Opera Australia 2014 Brochure Melbourne by Opera Australia

melbourne season 2014 Curves, Colour and Coloratura

A rare Rossini sails into Melbourne Lock up your Daughters

A new Rigoletto premieres in Melbourne

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

Wild, unpredictable and a little bit dangerous

Bizetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Carmen will never be tamed

Welcome to Opera Australia 2014 At the heart of everything we do is you, our audience, and from the program you will find in this brochure, our intention to play to as many people as possible in as many places as possible is evident.

This diverse programming is balanced by the core operatic repertoire we continue to present with the finest artists, both Australian and international, to our loyal audiences at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Some of the operas we are presenting will be performed in diverse locations and different performing situations, such as our new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute on the beach at Greenmount in South East Queensland.

Opera is an art form of extreme emotions, exceptional artists and life-changing experiences and everyone at Opera Australia is committed to ensuring that as many Australians and visitors as possible have the opportunity to enjoy these unique experiences wherever Opera Australia is playing.

Other performances you will be able to enjoy in regional and remote towns throughout Australia and, of course, there is our extraordinary Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour; in 2014 it will be Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

We believe opera is for everyone.

Please join us. I look forward very much to your company.

Lyndon Terracini Artistic Director Opera Australia

A few good reasons to subscribe When you book three or more operas you get lots of added extras, including priority booking, free exchanges, insider invitations, a 10% discount on all tickets and the chance to win a brand new Mazda6 2.5L Petrol Touring Sedan.

So we’re playing to more people in more places. Introducing more people to soaring melodies and almost athletic vocal abilities; to intricate costumes and unexpected locations. If you’ve seen a thousand operas, you’ll know there’s always something new to discover. This season there are new productions, new collaborations, singers making debuts and even an opera that’s never been performed on our stage. And if you’ve never been to the opera, this is the time to start. This season includes many of the world’s most popular operas and there is lots of useful information online to get you prepped and ready to go. 2014 is about showcasing the timeless beauty of opera. So whether you’ve seen one, or a thousand, let’s make 2014 a celebration of this incredible art form and share it with the world

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Melbourne 2014

Jun Nov

Apr

Discover the new and rediscover the classics. From Verdi to Vespas, this season has got something for everyone.

Carmen Bizet

Don Pasquale Donizetti

May 14–May 25 The ultimate femme fatale is back to stamp her feet, toss her hair and dance. Will she love Don José? Maybe. Will you fall for her sultry Habanera? Definitely.

Rigoletto Verdi

November 19–December 12 Four characters, four spectacular voices, and a fast-moving plot: this new production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale is as fresh and zingy as a lemon gelato.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I

April 12–May 10 Verdi’s dark tale glitters with passion and suspense in this glamorous new production opening in Melbourne. Tell your jokes, lock up your daughter and trust nobody.

Tosca Puccini

June 13–August 17 Dance, swirl, laugh and cry when Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I waltzes into the Princess Theatre.

November 12–December 13 John Bell captures the eternal truth in Puccini’s riveting love triangle.

The Turk in Italy Rossini

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour – Madama Butterfly Puccini

Mar

Dec

May 1–May 13 Rossini in Bikinis – Simon Phillips’ says this new production of The Turk in Italy will be “just about as much fun as you can have in an opera house”.

March 21–April 11 Plan a trip to Sydney for this memorable outdoor event. When you hear Cio-Cio-San and Pinkerton’s exquisite love duet, we dare you to remain unmoved, especially when it takes place against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Victoria Schools Tour

Eugene Onegin Tchaikovsky

May

April 16–May 9 Eugene Onegin is the journey from what could be to what might have been. In between lies the tragedy. “If I can’t make the audience cry, if I can’t make the audience be in love again, then I’ve somehow failed.” Kasper Holten

Oz Opera Cinderella launches on Friday 9 May and will tour all over Victoria until 21 September.

Oz Opera After more than 30 performances in regional towns across Victoria, NSW, ACT and Tasmania, the Oz Opera Regional tour of The Magic Flute ends.

Sep

Falstaff Verdi December 1–December 11 Here comes Sir John, wide of girth, broad of humour and bold in his desires. See this ruddynosed knight in all his grubby magnificence, ready to revel in Verdi’s glorious score.

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new production

The fires are burning merrily in the Duke’s palace as beautiful people at magnificent candlelit dinners party on into the night. Meanwhile, in the streets of Mantua, shadows tread softly. Words pass between hooded figures, their meaning drowned out by the sounds of drunken revelry. Are they whispering sweet nothings, or bitter secrets? Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference in the gloom. Verdi’s dark tale glitters with passion and suspense in this glamorous new production. Tell your jokes, lock up your daughter and trust nobody.

Verdi The moment he wrote it, Verdi knew he had a hit on his hands. So much so that for the first performance of Rigoletto he rehearsed the Duke’s famous aria, ‘La donna è mobile’, in secret to avoid giving away what was to prove one of the catchiest tunes in opera.

‘La donna è mobile’ is just one of many fabulous arias in Rigoletto and to serve it well requires exceptional singers. Verdi is about voice, voice and more voice and Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini is detemined to let Australian audiences hear the finest on the world stage.

The cast for this new production of Rigoletto is gathering from around the world. As the swaggering Duke, Italian tenor Gianluca Terranova, who performed this role at La Scala and the Arena di Verona. As Gilda, Russian soprano Irina Dubrovskaya. And taking the momentous step into one of Verdi’s most important baritone roles, Opera Australia favourite, Warwick Fyfe. Italian Verdi specialist Renato Palumbo conducts.

