TBD
LEADERS PURSUE
SUCCESS BY GIVING THEIR BEST
EVERY DAY.
FAF Advisors strives to be the best in the business. Performance is our currency – in everything we do. Proud Supporters of The Minnesota Opera
FAF Advisors, Inc., is a registered investment advisor and subsidiary of U.S. Bank National Association.
9/2007 0089-07
www.schubert.org
The Schubert Club
Been to any good recitals lately? Check out these upcoming Schubert Club concerts:
Joshua Bell, violin • Lang Lang, piano • Bryn Terfel, baritone Ordway Center, Saint Paul • Tickets 651-224-4222
Contents The Minnesota Opera Staff and Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Notes from the Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Romeo and Juliet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Background Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Charles-Franรงois Gounod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Coming Up: The Fortunes of King Croesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Out at the Opera Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Artists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2008-2009 Season Announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Education at the Opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Young Professionals Group Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Opera at the Ordway Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Minnesota Opera Annual Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
TBD
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.
January 2008
The Minnesota Opera Program
Corporate Administrator/Publisher Assoc. Publisher/Director of Production Account Executives Creative Designer Graphic Designers
Todd Hyde Marsha Kitchel Liesl Hyde, Amy Newton Stacy Harwood Sue Sentyrz Klapmeier, Robert Ochsner
Large-print and Braille programs are available at the Patron Services Office
| ROMEO AND JULIET
is published by
5
MINNESOTA OPERA
Staff
President & CEO Kevin Smith Artistic Director Dale Johnson Welcome to today’s production of Romeo and Juliet. 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 2007 – 2008 season. We are proud of our 20+ 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!
Rod Boren, Senior Vice President, Personal Trust Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group Jose Peris, Senior Vice President, Private Banking Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group
Artistic
Scenery
Artistic Administrator . . .Roxanne Stou∂er Cruz Artist Relations and Planning Director . . . . . Floyd Anderson Dramaturg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David Sander Principal Conductor-in-Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Wood Associate Conductor-in-Residence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew Altenbach Resident Artists . . . . . . . . . .Kyle Albertson, Alison Bates, John David Boehr, Andrea Coleman, Christin-Marie Hill, Christopher Job, Bryan Lemke, Jamison Livsey, Bill Murray, Christian Reinert RAP Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy Boler, Carlotta Dradi-Bower, Mary Dibbern, Barbara Kierig, Doug Schulz-Carlson Master Coach . . . . . . . . .Mary Jo Gothmann
Technical Director . . . . . Mike McQuiston Properties Master. . . . Stanley D. Hawthorne Properties Assistant . . . . . . . . . Mike Long Assistant Lighting Designer . . Sol Weisbard Lighting Coordinator . . . Charles D. Craun Production Carpenter . . . . . . . . . JC Amel Scene Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . . . Rod Aird Master Carpenter . . . . . . . . . .Steven Rovie Carpenters . . Nate Kuulenkamp, Eric Veldey, Paul Spevacek, Dan Zimmermann Charge Painter . . . . . . . . Kevin Noteboom
Administration
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 . . . . . . . . . .Vicki Fingalson Project Opera Music Director . . . Dale Kruse Project Opera Accompanist . . .Kathy Kraulik Education Intern . . . . . . . . . . . .Molly Sonstag
Vice President of Institutional Advancement . . . . . . . . . . .Patrick Dewane Institutional Advancement Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelly Clemens
Production Production Director. . . . . . . Kevin Ramach Production Stage Manager . . . . Alex Farino Assistant Stage Managers . . . .Casey Martin, Angie Spencer Production Admin Asst. . Katherine Cattrysse
Institutional Advancement
Development Annual Fund Director . . . . . . .Dawn Loven Grants Manager . . . . . . . . . . .Beth Comeaux Donor Events and Gala Manager . . . . . . . . . . .Emily Skoblik Individual Gifts Manager . . . . . .Morgan Walsh
Costumes
Marketing/Communications
Costume Shop Manager . . . .Erica M. Burds Assistant Costume Shop Manager . .Beth Sanders Drapers . . . . . . . . .Chris Bur, Yancey Thrift, Angela Yarbrough Costume Technicians . . . .Helen Ammann, Jennifer Dawson, Mary Farrell, Rose Ryan, Lindsey Strange Wig Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . .Molly Weinreb
Marketing and Communications Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lani Willis Marketing Operations Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marsha Walker Audience Development Associate . . Jamie Nieman Ticket O∑ce Manager . . . Katherine Castille Ticketing and Communications Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Schmidt Ticket O∑ce Assistants . . . .Kendra Ramthun, Kristen Bond, Alexandrea Kouame Marketing Intern . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sara Schweid
MINNESOTA OPERA
Volunteers
| THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org
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.
6
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
Directors
Artistic Director Welcome to Romeo and Juliet!
