Minnesota Opera's The Merry Widow Program by Minnesota Opera

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Merry WIDOW Franz Lehรกr

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5 • Th e M e r ry Wi d ow

Merry WIDOW

Franz Lehár

Contents Sta∂ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Minnesota Opera Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Notes from the Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 The Merry Widow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Background Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Franz Lehár. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 From Parisian Opéra Bou∂e to Fin-de-siècle Vienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Coming Up: Norma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Minnesota Opera Ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 The Minnesota Opera Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Opening Night Gala Supporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 The Minnesota Opera Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

The Minnesota Opera President & CEO Artistic Director Chair, Board of Directors

Kevin Smith Dale Johnson Susan Boren

The Minnesota Opera, 620 North First Street Minneapolis, MN 55401 (612) 333-2700 www.mnopera.org The Minnesota Opera is a member of OPERA America. This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature. In addition, this activity is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

November 2002

The Minnesota Opera Program is published by Skyway Publications Corporate Administrator/Publisher Assoc. Publisher/Director of Production Senior Account Executives Creative Designer Production Designers

Todd Hyde Marsha Kitchel Yvonne Dilts, Liesl Hyde Michael Gutierres Sue Sentyrz Klapmeier, Jill Adler, Robert Ochsner

Large-print and Braille programs are available at the Patron Services O∑ce

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The Minnesota Opera • 6

Staff Welcome to The Minnesota Opera’s 20022003 season and today’s production of The Merry Widow. Since its inception in 1963, The Minnesota Opera has continued to build and enrich the cultural life in our community by producing outstanding and innovative operas and opera education programs that inspire and entertain. The U.S. Bank Private Client Group is proud to sponsor the 2002-2003 season. Sponsoring the opera season is just part of our commitment to the arts and the quality of life in our community. This year’s opera season celebrates the singer. However, every production involves an ensemble of individuals committed to a common goal. From the conductor to the costume designer, the team’s objective is to enhance the singer’s ability to convey emotion beautifully. At the U.S. Bank Private Client Group, we also embrace teamwork. Our team is comprised of individuals who are committed to meeting the financial needs of our clients. And it is the client who is at the center of all we do. We’re proud of our partnership with the Minnesota Opera and to be part of the team effort you’re about to experience. Enjoy the performance.

President & CEO Artistic Director General Manager Artistic

Kevin Smith Dale Johnson John Humleker Scenery

Artistic Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roxanne Stou∂er Cruz Artistic Associate . . . . . . Floyd Anderson Community Education Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jamie Andrews Dramaturg . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Sander Production Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexander Farino Assistant Stage Managers . .Kristen Burke, Katie Koch Head of Music . . . . . . . . . .Bruce Stasyna Coach/Accompanist . . . . . . . .Julian Ward Resident Artists . . . . . . . . Matt Boehler, Genevieve Christianson, Anna Jablonski, Daniel Montenegro, Andrew Wilkowske, Karin Wolverton, Christopher Zemliauskas Resident Artist Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Miriam Scholz-Carlson, Doug Scholz-Carlson, Chuck Hudson, Barbara Kierig, Nancy Tibbetts

Scenic and Lighting Director . . Tom Mays Technical Director . . . . . . . Stuart Schatz Scenic Administrator . . . Holly Carpenter Properties Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stanley Dean Hawthorne Properties Assistant . . . . . . . . Mike Long Charge Painter . . . . . . . . . Michael Bolin Scenic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . Debra Jensen Production Carpenter . . . . . . . J.C. Amel Scene Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . Rod Aird Carpenters . . . . . . Patrick Dzieweczynski, Mike McQuiston, Steve Rovie

Costumes

Chief Development O∑cer . .Betsy Gardella Development Director . . . . . . Bill Venne Institutional Gifts Manager . . Jaime Meyer Development Assistant . . .Vicky Emerson

Administration Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Je∂ Couture Operations/Systems Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Mittelholtz Accounting Associate . . . . . Jennifer Thill Events/Volunteer Coordinator . Sarah Curtis Executive Assistant . . . . . Theresa Murray

Development

Jose A. Peris, Senior Vice President, Region Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group, and Minnesota Opera board member

Costume Director . . . . . . . . Gail Bakkom Assistant Costume Director . . Beth Sanders Drapers . . . . . . Chris Bur, Angela Patten, Yancey Thrift First Hands . . . . . . . . . . Helen Ammann, Mark Heiden, Valerie Hill Wig/Makeup Assistants . . . . . Jodi Heath, Emily Rosenmeier Dyer/Painter . . . . . . . . . . .Marliss Jenson Stitchers . . . . . . . . . . . .Jennifer Dawson, Jeanne Finch, Stephanie Vogel

Marketing/Communications Marketing Director . . . . . . . . . . .Carl Lee Communications Director . . . Lani Willis Ticket O∑ce Supervisor . . Andrea Corich Ticket O∑ce Assistant . . . . . . .Jessi Stein Receptionist/Information Specialist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Malia Long

Minnesota Opera Volunteers The following volunteers contribute their time and talent in support of key activities of The Minnesota Opera.

Keri Picket

Cafe,Bakery,Wine & Pizza Bar

850 Grand Avenue,St Paul 55105 651-224-5687 www.cafelatte.com

Ann Albertson Laurel Anderson Gerald Benson Matt Bluem Linda Brandt Jim Brownback Sue Brownback Joann Cierniak Tricia Clarke* Caroline Coopersmith Lindsay Craig Beverly Dailey Lee Drawert Judith Duncan Sally Economon Mary Sue Fiola Jane Fuller* Joan Gacki (Volunteer Chair)

Christine A. Garner Heather Gehring Juhi Gupta-Gulati* Mark Gustin Mary E. Hagen Travis Hanstad John Harris Kristen Heimerl Anne Hesselroth Alisandra Johnson Nancy Johnson Jeanie Johnston Susan Kalmer Robin Keck Dianne Kelly Remigijus Klyvis Sam Kneiszler Eleanore Kolar Lucinda Lamont Shirley Larson

Rita Lavin Lisa Liveringhouse Rusty Low Jennifer Madvig Margery Martin Joan Masuck Mary McDiarmid* Beth McGuire Claire McPherson Verne Melberg Warren Mitlyng Linda Morey Doug Myhra Dan Panshin Pat Panshin Sydney Phillips Bill Phillips Julia Porter Jack Richter John Rosse

Florence Ruhland John Sauer* Christine Sawatsky Michael Silhavy Wendy Silhavy Wendi Sott Dawn Stafki Harry D. Swepston, III* John Thompson Doris Unger Carolyn Wahtera Barbara Willis* Jeremy Wright Melissa Zschunke *Lead volunteer