Conductor Renato Palumbo (until 26 April) Anthony Legge Director Roger Hodgman Set Designer Richard Roberts Costume Designer Tracy Grant Lord Lighting Designer Matt Scott Rigoletto Warwick Fyfe Duke of Mantua Gianluca Terranova Gilda Irina Dubrovskaya Monterone Gennadi Dubinsky Sparafucile Daniel Sumegi Maddalena Sian Pendry Marullo Luke Gabbedy Borsa David Corcoran Ceprano Samuel Dundas Orchestra Victoria Opera Australia Chorus

Evenings at 7:30pm April 12, 15, 17, 23, 29 May 2, 6, 8, 10 Saturday matinee at 1pm April 26 Running time: approx two hours and thirty minutes with one twenty-minute interval. Performed in Italian with English surtitles.

new production

Tchaikovsky didn’t want this to be a grand opera. It needs to have a very direct communication with the audience. And if I can’t make the audience cry, if I can’t make the audience be in love again, then I’ve somehow failed. Kasper Holten

Onegin is not about kings or princes or faraway magic and gods. It’s about real people. About something with which we can really identify. And that, for me, gives Onegin a very special yet fragile quality.

Kasper Holten is a selfconfessed opera nerd. Smitten by Carmen at nine, he spent his youth building opera houses from Lego, and by the age of twelve had mounted his first Ring Cycle, featuring a distinguished cast of puppets and complete with surtitles. Now Holten, who turns 40 this year, holds one of the key positions in the world of opera: artistic director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Tchaikovsky

Eugene Onegin

Holten’s first offering at the Royal Opera is Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, a co-production with the Teatro Regio, Turin and Opera Australia. It is an opera he feels passionate about:

Conductor Guillaume Tourniaire Director Kasper Holten Rehearsal Director Roger Press Set Designer Mia Stensgaard Costume Designer Katrina Lindsay Lighting Designer Wolfgang Goebbel Video Design 59 Productions Choreographer Signe Fabricius

Eugene Onegin is an exploration of memory, of the aching nostalgia for what might have been. This production creates layers of reminiscence and regret using some ingenious stage devices which have challenged and delighted audiences. Whatever you make of his unique approach, Holten’s directorial debut with Opera Australia brings a devastingly handsome production to our shores, and a devastatingly handsome cast including Nicole Car as Tatyana and Paolo Szot as Onegin.

Tatyana Nicole Car Onegin Paolo Szot Lensky James Egglestone Olga Sian Pendry Gremin Daniel Sumegi Mme Larina Dominica Matthews Filippyevna Jacqueline Dark Monsieur Triquet Kanen Breen Zaretsky Adrian Tamburini Orchestra Victoria Opera Australia Chorus Evenings at 7:30pm April 16, 26, 30 May 9

A day in summer, a night in suspense. A letter unanswered, a quarrel between friends. A bullet. Eugene Onegin is the journey from what could be to what might have been. In between lies the tragedy. Danish director Kasper Holten’s intriguing new production portrays Tatyana and Onegin as two dreamers whose lives drift and dance around each other, at the mercy of capricious breezes. How is it that a youthful crush becomes a matter of life and death?

Saturday matinee at 1pm May 3 Running time: approx two hours and forty minutes with one twenty-minute interval. Performed in Russian with English surtitles. Co-production with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London and Fondazione Teatro Regio, Turin.

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new production

Take two long-lost lovers – a gypsy and a prince. Add a quarrelling couple – a free spirit and a fool. And add another secret lover, just for good measure. Mix them with a masquerade ball, a dash of the seashore, some bikinis, mistaken identities, Naples, Turkey, dancing, deceit and delightful confusion, all splashed with the most charming operatic music around and you’ve got the recipe for a side-splitting romp with Rossini.

Conductor Anthony Legge Director Simon Phillips Set & Costume Designer Gabriela Tylesova Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper Fiorilla Emma Matthews Narciso John Longmuir Geronio Andrew Moran Selim Shane Lowrencev Prosdocimo Samuel Dundas Zaida Anna Dowsley Albazar Graeme Macfarlane

Colour, comedy and bikinis from the ’50s

Orchestra Victoria Opera Australia Chorus Evenings at 7:30pm May 1, 3, 7, 13 Saturday matinee at 1pm May 10 Running time: approx two and a half hours with one twenty-minute interval. Performed in Italian with English surtitles.

The

Turk in Italy Rossini (Il turco in Italia)

Gioachino Rossini was only 21 when he wrote his smash hit, The Italian Girl in Algiers. It took him between 18 and 28 days, depending on who you believe. (He claimed 18.) The speed at which he wrote it shows in the pacy drama, which combines romance with exotic dress-ups and plenty of laughs. It was such a success that the young and ambitious composer could not help himself: he had to write a sequel. So it was that in 1814, just a year later, The Turk in Italy opened at La Scala, Milan. The premise was similar: take two pairs of lovers, mix them up and introduce a

clash of cultures for added colour. What is amazing about the work, however, is that, unlike most movie sequels, it is genuinely different to its predecessor, packed full of invention, musically and dramatically. Anthony Legge, Associate Music Director, says “in The Turk in Italy, Rossini puts a whole new spin on the mixed-up lovers scenario. We start out with a poet, Prosdocimo, looking for inspiration for his new opera.” “In walks a band of gypsies, then a ship full of Turkish sailors. Suddenly, he has all the inspiration he needs!”

“The result is vintage Rossini: a laugh a minute, but with several highly sophisticated ensembles which push the boundaries of what can be done on stage. That’s why it is hard to do, and that’s why we’re doing it. Great music, great drama and a great challenge.” To make this tricky piece work, Opera Australia has assembled a cracking comic opera team, with Simon Phillips directing and the award-winning Gabriela Tylesova designing sets and costumes. According to Simon Phillips, The Turk in Italy will be “just about as much fun as you can have in an opera house”. 10 | 11

Carmen Bizet

Dark, beautiful and a little bit dangerous, the vivacious gypsy girl Carmen has been captivating hearts for nearly 150 years. Every so often, a mezzo-soprano emerges who can do more than just sing the role – she can inhabit it. It takes a certain fire, a certain physicality, and a certain throatiness to really sell the feisty Carmen to an audience. As she draws Escamillo and Don José to her flame, the audience needs to cheer for this provocative woman from the wrong side of the tracks.