While it’s always a thrill to create a new production, that excitement is only heightened with the energy of a dream-team of hot young talent. It is a homecoming for several young artists, including tenor James Valenti (Roméo), baritone Kelly Markgraf (Mercutio) and mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala (Stéphano). This opera also marks some significant debuts, including Anoka native Ellie Dehn as Juliette and Christian Reinert, who will sing Roméo on Sunday opposite Alison Bates. Be sure to read more about them all online at www.mnopera.org.
FROM THE
BOARD OF
Director David Lefkowich has created a production that echoes the romance of the world’s most famous love story. Jennifer Caprio’s costumes evoke the drama’s Renaissance origins, the Elizabethan forms of Shakespeare’s time and are richly imaginative in a way that suggests the story’s timelessness. Erhard Rom’s sets suggest Italy’s past and present, but also create an emotional space that responds to the lush romanticism of Gounod’s music and reinforces Romeo and Juliet as everyone’s love story. I hope you enjoy the opera.
Dale Johnson, Artistic Director
President
Welcome to The Minnesota Opera’s first production of Romeo and Juliet since 1990. I’m pleased to have you here to share this performance. Although we are only halfway through the current season, we have just announced our 2008-2009 line-up (see page 21 for details). Many of you are subscribers to the Opera and will see your renewal notices very soon. Thank you for your continued commitment! Many of you are new to the opera, and if you enjoy this performance,
I encourage you to consider season tickets next season. It’s the only way you are guaranteed the best seats and the best prices, as some seating areas and packages sell out before the season opens. To learn more about subscribing next season, visit the subscription table in the lobby today, or visit www.mnopera.org anytime. Enjoy the performance.
Kevin Smith, President and CEO
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.
Officers Jane M. Confer, Chair Chip Emery, Vice Chair Debra Paterson, Secretary Denver Gilliand, Treasurer Kevin Smith, President & CEO Directors Martha Goldberg Aronson Wendy Bennett Charles E. Berg J. A. Blanchard III Shari Boehnen Susan S. Boren Kathleen Callahan Nicky B. Carpenter Richard P. Carroll Rachelle D. Chase Mary A. Dearing Sara Donaldson Steve Fox Sharon Hawkins Ruth S. Huss
Philip Isaacson Lucy Rosenberry Jones B. John Lindahl Diana E. Murphy Brian E. Palmer Jodi D. Peterson Mary Ingebrand Pohlad Stephanie J. Prem Elizabeth Redleaf Connie Remele Stephanie Simon Peter W. Sipkins Mitchell Stover Virginia Stringer 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 Norton M. Hintz Liz Kochiras Patricia H. Sheppard Legal Counsel James A. Rubenstein, Moss & Barnett
| ROMEO AND JULIET
FROM THE
Leadership
7
Northern Trust Banks are members FDIC. ©2008 Northern Trust Corporation.
THE ARTS ALLOW US TO DISCOVER WHO WE CAN BE Imagine the world without music and dance, or literature and art. Life is incomplete without ways to express ourselves, and to discover who we are and what we can be. That’s why Northern Trust proudly supports the arts in its many diverse forms. Northern Trust has been helping clients meet their financial needs for more than 118 years.
Tom Smith, President & CEO – Minnesota • 612-336-7020 1600 IDS Center • Minneapolis northerntrust.com
Des Moines Metro Opera ON STAGE MARCH 11 - MAY 18 Ordway Center Theater Season Blues in the Night Follow three remarkable women and one snake of a guy as they weave their stories of love and loss through the music of blues and jazz legends. McKnight Theatre THURS., MARCH 13, 8pm The Schubert Club International Artist Series Lang Lang, piano FRI., MARCH 14, 10:30am; MARCH 14 - 15, 8pm The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Boyd conducts Schumann and Debussy Douglas Boyd, conductor Steven Copes, violin MARCH 18 – MARCH 30 Ordway Center Theater Season The Drowsy Chaperone The 2006 Tony Award® winning musical that boldly bursts to life with laughter! APRIL 4 - 5, 8pm The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Dawn Upshaw Sings 20th Century Classics Reinbert de Leeuw, conductor Dawn Upshaw, soprano
36TH FESTIVAL SEASON June 20 - July 13, 2008 Indianola, Iowa
Verdi’s Blitzstein’s Donizetti ’s Season Subscriptions on sale now. Weekender packages available. 515-961-6221 or www.desmoinesmetroopera.org
