Minnesota Opera's Il Trovatore Program by Minnesota Opera

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Contents The Minnesota Opera Staff and Volunteers ............................................6 Notes from the Leadership ................................................................. 7 Il trovatore ................................................................................... 10 Background Notes ........................................................................ 10 Synopsis .....................................................................................13 Giuseppe Verdi .............................................................................15 Out at the Opera..............................................................................15 The Artists .................................................................................... 16 Vote Yes........................................................................................ 19 The Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra ......................................... 20 Tempo (the new Young Professionals Group) ........................................21 Education at the Opera .................................................................... 22 Why Subscribers Have More Fun ....................................................... 24 The Minnesota Opera Gala................................................................ 26 The Minnesota Opera Annual Fund ..................................................... 28

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

Kevin Smith Dale Johnson Jane M. Confer

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. This project is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

September 2008

The Minnesota Opera Program

Corporate Administrator/Publisher Assoc. Publisher/Director of Production Advertising Account Executives Creative Designer Graphic Designer

Todd Hyde Marsha Kitchel Liesl Hyde, Amy Newton Susan Schwegman Sue Sentyrz Klapmeier

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5 Large-print and Braille programs are available at the Patron Services OfďŹ ce

THE MINNESOTA OPERA

Staff

President & CEO Kevin Smith Artistic Director Dale Johnson Welcome to today’s production of Il trovatore. For more than four decades, The Minnesota Opera has enriched the cultural life of our community by producing outstanding and innovative operas that inspire and entertain. U.S. Bank is honored to sponsor the 2008– 2009 season. We are proud of our 25-year relationship with The Minnesota Opera and the spectacular Ordway Center in St. Paul. At U.S. Bank, we support great dreams, great art and great arts organizations. They enrich the community with vibrancy, creativity and excellence. As the sixth largest bank in America today, U.S. Bank is the only major bank headquartered in Minnesota, and we’re deeply committed to giving back to this community. Thank you for coming and enjoy the performance!

Artistic

Scenery

Artistic Administrator ..........Roxanne Stou∂er Cruz Artist Relations and Planning Director ....................... Floyd Anderson Dramaturg ......................................... David Sander Artistic Associate ...................................Bill Murray Associate Conductor in Residence .... Andrew Altenbach Resident Artists....................................Brad Benoit, John David Boehr, Bryan Boyce, Octavio Cardenas, Jamison Livsey, Nicole Perciﬁeld, Naomi Ruiz, Clinton Smith Master Coach ............................ Mary Jo Gothmann

Technical Director ........................ Mike McQuiston Properties Master.................. Stanley D. Hawthorne Properties Assistant ................................Mike Long Lighting Coordinator....................Charles D. Craun Production Carpenter ................................ JC Amel Scene Shop Foreman .................................Rod Aird Master Carpenter .................................Steven Rovie Carpenter .............................................. Eric Veldey Charge Painter ......................................Jeff Murphy, Kevin Noteboom Projection Programmer ........................Marty Reitz

Education

Finance Director ...................................Je∂ Couture Operations/Systems Manager ........Steve Mittelholtz HR/Accounting Manager ...................Jennifer Thill Executive Assistant ..........................Theresa Murray Finance Assistant .................................. Libby Jones IT Applications Specialist .................Jessica Wright

Community Education Director ....... Jamie Andrews Teaching Artist..................................Angie Keeton Project Opera Music Director ................ Dale Kruse Project Opera Accompanist .............. Kathy Kraulik

Production Michael Boardman, Central Region President, U. S. Bank Wealth Management

Jose Peris, Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank Wealth Management, Minnesota Opera Board Member

Production Director..........................Kevin Ramach Production Stage Manager ............ Alexander Farino Assistant Stage Managers .............. Carissa Bombard, Casey Martin Production Administrative Assistant ............................... Katherine Cattrysse

Costumes Costume Shop Manager ................... Erica M. Burds Assistant Costume Shop Manager .............Beth Sanders Wardrobe Supervisor ................... Emily Rosenmeier Drapers ................................................... Chris Bur, Yancey Thrift, Angela Yarbrough Dyer/Painter ..................................... Marliss Jenson Assistant Dyer/Painter.................. Kathleen Sullivan Costume Technicians: First Hands .................................Helen Ammann, Jennifer Dawson, Lindsey Strange Stitchers........................................Rebecca Ballas, Maria May, Rose Ryan Wig/Makeup Assistants ................ Christine Bowers, Andrea Moriarity-Dahlberg

Administration

Institutional Advancement Vice President of Advancement ....... Patrick Dewane Advancement Manager ......................Kelly Clemens

Development Director of the Annual Fund................ Dawn Loven Institutional Gifts Manager ..............Beth Comeaux Donor Events and Gala Manager ................................Emily Skoblik Individual Gifts Manager..................Morgan Walsh

Marketing/Communications Marketing and Communications Director .... Lani Willis Marketing Manager ........................ Marsha Walker Communications Manager .........Griffin Woodworth Audience Development Associate ....... Jamie Nieman Ticket Office Manager ................ Katherine Castille Assistant Ticket Office Manager ............... Julie Behr Ticket Office Assistants...................... Kevin Beckey, Alexandrea Kouame, Jane Samsal

Special Thanks Suzie Gilbert at Fly Away • Paul Kupchok at Green Chimneys Kirby (the Barn Owl) at Green Chimneys • Rajika Puri, Video Performer

THE MINNESOTA OPERA

Volunteers

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The following volunteers contribute their time and talent in support of key activities of The Minnesota Opera. If you would like to learn more about volunteering for The Minnesota Opera, please contact Jamie Nieman by phone at 612-342-9550 or via email at jnieman@mnopera.org.

Catherine Ahern Ann Albertson Gerald Benson Jim Brownback Jerry Cassidy Diane Choih Joann Cierniak Susan Cogger Caroline Coopersmith Beverly Dailey Denis Dailey Jeanette Daun Judith Duncan Sally Economon Christopher Foster Hazel Francois Li-Jun Fu Jane Fuller Joan Gacki

Christine A. Garner Mary E. Hagen Merle J. Hanson Anne Hesselroth Heather Huber Karen Johnson Nancy Johnson Steve Johnson Jeannie Johnston Kristen Johnston Robin Keck Dawn Klassen Eleanore Kolar Lucinda Lamont Shirley Larson Mathilda Lien Jerry Lillquist Joyce Lillquist Margery Martin

Joan Masuck Yasuko Matsumoto Mary McDiarmid Beth McGuire Verne Melberg Jeanette Middleton Barbara Moore Doug Myhra Pam Nielsen Candyce Osterkamp Dan Panshin Pat Panshin Megan Pelka Bill Phillips Sydney Phillips Julia Porter Carol Purvis Kathleen Riley Enrique Rotstein

John Sauer Lynette Saucier Michael Silhavy Wendy Silhavy Angie Solomon Wendi Sott Naomi St. Gregory Karen St. John Harry Swepston Dave Terwilliger Emily Thompson Doris Unger Stacey Vonderhear Carolyn Wahtera Sandy Walker Mary Weitz Barbara Willis

NOTES FROM THE FROM THE

Leadership

BOARD OF

Directors

Artistic Director

Welcome to the opening production of the 2008-2009 Minnesota Opera season – Il trovatore! As you will see when you read the synopsis on page 13, this opera is a thriller and a melodrama. The plot is thick with intrigue, threading together a web of filial devotion, complicated maternal love, romantic love and most of all, revenge. Throughout the opera, we feel the presence of Azucena’s mother, burned at the stake many years before. We learn the story from the perspectives of different characters, and feel the consequences looming over their destinies. Director Kevin Newbury and projection designer Greg Emetaz have created a thoughtful and compelling staging that reﬂects her spirit and

constant presence in the psyches of the opera’s characters. I’d like to make a special welcome to Maestro Giovanni Reggioli, who debuts with The Minnesota Opera in these performances. He knows this score by heart, and with great heart will bring Verdi’s spirit to the Ordway tonight. It’s also a pleasure to introduce new singers with this production. Three of our principals – mezzo-soprano Olga Savova, tenor Avgust Amonov and soprano Mlada Khudoley – come to the Twin Cities from the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, and American baritone Lester Lynch makes his debut as the Count.