Spanish mezzo Nancy Fabiola Herrera is emerging as the Carmen-of-the-moment. With dark hair, a Latin temperament and an alluring physicality on stage, Herrera is in demand around the world to sing Bizet’s lead, travelling from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to the Deutsche Oper Berlin to the Arts Centre Melbourne in 2014. She shares the role with Milijana Nikolic who performed Carmen so spectacularly at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour last year. Evenings at 7:30pm May 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Sunday matinee at 2pm May 25 Interval festivities included At interval, enjoy a taste of Spain, including complimentary Sangria and tapas in the State Theatre Foyers.

No matter how well you know an animal, no matter how well you read its moves, it is still an animal: wild, unpredictable and dangerous. A bit like love and fate. A bit like Carmen. The ultimate femme fatale is back to stamp her feet, toss her hair and dance. Will she love Don José? Maybe. Will you fall for her sultry Habanera? Definitely.

You ask me when I will love you. I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never. – Carmen

Conductor Brian Castles-Onion Director Francesca Zambello Revival Director Matthew Barclay Set & Costume Designer Tanya McCallin Lighting Designer Paule Constable Choreographer Arthur Pita Carmen Nancy Fabiola Herrera / Milijana Nikolic Don José Diego Torre / Bradley Daley Escamillo Michael Honeyman / Shane Lowrencev Micaëla Sharon Prero / Daria Masiero Frasquita Jane Ede Mercédès Tania Ferris Remendado Sam Roberts-Smith Dancairo Luke Gabbedy Moralès Christopher Hillier Orchestra Victoria Opera Australia Chorus Pre-show dinner at “La Plaza del Carmen” Let us set the scene for your Carmen experience, as Arts Centre Melbourne’s Tram Bar forecourt is transformed into a vibrant Spanish plaza. Indulge in the flavours of exquisite dishes, such as Kingfish Escabeche and Saffron Croquettes with Trussed Tomato & Mojo Verde. As part of your pre-show fiesta, enjoy flamenco dance and music from a Mariachi Band! $45 per person includes 2-courses with matched wine. Book when you order your tickets for Carmen. Running time: approx two hours and fifty minutes including one twenty-minute interval. Performed in French with English surtitles. This production of Carmen is based on the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Norwegian National Opera co-production first performed at Covent Garden in 2006.

At last they are alone. The man hunt, the interrogation, the prayers, all forgotten as he leers at his conquest. Just sign the note of safe passage and she’s his! Where’s that pen? His upper lip sweats as he readies himself for Tosca’s kiss. He doesn’t see the knife glinting behind her back.

new production

TosCA Puccini

“Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,” Tosca bemoans her fate with devastating beauty and poise. “I lived for art; I lived for love.” Vissi d’arte could equally be the catchphrase of John Bell, the Australian doyen of Shakespeare who, for more than fifty years, has lived wholeheartedly for his art. Like the knife concealed against Tosca’s silk gown, Puccini’s verismo drama has a sharp edge, employed to startling effect in lushly orchestrated tunes. It is that theatrical instinct that has lured the director into the world of opera. Bell has transplanted Tosca’s story to 1943, when Mussolini’s successors abandoned Rome to the invading German armies. Michael Scott-Mitchell’s sets recreate the radiant, baroque interior of Sant’Andrea della Valle church and, in cruel contrast, the grim, fascist architecture of Scarpia’s headquarters. Reimagining the Puccini classic is not a task John Bell takes lightly. “I’m not an auteur type of director. I see my job as an interpreter, rather than a creator. I want to serve the opera.” “World War II is within the memory of many of our audience: they either lived through it or their families did,” Bell explains. “They’ve seen the documentary footage, the movies and the books. I want the experience of our own lifetimes to bring the story into focus,” he says. As the opera reaches its devastating end, Bell’s hope is that audiences won’t mourn for a tragedy of fiction. Rather, he hopes to capture the truth in the tale: a reality they recognise, that they see on the news: the everyday banality of evil.

Conductor Andrea Molino Director John Bell Set Designer Michael Scott-Mitchell Costume Designer Teresa Negroponte Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper Tosca Tamar Iveri (until 5 December) Jacqueline Mabardi Cavaradossi Thiago Arancam Scarpia Marco Vratogna Angelotti David Parkin Sacristan Luke Gabbedy Spoletta Graeme Macfarlane Sciarrone Adrian Tamburini Gaoler Tom Hamilton Orchestra Victoria Opera Australia Chorus Opera Australia Children’s Chorus Evenings at 7:30pm November 12, 15, 18, 26, 29 December 2, 5, 10 Saturday matinees at 1pm November 22 December 13 Running time: approx two hours and forty minutes including two twenty-minute intervals. Performed in Italian with English surtitles.

new production

Don Pasquale

The real aim for a comic performer is to take the audience by surpise, to win that spontaneous giggle of recognition.

Donizetti

Respectable man of a certain age seeks young lady for companionship and maybe more. Must like stamp collecting… Tall, handsome 20-something, ready for romance. Dream girl enjoys riding scooters and drinking capuccinos. Innocent young lass, loves to walk and read, ideally hoping to meet someone who can keep her in style. Young professional, medically trained, looking for business partner with a view to making a motza. Four characters, four spectacular voices, and a fast-moving plot: this new production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale is as fresh and zingy as a lemon gelato. Enjoy!

Getting the laughs is further Conal Coad laughs. He laughs a lot, and it’s infectious. complicated by the score, which takes the timing out of the hands of Indeed, as one of Australia’s the performer, and by the audience, finest comic singers, he has been who will often anticipate gags in making people laugh for well a well-loved work. Coad notices over four decades. how audiences laugh politely at an Coad’s characters are often grand obvious ‘custard pie’ moment, but opera’s sidekicks or sub-plot, but in the real aim for a comic performer Donizetti’s Don Pasquale he takes is to take the audience by surpise, centre stage. Pasquale is the butt of to win that spontaneous giggle many a joke in this rollicking story of recognition. about the folly of old age, though he This production is full of surprises. also scores a few points against the There are the grand hissy-fits of young folk. Don Pasquale’s new wife – played to But how do you make an the max by singer and comedienne opera funny? Coad has given Rachelle Durkin. Then there are it much thought. the little details – an over zealous footman, a snoozing gangster, a “The thing about comedy,” he says, teddy-bear in the luggage. It all adds “is if you play it for truth it works, up to a fast-moving, laugh-a-minute but if you play it thinking, ‘Ho ho ho, night in the theatre, powered look how funny I am!’ then it will by Donizetti’s zippy score. fall on its face, guaranteed.” “One of the delights of the music is how it sparkles and bubbles along,” says Coad, “and the production does exactly the same thing. It’s bright and breezy and the set moves in wonderful ways. It never stops. Like poor old Don Pasquale, I think I’ll need to go off to a spa and lie down in a darkened room after this to recover!”