APRIL 12, 15, 17, 19, 20 The Minnesota Opera Rusalka by Antonín Dvorák The Little Mermaid without the Disney ending. WED. APRIL 23, 8pm The Schubert Club International Artist Series Bryn Terfel, bass baritone APRIL 24, 26, 8pm The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Dawn Upshaw Sings Schubert Douglas Boyd, conductor Dawn Upshaw, soprano MAY 2 – MAY 18 Ordway Center Theater Season Cabaret Behind the doors of the notorious Kit Kat Klub, painted ladies (and painted gentlemen) sing and dance as though life were an endless party. FRI., MAY 23, 10:30am; MAY 23 - 24, 8pm The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Beethoven’s Triple Concerto Pierre-Laurent Aimard, conductor and piano Ruggero Allifranchini, violin Ronald Thomas, cello
ordway.org
TBD
Music by Charles-François Gounod Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after the play by William Shakespeare World premiere at the Théâtre Lyrique, Paris April 27, 1867 January 26, 29, 31, February 2 and 3, 2008 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts Sung in French with English translations Conductor ....................................................Ari Pelto* Associate Conductor-in-Residence ......Andrew Altenbach** Stage Director and Choreographer ............David Lefkowich Set Designer ..............................................Erhard Rom Costume Designer ..................................Jennifer Caprio Lighting Designer ....................................Steve TenEyck Wig Master and Makeup ................................Jason Allen Assistant Director ........................................Bill Murray Chorus Preparation..............................Andrew Altenbach Production Stage Manager......................Alexander Farino French Diction Coaches ........Mary Dibbern, Peter Robinson English Captions ......................................Dale Johnson
THE CAST Roméo, son of Montague ..........................James Valenti* Christian Reinert** Juliette, daughter of Capulet ..........................Ellie Dehn* Alison Bates** Frère Laurent ........................................Christopher Job Mercutio, friend to Roméo ......................Kelly Markgraf* John David Boehr** Stéphano, page to Roméo ........................Adriana Zabala Capulet ................................................Kyle Albertson Tybalt, nephew of Lady Capulet....................Brian Arreola Gertrude, nurse to Juliette ..................Christin-Marie Hill The Duke of Verona ......................................Kory Bickel Pâris, a young count ..................................Nathan Brian Grégorio, servant to Capulet ....................Roy Kallemeyn Benvolio, nephew of Montague ....................Ben Johnson Male and female retainers and kinsfolk of the House of Capulet and the House of Montague, party guests, residents of Verona *
performs January 26, 29, 31, February 2 ** performs February 3
| THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org
The scenic and costume designs for this production are made possible with the support of the Dolly Fiterman Fund for Opera Design.
10
BACKGROUND
Notes
by David Sander
T
hough Faust would become Charles Gounod’s most enduring work, Roméo et Juliette was his only uncontested triumph during the composer’s lifetime. Gounod became acquainted with the Italian version, Giulietta e Romeo, at the Villa Medici during his Prix de Rome stay in Florence as well as the symphonic poem by Hector Berlioz (which he had seen as young man) and had the story in the back of his mind for many years. When the offer came from Léon Carvalho, the Théâtre Lyrique’s impresario, for an opera to be included as part of the 1867 Exposition Universelle, the composer knew the competition would be stiff. The Paris Opéra had engaged Giuseppe Verdi to write Don Carlos and Jacques Offenbach’s Bouffes-Parisiens could be counted on
Romeo and Juliet is sponsored by
The appearances of James Valenti, winner; Ellie Dehn, grand finalist; Alison Bates and John David Boehr, regional finalists; and Kyle Albertson, Kory Bickel, John David Boehr and Christopher Job, district finalists 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 Kyle Albertson, Alison Bates, John David Boehr, Christin-Marie Hill, Christopher Job and Christian Reinert are made possible by the Virginia L. Stringer Endowment Fund for The Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program. Performances of Romeo and Juliet 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 2007–2008 season conductors are underwritten by SpencerStuart. Opera Insights is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Camerata Dinners are sponsored by Lowry Hill Private Asset Management.