Notes from The Leadership Vorpal fountains auctioned o∂ Minnesota, and tinkular aardvarks comfortably abused gallumphing speedy televisions, however silly oyster gossips cleverly, then tinkular dogs scampered irascible irascible elephant, yet fabulistic soilient trailers gossips, then beamish partly beamish botulisms whistled silly elephant. Bourgeois mimsy perused silly quixotic wart hogs, but bourgeois almost schizophrenic callay quickly twas beamish quite soilient cats, although irascible frabjous dormouses towed progressive oyster. Bourgeois borogroves abused irascible progressive cat. Silly calloo towed speedy trailers, even though silly pocket kisses frab-

from Dale Johnson Vorpal fountains auctioned o∂ Minnesota, and tinkular aardvarks comfortably abused gallumphing speedy televisions, however silly oyster gossips cleverly, then tinkular dogs scampered irascible irascible elephant, yet fabulistic soilient trailers gossips, then beamish partly beamish botulisms whistled silly elephant. Bourgeois mimsy perused silly quixotic wart hogs, but bourgeois almost schizophrenic callay quickly twas beamish quite soilient cats, although irascible frabjous dormouses towed progressive oyster. Bourgeois borogroves abused irascible progressive cat. Silly calloo towed speedy trailers, even though silly pocket kisses frab-

from Susan Boren Vorpal fountains auctioned o∂ Minnesota, and tinkular aardvarks comfortably abused gallumphing speedy televisions, however silly oyster gossips cleverly, then tinkular dogs scampered irascible irascible elephant, yet fabulistic soilient trailers gossips, then beamish partly beamish botulisms whistled silly elephant. Bourgeois mimsy perused silly quixotic wart hogs, but bourgeois almost schizophrenic callay quickly twas beamish quite soilient cats, although irascible frabjous dormouses towed progressive oyster. Bourgeois borogroves abused irascible progres-

John A. Blanchard, III, Vice Chair Lucy T. Searls, Secretary Patricia Bauer, Treasurer Kevin Smith, President & CEO Martha Goldberg Aronson Karen Bachman Richard P. Carroll, M.D. Susan J. Crockett Ellie Crosby Rolf Engh Thomas J. Foley John G. Forsythe Steve Fox R. Thomas Greene, Jr. Steve Guida Heinz Hutter Paula R. Johnson Lucy Rosenberry Jones Michael F. Kelly, Jr. Edward J. Kerans Sarah B. Kling Lynne E. Looney Thomas R. McBurney Diana E. Murphy Bruce Nelson Nancy Nicholson Brian Palmer Jose Peris Connie Remele Steven M. Rothschild Virginia L. Stringer Catie Tobin Loren Unterseher Julia W. Dayton, Director Emeritus Mary W. Vaughan, Director Emeritus James A. Rubenstein, legal counsel, Moss & Barnett

Honorary Directors Dominick Argento H. Wesley Balk Philip Brunelle Elizabeth Close Dolly Fiterman Charles C. Fullner Norton M. Hintz Donald W. Judkins David P. Keefe Liz Kochiras Jevne Pennock Patricia H. Sheppard

7 • Th e M e r ry Wi d ow

from Kevin Smith

Board of Directors Susan S. Boren, Chair

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9 • Th e M e r ry Wi d ow

Merry WIDOW Music by Franz Lehár Libretto by Victor Léon and Leo Stein after Henri Meilhac’s L’attaché d’ambassade (1861) World premiere at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna December 30, 1905 November 9, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 17, 2002 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Sung in German with English captions Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Martin Fischer-Dieskau Stage Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chuck Hudson Choreographer . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Matthew Ferrell Set Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael Yeargan Costume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thierry Bosquet Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Mays Wig Master and Makeup . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Watson Assistant Choreographer . . . . . . . . . . . .Tamara Kangas German Language Coach . . . . . . . . . . . .Barbara Kierig Production Stage Manager . . . . . . . . .Alexander Farino The Cast Hanna Glawari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maureen O’Flynn Count Danilo Danilowitsch, secretary to the Pontevedrin legation . . .Karl Daymond Baron Mirko Zeta, Pontevedrin envoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Wilkowske Valencienne, his wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elisabeth Comeaux Camille de Rosillon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Je∂rey Lentz Vicomte Cascada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .William Gilness Raoul de St. Brioche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Daniel Montenegro Njegus, Pontevedrin clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matt Boehler Kromov, Pontevedrin general . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dale Kruse Olga, his wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Genevieve Christianson Bogdanowitsch, Pontevedrin consul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Doug Trapp Sylviane, his wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anna Jablonski Pritschitsch, counselor to the Pontevedrin legation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joe Andrews Praskowia, his wife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Karin Wolverton Girls at Maxim’s, Parisian and Pontevedrin society, musicians, servants Setting: Paris at the turn of the 20th century Scenery designed by Michael Yeargan for Utah Opera and constructed by Utah Opera Scenic Studios; costumes designed by Thierry Bosquet as interpreted by Susan Memmot Allred for Utah Opera.

The Minnesota Opera season is proudly sponsored by U.S. Bancorp Piper Ja∂ray. Northwest Airlines is the preferred airline of The Minnesota Opera.

The appearances of Anna Jablonski, regional ﬁnalist, and Matt Boehler, district ﬁnalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, are made possible through a Minnesota Opera Endowment Fund established for Artist Enhancement by Barbara White Bemis. Performances of The Merry Widow are being taped for delayed broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio, ksjn 99.5 in the Twin Cities, in June 2003.

OperaInsights is sponsored by SpencerStuart. The 2002-2003 Camerata Circle Dinners are sponsored by Rider, Bennett, Egan & Arundel. Promotional support provided by Minnesota Monthly.

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The Minnesota Opera • 10

Merry Widow

The most startling fact about The Merry Widow is that it very nearly was written by another composer. Leo Stein, with co-librettist Victor Léon, ﬁrst o∂ered the commission to Richard Heuberger, a proven composer whose popular operetta, Der Opernball, seemed the ideal model for a repeat success. Stein had unearthed a French play, L’attaché d’ambassade, while on his weekly perusal of friend Carl Lindau’s expansive theatrical library. The play, by Henri Meilhac, had e w m u s i c a l w o r k s h av e b r o u g h t s u c h been a huge success in Paris when it premiered in rapid financial gain as The Merry Widow 1861, and other Meilhac dramas did to Franz Lehár – just two years after had proven to be e∂ective in adapi t s p r e m i e r e h e wa s a m u lt i - m i l l i o n a i r e . tations for the musical stage. H i s o p e r e t t a w o u l d t r a v e l a r o u n d t h e One could hardly forget Le réveillon, which had beworld and eventually be translated in 25 c o m e Jo h a n n Strauss’s Die Flelanguages, be set as three ballets and in- dermaus, or Meilhac’s countless for spire countless motion pictures. Yet from l i b r e t t i Jacques O∂enbach (coauthored t h e s ta r t, t h e o p e r e t ta h a r d ly s h ow e d with frequent partner-in-crime promise of such an auspicious future. Ludovic Halévy), not to mention some more serious works as well – the team also wrote the libretto for Georges Bizet’s Carmen, and Meilhac, with Philippe Gilles, collaborated on Jules Massenet’s Manon. But Heuberger admittedly was not up to the task. His drafts for Act I failed to satisfy himself, much less Stein and Léon, who began to explore other options. The secretary of the Theater an der

