Welsh National Opera’s exciting Autumn 2004 Bristol season.

 A new production of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos by award winning Australian director, Neil Armfield, sees the return of WNO’s past Musical Director, Carlo Rizzi and a title role debut for celebrated soprano Janice Watson

Internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Ann Murray, makes her   debut in the title role of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride and Italian soprano Francesca Patanè makes her British debut in the title role of Puccini’s Turandot.

Chorus! – a specially devised show to give first time opera-goers a taster evening of some of the world’s most popular music from some of the greatest operas ever written, performed by the renowned Chorus and Orchestra of Welsh National Opera

Dull days and dark winter evenings are looming, but there is plenty of excitement to look forward to as the evenings draw in with Welsh National Opera’s stunning autumn season at the Hippodrome Theatre, Bristol, beginning on Tuesday 7 December 2004.  The season features three opera’s containing three demanding female roles. There is a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos, with Janice Watson taking the title role for the first time in her career in Strauss’ ‘opera within an opera’.  Also singing her role for the first time will be Ann Murray in the title role of Gluck’s family tragedy, Iphigénie en Tauride.  Italian soprano, Francesca Patanè, will be making her UK debut as the cruel Princess in Puccini’s emotionally tense last opera, Turandot. 

Welsh National Opera welcomes back past Musical Director, Carlo Rizzi to conduct Ariadne auf Naxos.  Considered to be one of the leading conductors of his generation, Carlo’s most recent highly-acclaimed performances have been with Madame Butterfly and Turandot for La Scala, Semiramide at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and Nabucco at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.  Carlo will work in partnership with Australian award-winning director Neil Armfield on this new production of Strauss’ opera.   Artistic Director of Company B in Australia since 1985, Neil has directed many significant award-winning productions in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the UK and recently directed Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at the Royal Opera House – the first showing of a musical in the 111-year history of the ROH.  At WNO Neil has directed The Marriage of Figaro and the multi award-winning Billy Budd.

 Supported by the Colwinston Charitable Trust, Ariadne auf Naxos is designed by Dale Ferguson, many times recipient of the prestigious Australian Green Room Award, who collaborated with Neil Armfield for WNO’s The Marriage of Figaro. The production team is completed with lighting by Tim Mitchell and choreography by Denni Sayers.

Strauss’ orchestrally rich and vocally demanding turn of the century opera encompasses a combination of both serious and comic opera as two forms of musical entertainment are performed simultaneously.  The story of two rival entertainment groups who learn, to their dismay, that the serious opera performance will be punctuated by intervals of comedy and dance from the minstrels, contains some of the most taxing music ever written for the two lead sopranos and lead tenor.  With the lavish costumes and spectacular sets we associate with the director/designer team of Neil Armfield and Dale Ferguson this promises to be a treat for the eyes and ears.

An illustrious cast has been assembled for this production.  Making her role debut as Ariadne, WNO welcomes back internationally acclaimed soprano Janice Watson.  Janice has been a regular guest singer at WNO since the start of her career, most recently singing the Governess in The Turn of the Screw and Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes – a role she recorded for Chandos, and for which she received a Grammy Award.  Janice’s recently released recording of WNO’s Jenufa with the Orchestra and Chorus of WNO, has been very well received.  Peter Hoare, another regular WNO guest artist, is Bacchus.  Peter, who started his career in WNO’s chorus before becoming a sought-after tenor throughout Europe, last appeared with the Company as the hilarious Witch in Hansel and Gretel.  Making her UK opera debut is Polish born soprano Katarzyna Dondalska who represented her country at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2001.  Katarzyna sings Zerbinetta, a role she has previously sung in Augsburg, Germany.  She recently made her US opera debut as Queen of the Night at Houston Grand Opera – a role she will sing for WNO in 2005. 

Mezzo-soprano Alice Coote sings her first Composer, repeating the role in Chicago at a later date.  Alice was last at WNO as Fortuna and Valetto in the 1998 award-winning production of The Coronation of Poppea.  German bass-baritone, Gerd Grochowski, makes his WNO debut as the Music Master, following his recent UK debut with Glyndebourne Festival Opera as the Speaker in The Magic Flute.  