for a hit – and the resulting La GrandeDuchesse de Gérolstein didn’t fail to please. Fortunately, the indefatigable librettist team of Jules Barbier and Michel Carré would once again work their magic [they had also written the words for Faust (1859) and would do so again for Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet (1868) and Jacques Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann (1881), among others]. The two collaborators had an excellent resource at their disposal. By the 18th century, William Shakespeare’s dramas had made it to the continent but often were presented in poor translations and in altered form. Jean-François Ducis created French variations of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet that barely resembled their predecessors (imagine the former with no ghost, gravediggers and fencing, the latter with no dueling and balcony scene, or Othello without Iago) and that tradition continued until the early 19th century when Alfred de Vigny tried to clean things up a bit. Dating from 1839, Berlioz’s dramatic symphony presented a somewhat abstract version of the Bard’s epic love story (based on another bastardization created by 18th-century English actor-impresario David Garrick, which he saw in 1827), and though François-Victor Hugo finally created a faithful translation of the play only a few years before Gounod’s opera premiered, it’s not absolutely certain the librettists bothered to use it. In addition to the economization of a lengthy and complex play into a musical drama, Barbier and Carré had to conform to the operatic requirements of the day. Audiences would have expected a big and splashy opening, so Shakespeare’s first four scenes that set up the family feud [the brawling in scene one, Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline (scenes two and four) and Juliet’s impending wedding (scene three)] are all rolled into a fancy ball at the Capulet palace. Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech found its way into a ballade and Juliet’s indifference to marriage became the sparkling waltz aria “Je veux vivre.” Other small changes in Act I included the exact manner the couple discovers each other’s family roots (Juliette from Tybalt and Roméo from Juliette), the timing of Tybalt’s discovery of Roméo’s identity (at the end rather
Act I – The Capulet Ball
Act II – Juliette’s Garden
Act III – Frère Laurent’s Cell
Act IV – Juliette’s Bedroom
Act V – The Capulet Tomb Set Design by Erhard Rom
Notes
than the beginning of the scene) and the omission of Capulet subduing his nephew’s subsequent rage (a traditional cut). French taste dictated the inclusion of a musico pants role (much like Siébel in Faust and Thibault in Don Carlos) to depict the young page Stéphano, a character not found in Shakespeare. In Act II, we are introduced to him by way of a stage direction as he helps hoist Roméo into the Capulet garden (this does not occur in the original play) and by Act III he sings a chanson of double-entendres, irritating his Capulet enemies. Act II also includes a short exchange between Grégorio and Gertrude during which he suspects Montagues have infiltrated the Capulet grounds. Both of these encounters echo the street violence Shakespeare employs at the beginning of his play, and the resulting duels of Act III segue neatly out of Stéphano’s insolence. Before we get to the climactic peak of the five-act drama, there has to be a wedding. Once again, the librettists pandered to their bourgeois audience by conflating two scenes from the play (2.3; 2.6) and expanding them into an extended wedding ceremony, something we don’t get to see in Shakespeare. Juxtaposed with this happy moment, the second scene of Act III ends in brutality with the onstage deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio (again, according to the stage directions – in the play Mercutio dies offstage). The scene ends with the duke personally banishing Roméo (Shakespeare has the impulsive young man run off before the crowd assembles). There is no impassioned rebuke from Lady Capulet, who along with her mortal enemies, the elder Montagues, is completely absent from the opera. Act IV is an abbreviation of several more scenes. Of course, the librettists had to include the famous lark/nightingale wedding night/morning scene. Tybalt’s dying wish to be avenged, as we learn in Act IV from Capulet (also not in the play), is for Juliette to marry Pâris, thus setting into motion the sudden and impending wedding (sadly, we miss Shakespeare’s constantly chattering Nurse’s reckless advice for her to go ahead and have two husbands) – in Shakespeare’s drama, the union is only intended to assuage Juliet’s grief. Frère Laurent’s quick fix gets us to ® BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
| ROMEO AND JULIET
BACKGROUND
11
BACKGROUND
Notes
| THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org
BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
12