Background Notes by David Sander

Wien pressured the librettists and theater managers Karl Wallner and Wilhelm Karczag to give Franz Lehár a try. All were apprehensive – Lehár’s recent two failures, Der Göttergatte and Die Juxheirat, were still strong in their collective memory. As a test Lehár was given the book and told to compose a trial song. The next day after listening to the composer’s assignment over the telephone, they begrudgingly gave him the commission. Lehár spent the summer at Bad Ischl composing his score, attempting to satisfy the requisites of conventional Viennese operetta. But apparently he still strayed too far from the path – when the completed work was presented to Karczag that fall, the impresario muttered, “This isn’t music!” All agreed that the new operetta was doomed to fail, and the theater’s management refused to put much money into the production, using sets and costumes taken from existing inventory. Rehearsals unenthusiastically drudged on with only the two leading principals and the composer believing in the score’s merit. As is often the case with novelty, the new work was not an immediate success. Though audiences seemed pleased enough with the premiere, critics were not as accepting, and box o∑ce sales remained sluggish as a result. In order to achieve the highly coveted ﬁftieth performance, the house had to be papered with free tickets. By springtime, the operetta had been pulled and denigrated to the suburbs. Interestingly, there it began to receive enough attention that in the fall The Merry Widow returned to the Theater an der Wien and was well on its way. For the 300th performance the operetta received a facelift with new costumes and scenery. By the end of its second season it had made it to all the major cities in Germany and Austria.

Franz Lehár b Komáron, Hungary, April 30, 1870; d Bad Ischl, October 24, 1948

Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna, Austria/Bridgeman Art Library

on of a military bandmaster, Franz Lehár was immersed in music as a youth. Early in his life he played violin in his uncle’s orchestra, and at the age of 12 he entered the Prague Conservatory. A brief assignment in the Barmen-Elberfeld municipal orchestra followed, but to escape the scandal of his son’s relationship with a thirty-sixyear-old singer, Lehár senior had young Franz enlist in the army with the intention of having him play in his band under his father’s watchful eye. Lehár junior eventually rose to the position of bandmaster of his own ensemble, the youngest in the Austro-Hungarian empire. A ﬁrst opera, Kukuska, led to Lehár’s brief departure from military life, but its failure in Leipzig in 1896 forced a return to his previous position until 1902. During that year his waltz, Gold und Silber, became the toast of Vienna after its premiere at a notable society ball. Lehár was appointed music director of the Theater an der Wien and came into contact with Victor Léon, Franz Lehár (1870-1948) a veteran librettist of operetta in Vienna. Two successful works – Wiener Frauen (Viennese Women) and Der Rastelbinder (The Tinker, both 1902) – were followed by two failures, Der Göttergatte (The Husband God) and Die Juxheirat (The Mock Marriage, both 1904). The triumph of Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) the following year sealed Lehár’s fate as the leading composer of operetta in the 20th century. Two subsequent works, Der Graf von Luxemburg (The Count of Luxembourg, 1909) and Zigeunerliebe (Gypsy Love, 1910) also achieved international acclaim. Lehár was careful to develop his own style and go beyond the often trite nature of Viennese operetta. His subject matter began to incorporate melancholy, fantasy, social issues and unhappy endings, and he was chastised for this departure from tradition. Following Lehár continues on page 13

11 • T h e M e r r y W i d o w

The Merry Widow was to receive yet another boost in popularity. In the theater on one of those 300 evenings were two important individuals: the esteemed publisher William Boosey and the greatest theatrical manager of the day, George Edwardes. Edwardes had apprenticed in London’s theaters during the heyday of Gilbert and Sullivan, and as a manager in his own right he had built up a repertoire of popular new works and composers, earning him the honorable distinction as “Guv’nor” of London’s West End. Like Karczag before him, Edwardes was reticent, realizing the stilted German dialogue would have to be rewritten to suit the more ribald tastes of his London audiences. The locale was moved from Pontevedro (essentially an alias for the country of Montenegro) to the more inland and more provincial Marsovia, mainly for satirical reasons – Londoners at that time had an enmity for the Balkan states (only to be exacerbated by their role in the onset of World War I). In response to this relocation, nearly all the characters’ names were changed as well. Even with these modifications, Edwardes entered the rehearsal period with trepidation. He was known to be a gambler, and at this point in an otherwise glorious career, he was financially strapped. If The Merry Widow failed, he would be ruined. This insecurity, coupled with the arrival of Lehár, Léon and Stein, who had their own ideas about the production, filled rehearsals with discontent. To everyone’s surprise, pandemonium ensued as the curtain fell on Act III. The Merry Widow was an instant success, eventually achieving 778 performances during its first run. With Lehár’s heady heroine and ravishing score, operetta entered its Silver Age, which came to an end when the composer finally laid down his pen nearly three decades later.

The Minnesota Opera • 12

Synopsis act i party is in progress at the Pontevedrin consulate in Paris in honor of the small country’s king. Vicomte Cascada proposes a toast to their host, Baron Zeta. Nearby, Camille professes his undying love to Valencienne, Zeta’s young, attractive wife. She halfheartedly tries to repel his advances, assuring him that she is a virtuous wife. Not easily put off, Camille inscribes “I love you” on her fan. Cascada and St. Brioche share a few words with their secret lovers, Olga and Sylviane, then scatter upon the arrival of their husbands. Zeta announces that Hanna Glawari is expected soon. She was recently widowed by her rich banker husband whose wealth represents a significant portion of their tiny nation’s net worth. He is determined to ensure her second marriage is made with a Pontevedrin and dispatches Njegus to find his attaché, Count Danilo, a perfect candidate for her hand. In the meantime, Zeta instructs Kromov, Bogdanowitsch and Pritschitsch to use their wives to distract the French suitors. Hanna enters the room, immediately engaging the attention of all the male guests. Valencienne has her own matchmaking plans – in order to dissuade Camille’s amorous advances she suggests that he marry Hanna. She discovers her fan missing and fears that, in her husband’s hands, it may expose her dalliance. Danilo arrives in a fury, complaining how he devotes enough of his precious time to the service of his country – nights should be spent at his favorite boite de nuit, Maxim’s. A true bon vivant, Danilo has spent four sleepless nights at the famous nightclub and takes a moment to rest. When he wakes, Danilo finds Hanna eyeing him closely. It is soon discovered they were once engaged, but because of her then-impoverished status, Danilo’s family would not allow them to marry. Danilo refuses to join the cabal of other