Conductor Guillaume Tourniaire (until 3 December) Brian Castles-Onion Director Roger Hodgman Set & Costume Designer Richard Roberts Lighting Designer Matt Scott Don Pasquale Conal Coad Norina Rachelle Durkin Ernesto John Longmuir Dr Malatesta Samuel Dundas Notary Benjamin Rasheed Orchestra Victoria Opera Australia Chorus Evenings at 7:30pm November 19, 22, 25 December 3, 6, 12 Saturday matinee at 1pm November 29 Running time: approx two hours including one twenty-minute interval. Performed in Italian with English surtitles. Production partnership with Tokyo Art Foundation.

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Falstaff Verdi

Here comes Sir John, wide of girth, broad of humour and bold in his desires. Here come some coney-catching rascals, fond of a tankard of beer. Here come two merry wives with keen wits and cunning plans. And here come the young folk, true of heart and fair of song. Who will look after this colourful mess of characters? Fear not, they are in good hands, for Verdi, the master dramatist, will out- Shakespeare Shakespeare in this late, great comedy. Don’t forget: he who laughs last, laughs longest.

William Shakespeare is revered throughout the world, but how on earth do you improve on the master? In fact, can you improve on the master?

Unusually for Verdi, the music drives the action along scarcely pausing for arias, but instead binding the words and music together in a tight-knit web.

In this case, yes, says Simon Phillips, director of Opera Australia’s famous production of Verdi’s Falstaff. The play on which Falstaff is based, Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, is considered one of his weaker comedies, but in the hands of Giuseppe Verdi, it becomes a real gem.

“There’s no fat on the bone,” says Phillips. “It’s just effortless music-making.”

“It’s sensationally put together,” says Phillips. “It’s an incredibly skilful distillation of the slightly unwieldy farce Shakespeare wrote. Verdi uses great economy and pillages the Henry plays to give Falstaff extra depth. As a piece of comic writing, it is nearly faultless.” Verdi wrote Falstaff at the ripe old age of 77, and he brought to it a lifetime of stagecraft and a profound love of Shakespeare. He had already taken inspiration from Macbeth and Otello, and toyed with the idea of creating an opera based on King Lear, but he had never tried Shakespearean comedy. It was to be his final masterpiece.

For a great piece of comic writing, you need a great comedian, and this production has one in Warwick Fyfe. He’s won fans as Mozart’s soft-hearted Papageno and guffaws as Gilbert and Sullivan’s PoohBah in The Mikado, but Falstaff is his biggest challenge yet. Not least because he has to wear a fat suit and calf-enhancers, plus a full face of hair to look the part. “Whenever they get the glue pot out I start cringing,” moans Fyfe of the lengthy transformation, in hair and make-up, from a fortysomething Australian to an elderly, ruddy-nosed knight. But it’s worth it when he appears on stage in all his grubby magnificence, ready to revel in Verdi’s glorious score. The jokes fly, the fairies dance and the music captures the emotions that words alone miss. Shakespeare would have loved it.

Conductor Christian Badea Director Simon Phillips Set Designer Iain Aitken Costume Designer Tracy Grant Lord Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper Falstaff Warwick Fyfe Alice Ford Amelia Farrugia Ford Michael Honeyman Nanette Taryn Fiebig Fenton Jonathan Abernethy Mistress Quickly Dominica Matthews Meg Page Jacqueline Dark Dr Caius Graeme Macfarlane Bardolfo Kanen Breen Pistola Jud Arthur Orchestra Victoria Opera Australia Chorus Evenings at 7.30pm December 1, 4, 9 11 Saturday matinee at 1pm December 6 Running time: approx two hours and fifty minutes including two twenty-minute intervals. Performed in Italian with English subtitles. An Opera Conference co- production.

Shall we dance? On a bright cloud of music shall we fly? Shall we dance? Shall we then say goodnight and mean goodbye? Shall we indulge our love for the genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein with one of their most celebrated masterpieces, The King and I? Shall we? Yes. It is 1861. Anna Leonowens, a young English widow, has been engaged to teach the many children and wives of the ruler of Siam. When she and her son arrive at the Royal Palace they do not know what to expect.

This King and I is an unstoppable smash The Daily Express, UK

It is with great pride that Opera Australia and John Frost bring this world-famous production back home. This now legendary production of The King and I won the triple crown of awards: The Tony, the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle for Best Musical Revival. Further Tony and Drama Desk awards included Best Scenic Design and Best Costume Design, and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Whilst the sumptuous costumes and gilded sets have travelled the world, it all started in Australia, with a dream to create a version which was not just a remake of the iconic 1956 film, but a real consideration of this clash of cultures and meeting of minds. Christopher Renshaw was the perfect choice of director and together with Brian Thomson he travelled to Thailand, where they discovered a deep affection for the rich and nuanced culture of Siam. Australian costume designer Roger Kirk joined and an award-winning creative team was born. When Richard Rodgers’ daughter, Mary Rodgers, saw it, she declared it the best King and I she had ever experienced. “I was dazzled,” she enthused. “I actually thought that Chris had changed and improved some lines. But he hadn’t changed anything. He’d just found how to emphasise certain things.”