Officers Jane Confer, Chair Chip Emery, Vice Chair Debra Paterson, Secretary Denver Gilliand, Treasurer Kevin Smith, President & CEO

Directors Martha Goldberg Aronson Philip Isaacson Wendy Bennett Lynne E. Looney Charles Berg Diana E. Murphy Shari Boehnen Luis Pagan-Carlo Susan S. Boren Jose Peris Kathleen Callahan Jodi Peterson

Enjoy the opera!

Nicky B. Carpenter Mary Ingebrand-Pohlad Rachelle D. Chase Stephanie J. Prem Mary A. Dearing Elizabeth Redleaf

Dale Johnson Artistic Director

Sara Donaldson Connie Remele Thomas J. Foley Stephanie Simon

FROM THE

President

Welcome to the 2008-2009 season! With repertoire ranging from thrillers to comedies and fairy tales, this season is bound to be one of the company’s most memorable. There are very few opera companies that are able to present the wide range of works featured in the coming Minnesota Opera season. Your presence and support heightens our ability to capitalize on our greatest strength – the energetic, innovative exploration and production of varied repertoire. We are grateful to have the level of community support that allows us to take these leaps forward, both artistically and institutionally, that further reinforce The Minnesota

Steve Fox

Opera’s reputation as America’s most exciting opera company. Whether this is your first opera experience or your thousandth, we are thrilled you are joining us, and invite you to return as a subscriber for the remainder of the season if you are not already. See page 24 to see how you can apply your ticket to Il trovatore into a season of world-class operas – at a discount! Whether you choose to see the whole season or just three operas, you will enjoy flexible ticket exchange privileges, discounts on additional tickets, and more benefits. Thank you for being here, and enjoy the show.

Peter Sipkins

Sharon Hawkins Simon Stevens Ruth S. Huss

Virginia Stringer

Heinz F. Hutter H. Bernt von Ohlen

Emeriti Karen Bachman Burton Cohen Julia W. Dayton Thomas R. McBurney Mary W. Vaughan

Honorary Directors Dominick Argento Philip Brunelle Elizabeth Close Dolly Fiterman Charles C. Fullmer

Kevin Smith President and CEO

Norton M. Hintz Patricia H. Sheppard

Legal Counsel The Minnesota Opera is proud to be a member of The Arts Partnership with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Schubert Club and Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

James A. Rubenstein, Moss & Barnett

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T H E G E N U I N E A RT I C L E

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Music by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Salvadore Cammerano after the play El trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez World premiere at the Teatro Apollo, Rome January 19, 1853 September 20, 23, 25, 27 and 28, 2008 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Sung in Italian with English translations Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giovanni Reggioli Stage Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Newbury Set Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Allen Moyer Costume Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jessica Jahn Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. M. Wood Projections Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Emetaz Wig and Makeup Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Allen Assistant Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Octavio Cardenas Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexander Farino

The Cast Manrico, an ofﬁcer in the rebel army . . . . . . Avgust Amonov Leonora, lady-in-waiting to the princess . . Mlada Khudoley Count di Luna, a nobleman of Aragon . . . . . . . . Lester Lynch Azucena, a gypsy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Olga Savova Ferrando, a captain in the count’s army. . Andrew Gangestad Ines, Leonora’s conﬁdante . . . . . . . . . . . . Naomi Isabel Ruiz Ruiz, a soldier in Manrico’s service . . . . . . . . . . . Brad Benoit A gypsy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bryan Boyce Leonora’s female attendants, nuns, servants and armed retainers of the count, gypsies, followers of Manrico Setting: Biscay and Aragon in the early 15th century

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Il trovatore is sponsored by FAF Advisors and U.S. Bank.

The appearances of Lester Lynch, winner, and Andrew Gangestad, national 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. The appearances of the Resident Artists are made possible by the Virginia L. Stringer Endowment Fund for The Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program. Performances of Il trovatore are being taped for delayed broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio, ksjn 99.5 in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota Opera season is sponsored by FAF Advisors and U.S. Bank. The appearances of the 2008–2009 season conductors are sponsored in part by SpencerStuart. Opera Insights is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

BACKGROUND

Notes

by David Sander

l trovatore completes the series of Verdi’s three middle-period operas that have become a staple of the repertory. Though composed between the other two, the opera is somewhat estranged from its siblings, which may preclude its ranking among today’s top ten. Whereas Rigoletto and La traviata are essentially domestic tragedies, Il trovatore is full-blown romantic melodrama, an apotheosis of the passing Bel Canto age, which was giving way to new compositional styles and more truthful subject matter by the early 1850s. Another roadblock for the opera’s popularity in the modern realm is its inherent complexity. Though the plot does make sense, it requires the audience to pay close attention, with two major plot developments running concurrently and an unusual amount of action occurring offstage, even before the first downbeat. Hardly the only Verdi opera with four major roles (Don Carlos comes to mind), it is essentially a singer’s opera, and the economics of its vocal demands pitted against the limited resources of today’s opera industry make Il trovatore expensive to produce. Not that these obstacles would have stopped 19thcentury impresarios. The opera was an instant success and quickly circulated around the world, reaching nearly 300 different houses in its first three years. It was a veritable cash cow, remaining in vogue with audiences to the end of the 19th century. Critics were less generous, holding the “antiquated” opera in close comparison to those on either side, both of which display more forward-thinking compositional and dramatic techniques. When viewed next to La traviata, which was written at about the same time, the two works couldn’t be more dissimilar, with Trovatore’s emotional extremes, representative of the nearly outmoded Romantic style, in sharp contrast to Traviata’s own brand of Realism, the new artistic trend coming in vogue toward the middle of the century. Rigoletto (1851) is similarly progressive, as is its sister, Stiffelio (also premiered within three months of one another), the latter a somewhat contemporaneous story about a pastor who ultimately forgives his adulterous wife, dicey subject matter for the day.

Notes

In spite of Verdi’s desire to be experimental, Curiously, from the outset Verdi had intended to venture into the avant-garde and create Il trovatore without Cammarano seemed to have determined the conventional shape of Il trovatore, as he was firmly grounded in the the conventional cavatinas, duets and finales. It’s hard to say when the composer first came across Spaniard Antonio Bel Canto tradition and did not share Verdi’s visionary García Gutiérrez’s play (first produced in 1836), though it ideas. The composer had hoped to dispense with the traditional chorus introduzione and Leonora’s first cavatina, was probably in Paris during his stay with then-mistress and begin with the troubadour’s romanza, but there was Giuseppina Strepponi (1847–1849). The city maintained no way of getting around all the preliminary information a direct line to Madrid as Paris had once been a haven for that needed to be told before arriving at that point in exiled Spanish authors. We don’t know if Verdi actually the drama. Still, the composer had his saw a production of El trovador in customary control over the development French translation, but a collection of the libretto. Cammarano struggled of Spanish dramas is known to have with the character of Azucena, whom he been purchased there and is still found understood as deranged and wanton, but among his personal effects – it seems Verdi insisted that her reason remain likely Strepponi had a hand in putting intact, though marred by her life’s it into Italian. painful family events. The composer was especially struck Gutiérrez’s convent scene also posed by the character of Azucena, whom he a problem, which Cammarano predicted saw as the story’s fundamental focus would run afoul of the censors. In the (the opera was almost named after original play, Leonor’s brother, Don her). So excited by this discovery, he Guillén de Sesé, as keeper of the family didn’t even wait for an opera house name, demands she either marry Don to commission the work before he Nuño (di Luna in the play) or enter began developing the project, which the nunnery. By Part Two, supposing was unusual for the day. Bypassing his Manrique to be dead, Leonor chooses the most frequent collaborator, Francesco latter, only to discover immediately after Maria Piave, he turned to Salvadore taking the vows she had been mistaken. Cammarano, by then at the height Throwing caution to the wind, she (and, tragically, near the end) of his recklessly discards her commitment brilliant career. Cammarano had to the sisterhood and runs away with already served Verdi on three other Manrique, intent on marriage. Verdi occasions as well as supplying eight suggested that she simply fall faint libretti for Gaetano Donizetti and Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came (1861) Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833–98) at the sight of her paramour and be others for less-familiar Bel Canto Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK carried away before any oath could be giants Saverio Mercadante and The Bridgeman Art Library taken. As it turned out, the officials Giovanni Pacini. Cammarano was forbade any mention of a convent (instead calling it a house poet for the renowned Neapolitan Teatro San Carlo, “place of retreat”) as well as references to anything sacred, a theater to which Verdi had vowed never to return, after strained relations over the botched premieres of Alzira and to witches, the stake or suicide (Leonora was to take her poison out of the audience’s view). Thankfully, G. Ricordi Luisa Miller. Though the San Carlo continued to pursue did not publish this first Roman edition. Italy’s most popular composer, Verdi had managed to Surprisingly, Verdi showed considerably more respect wriggle out of his existing commitments to the theater. for Cammarano’s ideas than he ever would have done to Verdi had coaxed Cammarano away from his theatrical home base once before with La battaglia di Legnano (which his more malleable colleague, Piave (another reason why premiered in Rome), and he hoped to employ this strategy both Rigoletto and La traviata are slightly more progressive – the prickly composer would have always gotten his way). again. His first attempt was with a play by Victor Hugo, As work continued, it became clear to both parties that Le roi s’amuse (to become Rigoletto), for Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, but the librettist (rightfully so) feared rebuke from the role of Leonora would have to become more prominent the censors. Then Verdi offered up a subject most sacred to than they initially had conceived. Unfortunately, toward the end of their collaboration, the librettist died him, Shakespeare’s King Lear, the opera that would never unexpectedly. His protégé, Leone Emanuele Bardare, had come to pass. Cammarano drafted a scenario, but made assisted Cammarano and was ready to step in to finish no further progress. Gutiérrez’s El trovador, however, the nearly completed libretto, albeit with Verdi’s steely piqued his interest. Full of powerful melodrama and instructions. The production was eventually ceded to gothic horror, the play was well suited to the librettist’s Rome, where Verdi could be assured of the cast of his ➤ particular talents, and work soon began.