men who effortlessly chant “I love you” in pursuit of her millions. Zeta and the others remind him that the future of their nation rests in her hands, but Danilo will not acquiesce. Njegus finds the missing fan and Zeta, believing it belongs to Olga, plans to discreetly return it to her to avoid a scandal. “Ladies’ choice” is announced, and all the men clamor to be Hanna’s partner. She chooses the only one ignoring her, namely Danilo. He attempts to decline by offering the honor to whomever will give ten thousand francs to charity. The other men quickly recede, forcing Hanna and Danilo to take up the dance floor together. — intermission —

act ii

The following day Hanna throws a party of her own and entertains her guests with Pontevedrin song and dance. She tells the folktale of a huntsman and a mountain sprite’s unrequited love. Rumors of Camille’s interest in Hanna reach Zeta’s ears, which immediately gives cause for concern as marriage to the Frenchman would result in the transfer of Hanna’s fortune. Njegus informs him of Camille’s involvement with a married woman, remarking that the husband should give up his wife for the sake of saving their country from ruin. In their continuing game of cat and mouse, Hanna accuses Danilo of avoiding her, and St. Brioche and Cascada renew their pursuit of the rich widow. Believing the fan is a clue to the identity of Camille’s secret love, Zeta instructs Danilo to question each of the three married women. As he approaches Olga and Sylviane, Danilo discovers their illicit involvement with Cascada and St. Brioche and uses that knowledge to send the men away for fear of a duel

Lehár continued from page 11

— intermission —

act iii

In a final effort to win Danilo, Hanna hosts a party at her home, which she has redecorated to resemble Maxim’s to a tee. Freeing herself from all inhibitions, Valencienne dances the can-can with

t h e n i g h t c l u b ’ s i n fa m o u s grisettes. Njegus performs as well, sharing with everyone his reasons for loving the Parisian life. When Danilo learns that Hanna has arranged everything for his benefit, he tries to leave but tarries when Hanna reveals her hidden side, performing a cabaret act of her own. Camille and Valencienne come accept their fantasy affair will never reap any real happiness and decide against further romantic involvement. Still unable to declare his love openly, Danilo demands that Hanna not marry Camille for the sake of their country. She comes clean with the truth, divulging the ruse in the pavilion, and finally they express their mutual affection. Hanna reveals that according to her husband’s will, if she were to r e m a r r y, h e r i m m e n s e wealth would revert to the Pontevedrin state, and she would be as poor as the day she was born. In spite of her penniless future, Danilo asks for Hanna’s hand in marriage. Having discovered the mysterious fan belongs to Valencienne and that it was found in the pavilion, Zeta declares his intention to divorce his wife. His anger is abated when Valencienne again shows him what is written on the fan – “I love you” – then reads the other side – “To my darling husband.”

13 • T h e M e r r y W i d o w

with the respective husbands. All the men comment on the capriciousness of the fairer sex. Camille once again focuses his attention on Valencienne, whose resolve to remain honora b l e b e g i n s t o fa lt e r . Njegus observes the couple entering the pavilion and soon is forced to confront his boss with the news that Camille is inside with his married paramour. Zeta peeps through the keyhole to learn the mysterious woman’s identity and is shocked to find his own wife. In the ensuing confusion Njegus performs some nimble-witted damage control by way of the backdoor, substituting Hanna for Valencienne. Hanna emerges with Camille, pacifying Zeta’s suspicions. She announces their engagement, and though Camille quietly protests, Hanna reminds him that the truth would ruin his would-be lover’s reputation. Danilo can barely disguise his bitterness and hastily retreats to his refuge, Maxim’s. Hanna is now convinced of his love for her.

World War i, his popularity waned until his association with tenor Richard Tauber, who sang the leading male role in Lehár’s Frasquita in 1922. Lehár would go on to produce several operettas (Paganini, 1925); Der Zarewitsch (The Tsarevich, 1927); Friederike (1928); Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles, 1929), coining a particular sound and style that was to become known as “Tauber Lied.” The strength of the composer’s vocal writing, coupled with an innate ability to cast a pleasing melodic line and careful attention to orchestration, began to blur the traditional boundaries of opera and operetta. Lehár also was aware of the modernizing developments around him in the works of Claude Debussy, Giacomo Puccini and Richard Strauss. By 1928 Lehár began his most ambitious work, Giuditta, which was ﬁnally premiered at the Vienna Staatsoper six years later. Though tempted by other subjects, this would prove to be his ﬁnal work for the stage. His later years were occupied by revising his early operettas and with the foundation of his own publishing house, Glocken Verlag. During World War ii he remained in Austria and came under Nazi scrutiny, even though The Merry Widow was a favored work. Through the help of a few friends in high places, Lehár’s wife Sophie, who was Jewish, narrowly escaped being sent to a concentration camp. Still, with many Lehár’s libretti authored by Jewish artists, his works did not receive much play during the Nazi regime. Further, like his colleague Richard Strauss, his decision to stay in Austria generated some criticism in the expatriate artists’ circle. By then in their 70s, Lehár and his wife fell into ill-health just after the end of the war, and Sophie died in 1947. Lehár followed one year later, bequeathing his villa in Bad Ischl to become a museum honoring his accomplishments.

The Minnesota Opera • 14

From Parisian Opéra Bouffe to Fin-de-siècle Vienna enri Meilhac’s play, L’attaché d’am- Austria’s own tussle in 1866 with the bassade, was first produced in 1861, highly aggressive and dominating Gerat the midpoint of France’s Second Em- man power was less decisive and its culpire. The machinations of a young em- tural decay more gradual. Austria’s bassy o∑cial seeking to prevent the decline as a major player both politiforeign marriage of a rich German cally and artistically parallels the long widow to save their small country’s lifespan of its next-to-last emperor, economy was typical Parisian fare, satis- whose rule endured for 67 years. Franz fying the bourgeoisie’s insatiable appetite for frivolity. The hugely popular comic works of Jacques O∂enbach, first produced at his famed Bou∂es-Parisiens theater as part of the World Exposition in 1855, earned him the honorable distinction as the “Mozart of the Champs-Elysées.” In fact, Meilhac and his partner Ludovic Halévy produced a number of libretti for France’s unparalleled master of comic operetta. O∂enbach’s unbridled success brought him around Europe (and the rest of the world), to Vienna in particular, where Johann Strauss would fall under the spell of La belle Hélène. Strauss would set another Meilhac/Halévy opus, Le réveillon (1872), which would become his most successful piece of musical theater as Die Fledermaus. This was the Golden Accomplishment, Gustav Klimt, 19?? Age for the Austrian capital, marked by the city’s intoxication Josef took the throne at the tender age with the waltz and with operetta, ea- of 18, after the revolutions of 1848 gerly lapped up by the newly powerful forced the abdication of his weakBiedermeier-infused middle class. willed uncle. His reign began with Though the Franco-Prussian War of high hopes, signified by the removal of 1871 quickly snu∂ed out O∂enbach’s Vienna’s fortified walls (as the Turkish popularity in France and put a defini- threat of the previous century was long tive end to the ill-fated Second Empire, g o n e ) a n d t h e b u i l d i n g o f t h e

