolitan king’s mistress could invite opposition from Italian censors.

French librettist and theatre manager Alphonse Royer (Sept. 10, 1803-April 11, 1875) collaborated with Belgian librettist, opera translator and playwright Jean-Nicolas-Gustave Van Nieuwen (Dec. 6, 1812-March 12, 1862), known as Gustave Vaëz, in writing the French libretto for L’Ange de Nisida. Royer and Vaëz had previously collaborated on Lucie de Lammermoor, the French version of Donizetti’s Italian drama tragico (tragic opera), Lucia di Lammermoor.

Donizetti marked the final page of the four-act opera semiseria (semi-serious opera) with the date of Dec. 27, 1839. On Jan. 5, 1840, he and his librettists signed a contract with Pierre-Paul-Jean-Ariste Anténor Joly (1799-Sept. 4, 1852) for rehearsals and performance of L’Ange de Nisida by Joly’s theatrical company, La Troupe du Théâtre de la Renaissance. The contract called for premiering Donizetti’s opera in Théâtre Ventadour, known as Salle Ventadour, located on the Seine’s Right Bank in Paris’ second arrondissement (2e arrondissement de Paris).

Unfortunately, the forced closure of Joly’s Théâtre de la Renaissance in February 1840 precluded the realization of a world premiere for L’Ange de Nisida. Joly’s theatrical endeavor caved as a result of continual litigious opposition from Académie Royale de Musique Théâtre Royal de l’Opéra Comique concerning the type of repertory allowed by Théâtre de la Renaissance’s license.

Donizetti reworked L’Ange de Nisida into a French setting and with a French libretto by L’Ange de Nisida’s librettists. The reworked opera, entitled La Favorite, premiered Dec. 2, 1840, at Salle Le Peletier, home of Académie Royale de Musique, France’s primary opera company and also one of Théâtre de la Renaissance’s two major opponents.

The Royal Opera House’s world premiere of L’Ange de Nisida takes place 178 years after Donizetti’s hoped for, yet unrealized, 1840 world premiere.

Mark Elder conducts The Royal Opera House’s performances. The English conductor debuted in The Royal Opera’s 1976 staging of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

Joyce El-Khoury plays Sylvia de Linares, mistress of King Fernand of Naples and beloved of Leone de Casaldi, an exiled soldier. The Lebanese-Canadian soprano debuted during The Royal Opera’s 2016-2017 season as Violetta in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

David Junghoon Kim appears as Leone de Casaldi, whose love for King Fernand’s mistress has tragic consequences. The Korean tenor has been a member of The Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artists Program since the start of the 2015-2016 season.

Ludovic Tézier appears as King Fernand of Naples. The French baritone debuted at The Royal Opera in 2004 as Albert in Werther by Jules Massenet (May 12, 1842-Aug. 13, 1912).

Laurent Naouri appears as Don Gaspar, Chamberlain to King Fernand. The French bass-baritone appeared as Escamillo in The Royal Opera’s 2006 staging of Carmen by Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

Evgeny Stavinsky appears as the Monk who threatens King Fernand with Sylvia’s banishment by Papal bull if she continues to be his mistress. The Russian bass makes his Royal Opera debut in 2018’s performances of L’Ange de Nisida.

The much anticipated world premiere of Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida is sung in French. The performance is timed to last about three hours. The performance includes one intermission, known as “interval” in the United Kingdom.

Online database Operabase places Gaetano Donizetti at number 6 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16.

The long overdue world premiere of Gaetano Donizetti’s L’Ange de Nisida during the 2017-2018 Royal Opera season gives importance to forgotten operas by major composers and shows that world premieres have value, even 170 years after the composer’s death.

Gaetano Donizetti's L'Ange de Nisida references Sylvia de Linares, King Fernand of Naples' mistress who is kept on the volcanic islet of Nisida off the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples; Nisida, viewed from Posillipo, a residential quarter of Naples, southwestern Italy: Nimn at Italian Wikipedia, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury sings the title role in Donizetti's love triangle centering on a Neapolitan king's mistress: Jamie Henderson @jsdhenderson, via Twitter April 5, 2017, @ https://twitter.com/jsdhenderson/status/849567302039347200

“Composers: Composers Ranked by the Number of Performances of Their Operas Over the Five Seasons 2011/2012 to 2015/16.” Operabase > Opera Statistics.
Available @ http://operabase.com/

Everist, Mark. “Theatres of Litigation: Stage Music at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, 1838-1840.” Cambridge Opera Journal, vol. 16, issue 2 (July 2004): 133-161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S095458670400182X
Available via Cambridge Opera Journal @ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-opera-journal/article/theatres-of-litigation-stage-music-at-the-theatre-de-la-renaissance-18381840/86E50CDB9EA4F82D56D9F47DB4823033
Available via JSTOR @ https://www.jstor.org/stable/3878264?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Jamie Henderson @jsdhenderson. “L’Ange de Nisida in concert -- Royal Opera House.” Twitter. April 5, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/jsdhenderson/status/849567302039347200

Marriner, Derdriu. "2017-2018 Royal Opera Season Premieres George Benjamin’s Third Opera." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 7, 2017
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/08/2017-2018-royal-opera-season-premieres_7.html

Musical America @MusicalAmerica. “@RoyalOperaHouse in 2017-18: Four World Premieres Including George Benjamin’s Newest.” Twitter. April 7, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/MusicalAmerica/status/850350778485178374

Royal Opera House. “Royal Opera House 2017/18 Season Trailer.” YouTube. April 5, 2017.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNXuUdDn8xI

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

Monday, July 31, 2017

2017-2018 Royal Opera Season Premieres From the House of the Dead

Summary: The 2017-2018 Royal Opera season premieres From the House of the Dead, the last opera by Czech composer Leoš Janáček.