The production premiered at the Adelaide Festival Theatre in 1991, followed by a highly successful Australian tour. The show reopened at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway in 1996, followed by a US tour, then transferred to the London Palladium in 2000, where it played for nearly two years before embarking on a UK tour. Audiences were thrilled by the period costumes – including Anna’s enormous crinoline skirts – and by the lavish, meticulously researched sets. With these insights, an exotic fairytale becomes spiced with real culture and real human emotion. Don’t miss this dazzling display of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I Music by Richard Rodgers Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II based on “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret Landon Director Christopher Renshaw Original Choreography by Jerome Robbins Choreography Susan Kikuchi Scenic Designer Brian Thomson Costume Designer Roger Kirk Lighting Designer Nigel Levings Music Director Peter Casey Orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett Dance & Instrumental Music Arranged by Trude Rittmann This production of The King and I is based on the John Frost and Adelaide Festival Centre production first performed on 11 June, 1991 Princess Theatre 13 June – 17 August Wednesday – Saturday evenings at 7:30pm Tuesday, Wednesday matinees at 1pm Saturday matinees at 2pm Sunday matinees at 3pm

A King and I for the 21st century The New York Post 20| 21

Silken arias and fragile butterfly wings float on the water

Madama Butterfly Puccini

What is opera to you? The rush of adrenalin as a soprano or tenor’s voice soars, the roar of the chorus, the larger-than-life costumes and scenery, the moving stories, or just the whole sense of occasion? Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is all this, and more, so come down to the water’s edge and let the story begin. We’re on a naval base somewhere on the Pacific rim. A young officer acquires a bride to keep him company during his tour of duty. It’s clearly a financial transaction rather than a love match but on their wedding night the stars come out, their eyes meet and magic happens. We dare you to hear Cio-Cio-San and Pinkerton’s exquisite love duet and remain unmoved, especially when it takes place against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The stars will be there, for real. Magic too?

new production

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour

There’s a moment in March when several hundred people collectively hold their breath on the harbourfront. It’s when two enormous cranes lift a 40-tonne stage from 10 barges onto 16 pylons buried deep in the ocean floor. “The highest risk is in that moment,” explains Louisa Robertson, whose job title could well be “chief-problem solver” for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. Now in her third year as executive producer for the annual event, Robertson has encountered nearly every obstacle imaginable when it comes to mounting an opera on Sydney’s most spectacular – and unpredictable – stage.

These range from the trivial – “Trees are always a challenge. They grow, and suddenly your design doesn’t fit!” – to the seemingly insurmountable. “Each new design offers its own challenges. We had one crane in 2012, then for Carmen in 2013 the designer wanted two. We had to reinforce everything.” More than 700 people turn their hands to the project before a single note is heard over the Botanic Gardens. It takes 8,000 hours of manual labour to build the stage and the elaborate underworld of the orchestra pit and dressing rooms beneath the stage. Making the costumes takes another 10,000 hours. The inventory of batteries, light globes, nuts, bolts and screws adds up to mindboggling numbers. It is a truly gargantuan effort, Robertson says. “There are a lot of firsts on site from a technological and design perspective.” They range from the spectacular – fireworks and chandeliers – to the mundane: “The toilets won an Event award for Best Innovation!”

Strategic Partner

Principal Partner

Opera Australia Principal Partner

Opera Australia Government Partners

Conductor Brian Castles-Onion Director Alex Ollé Assistant Director Susana Gómez Set Designer Alfons Flores Costume Designer Lluc Castells Lighting Designer Alexander Koppelmann Cio-Cio-San Hiromi Omura/ Hyeseoung Kwon Suzuki Anna Yun Pinkerton Georgy Vasiliev/ Andeka Gorrotxategi Sharpless Michael Honeyman / Barry Ryan Goro Graeme Macfarlane Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra Opera Australia Chorus Evenings at 7:30pm Tuesday – Sunday March 21 – April 11 Fleet Steps The Royal Botanic Garden Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney Site opens for pre-performance drinks and dining at 5pm Performed in Italian with English surtitles. Running time: approx two hours and forty minutes with one interval of thirty -five minutes. Pre-performance Dinner $250 3-course meal and drinks Interval package $50 Drinks and canapés Harbourmaster Program Support us by becoming a Harbourmaster with a taxdeductible donation of $500. As a Harbourmaster, you will play a vital role in the realisation of this enormous cultural project. Make your donation when you book your tickets.

Venue

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Gold Coast Queensland Mozart The Magic Flute

Sometimes it feels like a crime to go indoors when the skies are clear, even for a night at the opera. That’s why we’re taking the opera out of the theatre and onto the beach. Picture a giant sandcastle on the beach at Coolangatta, families enjoying a picnic, children playing as the sun goes down, and miraculously beautiful music. And there you have a uniquely Australian production of one of the world’s favourite operas, Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

This new production is directed by Michael Gow and stars some of Opera Australia’s finest singers alongside a chorus drawn from community choirs and the Gold Coast’s own surf life saving clubs. Together, they will battle the serpent, put a spell on the guards and rescue the princess, before sending you home, with stars in your eyes, sand in your shoes and songs in your heart. Now that’s opera, Australia!

Director Michael Gow Set and Costume Designer Robert Kemp Lighting Designer Matt Scott Sound Designer Norwest Productions, Brisbane

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Greenmount Beach Coolangatta, Gold Coast (in front of the Greenmount Surf Club)

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Free Exchanges

If plans change, subscribers can exchange tickets for another date or another opera at no cost up to two working days before a performance. To exchange tickets, call (03) 9685 3700 and one of our Customer Service Representatives will talk you through returning your original tickets and reserving new tickets and advise of any upgrade costs.

Running time: approx two hours and twenty minutes including one thirty-minute interval. Performed in English A range of food and beverages is available at the venue from 5pm. For the comfort of our patrons only low chairs will be permitted. Strictly no BYO alcohol. Alcohol will be available for purchase on site. Spread out your towel on the sand and picnic under the stars.

Opera on the Beach Presenting Partners

Strategic Partners

Founding Partner

Now is the time you plan your entertainment for the year. Choose three or more operas and receive a significant discount, the best seats and a range of exclusive subscriber benefits.

