Favourite fare for 2014 NZ Opera season

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Favourite fare for 2014 NZ Opera season

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New Zealand Opera has launched its 2014 season, unveiling a feast of favourites for audiences throughout the country.

Three works, all absolute cornerstones of the repertoire, will be staged in 2014

Verdi’s La traviata and Mozart’s Don Giovanni will be performed in Auckland and Wellington, with Puccini’s La bohème in Christchurch.

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LA TRAVIATA

(Auckland: 19 – 29 June; Wellington: 11 – 19 July)

New Zealand Opera opens its 2014 season with La traviata, Verdi’s most frequently performed opera. Featuring the famous drinking song, “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici”, and Violetta’s aria of freedom, “Sempre libera”, Verdi’s masterpiece is musical storytelling at its most spectacular, combining reckless love, masked revelry, family strife and self-sacrifice.

This new production, co-produced with The State Opera of South Australia and Opera Queensland, is created by the Australian trio who brought audiences this year’s beautiful and memorable Madame Butterfly: director Kate Cherry and her design team of Christina Smith and Matt Scott.

Aidan Lang, General Director of New Zealand Opera, says “Kate’s productions are always superb, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing how she and her team approach this fascinating work.

“We’ve also much to look forward to in the cast,” he says. “The role of Violetta Valéry – the ‘traviata’ or ‘woman who has gone astray’ – is one of the great soprano roles of the repertoire, and in Australian Lorina Gore we have a singer who combines brilliant vocal ability with a compelling stage presence. Her lover, Alfredo Germont, will also be sung by a bright young Australian, Samuel Sakker, who will make his NZ Opera début in this production, as will Scottish baritone David Stephenson as Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont.” Also included in the cast are New Zealanders Jared Holt as Baron Douphol, Wade Kernot as Marchese d’Obigny and, sharing Gastone, Freemasons Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist Oliver Sewell and Freemasons Resident Artist Andrew Grenon. Fellow Resident Artist Wendy Doyle sings Annima, with Laurence Walls and Andrew Grenon sharing Giuseppe. Completing the line-up is Australian David Hibbard as Doctor Grenvil.

Featuring the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus and accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Orchestra Wellington, La traviata will be conducted by the hugely experienced Italian-American Guido Ajmone-Marsan, who was last with NZ Opera in 2010 with Macbeth.

LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi

A co-production between New Zealand Opera, The State Opera of South Australi

and Opera Queensland

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor                           GUIDO AJMONE-MARSAN

Director                                KATE CHERRY

Production Designer       CHRISTINA SMITH

Lighting Designer             MATT SCOTT

CAST

Violetta Valéry                  LORINA GORE

Alfredo Germont             SAMUEL SAKKER

Giorgio Germont              DAVID STEPHENSON

Baron Douphol                  JARED HOLT

Marchese d’Obigny        WADE KERNOT (KIERAN RAYNER 13, 15 July)

Doctor Grenvil                   DAVID HIBBARD

Gastone                               OLIVER SEWELL (Akld), ANDREW GRENON (Wgtn)

Annina                                  WENDY DOYLE

Giuseppe                            ANDREW GRENON (Akld), LAURENCE WALLS (Wgtn)

Accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Orchestra Wellington

Featuring the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus

LA TRAVIATA

Auckland – ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

19, 21, 25, 27 June 7.30pm; 29 June 2.30pm

Wellington – St James Theatre

11, 17, 19 July 7.30pm; 13 July 2.30pm; 15 July 6pm

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LA BOHÈME

(Christchurch: 15 – 18 July)

Patrick Nolan’s production of Puccini’s immortal La bohème played to sell-out houses when it was first presented in 2008, garnering rave reviews from press and public alike. Now it’s Christchurch’s turn to experience an opera in which audiences get the whole package – the tortured relationships, the resonant characters made memorable by the likes of Melba and Caruso, Gheorghiu and Pavarotti, and the famous arias.

Arguably the most popular of all operas, Puccini’s lyrical tour de force has a universality about it, and as Aidan Lang points out, “This production, with its fresh and contemporary perspective, brings a relevance to who we are today, as a society and a culture.