source, a segment from Masuccio Salernitano’s 15th-century the “potion aria” (“Amour ranime mon courage”), one of the most dramatic moments of the entire opera. Yet it was Il novellino. In da Porto’s version, the setting is changed from omitted for many years – the first Juliette, Madame Marie Siena to Verona and the lovers are aristocrats. The families, Caroline Miolan Carvalho, found the piece too difficult, and the Montecchi and the Capelletti, representatives of the being the impresario’s wife, demanded quite late in the real-life perpetually hostile Guelphs (loyal to the Pope) and rehearsal process a more colorful ariette, “Je veux vivre,” to Ghibellines (loyal to the Holy Roman Emperor), are first showcase her own special talents. Rather than “dying” in named. The next incarnation, by Matteo Bandello, made its her sleep, Gounod’s Juliette has a far more public collapse way to France in the 1540s. His Romeo e Giulietta has a on her way to the altar, yet one more grand spectacle in didactic bent, advising young people to “tame passions led by the piece expected by the Parisians. (An obligatory ballet furious desires.” (In a fortunate improvement, Giulietta dies was inserted near this point for the fourth version of of a broken heart rather than by simply holding her breath.) Roméo et Juliette, presented at the Paris Opéra in 1888.) A French version of Bandello was fleshed out by Pierre The act concludes with a brief exchange (frequently Boaistuau and translated into English by William Painter as omitted) between the frères concerning part of The Palace of Pleasure. In the delivery of Laurent’s letter to addition to several small changes, Roméo. Rather than being detained including Juliette’s expiration by way by the plague as in the play, Frère of Roméo’s dagger, Boaistuau Jean reports that the communiqué introduced the modification of the was entrusted to Stéphano, who was final scene with Roméo and Juliette’s set upon by angry Capulets, thus ill-timed suicides. This innovation failing him of his charge. Barbier and was then passed on to Shakespeare via Carré chose to eliminate Balthasar Arthur Brooke’s poem The Tragicall (Stéphano’s Shakespearian inspiration) Historye of Romeus and Juliet, his and his Mantuan mission to inform principal source. Romeo of Juliet’s reported death. Brooke stressed the ever The dark scene with the creepy predictable Wheel of Fortune in apothecary, where Romeo buys his his relatively static verse. Though poison, is gone and also omitted is Shakespeare preserved much of the much of the play’s final tableau: poet’s structure, he did make several Romeo’s duel with Paris (whom important changes, in most ways we haven’t seen since the opera’s improving upon the narrative. His Act 3.2, a moment in which he intent was to fashion a tragedy of doesn’t appear in the play); Lawrence’s circumstances (though some say presence at, then fearful exit from those events occur in an implausible the burial crypt; his owning up to succession) with fate as a menacing Romeo and Juliet (final scene) by William Hatherell agent. Time becomes a critical factor everything after having been caught; © Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery and the Prince’s final pronouncement – Shakespeare condensed Brooke’s courtesy of The Bridgeman Art Library at the end of the drama. Gounod’s several month affair to a mere four Act v is devoted exclusively to the two lovers – in line with or five days in the sultriness of Verona in mid-July. the public’s expectations, Juliette revives before Roméo Everything is in a rush as urgency becomes the norm – expires and they share a final tender duet. Suicide being a evenings and mornings meld, there are frequent mortal sin in the eyes of the opera’s mostly Catholic audience, interruptions and no one gets any rest until it becomes their last words are for God’s forgiveness and the orchestra’s eternal – the drama is compressed into a very passionate celestial harp in the concluding bars seems to imply the two and memorable one-night stand. lovers’ souls are together, reunited in a better place. Within this highly tense climate, Romeo and Juliet Gounod’s finale runs contrary to Shakespeare’s, which consistently make the wrong choices whenever faced with a included a further dash of irony in his story of “star-crossed difficult challenge. Romeo could listen to Lawrence’s advice love” when Juliet awakens to find Romeo already dead. As early in the drama – with Cassandra-like foreshadowing, he we have seen, the composer was familiar with the Italian roots warns him of love’s dangers – but the young man follows his of the story, which had been set to music many times, most heart, and a union between the two lovers is hastily made. famously as Vincenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti ed i Montecchi and When confronted with the death of his friend, he could wait works by Niccolò Zingarelli and Nicola Vaccai, all of which for the law to mete its punishment, but instead chooses to employ Gounod’s ending. As it turns out, both play and opera finish Tybalt off. This slaying marks a turning point from share that common Italian literary ancestor in Luigi da Porto’s which there is no going back – Capulet and Montague, both Giulietta e Romeo, which was adapted from a slightly earlier getting older, saw the potential for peace, seconded by ® BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
Synopsis A chorus laments the ongoing feud between the houses of Capulet and Montague. ACT I
In the grand hall of the Capulet palace, party guests assemble for Juliette’s debut as her cousin Tybalt and her suitor Pâris praise her beauty. Capulet presents his daughter to everyone’s delight. The crowd includes a disguised Roméo, Mercutio, Benvolio and others associated with the Montagues. Mercutio chides his friend’s melancholy, for Roméo’s romantic pursuit of the fair Rosaline has yielded nothing – she is not at the party. Meanwhile, Juliette’s nurse Gertrude is excited about her charge’s potential marriage, but the young girl will have none of it, preferring a carefree life. The lovelorn Roméo spots Juliette, and not knowing she is a Capulet, immediately falls in love. She returns his affection, but their short-lived bliss is interrupted when it is revealed that the new lovers belong to rival houses. Tybalt has recognized Roméo and promises to avenge this affront to the Capulets’ honor. ACT II