Ringstrasse in an attempt to rival the equally ambitious redevelopment of Pa r i s b y B a r o n H a u s m a n n a n d Napoleon iii. But terrible events soon began to plague Franz Josef, which were initiated by a attempt on his life in 1853 by a Hungarian nationalist. The sprawl of the Austrian empire became his Achilles’ Heel, and the Risorgimento would soon deprive Austria of its Italian dominions with more land losses resulting from the war with Prussia. In 1862 the Danube overflowed its banks in a disastrous flood, in 1873 the stock market crashed nine days after the opening of Vienna’s first world exposition, and in 1881, the newly built Ringtheater was gutted by fire, killing hundreds. Worse to come were the murder-suicide of the C r ow n P r i n c e a n d h i s tawdry actress girlfriend at Mayerling in 1889 and the successful assassination of Empress Elisabeth in 1898 just months before the Emperor’s Golden Jubilee. By the turn of the century, Austria was an empty husk of its former glory, its upper class living in deluded happiness as evidenced by the glittering social balls that still took place. The bar was set by Princess Pauline Metternich, wife of the former ambassador to Second Empire France, and it was at one of these occasions in which Lehár first gained recognition. The growing masses, however, were forced to sustain themselves on bread with co∂ee, soup or sausage, depending

on Symbolism, Klimt is best known for his decorative use of pattern as well his exploration into male/female relationships and his then-unconventional positioning of the nude. His close associate, Egon Schiele, a superior draftsman, went one step further in frank, erotic expressions of the human form, at one point landing him in prison for obscenity. Perhaps the best interpreter of the

Euripides drama) stunned Viennese audiences during their local premieres in 1907 and 1909 with complex harmonies and clashing bitonality. Vienna’s own enfant terrible, Arnold Schoenberg, emancipated dissonance in a series of psychodramas, crowned by Erwartung (1909), depicting a woman’s frantic search through a midnight forest, only to ﬁnd her lover’s cold, lifeless body at the conclusion of her moonlit pursuit. A few years later Maurice Ravel produced the perfect apogee to a hollow era in his La valse – a danse macabre depicting a culture in degeneration, clinging to that relic of the past, the waltz. It was with this backdrop Lehár produced his blindly bouyant operetta – like his audience, in complete denial of the day’s harsh realities. Fin-de-siècle Austria had no option but to implode upon itself. Civil unrest grew with annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908. The aged emperor was a mere shadow of a man, rarely seen in public and then, only in military uniform. Princess Metternich’s glamorous soirées came to a halt as she soon fell into penury. And operetta’s popularity began to wane with the outbreak of World War i, spawned from the chain of events that followed the assassination of Franz Josef’s intended heir, Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo. The genre could barely sustain itself in the war’s miserable aftermath, and Lehár stopped composing by 1930, though the composer’s career might have received a boost if he had continued for just three more years – The Merry Widow was one of Hitler’s favorite pieces. Nonetheless, the Silver Age could not endure the onset of Nazism, and ultimately, the grim reality of another world war.

It was with this backdrop Lehár produced his blindly bouyant operetta – like his audience, in complete denial of the day’s harsh realities. era’s Nervenkunst was Oskar Kokoschka, whose sinew-inscribed portraiture reﬂected the body as the source of the psyche and a growing interest in the truth and reality of the inner soul, one of the hallmarks of the newly emerging Expressionist movement. Ever present in the psychology of the epoch was the femme fatale, revealed in the decadent literature produced elsewhere in Europe, most notably in Oscar Wilde’s Salome. Kokoschka produced his own tense drama on the subject, Murder, Hope of Women, at the Kunstschau in 1908, vividly and violently illustrated by his own poster for the show. Fin-de-siècle music was equally brutal. Richard Strauss’s Salome (after Wilde’s play) and Elektra (after Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s adaptation of the

15 • T h e M e r r y W i d o w

on the mealtime, worked ten hours a day, seven days a week and lived in cramped, unsanitary conditions. In spite of the burgeoning Viennese population, people continued to move to the city, only exacerbating the situation. Within this unstable climate a young and indigent Adolf Hitler was germinating his dark ideals. Catastrophe for everyone, regardless of social standing, was in the air for those who could see it. As is often the consequence of political and social unrest, Vienna was about to experience an intellectual and artistic renaissance, one of its greatest since the days of Beethoven, Schubert and Grillparzer. Perhaps in reaction to an overall aesthetic that looked away from the harsh realities brought on by the industrial revolution and pressures of the modern world that did not exist before, the rational human being looked inward to the mind, as already realized in the art of French Symbolists and England’s Pre-Raphaelites. Symbolism had a great e∂ect on literature written by authors Arthur Schnitzler, Hermann Bahr and Hugo von Hofmannsthal, not to mention the psychological insights brought to the surface by Sigmund Freud’s research into neurosis, psychosis and the interpretation of dreams. Visually speaking, ﬁn-de-siècle Vienna produced Gustav Klimt, one of the leaders in Jungendstil, or Art Nouveau, who withdrew from the entrenched and moribund o∑cial salon, the Kunstlerhaus, to form his own group of dissident artists, known as the Vienna Secession. They would eventually settle and exhibit at the Kunstschau, a building designed exclusively for their purposes by Josef Ho∂mann. Besides his individual take

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The Minnesota Opera • 18

The Artists Joe Andrews Pritschitsch Minnesota Opera Debut The Barber of Seville, 1995 Recently Don Carlos; Pagliacci/Carmina burana; Street Scene; others (ensemble), The Minnesota Opera Yeoman of the Guard; Pirates of Penzance; The Sorcerer, Minnesota Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company Upcoming The Handmaid’s Tale, The Minnesota Opera

Genevieve Christianson Olga Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Little Women; Street Scene (roles); La bohème; La clemenza di Tito; Lucia; others (ensemble), The Minnesota Opera Candide (ensemble; Cunegonde cover), Minnesota Orchestra Broadway Music Spectacular, Ashland Productions Wonderful Town; The Merry Widow, North Star Opera Shawshank Redemption, rpn Productions Orpheus in the Underworld, Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Upcoming La traviata; The Handmaid’s Tale, The Minnesota Opera

