|
LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA
announces Die Walküre as
part of its 2010 season
Longborough Festival Opera will present Die Walküre in 2010: the second new production in Longborough’s full Ring cycle. The season will also include new productions of Don Giovanni and Madama Butterfly.
DIE WALKÜRE
Richard Wagner
Conductor Anthony Negus
Director Alan Privett
Press Night: Saturday 24th July 2010 at 3.30 pm
Longborough Festival Opera continues its full Ring Cycle with a new production of Die Walküre. Jason Howard will sing the role of Wotan and Alwyn Mellor makes her debut as Longborough’s Brünnhilde. The production will be designed by Kjell Torriset with lighting by Guy Hoare.
Die Walküre is beautifully constructed and perhaps the greatest part of Das Ring des Nibelungen. It continues the story of the Rhinemaidens’ gold, the ring of power which was forged from it, and Alberich’s curse which falls on those who seek to use the ring for their own purposes. This opera contains some of the greatest music Wagner wrote, including Wotan’s farewell to Brünnhilde as he places her on the rock surrounded by fire.
It is both a grand tale of mythology and an intimate examination of human behaviour and suffering.
Alan Privett directed Longborough’s acclaimed 2007 production of Das Rheingold. He is LFO’s resident Artistic Director and has directed many productions for the Festival.
Anthony Negus is a resident conductor at Welsh National Opera. He has worked at Bayreuth and was the legendary Reginald Goodall’s assistant for all of his last performances, many of which he conducted. He was assistant conductor to Vladimir Jurowski for Tristan and Isolde at Glyndebourne’s 2009 season and will return in the future.
Jason Howard made his debut as Wotan singing the role at Opera du Rhin in Strasbourg, in the acclaimed David McVicar production. This will be the first time he has sung the role in the UK. Former Welsh firefighter, Jason Howard now lives in Toronto. He recently sang Marcello in WNO’s La Boheme and was formerly a student of Sir Donald McIntyre.
Alwyn Mellor makes her debut as Brünnhilde at Longborough. Alwyn has recently sung Chrysothemis (Elektra) for the Canadian Opera Company and Opera North. She will be singing the title role in Tosca for WNO in 2010, Isolde for Grange Park in 2011 and Sieglinde (Die Walküre) for Opera North in 2012. Future engagements further include Minnie La Fanciulla del West for Opera North and Ortlinde Die Walküre for the Royal Opera, London. In 2013, she sings Brünnhilde in Seattle Opera's Bi-Centennial Cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen.
DON GIOVANNI
music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte
Conductor Gianluca Marcianò
Director Jenny Miller
This great tragi-comic opera, full of drama and action as well as the most tender and beautiful music, has long been a favourite with audiences, not least because of the compelling figure of Giovanni himself, an amoral libertine and blasphemer who is also brave, witty and a lover of freedom. The final scene in which he refuses to repent his crimes and is dragged down to hell is chillling in its intensity, and yet accomplished with great economy of resources.
Gianluca Marcianò was a concert pianist before becoming a conductor. He made his UK debut at LFO with la traviata in 2008, returning in 2009 for The Marriage of Figaro. From 2002 he worked as assistant to the chief conductor in Ljubljana; in 2006-07, he stepped in at Opera Zagreb at short notice to conduct performances of Nabucco and Il barbiere di Siviglia without rehearsal. He has conducted in Italy, Beijing and London, and next season will conduct Tosca for Grange Park Opera.
Jenny Miller. As a singer, Ms Miller has sung in most of the major opera houses in this country. In recent years her work as a teacher and director has expanded to include The Complete Singer summer programme and workshops, whose production of l’incoronazione di Poppea visited LFO in 2008. In 2009 she directed The Marriage of Figaro at LFO.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giacosa and Illica
Conductor Jonathan Lyness
Director/Designer Richard Studer
Puccini’s tragic story of a young Japanese woman who falls in love with an American naval officer is one of the world’s most popular operas. Anguished when her husband returns with another wife, Butterfly commits suicide, bringing the opera to a dramatic close. In addition to its powerful story lne, the solos contained in the oepra achieved unprecedented fame. During a three-year wait for her husband’s return from the U.S.A., Madama Butterfly sings what has probably become known as the most popular soprano aria ever written, “Un bel di vedremo” (One day he will come back).
Jonathan Lyness is co-founder and co-director of Opera Project for whom he has conducted many operas. In addition to conducting ,he has re-orchestrated 13 operas for smaller forces and worked as a classical record producer.
Richard Studer made his professional debut at the Bristol Old Vic. He has directed 21 productions for Opera Project of which he is co-founder. He has presented children’s opera and design workshops in schools and at venues such as the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and the Tobacco Factory in Bristol. Recent productions at Longborough include Eugene Onegin, The Cunning Little Vixen and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The 2010 season will run from 17 June until 31st July
Booking Information
Benefactors booking opens 18 January 2010
Patrons booking opens 25 January 2010
Friends Booking opens 8 February 2010
Public Booking opens 8 March 2010
Booking for Die Walküre opens to Friends, Patrons and Benefactors on 2nd November and to the General Public on 1st March 2010.
Further Information:
Amanda Laidler 07702-721775 - press@lfo.org.uk
14 September 2009
|