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BACKGROUND

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BACKGROUND

Notes

“D’amor sull’ali rosee … Tu vedrai che amore in terra,” is choosing. The premiere was thunderous and the adoring interrupted by a highly emotive Miserere in the tempo di Romans persuaded the composer to stay for the fourth performance (contractually he could leave after only three). mezzo (a notion probably lifted from Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, which also features an offstage prayer for the dead Though the opera would quickly travel around foretelling the poisoned revelers’ fate). Set to the dotted the world, Verdi was especially careful with the Paris rhythm of a funeral march (a technique repeated in Act premiere. It first appeared at the Théâtre Italien a iii of La traviata and foreshadowed by the execution drum few years later in its original language, a production roll heard in Il trovatore’s terse prelude), the highly intense begrudgingly allowed by the composer (the theater had moment is further accentuated by the reappearance of been notorious for presenting unauthorized performances Manrico’s troubadour song, lofting down from his prison of his works without the proper payment of royalties). tower in traditional stagings. Partly to ensure the work’s copyright, Verdi agreed to Il trovatore also benefits from its highly gothic and a French-language version to be presented at the Paris stageworthy source. Out of Gutiérrez’s intricately Opéra the following year. Besides adding an obligatory constructed drama, ballet (in Part Three, a Cammarano crafted gypsy divertissement a neatly symmetric performed before di design of four Luna’s soldiers), the subdivisions each composer made a consisting of two scenes. number of changes, Rather than being bolstering the called “acts,” the parts orchestration to please bear evocative titles the more advanced – Il duello (The Duel), French tastes and La gitana (The Gypsy), fleshing out both Il figlio della zingara Azucena’s capture by (The Gypsy’s Son), Il di Luna and the final supplizio (The Torture) – a scene, which ends quite characteristic distinctive abruptly in the original of Cammarano’s libretti, version. Although he but also an aspect used already had had two in the original play lackluster premieres at [the playwright called Paris’ house of first rank A scene from The Minnesota Opera’s 1994 production of Il trovatore his partitions jornadas, [Jérusalem (1847) and Les or “days” – there was vêpres siciliennes (1855)], Le trouvère (1857) was greeted with enthusiasm. Unlike a fifth title, El convento (The Convent), which due to the several of his other works [Macbeth (1847/1865), Simon aforementioned censorship restrictions, could not be used]. Boccanegra (1857/1881), La forza del destino (1862/1869) Each scene dovetails to a cliffhanging conclusion, and each and Don Carlos (1867/1881)], Verdi did not choose to part to an exciting finale. revise his Italian version, and both interpretations enjoyed Going beyond the usual love triangle, the opera’s four paralleled success, Le trouvère being familiar to Frenchprincipals offer a rather complex love-hate-vengeance speaking locales, including New Orleans, where the opera quadrangle with Manrico at its core. Typical of the had its first performances in America. headstrong (yet one dimensional) hero, he is a man of In spite of their reliance upon convention, both action living on the edge of society, a troubadour espoused Trovatores show some innovative thinking. While the by the Romantic Age who enjoys chivalric pursuits such as opera boasts four Bel Canto double arias for three of its courtly tournaments and setting poetry to song rather than principals, complete with a slow melodic cantabile, a devoting his time to introspection (in the play, he has no transitional “event breaking” tempo di mezzo and a showsoliloquies). A target of both filial and romantic affection stopping bravura cabaletta, Azucena’s Part Two aria is a and fraternal hatred, Manrico is loved by both Azucena little different. The strophic “Stride la vampa” is classic and Leonora, but despised by his (unknown) blood brother organ-grinding Verdi, but the gypsy’s cabaletta “Condotta for being both a political enemy and a sexual contender ell’era in ceppi” is more narrative in nature, artfully (in the play, Manrique is actually the older brother and colored in the orchestra by licks of flames as she details the true Count di Luna, another underlying threat). An her mother’s grisly death in a somnambulistic trance undeclared sibling rivalry persists throughout as the (not unlike Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene to be two men alternate between fighting one another and penned eight years later). Similarly, Leonora’s final aria pursuing the same woman, both with a high degree of ➤ BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Synopsis part one – the duel Scene one – A vestibule in the Aliaferia Palace Ferrando, captain of the guards, orders his men to watch over Count di Luna, who, smitten with Leonora, has been visiting her window at night. To keep the guards awake, Ferrando tells the story of Garzia, the Count’s younger brother. Years ago, an old gypsy bewitched the young Garzia, who fell ill. The gypsy was hunted down and burned at the stake; dying, she ordered her daughter Azucena to avenge her. The younger brother vanished, and when a small charred skeleton was found in the ashes, all suspected that Azucena had wrought vengeance. The old count could not believe that Garzia was dead; dying of grief, he urged the young Count di Luna search for his brother, and exact revenge upon Azucena. Ferrando tells how he could never forget Azucena’s face, and how, since her death, the gypsy’s ghost has haunted those who murdered her in the guise of an animal, owl or vampire.

her own mother, and desires vengeance. She confesses to Manrico that, after stealing Garzia, she had intended to burn him, but had thrown her own child into the flames by mistake. If his mother accidentally killed her own son, Manrico asks, then who is he? Realizing she has said too much, Azucena asserts her motherly love, recalling how she had nursed him back to health after he was injured in battle. Manrico tells Azucena how he defeated di Luna in their duel, but was prevented from killing him by a mysterious force. A messenger enters with news that Urgel’s forces are on the move, and that Leonora, believing Manrico dead, intends to enter a convent. Manrico rushes off to stop her.

Scene two – The palace gardens outside Leonora’s room. Though her mistress has requested her, Leonora delays, hoping the mysterious black knight (Manrico) will appear. Leonora tells of how she first saw him at a tournament, and how he has since visited, singing as a troubadour outside her window. Ines urges caution, but Leonora is in love. Count di Luna, waiting in the garden for a chance to declare his love to Leonora, hesitates when he hears Manrico singing a love song. In the darkness, Leonora mistakes the count for her lover. Di Luna recognizes Manrico as his enemy, a follower of the rebellious Count Urgel, and challenges him to duel at dawn, over Leonora’s protestations.

