The Canadian Opera Company's new production of The Magic Flute opened Saturday, Jan. 29 and will run for twelve performances through Feb. 25th. The Ensemble Studio will give a special performance on Feb. 17.
Director Diane Paulus describes the production in her Director's Notes:
"We have set the action in 1791, the year in which the opera was first performed, against the backdrop of the Enlightenment. The entire play-within-the-play is presented in the open space of a nobleman’s garden, itself a place of enchantment and symbolic power during this historical period. As the drama unfolds, the actors leave the theatre behind and continue to enact their story in an elaborate labyrinth that covers the grounds of the estate. The theatricality of their journey is enhanced by the mysteries of the outdoor world beneath the cover of night where they act out the rituals of the drama. All distinctions between fantasy and reality fade away as their pageant lasts through the night until dawn."
Critical Acclaim:
“Magical…Gorgeously Whimsical” – The Globe and Mail
“A pleasant romp through a Once Upon a Time tale set to some of the most beautiful opera music ever written.” – Toronto Star
See patron reactions here.
About the cast and creative team:
Interviews and profiles:
Photos:
Below are our production photos for The Magic Flute. Click on the "download" link for the larger images. When using these photos on your blog, make sure to use the full photo credit.
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Posted by Cecily Carver / in The Magic Flute / comments (0) / permalink
The Canadian Opera Company unveiled its 2011/2012 season today at a press conference at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The company’s 62nd season will be its most innovative and captivating yet, featuring seven operas, including one double bill, no fewer than four COC premieres – two being performed for the first time in Canada – and three new productions. The COC presents the Canadian premieres of the 21st-century opera Love from Afar by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and the 20th-century opera A Florentine Tragedy, by Alexander Zemlinsky; Gluck’s Iphigenia in Tauris will see its COC premiere as will Semele, the first Handel opera to be performed at the Four Seasons Centre, in a staging that features an actual Ming Dynasty ancestral temple; a new production of Rigoletto; the long-awaited returns of Gianni Schicchi and The Tales of Hoffmann; and, an operatic favourite, Tosca.
View the Digital Brochure!
Iphigenia in Tauris
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)
COC Premiere
Susan Graham leads a dream cast. Russell Braun and Joseph Kaiser join Susan Graham, the world's leading Iphigenia, as she makes her much-anticipated COC debut.
Photos from the 2006 Lyric Opera of Chicago production
Iphigenia in Tauris. Susan Graham (centre) as Iphigenia in the Lyric Opera of Chicago production, 2006. Photo: Dan Rest
Susan Graham (centre) as Iphigenia in the Lyric Opera of Chicago production, 2006. Photo: Dan Rest
Posted by Cecily Carver / in Season Announcement / comments (0) / permalink
Nixon in China had its world premiere at Houston Grand Opera in 1987, followed quickly by performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Netherlands Opera. One of the major operas of the 20th century, Nixon in China has spawned numerous productions that have been received all over the world, and, along with Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach, is considered one of the cornerstones of American Minimalist music.
The COC premiere of Nixon in China brings together several cast members who have appeared in this production since its first staging at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 2004. Hailed by critics in his “sensational portrayal of Richard Nixon” (Houston Chronicle) is leading American baritone Robert Orth, last seen with the COC in 1990’s The Barber of Seville, and American soprano Maria Kanyova revisits her critically-acclaimed role as Pat Nixon in her COC debut. New to this production, and the COC, is British tenor Adrian Thompson as Chairman Mao, who previously sang this role with English National Opera. Baritone Chen-Ye Yuan appears with the COC for the first time, revisiting the role of Premier Chou En-lai. American bass-baritone Thomas Hammons makes his COC debut portraying Nixon’s diplomatic advisor Henry Kissinger, a role he created for the opera’s world premiere, and subsequently performed in Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Los Angeles. Making her COC and role debut as Madame Mao is American soprano Marisol Montalvo, whose stage and vocal presence has made her a regular performer with many of the world’s finest opera houses.
Posted by Cecily Carver / in Nixon in China / comments (0) / permalink