Win a Mazda6

It’s Driving Re-energised. There’s never been a car like it, because All-New Mazda6 is a world-first. It takes the joy of driving to new heights, with exhilarating handling and performance, and new petrol and diesel engines that increase both power and torque – and all of this from even less fuel. Add a new chassis and exciting safety technologies, and you have the safest, most advanced Mazda ever.

NB Exchanges not available on Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour - Madama Butterfly or Opera on the Beach. Pay in instalments

If you would prefer not to pay all at once, you can pay in four easy instalments. See page 32 for more information about instalments. Insider knowledge

As a subscriber, you’ll receive invitations to exclusive subscriber events and be the first to know about all our other special events. Subscriber Benefits Program

Your subscriber card opens the door to discounts and other special Opera Australia subscriber offers from our range of hotel, restaurant and retail outlet partners, as well as from various arts organisations. Visit opera.org.au/subscriber_benefits throughout the year to view offers.

Get your subscription or renewal to us by 5pm Friday 20 September 2013 and you could be driving away in a brand new Mazda6 2.5L Petrol Touring Sedan.

Major Partner

Terms & conditions The prize pack includes all on-road charges, 12 months registration and stamp duty. For full competition terms and conditions visit opera.org.au Authorised under NSW Permit No: LTPS/13/04393 . Vic Permit No: 13/1570. ACT Permit No: ACT TP 13/02120. SA Permit No: T13/1098

24 | 25

Packages

New to Opera?

Prices

With so many performances to choose from, it can be hard to decide which ones to book. To get you started, we’ve put together a few suggestions.

Mazda Introduction to Opera

3 to 4 Performances

4 Operas at a 20% discount

Save 10% on ticket prices

Rigoletto

Tuesday 6 May

Operas

Carmen

Friday 23 May

Tosca

Tuesday 2 December

Falstaff

Thursday 11 December

Adult ($) Senior ($) Pensioner/Student ($) Child ($)

Date Night Whisk the one you love off their feet with this whirlwind of passion, drama, romance and wit. And there’ll be plenty of memorable tunes to hum all the way home.

The Turk in Italy Carmen Don Pasquale The King and I

Matters of Life, Love and Death   Classic tales of love and loss, performed with a depth of emotion that conveys more than a story. If you love opera, you’ll love this package to death.

Rigoletto Eugene Onegin Carmen Tosca

A 572 544 516 288

B 396 376 356 200

C 316 300 284 160

D 188 188 188 96

Seats will vary for each performance, and cannot be renewed from one year to the next. You may exchange your tickets into another performance, but an upgrade fee will apply.

Rigoletto Carmen Tosca

Eugene Onegin Rigoletto The Turk in Italy

Classics with a Twist The Turk in Italy Eugene Onegin Tosca Don Pasquale

A Grand Melbourne Getaway If you’re looking for an Eugene Onegin, Friday 9 May at 7:30pm. The Turk in Italy, excuse to take in a few Saturday 10 May at 1:00pm. cultural highlights in the Rigoletto, Saturday 10 May big city, look no further. at 7:30pm. This package puts together Tosca, Friday 5 December at 7:30pm. Falstaff, Saturday a selection of some of this 6 December at 1:00pm. season’s best performances Don Pasquale, Saturday that can be savoured over 6 December at 7:30pm. the course of a weekend.

Carmen Tosca Don Pasquale Falstaff

Number of operas Youth price ($)

224 212 202 112

160 150 144 80

116 110 104 58

89 85 80 45

53 53 53 27

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY eve P

FRIDAY – SUNDAY P

Restricted view

Adult ($) Pens/Stud/Child ($)

110 110

99 81

81 81

WEEKDAY MATINEES P

Restricted view

72 72

127 –

109 –

90 –

Restricted view

81 –

103

–

A child price of $90 is available for A reserve tickets at weekend matinees.

Save 20% on ticket prices

3 to 6 Operas at the special price of $60 per opera

Big emotion. Bigger voices. This is opera at its most spectacular. Enjoy all your favourite arias in one toetappingly perfect package.

The King & I

5+ Performances

Youth Series

The Hit List

This package is made up of entirely new productions. And if you’ve never seen an opera, you’ll still get a kick out of these extraordinary performances.

Adult ($) Senior ($) Pensioner/Student ($) Child ($)

P 796 756 716 396

These are the ticket prices per performance when buying in a package, and are valid until Friday 22 November 2013. The more operas you add to your package the greater the saving.

Wednesday 30 April Friday 9 May Tuesday 6 May Thursday 8 May Wednesday 7 May Tuesday 13 May Tuesday 20 May Friday 23 May Tuesday 18 November Friday 5 December Tuesday 25 November Friday 12 December Tuesday 9 December Thursday 11 December 3 180

4 240

5 300

Operas

Adult ($)

199

143

Senior ($) Pensioner/Student ($) Child ($)

189 179 99

136 129 72

94 89 50

75 71 40

47 47 24

The King & I

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY eve

Adult ($) Pens/Stud/Child

($)

FRIDAY – SUNDAY

113

–

Restricted view

WEEKDAY MATINEES C

–

Restricted view

A child price of $80 is available for A reserve tickets at weekend matinees.

6 360

You may choose between a minimum of three and a maximum of six operas in your package. Seats will vary for each performance. You must be 30 years of age or under on 1 January 2014. Each subscription application must be accompanied by a photocopied proof of age. Tickets may be exchanged into an alternative Youth Subscription performance.

Subscriber Prices

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour – Madama Butterfly

Special Events

Subscribers enjoy priority booking for Opera Australia Special Events. To secure great seats and take advantage of these exclusive Subscriber prices, simply add these events to your ticket order.

