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Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Seattle Opera Upcoming Seasons

posted by on January 2 at 0:13 AM

Hello. Welcome to a long-assed post that probably three people will read.

Even though it hasn’t been made officially, totally public yet, here’s a look at Seattle Opera’s very, very exciting and ambitious upcoming season (and a bit beyond). Via Opera-L, from the Seattle Opera 2008-2009 subscription brochure.

2008/2009 Season
Aïda, August 2-23, 2008
Aïda: Andrea Gruber/Lisa Daltirus
Radames: Antonello Palombi/Rosario La Spina
Amneris: Stephanie Blythe/Luretta Bybee
Amonasro: Charles Taylor/Richard Paul Fink
Ramfis: Luiz-Ottariva Faria/Carsten Wittmoser
King of Egypt: Joseph Rawley
High Priestess: Priti Gandhi
Messenger: Karl Reyes
Conductor: Riccardo Frizza
Set Designer: Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer: Peter J. Hall

I could really do without Andrea Gruber in anything ever, and I’m curious to know what they’re going to do for the Aïda, whose last production—new, at that time—was apparently booed and panned. Apparently the production concept was that the whole thing was set in an antiquities museum, where, instead of a Triumphal March, there was, like, an offloading of pallettes of Ptah statuettes. Will they revive it? Revamp it?

Elektra, October 18-31, November 1, 2008
Elektra: Janice Baird/Jayne Casselman
Chrysothemis: Irmgard Vilsmaier/Carolyn Betty
Klytemnestra: Rosalind Plowright/Luretta Bybee
Aegisthus: Richard Margison/Thomas Harper
Orestes: Alfred Walker
Young Servant: Simeon Esper
Overseer: Mary McLaughlin
Conductor: Lawrence Renes
Director: Chris Alexander
Set Designer: Wolfram Skalicki

I don’t know much about the alternate cast, but the main cast ought to be pretty amazing. I don’t love any of their voices, but with the exception of Chrysothemis, none of the voices need to be pretty; hell, they can be downright scary—and there’s a good bit of that here. Oh, hay: you can actually listen to Janice Baird sing the monlogue here (part 1, “Allein! Weh, ganz allein”) and here (part 2, “Vater! Agamemnon”).

Les Pêcheurs des Perles, January 10-24, 2009
Leila: Mary Dunleavy/Larissa Yudina
Nadir: William Burden/John Osborn
Zurga: Christopher Feigum/David Adam Moore
Nourabad: Patrick Carfizzi
Conductor: Gerard Schwarz
Director: Kay Walker Castaldo
Set Designer: Boyd Ostroff
Costume Designer: Richard St. Clair

If I’m not mistaken, this is a production where the men are often scantily clad and covered in green body paint. If I am mistaken, then Seattle Opera needs to get on that tip. Mary Dunleavy’s the fucking bomb; I’m surprised she got casted. I loved William Burden L’Italiana and Iphigénie, and he’s perfect for Nadir. I don’t know Christopher Feigum. I don’t need to tell you about Gerard Schwarz, but if I did, I’d probably make a “limp baton” joke.

Bluebeard’s Castle and Erwartung, February 21-28, March 1-7, 2009
Bluebeard: John Relyea
Judith: Malgorzata Walewska
The Narrator: Arthur Woodley
——
The Woman: Susan Pierson
Conductor: Vjekoslav Sutej
Production: Rober Lepage
Director: François Racine
Set & Costume Designer: Michael Levine

Psychological drama double bill! This will be the hot ticket of the season. John Relyea was hands-down the best thing in SO’s Tales of Hoffmann a few seasons back. He’s handsome, magnetic, and has hell of a voice (which recently I’ve heard being pushed a bit, to his detriment, but still). And Erwartung?!? Whoa. A one-act monologue by Schoenberg and his first big atonal piece. Stream-of-consciousness text, possible links to a Freud case. There a few recordings of it, but get your ass on the Jessye Norman train because it’s the only one that Goes There.

Le Nozze di Figaro, May 2-16, 2009
Figaro: Oren Gradus/Nicolas Cvallier
Count Almaviva: Mariusz Kwiecien/Johannes Mannov
Countess Almaviva: Twyla Robinson/Jessica Jones
Susanna: Christine Brandes/Elizabeth Caballero
Cherubino: Daniela Sindram/Sarah Castle
Marcellina: Joyce Castle
Dr. Bartolo: Arthur Woodley
Don Basilio/Don Curzio: Ted Schmitz
Antonio: Barry Johnson
Conductor: Dean Williamson
Director: Peter Kazaras
Set Designer: Curtis Wallin

This will totally be a big ole sex romp, with gratuitous chest baring for Kwiecien, who’s Seattle Opera’s resident barihunk, and damn, he can sing. Gradus’s voice is decent, if a bit clumsy and driven. Speight Jenkins is clueless as ever about female voices, but it doesn’t even matter because the real battle is getting enough energy and interest in the staging that people will be able to sit there for four hours. And Seattle Opera’s really good at that, so.

Concerts:
Ben Heppner/Ascher Fisch, August 14, 2008
International Wagner Competition, August 16, 2008

Whatever.

August 2009
The Ring Cycle

Let’s not.

Beyond this, I’ve got bits and pieces. Some of these productions and dates are tentative and speculative, but they’re based on real information from real interviews, biographies, and schedules of the individual singers. After the jump…

2009/2010
Falstaff
Falstaff: Peter Rose
Fenton: Blagoj Nacoski
Dr. Caius: Doug Jones

No idea.