– intermission –

Scene two – A grim prison Awaiting their executions, Manrico tries to soothe Azucena, who relives the horror of her own mother’s death. Leonora arrives and reveals her bargain with di Luna, begging Manrico to flee. Manrico refuses, believing himself betrayed, until he discovers that Leonora has taken poison rather than be unfaithful, and she dies at his feet. Di Luna enters and, finding himself betrayed, orders Manrico executed. Azucena wakes and is forced to watch; but after Manrico’s death, she reveals Manrico’s true identity as di Luna’s brother, and cries out in victory, her own mother’s death finally avenged.

part three – the gypsy’s son Scene one – Count di Luna’s encampment near Castellor. As Ferrando and the count’s men draw up battle plans, a gypsy woman (Azucena) is captured nearby. Ferrando recognizes Azucena as the old gypsy’s daughter. In a panic, she reveals that Manrico is her son, and di Luna realizes she is a valuable hostage. Scene two –A chapel inside Castellor On the eve of war, Manrico and Leonora stand before the altar. Before they can marry, Manrico’s comrade Ruiz brings news of Azucena’s imminent execution. Manrico hurries to save his mother. part four – the torture Scene one – The Aliaferia Palace Leonora goes to rescue Manrico, who has been captured. As monks chant a requiem mass, Leonora considers

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part two –the gypsy Scene one – A hovel in the Biscay mountains As the gypsies return to their metalworking, Azucena remembers the horrific burning of

Scene two – A cloister near Castellor Di Luna, intending to abduct Leonora before she takes holy orders, sings of his love for her. As the nuns appear, Manrico arrives, disarms di Luna, and takes Leonora away.

her options. She promises herself to di Luna in exchange for Manrico’s freedom, but secretly plans to die first by taking a slow poison.

Costume sketch by Jessica Jahn

BACKGROUND

Notes

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BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

into a roaring fire while summoning a vision of her dying diligence, yet each experiencing ever varying reversals of mother sets into motion a complicated psychological fortune [both manage to significantly injure one another, journey, which can only lead to self-destruction. Though Don Nuño in a duel with Manrique, and the latter in a she claims to love Manrico as her own child, her guilty subsequent military skirmish]. Somewhat atypical of the conscience must be overwhelming (she nearly reveals his romantic heroine, El trovador’s smarter-minded Leonor true heritage at one point, resulting in Manrico’s existential faces agonizing guilt, first for the debacle in the garden cry, “E chi son io?” – “Then (in the drama, Manrique who am I?”, a question to momentarily believes her to which he will never learn be false to him), then in her the truth). broken promise to God and And there are subtle finally over her commission indications Azucena is of suicide, the ultimate manipulative, treating mortal sin. Choosing lust Manrico slightly worse over reason, she falls for the than she might have if he quintessential bad boy – a were her own progeny – rebel and a gypsy – and tries he is, after all, the spawn to double-deal her more of her mortal enemy, and suitable spousal candidate she may be guided by a (whom she grows to despise) subconscious desire to by offering up her own destroy him. As Manrico life, however mistimed it matures, it is evident may be (in the play, she that he has become an dies before Don Nuño The Troubadour’s Entry indispensable source of happens upon the final Jacob Emmanuel Gaisser (1825–99) protection, for she is a scene). The love-stricken, Private Collection Photo © Bonhams, London, UK wanted woman and fears determined and somewhat The Bridgeman Art Library abandonment in her old sadistic Don Nuño will age. Manrico has already stop at nothing to get his left her once before, rather than engaging in gypsy girl, at first audaciously obtaining the key to her private pursuits, to pursue a knightly apprenticeship, eventually quarters, then ready to abduct her – fully vested – from becoming a soldier of fortune who serves the side contrary the convent. Contrary to the brothers and lovers, Leonor to the di Lunas. As he grows more valiant, his foster and her would-be mother-in-law have no connection and mother becomes more reckless, eventually straying into indeed no contact during the entire play or opera – their the enemy camp. At any moment she could reveal her only physical encounter is in the final scene as Azucena trump card, Manrico’s true identity, which would save sleeps (though the opera offers the unique opportunity his life, but she chooses to remain silent. Knowing her for them to sing at the same time). By the time the gypsy own end is near, Azucena realizes Manrico is no longer fully awakens, Leonora has already commended her soul, necessary, and she sacrifices him for the greater goal, to Manrico is seconds away from execution and the curtain settle the score over her mother’s death. is a mere 30 bars from crashing down. Gutiérrez’s play Azucena’s novelty and age required her to be cast as ends with a potent Verdian word – maldición (maledizione a mezzo-soprano, and Verdi would accomplish what he – the curse). Having already employed this parola scenica had already achieved for the baritone. Down the pike we for Rigoletto, the composer wisely chose another persistent theme for Il trovatore, Azucena’s final pronouncement, “Sei will see other principal dramatic mezzos in the likes of Ulrica (Un ballo in maschera), Eboli (Don Carlos), Preziosilla vendicata, o madre” – “Mother, you have been avenged!”, (La forza del destino) and Amneris (Aida). Her unique being the successful conclusion of the opera’s recurrent appearance and behavior is akin to Rigoletto in terms phrase “Mi vendica!” – “Avenge me.” of the “grotesque,” an aspect of Victor Hugo’s romantic As Verdi realized, by far the most interesting creation theater that reveals the author’s vision of social reality. is Azucena, whose motivation is not always clear. The The grotesque and the gothic often went hand-in-hand, gypsy appears in only three scenes, yet her presence is felt and defying the Classical unities, Hugo (a role model for throughout the entire opera. An outcast like Rigoletto, Gutiérrez) liked to mix things up, contrasting the ugly she is also driven by two passions, filial love and a thirst or bizarre (Triboulet, to become Verdi’s Rigoletto) with for vengeance. And, like the humpbacked jester, she the “sublime” (Francis i to become the Duke of Mantua). unwittingly causes the death of her own child, here in Though the hunchback would be a feature common to his one of the greatest gaffes in the annals of opera. The dramas, grotesquerie could also feature mental deformity ➤ particularly gruesome blunder of throwing her own baby BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

GIUSEPPE

Verdi

b Le Roncole, October 9 or 10, 1813; d Milan, January 27, 1901

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three most popular pieces: Rigoletto, orn into a relatively poor Il trovatore and La traviata. These family near the town of three operas hark back to the musical Busseto, Verdi owed his first style of Nabucco, with simpler musical training to Antonio Barezzi, accompaniments and superbly crafted a local patron. Barezzi arranged melodies. for Verdi to go to Milan, where he In 1859 Napoleon iii of France failed the entrance exams to the drove the Austrians out of Conservatory. Verdi then returned Lombardy. As Verdi had long been to Busseto to assume, amid fierce considered an artist of revolution, controversy, the post of maestro he was pressed into accepting a di musica and to marry Barezzi’s seat in the new Italian Parliament. daughter, Margherita, in 1836. They During his parliamentary career he had two children, but tragically, found time to compose only one within a three-year period Margherita opera, La forza del destino. and their children died. In despair, Macbeth was revised in 1865 and Verdi pursued his career elsewhere. presented in Paris, where Verdi Then he returned to Busseto with agreed to write Don Giuseppina Strepponi, Carlos. Aida, first the soprano who performed at the Cairo created the role of Opera House in 1871, Abigaille in Nabucco proved the perfect and whom he later vehicle for showcasing married. He bought Verdi’s gifts, and it a nearby farm, built contained some of his a large comfortable fi nest music. house and – with only Following Aida, occasional interruptions Verdi firmly stated he to travel, compose or had retired for good. produce an opera – He was now devoted to managed the farm his villa, Sant’Agata, until his death in 1901. Giuseppe Verdi and to revising and Verdi’s third opera Museo Teatrale alla Scala remounting several for La Scala, Nabucco, Scala/Art Resource NY earlier works, pausing is generally considered briefl y to write a powerful Requiem. his first masterpiece. Its most Coaxed out of his retreat by a notable element is a long, slow lifelong love of Shakespeare, the chorus for the Israelites, yearning septuagenarian composer produced for their homeland: “Va, pensiero.” Otello and Falstaff to great acclaim. Italian patriots, then under Austrian Verdi’s final years were focused on domination, heard in it their own two philanthropic projects, a hospital situation; at its premiere and at most in the neighboring town of Villanova, performances afterwards, audiences and a rest home for aged and indigent demanded the chorus to be sung musicians in Milan, the Casa di again, despite police prohibitions. Riposo. Giuseppina died in 1897 and In the years that followed, Verdi and Verdi’s own passing several years later his librettists wrote as boldly as the was an occasion of national mourning. censors would allow. His stirring One month after a small private patriotic choruses made him a symbol funeral at the municipal cemetery, his of the Risorgimento, the political remains were transferred to Milan and movement for a unified Italy. interred at the Casa di Riposo. Two In a 54-year period, Verdi wrote hundred thousand people lined the 26 operas (two of which were revised streets as “Va, pensiero” was sung by extensively and retitled). The years an 800-person choir led by conductor 1851–53 marked the peak of Verdi’s Arturo Toscanini. career, with the composition of his