“The cast, of almost entirely New Zealand origin, also has a youthful energy to it,” he says. “American soprano Talise Trevigne, a natural beauty with a gorgeous voice and outstanding acting ability, is Mimì, while the part of her lover, Rodolfo, is taken by tenor Shaun Dixon who has just made a very impressive début in The Flying Dutchman. Marcello and Musetta – the other pair of lovers – are taken by Phillip Rhodes, who returns following his acclaimed performance in the title role of NZ Opera’s Hōhepa in 2012, and Madeleine Pierard, who recently sang a superb Musetta at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden.” Other principal cast members include Robert Tucker as Schaunard, Wade Kernot as Colline, Richard Greager as Benoit, Richard Green as Alcindoro, and Freemasons Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist Oliver Sewell as Parpignol.

Featuring the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus and accompanied by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, La bohème will be conducted by renowned Frenchman Emmanuel Joel-Hornak who led the original NZ Opera production in 2008.

LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini

A New Zealand Opera production

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor                           EMMANUEL JOEL-HORNAK

Director                                PATRICK NOLAN

Restage Director              STEVEN ANTHONY WHITING

Set Designer                      RALPH MYERS

Costume Designer           ELIZABETH WHITING

Lighting Designer             BERNIE TAN

CAST

Mimì                                      TALISE TREVIGNE

Rodolfo                                SHAUN DIXON

Marcello                              PHILLIP RHODES

Musetta                               MADELEINE PIERARD

Schaunard                           ROBERT TUCKER

Colline                                  WADE KERNOT

Benoit                                   RICHARD GREAGER

Alcindoro                             RICHARD GREEN

Parpignol                             OLIVER SEWELL

Accompanied by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra

Featuring the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus

LA BOHÈME

Christchurch – CBS Canterbury Arena

15, 16, 18 July 7.30pm

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DON GIOVANNI

(Auckland: 18 – 28 September; Wellington: 11 – 18 October)

New Zealand Opera’s third production for 2014 is Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which premièred in Christchurch earlier this year.

Aidan Lang says Director Sara Brodie gave audiences a fresh and probing look at Mozart’s great masterpiece, which looks at a society in the throes of moral, and to some extent social collapse. “Audiences relished the contrast of the lively, romantic music with the raw, edgy nature of the production, and I feel sure North Islanders will have a similar reaction.

“We also have most of the original cast returning to carry on where they left off,” he says. UK baritone Mark Stone, whose Don Giovanni so seduced Christchurch audiences, will be partnered this time by NZ Opera favourite, and last year’s terrific Rigoletto, Australian Warwick Fyfe as Leporello. Fellow Australian Lisa Harper-Brown returns to sing Donna Anna along with some of New Zealand’s finest singers – Anna Leese as Donna Elvira, Jud Arthur as the Commendatore, and exciting young stars, Amelia Berry as Zerlina and Freemasons Resident Artist Robert Tucker as Masetto. Jaewoo Kim, who last sang with NZ Opera in 2006 in the title role in Faust, joins the cast as Don Ottavio.

NZ Opera’s vivacious Director of Music, Wyn Davies, returns to conduct the production which also features the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra Wellington and the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus.

DON GIOVANNI by Amadeus Mozart

A New Zealand Opera production

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor                           WYN DAVIES

Director                                SARA BRODIE

Set Designer                      JOHN VERRYT

Costume Designer           ELIZABETH WHITING

Lighting Designer             JEREMY FERN

CAST

Don Giovanni                     MARK STONE

Leporello                             WARWICK FYFE

Donna Elvira                       ANNA LEESE

Donna Anna                       LISA HARPER-BROWN

Don Ottavio                        JAEWOO KIM

Commendatore                JUD ARTHUR

Zerlina                                  AMELIA BERRY

Masetto                               ROBERT TUCKER

Accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and Orchestra Wellington

Featuring the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus

DON GIOVANNI

Auckland – ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

18, 20, 24, 26 September 7.30pm; 28 September 2.30pm

Wellington – St James Theatre

11, 16, 18 October 7.30pm; 14 October 6pm

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BOOKINGS:

NZ Opera Box Office: Tel 0800 NZOPERA (0800 696 737) or bookings@nzopera.co.nz

Auckland: Ticketmaster, Tel 0800 TICKETMASTER (0800 111 999) or www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Wellington: Ticketek, Tel 0800 TICKETEK (0800 842 538) or www.ticketek.co.nz

Christchurch: Ticketek, Tel 0800 TICKETEK (0800 842 538) or www.ticketek.co.nz

*Booking fees apply

New Zealand Opera receives core funding from Creative New Zealand and Auckland Council through the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Act

ENDS

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