Innovative Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis (born Feb. 24, 1972) makes his Royal Opera House debut in Krzysztof Warlikowski's new production of Czech composer Leoš Janáček's From the House of the Dead in spring 2018; musicAeterna Orchestra, founded in 2004 in Novosibirsk, Siberian Federal District, south central Russia, will feature Teodor Currentzis, the ensemble's founder and music director, and Moldovan-Austrian-Swiss violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja (born March 22, 1977) in a new recording of Violin Concerto op. 35 by Russian late Romantic era composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840-Nov. 6, 1893), scheduled for release Friday, Jan. 8, 2016; musicAeterna specializes in "historically informed performance of early music, academic music of the classical period, and contemporary compositions," according to the ensemble's website: Teodor Currentzis, via Facebook Dec. 29, 2015

The 2017-2018 Royal Opera season premieres From the House of the Dead (Z mrtvého domu), the last opera by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928), in a first-ever production at The Royal Opera House in central London’s Covent Garden district.

The Royal Opera House’s premiere of From the House of the Dead occurs as a co-production with Belgium’s Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie and France’s Opéra National de Lyon. Opéra de Lyon also co-produces another new production at The Royal Opera House during the 2017-2018 season: the world premiere of English composer and conductor George Benjamin’s third opera, Lessons in Love and Violence.

The Royal Opera House’s premiere is scheduled for the Spring 2017-2018 season. The new production plays for six performances. The first performance takes place Wednesday, March 7. The last performance is slated for Saturday, March 24.

The running time for The Royal Opera House’s production is timed at about 2 hours 40 minutes. The three-act performance has no intermission, termed “interval” in the United Kingdom.

Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski makes his UK directorial debut in a contemporary setting of the three-act, Czech language drame lyrique (lyrical drama). Warlikowski’s production team consists of his regular collaborators. Warlikowski’s wife and life partner, Malgorzata Szczesniak, is costume and stage designer. Israeli American Felice Ross is the lighting designer. French videomaker Denis Guéguin is the video designer. French choreographer Claude Bardouil is the movement director. Christian Longchamp is the dramaturg for the Royal Opera House’s premiere of Janáček’s final work.

Teodor Currentzis conducts all six performances. Opening night marks the Greek-Russian conductor’s Royal Opera House debut.

Jamaican bass Willard W. White appears in the main role as Alexandr Gorjančikov, a nobleman whose pardon ultimately frees him from the Siberian prison camp. Willard White debuted at The Royal Opera House in 1978 as Don Diégo in L’Africaine (The African Woman) by German opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Sept. 5, 1791-May 2, 1864).

Danish bass-baritone Johan Reuter appears as Šiškov, imprisoned for his fatal crime of passion against his wife Akulka. Johan Reuter also appears in a secondary role as a priest in the prison camp. Johan Reuter made his Royal Opera debut in 2006 in the title role of Wozzeck by Austrian composer Alban Berg (Feb. 9, 1885-Dec. 24, 1935).

Canadian tenor Pascal Charbonneau appears as Aljeja, whom Gorjančikov teaches to read and write.

Slovak tenor Štefan Margita appears as Luka Kuzmič, whom Šiškov finally recognizes under his real name of Filka Morozov as rival for Akulka’s affections.

Czech tenor Ladislav Elgr appears as Skuratov, who kills an old relative about to marry his love interest, Luisa from Germany.

English tenor Peter Hoare appears as Šapkin, arrested for vagrancy. He made his Royal Opera debut in 2001 as Spoletta in Tosca by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

From the House of the Dead is based upon Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s (Nov. 11, 1821-Feb. 9, 1881) semi-autobiographical novel about life in a Siberian gulag. Janáček composed the opera’s music and also wrote the libretto.

The world premiere of From the House of the Dead occurred posthumously, 1 year 8 months after the composer’s death. The world premiere took place April 12, 1930, at the National Theatre Brno (Národní divadlo Brno).

Online database Operabase places Leoš Janáček at number 17 in a ranking of 1,281 most popular composers for the five seasons from 2011/2012 to 2015/16. From the House of the Dead places at 311 in Operabase’s list of 2,658 most popular operas.

The 2017-2018 Royal Opera season premiere of From the House of the Dead also marks the debut of Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski and his production team in the first-ever staging of Leoš Janáček’s final opera at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis and Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski make their Royal Opera debut in The Royal Opera premiere of Janáček's last opera in the 2017-2018 season: Alex istudor @alexandertufor1, via Twitter April 8, 2017

Acknowledgment

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

Image credits:

Alex istudor @alexandertudor1. “This is really exciting - leading Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski makes his UK debut directing @RoyalOperaHouse.” Twitter. April 8, 2017.
Available @ https://twitter.com/alexandertudor1/status/850637903306870785

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

“The Royal Opera House Announces its 2017/18 Season.” Opera Today. April 8, 2017.
Available @ http://www.operatoday.com/content/2017/04/the_royal_opera.php

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