THE

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

Artists Avgust Amonov

Manrico Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Die Walküre; Otello; Don Carlos; A Life for the Tsar; The Enchantress; Mlada; The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevronia; The Nose; Norma; Nabucco; Un ballo in maschera; Don Carlo; Aida; Benvenuto Cellini; Carmen; others, Mariinsky Theater Promastaras, Greek National Opera Upcoming Aida; Iolantha, Kentucky Opera; Khovanshchina, Berlin Brothers Karamazov, Rotterdam Phil. Orch. (DVD recording)

Bryan Boyce A gypsy Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Le nozze di Figaro, Berkeley Repertory Theatre La bohème; Susannah, Theatre Latté Da Figaro; Don Juan Giovanni, American Repertory Theater; Theatre de la Jeune Lune The Ballad of Baby Doe; L’incoronazione di Poppea, Central City Opera La bohème, Opera Fresca Upcoming The Adventures of Pinocchio, The Minnesota Opera

Mlada Khudoley

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Leonora Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Salome, St. John the Baptist Summer Music Festival Die Walküre; The Flying Dutchman; Elektra; The Queen of Spades; others, Mariinsky Theater Salome, Dallas Opera; Les noces, Carnegie Hall The Flying Dutchman, Latvian National Opera Nabucco, Creek National Opera Upcoming Nabucco, Opernhaus Graz; Salome, Vancouver Opera Pique Dame, Berlin; The Flying Dutchman, Oper Leipzig

Brad Benoit Ruiz Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist Il mondo della luna; Postcard from Morocco; The Turn of the Screw; L’enfant et les sortilèges, Chicago College of Performing Arts Gianni Schicchi; Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera in the Ozarks Roméo et Juliette; Lakmé, Loyola University Upcoming The Adventures of Pinocchio, The Minnesota Opera

Andrew Gangestad Ferrando Minnesota Opera Debut Otello, 1999 Recently Aida, Welsh National Opera Il trovatore, Toledo Opera Un ballo in maschera, Metropolitan Opera La bohème, Opera Paciﬁc Upcoming La damnation de Faust, Metropolitan Opera Don Giovanni, Arizona Opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Cleveland

Lester Lynch Count di Luna Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Madame Butterﬂy, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Il trovatore, Nashville Opera; Kentucky Opera Porgy and Bess, Dallas Opera; Los Angeles Opera; Opera Company of Philadelphia Macbeth, Dayton Opera La traviata, Opera Cleveland Upcoming Porgy and Bess, Lyric Opera of Chicago La traviata, Lyric Opera of Kansas City

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

Ines Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently A Wedding; Don Giovanni, Indiana University Opera Theater La bohème, Brevard Music Center La rondine; A Streetcar Named Desire; Così fan tutte; Le nozze di Figaro; Hansel and Gretel; Il matrimonio segreto, Indiana University Opera Workshop Upcoming The Adventures of Pinocchio; The Barber of Seville, The Minnesota Opera

Octavio Cardenas Assistant Director Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Così fan tutte; La traviata (AD), Chautauqua Opera Die Fledermaus (AD), Austin Lyric Opera Plump Jack; The Impresario; The Turn of the Screw; La chute de la maison Uscher, Butler Opera Center L’elisir d’amore, Guadalajara Opera Beyond Therapy, Little Theater (Los Angeles) Odd Couple, UCLA Upcoming The Abduction for the Seraglio (AD), The Minnesota Opera

Jessica Jahn Costume Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Die Mommie Die!, New World Stage (New York) (Lucille Lortel Award for Costume Design) In the Red and Brown Water, Alliance Theatre The Mystery of Irma Vep, Studio Arena Esoterica, Daryl Roth Theatre (New York) Upcoming The Tudor Trilogy, The Minnesota Opera Bernstein’s Mass, Baltimore Symphony La Cenerentola, Glimmerglass Opera

Artists

Olga Savova Azucena Minnesota Opera Debut Recently The Gambler; Die Walküre; La Gioconda; Mazeppa, others, Mariinsky Theater The Snow Maiden, Carnegie Hall Elektra, Festspeilhaus Baden-Baden Boris Godunov, Hollywood Bowl; Aida, Dortmund Les noces, London Symphony Orchestra Upcoming Elektra, Mariinsky Theater; Khovanshchna, Berlin Boris Godunov, Metropolitan Opera

Greg Emetaz Projections Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Recently biographical videos – NEA Opera Honors introductory videos – Opera for All – New York City Opera Orphée aux enfers, Juilliard Opera Center The Music Teacher, Off-Broadway Postcard from Morocco, Curtis Institute Pretty Chin Up, LAByrinth Theater Company Der Ring des Nibelungen, Kirov Opera Upcoming Fay Lindsay-Jones (feature documentary)

Allen Moyer Set Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Norma, 1991 Recently Romeo and Juliet, Mark Morris Dance Group Un ballo in maschera; Nixon in China, The Minnesota Opera Orfeo ed Euridice, Met. Opera; Daphne; Così, Santa Fe Op. Thurgood; Grey Gardens (Henry Hewes Award), Broadway Orpheus in the Underworld, Glimmerglass Opera Upcoming The Count of Monte Cristo, Theater St. Gallen The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Minnesota Opera

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Naomi Isabel Ruiz

THE

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

Artists Kevin Newbury

Stage Director Minnesota Opera Debut Nixon in China, 2005 Recently Falstaff, Santa Fe Opera The Magic Flute, Opera Colorado; Houston Grand Opera Candy and Dorothy; The Second Tosca, NYC Upcoming The Barber of Seville; Tudor Trilogy, The Minnesota Opera Bernstein’s Mass, Carnegie Hall; Kennedy Center La Cenerentola, Glimmerglass Opera Eugene Onegin, Opera Theatre of St. Louis

Giovanni Reggioli Conductor Minnesota Opera Debut Recently La bohème; Nabucco; La traviata; Il trovatore, Opera Australia Rigoletto; Bluebeard’s Castle; Gianni Schicchi; I vespri siciliani; Samson et Dalila; La traviata, Washington National Opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, PortOpera Madame Butterﬂy, Opéra de Québec Upcoming Otello, Opera Australia

D. M. Wood

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Lighting Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Recently The Magic Flute, Houston Grand Opera La traviata; The Magic Flute, Opera Colorado Il viaggio a Reims, New York City Opera Tristan und Isolde, Savonlinna Opera Festival Tosca, Canadian Opera Company Upcoming The Barber of Seville, The Minnesota Opera Romance, American Repertory Theatre La Cenerentola, Glimmerglass Opera

Subscribers and Tempo members enjoy 10% off beginning Italian classes at the Italian Cultural Center. For more information, visit mnopera.org/learn.

You Can Help the Arts! In November 2008 Minnesotans will have an historic opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that will create dedicated funding for conservation and culture. It is called the Great Outdoors and Heritage Amendment and will appear at the bottom of your November 4 ballot. It has the potential to triple funding available for arts and culture activities in every Minnesota county. This amendment calls for a .375% sales tax increase that would create a dedicated funding stream for the arts (as well as land and water conservation) for the next 25 years. Just like our lakes and great outdoors, Minnesota’s cultural resources are a vital part of our quality of life and tourism industry. Passage of the amendment means better access for our kids and all of us to cultural opportunities statewide. While the arts are a very tiny part of the state budget (less than 3/100ths of 1% of the state budget), they are slashed almost every time the state has a budget deﬁcit. The arts need a stable, long term and protected source of funding.

With 1,600 arts and cultural organizations in the state, annual arts attendance of more than 14.5 million people, and an arts advocacy coalition of more than 42,000, it is clear that Minnesotans care about access to arts and culture. It is important not only to The Minnesota Opera, but to the entire state of Minnesota that this amendment passes on November 4th. If you are interested in learning more about it, please read on. You can also ﬁnd more information at www.YesForMN.org.