MONDAYS – THURSDAYS & SUNDAYS

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS

Adult ($)

269

160

117

297

179

130

Pens/Stud/Child ($)

242

144

105

267

161

117

Opera on the Beach Adult ($) Pens/Stud/Child ($)

68 60

45 40

31 28 26 | 27

Opera begins with you Opera is a complex and wonderful art form. The combination of the power of the drama, the passion of the music and the beauty and inspiration of the human voice is irresistible and inspiring. It has been my life’s work. What an incredible privilege. That’s why I’m honoured to act as Opera Australia’s Patron-inChief and why I’d be delighted if you could help nurture the next generation of Australian opera singers by supporting our Moffatt Oxenbould Young Artist Program. I’m passionate about this program. It nurtures talented and promising young artists and provides them with the opportunity to perform in mainstage productions, take part in workshops and masterclasses with leading singers, and be mentored by our

experienced artists. They are salaried artists, which means they can learn their craft whilst still earning a living. This financial support is vital in the life of a singer commencing their career. It gives security and freedom to focus on what they do best – sing! My own experience proves this. At the beginning of my career, I was fortunate to have been accepted as a salaried principal soprano at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It was my first job. I was able to learn my craft as a young company member, performing small roles and understudying larger roles, honing my language skills, refining my singing, observing the great artists around me and learning from them whilst still being financially secure. I really feel that these years of development were invaluable to my growth as an artist.

Become a Patron As a Patron of Opera Australia, you’ll enjoy a range of exclusive benefits, including:

So this is where I’m asking for your help. Box office revenue only covers a portion of Opera Australia’s costs, which is why our Young Artist Program depends on the support and kindness of people like you. I sincerely hope you may feel inclined to support this important program.

—— Invitations to dress rehearsals, Insight evenings, behind-thescenes tours and special events; —— Access to premium seats, even at late notice; —— A personal ticketing service provided by our Patron Manager, with free ticket exchanges up to 24 hours before a performance; —— Access to the Qantas Interval Lounge; —— The opportunity to support the professional development of individual artists (Artist and Ambassador Patrons); —— Recognition of your outstanding support in our annual report, season programs, website, banner and more.

Look upon it as an investment in our future. I know we will be able to keep developing the highest calibre of opera artists, present productions of the highest standard, give more Australians the opportunity to experience opera and sustain this beautiful art form into the future. I’d be so delighted if you could feel inspired to join our wonderful family of supporters today. With warmest wishes,

Yvonne Kenny AM Patron-in-Chief Opera Australia

Become a super subscriber

The Patron program helps us keep bringing world-class opera to audiences throughout the country – as well as help fund the creation of new Australian works and Oz Opera regional and schools programs. To find out more about becoming a Patron of Opera Australia, please contact Debra Adamidis on (03) 9685 3752 or debra.adamidis@opera.org.au.

As a Super Subscriber, for a tax-deductible donation of $150, you’ll receive an invitation to your choice of: —— A dress rehearsal; —— Behind-the-scenes set visit. Add your Super Subscription when you order your subscription.

Opera Australia Young Artists (left to right)Natalie Aroyan , Jonathan Abernethy & Anna Dowsley Donations of $2 and over are tax-deductible. Donations of $1500 and over entitle you to Patron status and a range of benefits that enhances your opera experience. 28 | 29

Season 2014 Calendar

key

Rigoletto — Rigoletto Onegin — Eugene Onegin Turk — The Turk in Italy Carmen — Carmen Tosca — Tosca Pasquale — Don Pasquale Falstaff — Falstaff King & I — The King and I

July MON

Opening Night

April

TUE King & I 1.00pm

MON

TUE 7

Rigoletto 7.30pm

WED 8

Rigoletto 7.30pm

THU 9

Onegin 7.30pm

Rigoletto 7.30pm

Onegin 7.30pm

FRI 10

Rigoletto 7.30pm

SAT 11

Rigoletto 7.30pm

SUN 12

Rigoletto 1.00pm Onegin 7.30pm

King & I 1.00pm

WED

King & I 1.00pm

King & I 1.00pm King & I 7.30pm

THU 2

King & I 7.30pm

FRI 3

King & I 7.30pm

MON

WED

THU Turk 7.30pm

Rigoletto 7.30pm

Turk 7.30pm

Carmen 7.30pm

Turk 7.30pm

Carmen 7.30pm

TUE

Rigoletto 7.30pm

Carmen 7.30pm

FRI 1

Rigoletto 7.30pm

Onegin 7.30pm

Carmen 7.30pm

SAT 2

Onegin 1.00pm Turk 7.30pm

Turk 1.00pm Rigoletto 7.30pm

Carmen 7.30pm

Carmen 2pm

King & I 1.00pm

June

WED

King & I 1.00pm

THU 11

King & I 1.00pm King & I 7.30pm

FRI 12

King & I 7.30pm

SAT 13

King & I 2.00pm King & I 7.30pm

TUE

WED

King & I 2.00pm King & I 7.30pm

King & I 3.00pm

THU

FRI

SAT 1

King & I 1.00pm King & I 7.30pm

King & I 7.30pm

WED 11

Tosca 7.30pm

Pasquale 7.30pm

THU

FRI

King & I 3.00pm

King & I 2.00pm King & I 7.30pm

SAT

SUN 14

King & I 2.00pm King & I 7.30pm

SUN King & I 3.00pm

King & I 3.00pm

November/December 10

TUE

SUN 3

MON

King & I 2.00pm King & I 7.30pm

King & I 7.30pm

TUE

SUN

August

May MON

SAT

December Falstaff 7.30pm

Pasquale 7.30pm

Tosca 7.30pm

Falstaff 7.30pm

Tosca 7.30pm

Pasquale 7.30pm

Tosca 7.30pm

Falstaff 7.30pm

Tosca 7.30pm

Pasquale 7.30pm

Tosca 7.30pm

Tosca 1.00pm Pasquale 7.30pm

Pasquale 1.00pm Tosca 7.30pm

Falstaff 1.00pm Pasquale 7.30pm

Tosca 1.00pm

SUN 15

30 | 31

How to book Subscribing is easy

Fill out the order form or go to opera.org.au and book online, where all of the calculations are done for you. Fill in your personal details

Please include your email address so we can confirm that your payment has been processed. Fill in the details of the packages you wish to purchase

Please indicate which productions you wish to see and your preferred dates, price reserve and seating section. For any concessions, including Pensioner, Student and Youth subscribers, you will need to include a photocopy of your concession ID and be able to present this if requested at performances. A limited number of seats have restricted viewing of surtitles. Please indicate on your booking form if you require seats with a surtitle view. Fill in any additional purchases you would like to make

Subscription

The first payment will be processed on receipt of your booking. The remaining 3 instalments will be charged to the same card on: Wednesday 20 November 2013, Wednesday 15 January 2014, Wednesday 5 March 2014. Instalments incur a $40 fee per order, which will be spread equally over the 4 payments.

