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Announcing the
Opera San José
Lucia di Lammermoor |
|
September 8–23, 2007 With its powerful plot, glorious music, spectacular mad scene, and Gothic Scottish castle setting, Lucia di Lammermoor is one of the most affecting of all the great operas. Composer Gaetano Donizetti and librettist Salvatore Cammarano used Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel The Bride of Lammermoor as the basis for the opera. Its story comes from a true incident—a feud between two families—that took place in the Scottish Lowlands in 1669. Lucia loves Edgar, the son of her father’s enemy, but when her cruel brother deceives her into an arranged marriage she is driven to madness, murder, and death. The sextet when her lover returns just as Lucia has signed the fatal marriage contract is one of the finest pieces of dramatic music in all of opera, and the mad scene is a dazzling tour de force for soprano. The opera is often acclaimed as Donizetti’s finest work and is widely considered to be one of the most exhilarating operas of the 19th century. November 17–December 2, 2007 Based on Goethe’s best-selling The Sorrows of Young Werther, Jules Massenet’s celebrated opera has captivated audiences since its debut in 1892. Massenet’s emotion-filled melodies, touching solos, and gorgeous orchestral textures combine to create a deeply satisfying musical experience. On the surface, Werther is a simple, almost commonplace story of love and death, but the composer’s insights in the human psyche launch this opera into an emotional rollercoaster of grand passions, great dilemmas, and wistful longing.
This ravishing opera depicts the joys
and suffering of the quintessential romantic, Werther, whose ardent
passion for Charlotte is thwarted by a sacred vow and her marriage to
another man. Werther’s outpourings of poetry and Charlotte’s spiritual
insecurities move her tormented heart to compassion and finally to an
expression of love, but by then, tragically, Werther has succumbed to
his self-destructive melancholy. February 9– 24, 2008
Verdi’s 16th opera,
Rigoletto, premiered in 1851. Based on Victor Hugo’s stinging attack
on the French court, Le Roi s’amuse, it was Verdi’s first
masterpiece. As it tells the story of a hunchbacked jester desperate to
keep his beloved daughter from the grasp of a licentious court, the
opera explores some of the darker motivations of the human condition:
lust, betrayal, and vengeance. Rigoletto continues to be
appreciated the world over and has become an essential member of the
operatic repertoire. At its world premiere, Rigoletto was the
singular most compelling and dramatically cohesive opera ever conceived. April 19–May 4, 2008 Nothing could be more charming in all of opera than W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte). Each number was composed to beguile, and, indeed, since its inception this work has done exactly that. Of all of Mozart’s operas, this is the only one that never fell out of favor, from its premiere in 1791 to the present day. It is based on a fairy tale that contains all the necessary elements: a romance between a strong, handsome prince and a gentle heroine; a war between a wicked queen and a wise sorcerer; and plenty of comic situations. The Magic Flute is a delightful introduction to opera for youngsters. |