Karl Daymond Danilo Minnesota Opera Debut Transatlantic, 1998 Recently Goyescas, St. John’s – Smith Square Sweeney Todd, Opera North Oklahoma!, bbc Proms; bbc; rte Irish Radio Happy End; Mahagonny, London Sinfonietta Trouble in Tahiti, bbc Television Gloriana, Teatro del Liceu; Opera North Upcoming Wonderful Town, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Anna Jablonski Sylviane Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently La Cenerentola; The Magic Flute; Le nozze di Figaro (roles); Falstaff; Carmen; The Barber of Seville; The Saint of Bleecker Street (scenes), Portland State University Albert Herring; A Hand of Bridge; Suor Angelica (roles); Idomeneo; Der Rosenkavalier; Monteverdi Madrigals; Così fan tutte; L’incoronazione di Poppea (scenes), Bel Canto nw Suor Angelica, suny Purchase Upcoming The Flying Dutchman; La traviata; others, The Minnesota Opera

Jeffrey Lentz Camille Minnesota Opera Debut The Pirates of Penzance, 1993 Recently The Glassblowers; The Turn of the Screw; The Magic Flute; Central Park; others, New York City Opera Candide, Austin Lyric Opera Little Women, Opera Pacific Paul Bunyan, Live from Lincoln Center Upcoming The Abduction from the Seraglio, Opera Pacific The Mother of Us All, San Francisco Opera

Maureen O’Flynn Hanna Minnesota Opera Debut Lucia di Lammermoor, 2001 Recently Rigoletto, Metropolitan Opera; Teatro Massimo (Palermo); San Diego Opera; Dallas Opera; New Israeli Opera; others Lucia di Lammermoor, Bilbao Opera; Vienna State Opera La sonnambula, Teatro del Maggio Musicale (Florence) I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Teatro Massimo Bellini (Catania) Upcoming La traviata, Opera Co. of Philadelphia Lucia di Lammermoor, Trieste; Tokyo

For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org

Matt Boehler Njegus Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Central City Opera Don Carlos; Little Women; others, The Minnesota Opera La bohème, Fargo-Moorhead Civic Opera Orpheus in the Underworld; Christopher Sly; The Consul; others, Des Moines Metro Opera The Magic Flute; Le nozze di Figaro; others, Viterbo College Upcoming Amahl and the Night Visitors, Minnesota Orchestra La traviata, The Minnesota Opera

Elisabeth Comeaux Valencienne Minnesota Opera Debut Casanova’s Homecoming, 1985 Recently A Little Night Music, Utah Opera The Tale of Genji, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Street Scene; Der Rosenkavalier; others, The Minnesota Opera The Magic Flute, New York City Opera Don Giovanni, Cincinnati Opera Un ballo in maschera, San Diego Opera Upcoming La rondine, Boston Lyric Opera

William Gilness Cascada Minnesota Opera Debut Recently The Christmas Schooner, Great American History Theater Oklahoma!; Brigadoon; State Fair, Chanhassen Theatres A Little Night Music; Anything Goes, Ordway Center Phantom; Hello Dolly!, Riverside Theater Evita; Sweeney Todd; The Robber Bridegroom, Chimera Theater Meet Me in Saint Louis; South Pacific, Mark Two Theater Do Patent Leather Shoes…?, Campus Live Company, Co. Stearns Theatrical Jacques Brell is Alive and Well…, Park Square Theatre

Dale Kruse Kromov Minnesota Opera Debut Carmen, 1991 Recently Street Scene; Der Rosenkavalier; The Tales of Hoffmann; Boy Choy Variations (roles); others (ensemble), The Minnesota Opera Tornado Dreams; There’s a Mastodon in My Backyard; Return of the Native; others, Living Room Opera The Merry Wives of Windsor, Opera 101 Susannah, Berkshire Opera Upcoming Amahl and the Night Visitors, Minnesota Orchestra

Daniel Montenegro St. Brioche Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Madame Butterfly, San Francisco Lyric Opera La rondine, Pocket Opera Giulio Cesare; The Magic Flute; Falstaff, Opera Festival di Roma The Tales of Hoffmann; The Crucible, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Opera Theater La bohème, Summer Music West (San Francisco) Upcoming Norma; The Flying Dutchman; others, The Minnesota Opera The American Tenors, pbs Television

Doug Trapp Bogdanowitsch Minnesota Opera Debut Recently The Trapp Family Singer, Loring Playhouse Honk!, Jon Hassler Theater The Music Man; Forever Plaid, Chanhassen Theatres How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Children’s Theatre Your a Good Man, Charlie Brown; A Little Night Music, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Big River, Galveston Island Outdoor Musicals The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Cameleon Theatre Circle Fairy Tales, Actors Theatre of Minnesota

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For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org

The Minnesota Opera • 20

The Artists Andrew Wilkowske

Karin Wolverton

Zeta Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently La bohème; The Barber of Seville, Lyric Opera of San Antonio Roméo et Juliette; Le nozze di Figaro; Dead Man Walking; Elektra; The Magic Flute, Cincinnati Opera Iolanthe; Don Giovanni; others, Skylight Opera Theatre Rusalka; The Rape of Lucretia; Royal Palace; Il viaggio a Reims; others, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music Upcoming La traviata; The Handmaid’s Tale, The Minnesota Opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, Minnesota Orchestra

Praskowia Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Dvorak Te Deum, Minnesota Orchestra Masterclass, Park Square Theatre Don Carlos; Lucia di Lammermoor (roles); Little Women; La bohème; others (ensemble), The Minnesota Opera Dialogues of the Carmelites; Le nozze di Figaro; L’incoronazione di Poppea, U of M Opera Theatre Featured soloist – U of M Sesquicentennial Celebration Upcoming Norma; The Handmaid’s Tale, The Minnesota Opera

Alexander Farino

Michael Matthew Ferrell

Production Stage Manager Minnesota Opera Debut Rigoletto, 1995 Recently Candide, Minnesota Orchestra 1996 – 2002 seasons, The Minnesota Opera Acis and Galatea; Central Park; Tosca, Glimmerglass Opera A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Madame Butterfly, Opera Pacific Upcoming 2002 – 2003 season, The Minnesota Opera

Choreographer Minnesota Opera Debut Faust, 1999 Recently Oklahoma!; Can Can; Forever Plaid; Good News; My Fair Lady; Music Man, Chanhassen Theatres Buckle Up – Sesame Street, Vee Corp./Ford Motor Company Sign of the Times, Target Inc. Most Happy Fella; Naughty Marietta, Northstar Opera Here is Love; Miracle on 34th Street, Troupe America Chorus Line; Cabaret; others, Bloomington Civic Theater Vixens; Zombies from Beyond, Bryant Lake Bowl