VOTE YES PROTECT THE MINNESOTA YOU LOVE

www.YesForMN.org

WE ARE PLEASED TO PRESENT GUEST CONDUCTOR MAESTRO GIOVANNI REGGIOLI IN THE MINNESOTA OPERA’S

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PRODUCTION O; IL TROVATORE#

THE MINNESOTA OPERA Shaun Nathan Baer Alex Barnett Bryan Boyce Nathan Brian Keith Carl Steve Dahlberg John deCausmeaker Jock Donaldson Carole Finneran Obed Floan Peter Frenz Gretchen Gamm Roland Hawkins ii Michelle Hayes

Chorus Robin Helgen Sandra Henderson Steve Hennigs Stephen Houtz Cresta Hubert Ben Johnson Matthew Johnson Tor Johnson Brian Jorgensen Roy Kallemeyn Patricia Kent Mark Larson Jeff Madison

2009â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2010 Minnesota Opera

RESIDENT ARTIST PROGRAM Auditions in Minneapolis, MN Dates: November 5, 6, 7 and 8, 2008 For further information, please visit www.mnopera.org

THE MINNESOTA OPERA

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Resident Artist Program Auditions

Applica tio Deadlin n e: Octobe r 20

Orchestra

Violin I

Cello

Horn

Laurie Petruconis concertmaster Julia Persitz David Mickens Judy Thon-Jones Andrea Een Conor Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien Giselle Hillyer Lydia Miller Helen Foli Jill Olson Moser

Jim Jacobson Rebecca Arons Thomas Austin Sally G. Dorer John Eadie Teresa Richardson

Charles Hodgson Neal Bolter Matthew Wilson Lawrence Barnhart

Bass John Michael Smith Constance Martin Jason C. Hagelie Michael Watson

Violin II

Eric Mellum Mary Monson Jon Thomas Olson Matthew Podobinski Ana Romero William Sales Steve Sandberg Scott Sandersfeld Joy Scheib Cathryn Schmidt Robert Schmidt Sandra Schoenecker Colyn Tvete

Angela D. Hanson Elizabeth Decker Melinda Marshall Margaret Humphrey Huldah Niles Alastair Brown Miriam Moxness Griffiths Almut Engelhardt-Kachian

Flute

Trumpet John G. Koopmann Christopher Volpe

Trombone Phillip Ostrander John Tranter David Stevens

Michele Frisch Amy Morris (double piccolo)

Cimbasso

Oboe

Paul Hill

Michael Dayton Merilee Klemp

Percussion

Viola

Clarinet

David Victor Fred Opie

Vivi Erickson Laurel Browne Susan Janda James Bartsch Coca Bochonko Troy Gardner

Sandra Powers Nina Olsen

Harp

Ralph Hepola

Timpani

Min J. Kim

Bassoon Coreen Nordling Laurie Hatcher Merz

Personnel Manager Steve Lund

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Education AT THE OPERA Summer Opera Camp Over a week in June, high school students from around Minnesota and Wisconsin participated in the fourth annual Opera Summer Camp. The camp was held at the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley this year, which allowed campers to stay overnight in the dorms and opened the opera camp to participants from outside of the metro area.

Katie Hahn performing A Glamour Life

Summer Camp 2008!

Upcoming Education Events Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at The Minnesota Opera Center Students are invited to get a taste of the real world of opera and see what it takes to be a professional opera singer or vocal coach.

Call Jamie Andrews at 612.342.9573 for more information or to register.

A career day for high school singers and pianists

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Acting workshop outdoors

Throughout the day, students participate in a master class led by members of the Opera’s artistic staff, observe professionals in rehearsal, tour the scene and costume shops and more. A question-and-answer time will provide an opportunity for students to learn about colleges, auditions and what the future might hold for young singers and pianists.

Day at the Opera

The Three Spirits from The Magic Flute

Imagine Opera! Visit the new Minnesota Opera education website at: www.imagineopera.org Get a peek behind the curtain to learn how an opera is put onstage and see the galaxy of opera history. Educators will ﬁnd Teacher’s Guides that include numerous lesson plans ready to download. The site is always growing – so check back frequently for updates! Imagineopera.org is supported through a generous gift from The Best Buy Children’s Foundation.

Education AT THE OPERA coOPERAtion!

Adult Education

The Minnesota Opera is proud to welcome back Angie Keeton as Teaching Artist. In this position, Ms. Keeton will travel the state working with students, introducing them to opera and coaching young singers through coOPERAtion!, an artistin-residence program. Having spent the last two years singing in the U.S. and Germany with her husband (and former Resident Artist) Seth Keeton, she is excited to be back in Minnesota!

The Abduction from the Seraglio

coOPERAtion! is generously supported by a gift from Medtronic.

Emperor Joseph II reportedly commented on Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio with ‘Too many notes!’ Come discover why Joseph was a fool and every note of Mozart’s comingof-age opera is a delight. Explore Mozart’s extraordinary development in form, style, vocal writing and orchestration plus Europe’s obsessive fascination with the exotic Orient. Leading the talk will be Andrew Altenbach, who will conduct The Minnesota Opera’s production of Mozart’s comic masterpiece in November.

Call The Minnesota Opera Ticket Ofﬁce at 612.333.6669 for tickets.

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Angie is available to lead a residency in your school. For more information please call her at 612.342.9554 or email her at akeeton@mnopera.org.

Monday, October 13, 2008 7:00–9:00 pm The Minnesota Opera Center

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BACKGROUND

Notes

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

and depravity masked by beauty (i.e. Lucrèce Borgia, which would be developed into the earlier-cited opera by Donizetti). Azucena is a direct descendant of Hugo’s world, which clearly had great appeal to Verdi on more than one occasion. Historical Context By its own nature as a Hugo-esque romantic drama, El trovador is set within a specific period of Spain’s history, yet many of the details have been eliminated from the opera. During the years 1410–1413, Aragon was wracked by civil war. Spain had yet to be united by the wedding and ascension of Ferdinand ii and Isabella of Castile, and the various consanguineous marriages between the smaller kingdoms of Iberia could often result in multiple successors, should there be no direct male heir. This is what happened to Martin i of Aragon – his only surviving male descendant was an illegitimate grandson, which in accordance with the Catholic Church, was barred from succession. The Aragonese observed Salic Law, an old Frankish custom that forbade the passing of the crown to any males born to female descendants of the king. Nonetheless, Martin i put forth his nephew, Ferdinand of Castile, who was the son of the King of Castile and

Pedro iv’s daughter Leonor (even though her grandson and Ferdinand’s nephew, King Juan of Castile had a better claim). This was much to the ire of Doña Margarita, the ambitious mother of Jaime “the Hapless,” Count of Urgel, who was certain that, after the death of Martin’s son in 1409, the crown would go to him. Jaime was the greatgrandson of Alfonso iv and the closest eligible male heir. He was also married to his cousin, Martin’s sister Isabella. Although Jaime had the strongest legal claim with regard to heredity, Ferdinand had the most popular support, including that of the pope. He had demonstrated his good sense while holding the regency of Castile for the infante Juan when he easily could have seized the throne for himself. Two noble families were drawn into the dispute, the de Lunas and the Urreas. Unlike the opera, Antonio de Luna followed Jaime’s camp and masterminded the murder of the Archbishop of Zaragoza, who had sided with both the Urreas and Ferdinand. This particularly barbarous act led to the eventual downfall of Jaime, who was soon caught and sentenced to death; his punishment was then commuted to life in prison. Ironically, Ferdinand i would have a short reign, dying of an illness in 1414. His grandson, Ferdinand ii, would eventually assimilate the peninsula’s various factions into a mighty empire. ❚

Presenting

Classic Greek Cuisine Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or dessert with your entree!

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(just say the magic words “MN Orchestra” on any show day)

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GREEK RESTAURANT

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Ad Space (2nd ship)

THE MINNESOTA OPERA

Annual Fund INDIVIDUAL GIVING

It is with deep appreciation that The Minnesota Opera recognizes and thanks all of the individual donors whose annual support helps bring great opera to life. It is our pleasure to give special recognition to the following individuals whose leadership support provides the financial foundation which makes the Opera’s artistic excellence possible. For information on making a contribution to The Minnesota Opera, please call Annual Fund Director Dawn Loven at 612-342-9567, or email her at dloven@mnopera.org.

Bel Canto Circle Platinum $20,000 and above Anonymous (1) Karen Bachman Mary and Gus Blanchard Nicky B. Carpenter Jane M. and Ogden W. Confer Julia W. Dayton Sara and Jock Donaldson Vicki and Chip Emery Dolly J. Fiterman Ruth and John Huss Sisi and Heinz Hutter Mr. and Mrs. Philip Isaacson Lucy Rosenberry Jones

The Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund of HRK Foundation Patricia Lund Dusty and George Mairs Dwight D. Opperman Elizabeth Redleaf Lois and John Rogers Stephanie Simon and Craig Bentdahl Mary W. Vaughan Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation C. Angus and Margaret Wurtele

Gold $15,000–$19,999 Darlene J. and Richard P. Carroll Ellie and Tom Crosby, Jr.