The page Stéphano assists Roméo in scaling a wall outside Juliette’s rooms, where Roméo and Juliette soon share a tender moment. Grégorio and other Capulets are heard in the distance, looking for the disruptive Montagues, and Roméo hides in the darkness of the garden. After speaking with Grégorio about the intrusion, Gertrude encourages Juliette to go to bed, but the young girl tarries outside, where the two lovers are soon reunited. Juliette suggests they marry the very next day and Roméo heartily accepts her offer. – INTERMISSION –
ACT III
In the cell of Frère Laurent, the monk celebrates the couple’s union while Gertrude serves as a witness. Elsewhere in Verona, Stéphano taunts the Capulets with a song. Mercutio defends the young boy from Grégorio’s blade, but is soon drawn into a disagreement with Tybalt. When a freshly-married Roméo happens upon the scene, Tybalt turns his attention to his enemy, but Roméo merely embraces him as kin. Mercutio draws Tybalt into a duel, and in the ensuing melee, is mortally wounded. Now enraged over the death of his friend, Roméo slays Tybalt and is banished from Verona as a result. – INTERMISSION – ACT IV
As day breaks, the two lovers awaken after a night of passion. Juliette pardons Roméo for the murder of her cousin, and the two languish in bed, refusing to greet the day. But Roméo must leave, and moments after his departure, Gertrude enters, followed by Capulet and Frère Laurent. Angered by recent events, Juliette’s father demands she marry Pâris immediately. Left alone with Laurent, she tearfully comes to terms with her situation, and the monk offers a cure to end her woes – a special potion that will simulate death. Once placed in the family crypt, she will revive in Roméo’s waiting arms. ACT V
Having missed a letter revealing Laurent’s plan, Roméo has heard of Juliette’s “death,” and now inside the family vault, laments over her lifeless body. Wishing to join her in eternity, he empties a phial of poison, but as the toxin takes effect, Juliette begins to wake. The lovers share a final moment before Juliette stabs herself with a dagger, and they die in each other’s arms. Costume Design by Jennifer Caprio
| ROMEO AND JULIET
PROLOGUE
13
CHARLES-FRANÇOIS
Gounod
b Paris, June 17, 1818; d St. Cloud (France), October 18, 1893
GOUNOD CONTINUED ON PAGE 27
| ROMEO AND JULIET
C
regicide). Gounod’s harles-François fate at the Opéra was Gounod emerged placed in limbo. as one of the Meanwhile, Léon leading figures in Carvalho, new director French music during of the Théâtre the latter part of the Lyrique, courted the 19th century. composer with the Although the prospect of producing composer never Faust. It was soon achieved the titanic discovered another stature of Wagner or theater, the Théâtre de Verdi, Gounod’s la Porte-St-Martin, opera Faust once CHARLES GOUNOD rivaled in popularity by Charles Emile Carolus-Duran had planned an Réunion des Musées Nationaux / extravagant spectacle some of their most Art Resource, NY based on the Goethe successful works. play, and Gounod’s Faust had to be The young composer showed put on hold. The impresario tried to early artistic talent, but his parents appease the composer with a comic were determined that he study law. libretto, Le médecin malgré lui, based Gounod’s preference for music eventually won, and at the age of 16, on text by Molière. Although the libretto was beyond the rebellious teen began the official reproach and the music critically path of a typical 19th-century well-received, Le médecin again did not composer in France. prove successful. In the meantime, At the Paris Conservatoire, the St. Martin theater had postponed Gounod studied with Halévy, Le Sueur and Reicha. Winning the Prix its production of Faust, and Carvalho gave Gounod the go-ahead to de Rome in 1839, he embarked complete his opera. Its resounding upon a two-year study in Italy, success in France and all over Europe during which the composer first elevated Gounod to a composer of became familiar with the Faust and international acclaim. Romeo legends. Over the next few years, Gounod Returning to France, Gounod produced four more operas: Philémon et quickly obtained a position in a Baucis, a mythological comedy mission church but was fortunate to (that tried to capitalize on Jacques befriend an influential soprano, Offenbach’s hugely successful Orphée Pauline Viardot, who maneuvered a aux enfers); La colombe, an opéra comique commission for him from the Paris about an impoverished nobleman’s Opéra: Sapho. Set to a libretto by Émile Augier, it was a succès d’estime – attempts to win the heart of a wealthy but not a huge box-office draw. Sapho countess; La reine de Saba, another commission from the Opéra based on was dropped after six performances. Still, a debut at Paris’ leading opera the biblical tale of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba; and Mireille, a love house gave the composer a certain story set in southern France. None of cachet, and Gounod was offered these works ever achieved the special subsequent commissions from the appeal of Faust, although Mireille Opéra, La nonne sanglante and Ivan le terrible. Unfortunately, the composer’s became a staple of the OpéraComique’s repertory for many years. second opera was only marginally more successful than the first, and the The composer’s life began to unravel – his unsteady career was plagued by Ivan project was canceled after an claims of Wagnerism by the French attempt had been made on French press as a result of his association with Emperor Louis-Napoleon’s life (the the German composer. A nervous ® libretto contained a similar plot of