La Traviata
Violetta: Eglise Gutierrez

Ms. Gutierrez. She's the Elvira in this season's Puritani (you can watch her sing that mad scene here), and she's slated for the next two seasons. Speight must be patting himself on the back for finding her, and even though I know what's really going on with her voice, I have to give him props on this one, since she's definitely going to put some butts in the seats, which is good for everyone.

Il Trovatore, January 2010
Manrico: Arnold Rawls
Leonora: Mary Elizabeth Williams
Count di Luna: Gordon Hawkins

Agh! Who's singing Azucena. God, please let it be Ewa Podleś Blythe. Also, this Williams chick sounds pretty promising.

Amelia (commission), May 2010
Seattle Opera's first commission in over 25 years, Amelia will be written by Daron Hagen in collaboration with librettist Gardner McFall, based on a story by Stephen Wadsworth, who will serve as dramaturge and stage director. The opera will deal with the theme of flight—man's fascination with it, as well as its role in war, exploration, adventure, and mythology. Possibly starring Jane Eaglen and conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Yikes.

2010/2011 Season
Tristan und Isolde, August 2010
Isolde: Annalena Persson

Sort of dreading this, tbh. Why? Because I fear that Ms. Persson is in the second cast.

Lucia di Lammermoor, November 2010
Lucia: Eglise Gutierrez
Director: Tomer Zvulun

Why even wait for 2010? Check her out in the whole mad scene up on YouTube: part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Die Zauberflöte
Monastatos: Doug Jones

Hopefully I'll be dead by this point, so I don't have to hear who/what gets hired for the Queen of the Night.

RSS icon Comments

1

my god, not even i read this.

Posted by speight jenkins | January 2, 2008 12:40 AM
2

Huh. The Aïda thing is especially strange given that Portland Opera's closing out their 2007-2008 season with it. (And with what I hope is a far less ridiculous production concept...)

Posted by Cow | January 2, 2008 1:28 AM
3

i want to see the ring cycle. is it worth it?

Posted by Cale | January 2, 2008 1:51 AM
4

Thanks for posting this. It is true that I may be one of the few sloggers who enjoys the opera, but those are some interesting tidbits.

Posted by Original Monique | January 2, 2008 7:40 AM
5

I think more than 3 people will find this interesting. Curious about the diss to the Ring cycle? Are you dissing it? I've never attended but from what I hear it is what puts Seattle Opera on the map. No?

Posted by Brad | January 2, 2008 8:22 AM
6

Oh, no! Not dissing the Ring! It's quite good. The cast this coming year seems even more cohesive, vocally intelligent. It is absolutely worth it to go. I said "Let's not" because I thought it might be overwhelming for everyone (including me) for me to give my notes on a four-opera cycle—especially one about which so much has been written. I'll probably address the Ring as the dates approach.

Posted by Nick | January 2, 2008 8:53 AM
7

Wow that really IS ambitious! Elektra and Pearl Fishers, hmm... I dropped my SO subscription years ago, due to increasing $$$ coupled with total boredom; I may have to rethink that.

Posted by MarkyMark | January 2, 2008 9:15 AM
8

Nick, thanks for the clarification on the Ring. I had taken it as a diss too. I'm really hoping to be able to see it.

Posted by jacicita | January 2, 2008 9:34 AM
9

Gradus's voice is much more than "decent"! I saw his Leporello in San Francisco with Kwiecien and he was outstanding. Did you hear his Figaro NPR broadcast from Houston - fantastic. I don't know why you would say he was only "decent"

Posted by dana | January 2, 2008 9:36 AM
10

I've been an SO subscriber for nearly 15 years. The quality of their productions has really improved. Often a lavish summer production would mean sub par performances later in the season but that disparity has more or less disappeared in my view.

Posted by Polka Party | January 2, 2008 9:39 AM
11

this post is a profound flavor of sexy

Posted by Craig | January 2, 2008 9:47 AM
12

I just wish it wasn't so expensive. I buy my opera at the thrift store, where I can routinely find three-disc boxed sets of the masters -- Callas, Sutherland, Price, etc. -- for a couple of dollars. I did really enjoy La Boheme last year, though.

Posted by Fnarf | January 2, 2008 10:15 AM
13

Yeah, the Ring Cycle is prohibitively expensive to attend. But then again, it's a gigantic production that is expensive to put on. I'm cool with just listening to my Flagstad and Nilsson and Melchior, etc. It's just as marvelous to study with a score, a couple books, and some recordings. But I'd miss a thousand Rings for an Aïda, an Elektra, and an Erwartung. I highly recommend those three.

Posted by Nick | January 2, 2008 10:43 AM
14

Is SO still making dress rehearsal tickets available to certain populations?

Posted by Katelyn | January 2, 2008 10:44 AM
15

I think the dress rehearsal tickets are made available to donors at a particular tier and more often to school for class visits through SO's Experience Opera program.

Posted by Nick | January 2, 2008 10:53 AM
16

Does anyone know where I can get a fake high school id? :P

Posted by Katelyn | January 2, 2008 10:57 AM
17

You can also get rehearsla tickest if you are a super in one of the productions. Supers are nonsinging roles performed by volunteers. Seattle Opera is always interested in attracting a younger audience, and this is a good way to check SOA out. Plus you get to be in an Opera!

Posted by lissa | January 2, 2008 11:16 AM
18

Thanks for posting this preview! I hope the Bluebeard/Ewartung double bill is the Robert Lepage production that was so dazzling in Vancouver back in '99.

Posted by Christopher DeLaurenti | January 2, 2008 1:59 PM
19

This blog is filled with nothing but mis-information. Perhaps this newspaper will find a better and more informed writer.... one who's a bit less provincial and has some perspective on the world of opera. Now that would be refreshing.

Posted by June | January 3, 2008 8:22 AM

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