Cy and Paula Decosse Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Sharon and Bill Hawkins Peter J. King Thomas and Barbara McBurney Bernt von Ohlen and Thomas Nichol

Silver $10,000–$14,999 Anonymous (5) Shari and David Boehnen Susan Boren Dr. and Mrs. Daniel D. Buss Mary Dearing and Barry Lazarus The Denny Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation

Warren and Patricia Kelly Mr. and Mrs. B. John Lindahl, Jr. Harvey T. McLain Mrs. Walter Meyers Diana and Joe Murphy Nelson Family Foundation Sandy and Bruce Nelson Mary Ingebrand Pohlad Karen Sternal

Camerata Circle Platinum $7,500–$9,999 Allegro Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation David Hanson and William Biermaier Kathleen and William Callahan Rachelle Dockman Chase N. Bud and Beverly Grossman Foundation Erwin and Miriam Kelen Albin and Susan Nelson Jenny Lind Nilsson and Garrison Keillor Debra Paterson and Mark Winters Stephanie Prem and Tom Owens Connie and Lew Remele Joseph Sammartino Drs. Joseph and Kristina Shaffer Maggie Thurer and Simon Stevens

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Gold $5,000–$7,499

Tracy and Eric Aanenson James Andrus Martha Goldberg Aronson and Daniel Aronson Martha and Bruce Atwater Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Nancy and Chuck Berg Rusty and Burt Cohen Susan and Richard Crockett David and Vanessa Dayton

Mary Lee Dayton Tom and Lori Foley Connie Fladeland and Steve Fox Mr. and Mrs. William Frels Denver and Nicole Gilliand Alfred and Ingrid Lenz Harrison Bill and Hella Mears Hueg Robert & Susan Josselson Ilo and Peggy Leppik Lynne Looney Mr. and Mrs. Donald Lucker Ted and Roberta Mann Foundation Julia and Brian Palmer Bill and Barbara Pearce Jose Peris and Diana Gulden Jodi D. Peterson Chris and Mark Schwarzmann Fred and Gloria Sewell Peter and Bonnie Sipkins Kevin and Lynn Smith Mitchell and Kendall Stover Virginia L. and Edward C. Stringer Mr. and Mrs. James Swartz Catie Tobin and Brian Naas Charles Allen Ward Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Ellen M. Wells Anonymous (5)

Stuart and Ann Ackman Kim A. Anderson Kathy Welte and Lowell Anderson Satoru and Sheila Asato Alexandra O. Bjorklund Dr. Lee Borah, Jr. Margee and Will Bracken Christopher J. Burns Elwood and Florence Caldwell James and Gisela Corbett Stephen and Beth Cragle Thomas and Mary Lou Detwiler Mona and Patrick Dewane Sally J. Economon Rondi Erickson and Sandy Lewis Leslie and Alain Frecon Patricia R. Freeburg Bradley Fuller and Elizabeth Lincoln Christine and Jon Galloway Christine and W. Michael Garner Mr. and Mrs. R. James Gesell Lois and Larry Gibson Meg and Wayne Gisslen Mrs. Myrtle Grette Dorothy Horns and James Richardson Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Horowitz Tina and Ken Hughes Cynthia and Jay Ihlenfeld Dale A. Johnson Jacqueline Nolte Jones

Stan and Jeanne Kagin Michael F. and Gretchen G. Kelly and the Kelly Family Foundation Lyndel and Blaine King Helen L. Kuehn Constance and Daniel Kunin Debra and James Lakin John Warren Lassila Robert L. Lee and Mary E. Schaffner Lynn Levinson Benjamin Y. H. and Helen C. Liu David MacMillan and Judy Krow Mary Bigelow McMillan Elizabeth Musser Trust – Fir Tree Fund Nancy and Richard Nicholson Ruth and Ahmad Orandi Marge and Dwight Peterson Mr. and Mrs. William Phillips The Redleaf Family Foundation Mary and Paul Reyelts Nina and Ken Rothchild Kay Savik and Joe Tashjian Lynda and Frank Sharbrough Stanislaw and Krystyna Skrowaczewski Bruce and Julie Jackley Steiner Tanrydoon Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation William Voedisch and Laurie Carlson Nancy and Ted Weyerhaeuser

Sue A. Bennett Mrs. Paul G. Boening Judith and Arnold Brier Conley Brooks Family Joan and George Carlson Barb and Jeff Couture Mrs. Thomas M. Crosby, Sr. Jeff and Wendy Wenger Dankey Fran Davis Ruth and Bruce Dayton

Judson Dayton Claire and Jack Dempsey Margaret Diablasio William and Janice Dircks Joan Duddingston Joyce and Hugh Edmondson Susan Engel and Arthur Eisenberg Ann Fankhanel Ester and John Fesler Rihab and Roger FitzGerald

Salvatore Silvestri Franco Terence Fruth and Mary McEvoy Family Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Heidi and Howard Gilbert Stanley and Luella Goldberg Amy R. and Philip S. Goldman Foundation Michael and Elizabeth Gorman Mr. and Mrs. William Grandy

Silver $2,500–$4,999

Artist Circle $1,000–$2,499 Anonymous Paula Anderson and Sheila Bray Genevive Antonello Nina and John Archabal August J. Aquila and Emily Haliziw Mr. and Mrs. Edmund P. Babcock Ruth and Dale Bachman Ann and Thomas Bagnoli Maria and Kent Bales

THE MINNESOTA OPERA

Annual Fund

INDIVIDUAL GIVING

Artist Circle (continued) Bruce and Jean Grussing Hackensack Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Ruth E. Hanold Don Helgeson and Sue Shepard Rosmarie and John Helling Sharon and Cliff Hill Diane Hoey John and Jean McGough Holten Margaret and Andrew Houlton Ekdahl Hutchinson Family Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Teresa and Chuck Jakway James Jelinek and Marilyn Wall Markle Karlen Mr. Thomas A. Keller III E. Robert and Margaret V. Kinney Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Jolie and Steve Klapmeier Mr. and Mrs. William Kling

Gerard Knight Mrs. James S. Kochiras Robert Kriel and Linda Krach Mark and Elaine Landergan Sy and Ginny Levy Family Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Jerry and Joyce Lillquist Bill Long Dawn M. Loven Mahley Family Foundation Margery Martin Roy and Dorothy Mayeske Helen and Charles McCrossan Sheila McNally James and Judith Mellinger The Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation Velia R. Melrose William Messerli Jane and Joseph Micallef David and LaVonne Middleton

Anne W. Miller Moore Family Fund for the Arts Sandy and Bob Morris Elizabeth B. Myers Joan and Richard Newmark Rebecca and Bradley Nuss Mr. and Mrs. E. Gerald O’Brien Pat and Dan Panshin Allegra W. Parker Paula Patineau Suzanne and William Payne Mary and Robert Price Connie and Jim Pries Sara and Kevin Ramach Barbara Redmond George Reid John and Sandra Roe Foundation Thomas D. and Nancy J. Rohde Gordon and Margaret Rosine Leland T. Lynch and Terry Saario Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation

Sampson Family Charitable Foundation Patty and Barney Saunders Jim Scarpetta Janet and Dan Schalk James and Lynn Schell Dr. and Mrs. Richard J. Schindler The Harriet and Edson Spencer Foundation Leslie and Don Stiles Dana and Stephen Strand Robert and Barbara Struyk Susan and James Sullivan Michael Symeonides and Mary Pierce Carolyn and Andrew Thomas Lois and Lance Thorkelson Patricia Tilton Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle Mr. and Mrs. Philip Von Blon James and Sharon Weinel

Donna Block Fred and Carolyn Bogott Thomas and Joyce Bruckner Caulkins Family Foundation Arnold Chu and I-ming Shih Wanda and David Cline J.P. Collins Elisabeth Comeaux Bill and Kate Cullen Norma Danielson Mr. Steven A. Diede Joe Dowling and Siobahn Cleary Herbert and Betty Fantle Sheila and Roland Faricy Charles and Anne Ferrell Susanne Haas and Ross Formell Kris and Kristina Fredrick Jane Fuller David Gerdes David Gilberstadt Katherine and Robert Goodale, Jr. Robert Goodell and Renee Brown Kathy and Hazen Graves Marjorie and Joseph Grinnell Roger L. Hale and Nor Hall Gregory Hoehn John and Marna Holman Liesl and Todd Hyde

