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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Opera Boston:
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Opera
Three
groundbreaking directors: Helfrich, Roht, Pelzig
Returning
principal cast members include Salters, Snyder, Aylmer, Buck, Maddalena
Opera
According to
General Director Carole Charnow , "the operas are very different from
each other, but what ties the season together is a focus on the productions, as
envisioned by these three directors. A key strength of Opera Boston is that our
all-new productions give our directors a unique opportunity to design and create
a world from scratch. Sam, Ken, and Danny each have a style that is very well
suited to the operas they will be directing; they will lead productions that are
at once very creative and surprising but also deeply rooted in and informed by
the musical text."
Opera
Opera
Opera
2008 / 2009
Season
Der
Freischtz
("The
Sharpshooter" or "The Marksman")
Carl Maria von
Weber; 1821
Libretto by
Friedrich Kind
October 17,
19, and 21, 2008
Directed by
Sam Helfrich
Conducted by
Gil Rose
Daniel Snyder
as Max
Emily Pulley
as Agathe
Andrew Funk as
Kaspar
Heather Buck as Ännchen
Sung in German
with English supertitles
Der
Freischtz
is
considered the first German Romantic opera. With its basis in folk legend, as
well as the heightened emotions and supernatural elements of the plot, it was a
strong influence on Richard Wagner.
Tenor
Daniel Snyder makes his second Opera Boston appearance (Jimmy McIntyre,
Mahagonny , 2007) as Max, a young ranger who enters a Faustian bargain (in
the famous Wolf
Director
Sam Helfrich returns to direct. Mr. Helfrich was widely acclaimed for his
staging of Kurt Weill
The Nose
( Nos )
Dmitri
Shostakovich; 1930
Libretto by
the composer after the short story by Nikolai Gogol
February 27;
March 1 and 3, 2009
Directed by
Ken Roht
Conducted by
Gil Rose
Stephen
Salters as Kovalyov
Sung in
Russian with English supertitles
The Nose
is
an absurdist satirical opera about a petty bureaucrat who faces an identity
crisis when his nose leaves his face and takes on a life of its own, eventually
rising to a higher station than its owner and refusing to return. The
composition was influenced by Berg
Baritone
Stephen Salters returns as Kovalyov, the functionary whose nose goes
astray. Mr. Salters has appeared in a number of Opera Boston productions: as
the title character of Toussaint Before the Spirits , as Hercules in
Alceste , and as Bank-Account Bill in Mahagonny .
The Nose
will be directed by Los Angeles-based theatre and opera director Ken Roht. Mr.
Roht is the Producing Artistic Director of Orphean Circus, an ensemble of
artists, designers and composers, who present innovative multi-media programs
from the whimsical to the avant-garde. Mr. Roht
The
Bartered Bride
Bedřich
Smetana; 1870
Libretto by
Karel Sabina
May 1, 3, and
5, 2009
Directed and
Choreographed by Daniel Pelzig
Conducted by
Gil Rose
Jennifer
Aylmer as Marenka
James
Maddalena as Kecal
Scenic Design
by Michael Raiford
Sung in
English with projected supertitles
Opera
Soprano
Jennifer Aylmer returns to Opera Boston as Marenka, her first appearance
with the company since 2004
Director
Daniel Pelzig makes his Opera Boston debut with The Bartered Bride ;
he has extensive dance experience, including four years as the resident
choreographer at the Boston Ballet, at Santa Fe Opera, and as the choreographer
for Mary Zimmerman
Scenic
designer Michael Raiford makes his Opera Boston debut with The
Bartered Bride . He is a member of the Theatre and Dance faculty at the
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