15
THE
Artists
For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org Kyle Albertson
Brian Arreola
Capulet Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently The Italian Girl in Algiers; A Masked Ball; The Marriage of Figaro; Lakmé; The Tales of Hoffmann; La donna del lago, The Minnesota Opera Il matrimonio segreto, Merola Opera Program Nixon in China; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Le nozze di Figaro; Finding Yolanda, Chicago Opera Theater Carmen; Giasone; The Cunning Little Vixen; Rigoletto, Aspen Opera Theater Center
Tybalt Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Artist La bohème; Rigoletto; Too Many Sopranos; Manon; Roméo et Juliette, Indiana University Opera and Ballet Theater The Magic Flute, Opera Twin Cities Upcoming Les contes d’Hoffmann; Troilus and Cresida (cover), Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Alison Bates
Kory Bickel
Juliette Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Gianni Schicchi; The Gondoliers; Tosca, Chautauqua Opera Italian Girl; Lakmé; Tales of Hoffmann; La donna del lago; Don Giovanni; Elephant Man, Minnesota Opera A View from the Bridge; Abduction from the Seraglio; Little Women; Giulio Cesare, Indiana University Opera Theater Symphony No. 2; Israel in Egypt, Columbus Indiana Phil. Gianni Schicchi, MasterWorks Festival (Young Artist) Upcoming Rusalka, The Minnesota Opera
Duke of Verona Minnesota Opera Debut The Tales of Hoffmann, 2006 Recently The Magic Flute; Don Pasquale; The Barber of Seville, Utah Symphony & Opera Gloriana; Roméo et Juliette, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Hansel and Gretel, Des Moines Metro Opera Roméo et Juliette; La Cenerentola; Il turco in Italia; Don Pasquale; Don Giovanni, Indiana University Opera Theater Elijah; Corps of Discovery; Die Fledermaus; Così fan tutte, University of Missouri – Columbia
John David Boehr
Nathan Brian
Mercutio Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently Trinity, Santa Fe Opera L’Ormindo, Pittsburgh Opera Center Tosca; Don Pasquale; La Cenerentola, Palm Beach Opera Die Zauberflöte; Barnum’s Bird; L’elisir d’amore; Così fan tutte, Baylor Opera Theater Don Giovanni, Tanglewood Music Festival Upcoming The Fortunes of King Croesus; Rusalka, The Minnesota Opera
Pâris Minnesota Opera Debut A Masked Ball, 2007 Recently La bohème, Theater Latté Da Madama Butterfly; Halka, Sarasota Opera Trouble in Tahiti; Candide; Diaries of Adam and Eve; Die Zauberflöte; La Cenerentola, Pine Mountain Opera Jackie O; Tartuffe, University of Michigan Thaïs; The Merry Wives of Windsor, Utah Lyric Opera
| THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org
TBD
16
For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org
THE
Ellie Dehn
Artists
Christin-Marie Hill
Juliette Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Faust, Met-in-the-Parks; Don Giovanni, Opera Pacific The Rake’s Progress, Teatro Comunale di Bologna Messiah, Cleveland Orchestra Upcoming Troilus and Cressida, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Der Freischütz, Le Grand Théâtre de Genève Satyagraha, Metropolitan Opera Don Giovanni, Ravinia Festival Das Rheingold; Die Walküre, Los Angeles Opera
Gertrude Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently A Masked Ball, The Minnesota Opera A Whitman Tryptich, Tanglewood Festival Dido and Aeneas, Mark Morris Dance Co.; Kansas Opera Thtr. Samson et Dalila (excerpts), Merola Opera Theater La Cenerentola; Roméo et Juliette, Lyric Opera of Kansas City The Crucible, Des Moines Metro Opera Upcoming Les Troyens, Boston Symphony; Rusalka, Minn. Opera Mahagonny, Tanglewood Festival
Christopher Job
Ben Johnson
Frère Laurent Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently A Masked Ball, The Minnesota Opera Orfeo ed Euridice; Orphée, Glimmerglass Opera Aida; Don Giovanni, Opera Fort Collins Die Zauberflöte; Carmen; The Abduction from the Seraglio, La curandera; Bastien und Bastienne, Opera Colorado Faust; L’incoronazione di Poppea, Int’l Inst. of Vocal Arts Madame Butterfly; The Crucible; The Music Man, Chautauqua Upcoming The Fortunes of King Croesus, The Minnesota Opera
Benvolio Minnesota Opera Debut Otello, 1999 Recently Les Miserables, Chanhassen Theatres The Grapes of Wrath; Orazi e Curiazi; Passion (roles); Lakmé; La donna del lago; The Tales of Hoffmann; Don Giovanni; Tosca; The Elephant Man; Nixon in China; Maria Padilla (ensemble), The Minnesota Opera Messiah, Salem Covenant West Side Story; Into the Woods, Bay View Festival
Roy Kallemeyn
Kelly Markgraf
Grégorio Minnesota Opera Debut Aida, 1998 Recently Carmen; Tosca, Minnesota Orchestra La bohème, Western Plains Opera Bastien und Bastienne, Twin Cities Chamber Orchestra La bohème, Theater Latté Da Iolanthe; Chocolate Soldier; Merry Widow, North Star Opera Lakmé; The Grapes of Wrath; The Tales of Hoffmann; Don Carlos; The Barber of Seville; The Capulets and the Montagues; Turandot; Der Rosenkavalier (ensemble), Minnesota Opera
Mercutio Minnesota Opera Debut La donna del lago, 2006 Recently The Tales of Hoffmann; The Grapes of Wrath; Lakmé; The Marriage of Figaro, The Minnesota Opera Street Scene, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Carmen; Barbiere; Madama Butterfly, Pensacola Opera Die Fledermaus, Rimrock Opera Santa Fe Apprentice Artist; Des Moines Metro Apprentice Upcoming The Grapes of Wrath, Pittsburgh Opera
Life’s great questions (#23):
How much is enough?