Martin Fischer-Dieskau

Chuck Hudson

Conductor Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Dvorak Symphony No. 9 – Kitcherter-Waterloo Symphony (Principal Conductor) Don Giovanni, Teatro Regio (Turin) Roméo et Juliet (Gounod; Prokofiev; Bernstein), Tonhalle (Düsseldorf) Guest Conductor – Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal; Hartford Symphony; Israel Sinfonietta; Tanglewood; Neue Bachische Collegium (Leipzig); Hamburg Symphony; New Japan Philharmonic; Wuppertal Symphony (Cologne); Munich Symphony; Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie; others

Stage Director Minnesota Opera Debut The Barber of Seville, 2001 Recently She Stoops to Conquer, The Pearl Theatre Company (New York) Macbeth; The Rape of Lucretia; others (scenes), Santa Fe Opera Don Pasquale, Wolf Trap Opera Company Der Wildschültz, Manhattan School of Music Opera Theatre Susannah, Eugene Opera Le nozze di Figaro; others, Seattle Opera Upcoming La traviata, The Minnesota Opera

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For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org

The Artists Tom Watson Wig Master and Makeup Minnesota Opera Debut The Pearl Fishers, 1986 Recently Opera Theatre of St. Louis (season) Santa Fe Opera (season) The Minnesota Opera (1986-2002 seasons) Metropolitan Opera (season) Jane Eyre; Dirty Blonde, (Broadway) Upcoming Norma; The Flying Dutchman; La traviata; The Handmaid’s Tale, The Minnesota Opera

The Minnesota Opera Ensemble Tracey Gorman Katherine Haugen Robin Heggen Rico Heisler Tor Johnson Brian Jorgensen Tamara Kangas Kenny Kiser Peter Larson Elizabeth Longhurst Megan McClellan Matthew Neil

Ken Noble Eric Mark Olson James Plante Lisa Ramos Lynn Rotto Cathryn Schmidt Sandra Schoenecker Katie Sopoci Heidi Spesard-Noble Sara Stevenson Anne Storlie Peggy Sutherland

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Resident and Guest Artists covering principal roles Karin Wolverton – Hanna William Gilness – Danilo Gen Christianson – Valencienne Daniel Montenegro – Camille

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21 • T h e M e r r y W i d o w

Tom Mays Lighting Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Street Scene, 2001 Recently Street Scene, Wolf Trap Opera Company Little Women; La bohème, The Minnesota Opera A Pueblo Christmas; La Posada; others, Teatro del Pueblo Ni boca ni sangre, Teatro Latino All in the Timing; Four Dogs and a Bone, New Classic Theatre Biloxi Blues; Dancing at Lughnasa; others, Theatre in the Round Upcoming La traviata, The Minnesota Opera

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Saturday, Feb. 2, Noon Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Free and Open to the Public For more information call: 763.476.2372 Regional Winners receive a trip to New York to coach with the Metropolitan Opera Artistic Staff and to compete in the National Audition Finals. National Winners are presented in concert with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, with the possibility of receiving a cash award of $15,000. Cash awards are also given at the District and Regional Auditions. Regional Winners are eligible for Metropolitan Opera Education grants.

23 • T h e M e r r y W i d o w

Violin I

The Minnesota Opera • 24

Coming Up:

NORMA Vincenzo Bellini

The Minnesota Opera revives its own 1996 production La bohème this March, set in the 1840s Latin Quarter of Paris. Mimì, Rodolfo and their spirited Bohemian friends learn life’s most important lessons in Puccini’s sweetest love story, the tale that inspired the Broadway musical Rent and the world of Hollywood’s Moulin Rouge. “There’s no mystery why La bohème returns to opera stages around the world,” said Artistic Director Dale Johnson. “Puccini captures the love and ardor of youth and reminds us all of the ﬁrst time we fell in love. This is a perfect opera — there’s not a wasted note.”

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25 • T h e M e r r y W i d o w

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The Minnesota Opera • 26

The Minnesota Opera Fund Individual Donors: The Camerata Circle The Camerata Circle is The Minnesota Opera’s highest category of personal support. With this designation, we recognize these very special friends for their commitment to the tradition of opera in our community. Platinum Karen Bachman Mrs. Judson Bemis Mary and Gus Blanchard Rod and Susan Boren Judy and Kenneth Dayton Dolly J. Fiterman John and Ruth Huss Heinz and Sisi Hutter The Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund of HRK Foundation Peter J. King Constance and Daniel Kunin Patricia Lund Thomas and Barbara McBurney Margaret and Walter Meyers Mrs. George T. Pennock Rebecca Rand and E. Thomas Binger Mary W. Vaughan Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation

Gold Anonymous Mary A. Andres August J. Aquila and Emily Haliziw David Hanson and William Biermaier Mr. and Mrs. James Binger Darlene J. and Richard P. Carroll Rachelle Dockman Chase Burt and Rusty Cohen The Denny Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Rudolph Driscoll Sally J. Economon Rolf and Nancy Engh N. Bud and Beverly Grossman Foundation Alfred and Ingrid Lenz Harrison Bryce and Paula Johnson Lucy Rosenberry Jones

Michael F. and Gretchen S. Kelly and the Kelly Family Foundation Warren and Patricia Kelly Ed and Pat Kerans Diana and Joe Murphy Mrs. John M. Musser† Bruce and Sandy Nelson Nelson Family Foundation Timothy and Gayle Ober Jose Peris and Diana Gulden James J. Phelps and Nancy McGlynn Phelps Connie and Lew Remele Mr. and Mrs. Steven Rothschild Fred and Gloria Sewell Kevin and Lynn Smith Virginia L. and Edward C. Stringer Gregory C. Swinehart C. Angus and Margaret Wurtele

Silver Chloe D. Ackman Anonymous John Andrus, III Martha Goldberg Aronson and Daniel Aronson Martha and Bruce Atwater Patricia and Mark Bauer Alexandra O. Bjorklund Joe and Judy Carlson William Voedisch and Laurie Carlson Dr. James E. and Gisela Corbett Ellie and Tom Crosby, Jr. Cy and Paula DeCosse Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Rondi Erickson and Sandy Lewis Mr. and Mrs. John Forsythe Connie Fladeland and Steve Fox Leslie and Alain Frécon R. Thomas Greene, Jr.