Section 1 – Contact details

If you wish to pay by instalments, your Subscription Form must be received by Friday 20 September 2014. Please note that instalment payments are only available for subscription packages. Any additional tickets or donations will be charged in full with your first payment.

Phone

Fill in your payment details

Calculate the total amount payable. Payment can be made by credit card or cheque. Concessions

Concession pricing is available to —— Full pensioners (Australian) —— Full-time students (Australian) —— Children aged 16 years and under Wheelchair access

When subscribing, you can also order tickets to additional Opera Australia events.

If you require a wheelchair space and access please call Opera Australia on (03) 9685 3700.

Opera Australia encourages subscribers to invest in Australia’s cultural future by donating to the Young Artist Program. Donations are tax-deductible.

ONLINE Complete your subscription online at

If you wish to pay in four equal instalments, simply tick the box provided on the order form

Subscriptions can be paid in four instalments. Instalments are only available to subscribers paying by credit card.

opera.org.au

BY MAIL Post your completed form to:

Opera Australia Reply Paid 389 South Melbourne VIC 3205 BY PHONE Call Opera Australia Ticket Services on (03) 9685 3700 IN PERSON Opera Australia Ticket Services: The Opera Centre Cnr Fawkner and Fanning Streets, Southbank (just behind Arts Centre Melbourne) Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm

PO Box 389 South Melbourne VIC 3205 T 03 9685 3777

Name (Mr/Mrs/Ms/Dr)

Address

Choose three or more productions from the list below by indicating how many people are coming, and by nominating your date preferences, reserve and total value in the space provided. If any of your party wish to attend a different combination of performances, they will need to submit their own form. But, you’re welcome to send them in together and we will seat you beside each other for the performances you’re attending together. Subscribe to 3 or 4 productions and save 10% (see prices on page 27). Subscribe to 5 or more productions and save 20% (see prices on page 27). Section 2 – Choose a subscription # Adult

# PENS/STUDENT

SUBSCRIPTION SEASON PRODUCTION

# SENIOR

PREFERRED DATE

# Youth

ALTERNATIVE DATE

# Child

Reserve

$TOTAL

SUBSCRIPTION TOTAL

Rigoletto Eugene Onegin The Turk in Italy Carmen Tosca Don Pasquale Falstaff

Terms & conditions

Details in this brochure are correct at the time of publication. Opera Australia reserves the right to vary, substitute or withdraw advertised programs, artists and seating arrangements, and to vary prices. All ticket holders are bound by Opera Australia’s Terms and Conditions of Sale. Tickets sold to Opera Australia performances are subject to Opera Australia’s conditions of sale and to the requirements of the venues at which our performances are presented. There are no refunds available, except as specified in the Entertainment Code of Fair Practice. Full terms and conditions, along with Opera Australia’s privacy policy, can be found at opera.org.au .

Or contact Opera Australia Ticket Services in Sydney on 02 9318 8200 or Melbourne on 03 9685 3700. Opera Australia has established a procedure for the processing of subscription applications; Donors to the Patron Program will be seated first, then all other renewing subscribers, followed by new subscribers and then all Youth subscribers. Within each category, seating will be allocated in the date order in which applications are received. Your cheque or money order will be banked, or credit card will be debited, on receipt of your application to establish your priority within Opera Australia’s ticketing system. Subscribers will receive their tickets within 8-10 weeks of booking.

Allocation of tickets is subject to availability. If we are unable to satisfy your request we will contact you to discuss alternatives and provide a refund if required. Subscription ticket exchanges can be made from Monday 21 October 2013 and up to two working days before a performance. Exchanges are subject to availability and can only be processed through Opera Australia. on sale dates

23 August Subscriptions and Opera on the Beach.

The King and I

mat/eve

Section 3 – Seating Preferences I/we prefer to sit in the:

Stalls

Circle

I/we require a view of the surtitles:

Yes

Balcony

Best available

23 September Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. 28 October The King and I on sale at Ticketmaster. 25 November All other operas on sale. 32 | 33

Principal Partner

Section 4 – Additional tickets to the subscription season SUBSCRIPTION SEASON PRODUCTION

DATE

Adult

Pens/Stu

SENIOR

Child

RESERVE

$TOTAL

Hero Partner ADDITIONAL TICKETS TOTAL

Section 5 – Priority access to special events EVENT

DATE

Adult

Pens/Stu

Child

Carmen Pre-Show Dinner, Melbourne

RESERVE

$TOTAL

$45pp

Gold Partners

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour Madama Butterlfy Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour Pre-Show Dinner

$250pp

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour Interval Drinks

$50pp

Silver Partners

Opera on the Beach Coolangatta, QLD $ Section 6 –Support Opera Australia with a tax-deductible donation (See page 28) Become a Super Subscriber: $150 per person

Make a donation to the Young Artists Program

Become a Handa Opera on Sydney Harbourmaster: $500

Supporting Partners

Section 7 – Payment information Please charge the following credit card in full (no fees apply)

Grand TOTAL

I would like to pay in 4 equal instalments for a fee of $10 per instalment*

$ QUAY GRAND SYDNEY HARBOUR

CARD NUMBER CARD TYPE NAME ON CARD

Mastercard

VISA

AMEX

DINERS Exp

SIGNATURE

Government Partners

Performance Partner

* Instalments are charged to your credit card as follows: on receipt of your form, 20 November 2013, 15 January 2014 and 5 March 2014. If a payment fails on the scheduled date, manual attempts will be made to recover that amount, which will incur an administration fee of $25. Opera Australia is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Opera Australia is supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria.

Opera Australia is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW.

Performances feature the Opera Australia Chorus and Orchestra Victoria.

34 | 35

opera.org.au