Diane and Paul Jacobson Mrs. Owen Jenkins Margaret K. and Philip Johnson Dr. and Mrs. Charles R. Jorgensen Chad and Penny Kastner Jane and Jim Kaufman Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Sid and Diane Levin Jonathan and Lisa Lewis Rebecca Lindholm Bruce and Susan Lueck Ruth W. Lyons Joanne MacNamara Donald and Rhoda Mains Tom and Marsha Mann Marian and Michael McCann Thomas and Joan Mears L. David Mech Charles and Victoria Mogilevsky Ann and John O’Leary Derrill M. Pankow Carroll and Barbara Rasch Dan and Kari Rasmus Dennis M. Ready Lawrence M. Redmond Red Wing Opera Study Group Joan K. Regal William and Sue Roberts

Ann M. Rock Liane A. and Richard G. Rosel Daniel Roth Fred Saleh Anne Salisbury David E. Sander Mahlon and Karen Schneider Paul L. Schroeder Mrs. Donald Sell Bill and Althea Sell Matthew Spanjers Daniel J. Spiegel Jon Y. Spoerri Roxanne Stouffer and Joseph Cruz Tempo Board Members Anthony Thein Greg Thompson Stephanie C. Van D’Elden Morgan Walsh David M. and Mary Ann Barrows Wark Barbara and Carl White Helen and J. Kimball Whitney Barbara and James Willis Mr. John W. Windhorst, Jr. Clark J. and Sharon L. Winslow

Patron Circle Gold $750–$999 Anonymous Gerald and Phyllis Benson Joann Cierniak Amos and Sue Deinard Jennifer Gross and Jerry LeFevre Stefan and Lonnie Helgeson Frederick J. Hey, Jr. Thomas Hunt and John Wheelihan Orpha McDiarmid Family Fund James and Andrea Rubenstein Dr. Leon and Alma Satran Warren Stortroen Frank and Frances Wilkinson Lani Willis and Joel Spoonheim James Wire

Silver $500–$749 Arlene Goodman Alm Jamie Andrews and Jane Kolp-Andrews Dr. and Mrs. Orn Arnar Jo and Gordon Bailey Family Fund of the Catholic Community Foundation James and Gail Bakkom Donald and Naren Bauer Barbara S. Belk Brian Benjamin

These lists are current as of August 1, 2008 and include donors who gave a gift of $500 or more to The Minnesota Opera since July 1, 2007. If your name is not listed appropriately, please accept our apologies and call Morgan Walsh, Individual Gifts Manager, at 612-342-9569.

The Minnesota Opera greatly appreciates our generous donors! We offer the following beneﬁts to our contributors: • Donor Appreciation Concert/ Donor Dress Rehearsal • Invitations to special events

• Complementary parking • Opera News Magazine • And much more

Please contact Morgan Walsh, Individual Gifts Manager, at 612-342-9569 or mwalsh@mnopera.org for information on donor levels and beneﬁts.

Thank you so much for your support – you make great opera possible!

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF BEING A DONOR

THE MINNESOTA OPERA

Annual Fund INDIVIDUAL GIVING

The Minnesota Opera thanks the following donors who, through their foresight and generosity, have included the Opera in their wills or estate plans. We invite you to join other opera-lovers by leaving a legacy gift to The Minnesota Opera. If you have already made such a provision, we encourage you to notify us that so we may appropriately recognize your generosity.

Estate AND Planned Gifts Anonymous (2) Valerie and Paul Ackerman Thomas O. Allen Mr. and Mrs. Rolf Andreassen Mary A. Andres Karen Bachman Mark and Pat Bauer Mrs. Harvey O. Beek (†) Barbara and Sandy Bemis (†) Joan and George Carlson Darlene J. and Richard P. Carroll Judy and Kenneth (†) Dayton Mrs. George Doty Rudolph Driscoll (†) Sally Economon

Ester and John Fesler Paul Froeschl Robert and Ellen Green Ieva Grundmanis (†) Norton M. Hintz Jean McGough Holten Charles Hudgins Dale and Pat Johnson Robert and Susan Josselson Mrs. Markle Karlen (†) Mary Keithahn Steve Keller Patty and Warren Kelly Margaret Kilroe Trust (†) Blaine and Lyndel King

Gretchen Klein (†) Bill and Sally Kling Gisela Knoblauch (†) Mr. and Mrs. James Krezowski Robert Kriel and Linda Krach Venetia and Robert Kudrle Robert Lawser, Jr. Jean Lemberg (†) Gerald and Joyce Lillquist David Mayo Barbara and Thomas McBurney Mary Bigelow McMillan Margaret L. and Walter S. (†) Meyers Susan Molder (†) Edith Mueller (†)

Scott Pakudiatis Sydney and William Phillips Mrs. Berneen Rudolph Mary Savina Frank and Lynda Sharbrough Andrew H. Stewart, Jr. Barbara and Robert Struyk James and Susan Sullivan Gregory C. Swinehart Stephanie Van D’Elden Mary Vaughan Dale and Sandra Wick

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For more information on possible gift arrangements, please contact Annual Fund Director Dawn Loven at 612-342-9567. Your attorney or ﬁnancial advisor can then help determine which methods are most appropriate for you.

(†) Deceased

THE MINNESOTA OPERA

Annual Fund

INSTITUTIONAL GIVING For information on making a corporate or foundation contribution to The Minnesota Opera, please contact Institutional Gifts Manager Beth Comeaux at 612-342-9566, or email her at bcomeaux@mnopera.org.

The Minnesota Opera gratefully acknowledges its major institutional supporters: $100,000+

$25,000 –$49,999

$50,000 –$99,999

$10,000 –$24,999

Minnesota Opera Sponsors Season Sponsor

Conductor Appearances

Meet the Artists Official Caterer

Resident Artist Program

FAF Advisors and U.S. Bank

SpencerStuart

Wildside Caterers

Wenger Foundation

Production Sponsors

Camerata Dinners

Opera Insights

Broadcast Partner

Il trovatore, FAF Advisors and U.S. Bank Faust, Ameriprise Financial The Adventures of Pinocchio, Target

Lowry Hill Private Asset Management

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation

Minnesota Public Radio

Gala Sponsors Target U.S. Bank

Production Innovation System General Mills

Corporations, Foundations and Government 3M Foundation Ameriprise Financial The Bush Foundation City of Saint Paul’s Cultural STAR Program FAF Advisors General Mills Foundation The MAHADH Fund of HRK Foundation The McKnight Foundation The Medtronic Foundation Minnesota State Arts Board National Endowment for the Arts OPERA America’s Opera Fund Target The Travelers Company, Inc. U.S. Bancorp Foundation U.S. Bank, Private Client Group UnitedHealth Group Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota

Platinum $10,000–$24,999 Allianz Life Insurance of North America Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation

Best Buy Children’s Foundation Cargill Foundation Deloitte Deluxe Corporation Foundation Dorsey & Whitney Foundation Ecolab Foundation Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Anna M. Heilmaier Charitable Foundation Lowry Hill Private Wealth Management RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation SpencerStuart Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation Twin Cities Opera Guild Valspar Foundation Wenger Foundation

Gold $5,000–$9,999 ADC Telecommunications Bemis Company Foundation Boss Foundation Cleveland Foundation Education Minnesota Foundation Faegre & Benson R. C. Lilly Foundation

Mayo Clinic MTS Corporation Onan Family Foundation Pentair Foundation PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi Rahr Foundation Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A. SUPERVALU Foundation on behalf of SUPERVALU Inc. Xcel Energy Foundation

Silver $2,500–$4,999 Dellwood Foundation Fredrikson & Byron Foundation Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation Hutter Family Foundation Alice M. O’Brien Foundation Peravid Foundation The Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation Margaret Rivers Fund Securian Foundation Sit Investment Foundation Tennant Foundation Thyme to Entertain

Bronze $1,000–$2,499 The ADS Group Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation Arts & Custom Publishing Co., Inc. Bailey Nurseries, Inc. Burdick-Craddick Family Foundation Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc. Hardenbergh Foundation Hogan & Hartson Leonard, Street & Deinard McVay Foundation Lawrence M. O’Shaughnessy Charitable Annuity Trust in honor of Lawrence M. O’Shaughnessy Peregrine Capital Management Rathmann Family Foundation The Regis Foundation The Southways Foundation Wells Fargo Insurance Services

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Sponsors $25,000+