We give our clients understanding and confidence around their financial life that most have said they have never experienced before.
A leader in client satisfaction
43 Main Street SE, Suite 236 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
Toll-free: 1.877.383.2867 Phone: 612.378.7560 Fax: 612.379.4895 Website: www.VectorWealth.com
If you are considering a change from your current financial professional, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you.
| ROMEO AND JULIET
An independent survey found that 94 percent of our clients are highly satisfied and would recommend us to others. We are recognized by Bloomberg/Wealth Management Magazine as one of the top wealth managers in the U.S.
17
THE
Artists
For more biographical information about these artists, visit our website at www.mnopera.org Christian Reinert
James Valenti
Roméo Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Recently A Masked Ball, The Minnesota Opera The Greater Good; Jenufa, Glimmerglass Opera Madama Butterfly; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Béatrice et Bénédict; Die Zauberflöte, Manhattan School of Music La bohème, American Opera and Musical Company La bohème, Italian Inst. of Vocal Arts; Baltimore Opera Tosca, Baltimore Op.; La bohème; Fedora, Palm Beach Op. Upcoming The Fortunes of King Croesus, The Minnesota Opera
Roméo Minnesota Opera Debut Turandot, 2000 Recently Madama Butterfly, San Francisco Opera; Opéra de Marseille La bohème, Dresden Semperoper; La traviata, La Monnaie (Brussels); Hamburg Staatsoper; Canadian Opera Co. (Toronto); Seoul, Korea; Faust, Teatro Verdi (Trieste) Upcoming La bohème, Teatro alla Scala; Dallas Opera; Florida Grand La traviata, Deutsche Oper Berlin; ROH – Covent Garden Madame Butterfly, NYC Opera; Manon, Opera Carolina
Adriana Zabala
Andrew Altenbach
Stéphano Minnesota Opera Debut Der Rosenkavalier, 2000 Recently Waiting for the Barbarians (Glass), Austin Lyric Opera Carmen, Opera Pacific; Tartuffe, Lake George Opera Merry Widow, Syracuse Opera; Carmen, Wildwood Fest. The Tales of Hoffmann, The Minnesota Opera La Cenerentola, Opera Carolina; Arizona Opera Upcoming Il barbiere di Siviglia, Opera Carolina Pinocchio, The Minnesota Opera
Associate Conductor-in-Residence Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Così fan tutte; La tragédie de Carmen, Opera on the James guest conductor – Brevard Music Fest.; Milwaukee Opera Theatre; Indiana Univ. Opera Theatre; Bloomington Symph.; North Shore Chamber Orchestra; College Light Opera Co. associate conductor – San Francisco Opera – Merola; Music Acad. of the West; Evanston Symph.; Int’l Inst. of Vocal Arts music director – Bach Chamber Players of St. Paul Upcoming music staff – Santa Fe Opera
Jennifer Caprio
David Lefkowich
Costume Designer Minnesota Opera Debut Recently Spelling Bee, Broadway; Chicago; San Fran.; Boston Masked, dr2; Striking 12, Daryl Roth; Serendib (EST), The Atheist, Center Stages; Hardball NYSPF; The Blowin’ of Baile Galle, Irish Arts Ctr; Girl’s Room, QTIP; (New York) The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, Edinburgh Fringe Utah Shakespearean Fest.; Williamstown Theater Fest.; GEVA Theater Center; North Shore Music Theater; Hangar Theater; Cleveland Playhouse; Weston Playhouse; Barrington Stage Co; Millbrook Playhouse, (Regional)
Stage Director and Choreographer Minnesota Opera Debut Recently La bohème, Florida Grand; Roméo et Juliette, Virginia Opera Le portrait de Manon, Glimmerglass Opera; Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona) Die Zauberflöte; Aida, Metropolitan Opera (AD) La fanciulla del West; Lucia di Lammermoor, New York City Opera (fight director) La fanciulla del West, Glimmerglass Opera (AD) Miss Lonelyhearts, Juilliard Opera Center (fight director) Appomattox, San Francisco Opera (fight director)
| THE MINNESOTA OPERA www.mnopera.org
TBD
18