Stephen and Patricia Haynes Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld Stan and Jeanne Kagin Katecho, Inc. Lyndel and Blaine King Mrs. James S. Kochiras Mr. and Mrs. Ted Kolderie Lynne Looney Roy and Dorothy Ann Mayeske Harvey T. McLain Mary Bigelow McMillan Richard and Nancy Nicholson William and Barbara Pearce Marge and Dwight Peterson Lila and Bruce Priebe Lois and John Rogers E. Elaine and Roger Sampson Kay Savik and Joe Tashjian Frank and Lynda Sharbrough Renate M. Sharp Tanrydoon Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Charles Allen Ward Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Rick and René Zona

Bronze Anonymous (2) Eric and Donna Aanenson Cordelia Anderson and John Humleker An Anonymous gift from a donor advised fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Edmund P. Babcock Dr. Ford and Amy Bell Mr. and Mrs. Paul G. Boening Ralph and Kathleen Cadmus Susan Cogger and Terry Williams Dr. Susan and Richard Crockett Mrs. Thomas M. Crosby, Sr. Mary Lee and Wallace Dayton

Lori and Tom Foley Bradley A. Fuller and Elizabeth Lincoln Christine and W. Michael Garner Mr. and Mrs. R. James Gesell Lois and Larry Gibson Ieva Grundmanis Rosalie He∂elﬁnger Hall Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Don and Arlene Helgeson Cli∂ton K. Hill and Jody Rockwell Dorothy J. Horns, M.D. and James P. Richardson Dale A. Johnson Jacqueline Nolte Jones Mr. and Mrs. William Kling Jerry and Joyce Lillquist Benjamin Y. H. and Helen C. Liu David MacMillan and Judy Krow Samuel D. and Patricia McCullough James and Judith Mellinger Albin and Susan Nelson Susan Okie Mr. and Mrs. William Phillips Kim and John Puckett Norm Rickeman and Kathy Murphy Burton G. Ross and Cynthia Rosenblatt Ross Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Ken and Nina Rothchild Mrs. John C. Rowland Lucy T. Searls Stanislaw and Krystyna Skrowaczewski James V. and Susan W. Sullivan Michael Symeonides Mr. and Mrs. George H. Tesar Catie Tobin and Brian Naas Bill Venne and Douglas Kline † deceased

Individual Donors: The Artist Circle Anonymous Kim A. Anderson Dr. Thomas and Ann Bagnoli Thomas L. and Joyce E. Bruckner Dr. and Mrs. Jim Burdine Elwood F. and Florence A. Caldwell Thomas and Mary Lou Detwiler Mr. and Mrs. Carl B. Drake, Jr. Ester and John Fesler Henry and Anice Flesh Mr. and Mrs. John F. Grundhofer Charlotte Karlen

Erwin and Miriam Kelen Mary L. Kenzie Family Foundation E. Robert and Margaret V. Kinney Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Lisa C. Kochiras Maria Kochiras Dr. Robert L. Kriel and Dr. Linda E. Krach Helen L. Kuehn Carl Lee and Linda Talcott Lee Clinton and Judith Lee Ilo and Margaret Leppik

Bill Long Diana Lee Lucker Thornton Lyford Dan and Sue Malina Mary McDiarmid Mrs. John H. Myers Allegra Parker Karen B. Paul Jodi and Todd Peterson Frances and George Reid Je∂rey Scherer and Lea Babcock Dr. and Mrs. Richard J. Schindler

Ralph S. Schneider and Margaret McNeil Stephanie Simon Helene and Je∂ Slocum Julie Jackley Steiner Don and Leslie Stiles Lois and Lance Thorkelson Ellen and Fred Wells Nancy and Ted Weyerhaeuser

Rider, Bennett, Egan and Arundel Skyway Publications, Inc. The St. Paul Companies Target Stores, Marshall Field’s and Mervyn’s with support from the Target Foundation Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Transtop Twin Cities Opera Guild U.S. Bancorp Piper Ja∂ray Foundation on behalf of U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray U.S. Bank, Private Client Group U.S. Trust Company

Wells Fargo Foundation on behalf of: Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota Wells Fargo Brokerage Services Wells Fargo Institutional Investments Lowry Hill Wells Fargo Private Client Services

Corporations and Foundations Platinum 3M American Express Minnesota Philanthropic Program on behalf of American Express Financial Advisors and American Express Travel Related Services Co. Andersen Foundation Blandin Foundation The Bush Foundation The Cargill Foundation Deloitte & Touche Deluxe Corporation Foundation Ecolab Foundation

General Mills Foundation Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Anna M. Heilmaier Charitable Foundation The MAHADH Fund of HRK Foundation The McKnight Foundation Marshall Field’s Project Imagine The Medtronic Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Minnesota Monthly Minnesota State Arts Board Northwest Airlines, Inc. Foundation RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation

Gold Accenture ADC Telecommunications, Inc. Bemis Company Foundation Dorsey & Whitney Foundation Ernst & Young

The Minnesota Opera • 28

The Minnesota Opera Fund Corporations and Foundations R. C. Lilly Foundation McGladrey & Pullen, LLP McNeely Foundation Moss & Barnett National City Bank Alice M. O’Brien Foundation Rahr Foundation SpencerStuart Star Tribune Foundation Valspar Foundation West Group Xcel Energy Foundation

Silver

Boss Foundation Chadwick Foundation Dellwood Foundation Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation The Nash Foundation Margaret Rivers Fund Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth, PA Sit Investment Associates Tennant Foundation School Arts Fund of United Arts/COMPAS Wenger Foundation

The Bayport Foundation Best Buy Children’s Foundation

Bronze Brock-White Co., LLC Digital Excellence, Inc. Faegre & Benson Hogan & Hartson Hutter Family Foundation Jostens, Inc. Leonard, Street & Deinard Mayo Foundation McVay Foundation Minnesota Mutual Foundation Lawrence M. and Elizabeth Ann O’Shaughnessy Charitable Income Trust in honor of Lawrence M. O’Shaughnessy The Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation

St. Croix Foundation Tilka Design Tozer Foundation

Artist Circle Alliance Capital Management Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation KPMG LLP Marsh USA, Inc. The Southways Foundation Charles B. Sweatt Foundation

Minnesota Opera Sponsors Season Sponsor

U.S. Bancorp Piper Ja∂ray

Opening Night Gala Sponsor U. S. Trust Company

Production Sponsors

Norma, U.S. Bank, Private Client Group The Flying Dutchman, American Express Minnesota Philanthropic Program La traviata, U. S. Bank, Private Client Group

Camerata Dinners Rider, Bennett, Egan & Arundel

Opera Insight Lectures SpencerStuart

These lists are current as of September 30, 2002, and include donors who gave gifts of $1000 or more to the Minnesota Opera Fund since January 1, 2002. If your name is not listed appropriately, please accept our apologies, and call Bill Venne, Development Director of The Minnesota Opera, at 612-342-9565.

BRECK K