WNO are delighted to welcome Richard van Allan back to the Company.  Richard first sang with WNO in 1969 as Banquo in Macbeth and was last with the Company as Pizarro in Fidelio in 1981.  His long and distinguished career has taken him all over the world.  Two years ago Richard retired from his position as Director of the National Opera Studio - a position he held for 15 years – and was honoured with a CBE for his services to opera.   Richard will perform the role of the Major-Domo in Ariadne auf Naxos.  

The first revival of the season is Christopher Alden’s striking 1994 production of Puccini’s last great opera, Turandot, which tells the story of the ‘ice’ princess, Turandot, who poses three riddles for her suitors to answer - if they fail they are beheaded.  An unknown prince, Calaf, succeeds in answering her riddles and challenges her to discover his name by morning in which case he will forfeit his life.  This musical drama of knife-edged tension and emotional power is filled with great operatic moments, wonderful choruses and, of course, the best-known tenor aria in opera – ‘Nessun Dorma’.

Conducted by WNO’s Head of Music and Puccini specialist, Julian Smith, the opera features three singers new to WNO.  Both Italian soprano Francesca Patanè and Ukrainian soprano, Olga Mykytenko, are making UK debuts in their respective roles of Turandot and Liu, with Russia bass, Ilya Bannik as Timur.  A former fashion model in New York, Francesca has sung major soprano roles throughout Europe with her most recent role being Salome in Essen.  Olga Mykytenko’s most recent roles have been as Violetta in Munich, Riga, Brussels and Lisbon, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor in St Petersburg and Mimi in Rome and Salzburg.  Internationally acclaimed tenor, Dennis O’Neill, is Calaf, the Prince who melts Turandot’s heart.

Completing the line up of productions, Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser’s striking 1992 production of Gluck’s last opera, Iphigénie en Tauride, is revived this season by Jean-Michel Criqui. 

Considered by some to be Gluck’s greatest opera, this sinister tragedy is taken from the play by Euripides.  Based on ancient Greek mythology, it tells the story of Iphigenie, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who is sent to be a sacrificial priestess on the island of Tauris in order to save her life.  When two sailors, Oreste and Pylade, are shipwrecked on Tauris they are doomed to be sacrificed by Iphigenie but she choses to kill only Pylade and save Oreste as he reminds her of her (presumed) dead brother. In the moment that Oreste changes places with Pylade and Iphigenie prepares to strike, she recognises Oreste as her true brother.

Leading a strong cast, Dublin born Ann Murray makes her role debut as Iphigenie. Her last appearance at WNO was in 2001 when she sang Beatrice in Beatrice and Benedict. Ann’s operatic engagements have taken her to the great opera houses of the world in a vast variety of roles which include Donna Elvira, Sextus, Dorabella and Cherubino at La Scala, Idamantes, Rosina, Octavian and the Composer for the Vienna State Opera and Cecilio, Cherubino, Dorabella, Donna Elvira, Rosina, Sextus and Octavian at the Salzburg Festival.  She was appointed an honorary Dame of the British Empire in 2002.  Oreste is sung by baritone, Geoffrey Dolton, having previously sung at WNO as Papageno in The Magic Flute.  Pylade will be sung by Paul Nilon and Thoas by David Kempster, both regular guest artists at WNO.  WNO Associate Artist, Camilla Roberts, who will represent Wales in the Singer of the World in Cardiff Competition in 2005, is to sing Diana.

Iphigénie en Tauride is a co-production with Opera Zuid.

Tickets for all three productions, with prices ranging from £6 to £42.50, are available from the Box Office of the Hippodrome Theatre, Bristol – Tel: 0870 607 7500.

There will be pre-performance talks for Ariadne auf Naxos, Iphigénie en Tauride and   Turandot given by WNO’s Dramaturg, Simon Rees.  The talks – for those who are new to opera as well as seasoned regulars – are created to give audiences the best possible insight into the work and help them get the most out of the performance.  Talks at the Hippodrome Theatre, Bristol, will be on 7, 10, 11 December 2004 at 6.15pm.  Tickets for pre-performance talks are free to ticket holders.

 Looking to the future, and following WNO’s policy of working to bring new audiences to opera, WNO’s final performance at the New Theatre, Chorus!, is a special event for people who are new to opera - there is even a special information pack which is available from WNO for those who are interested.

Featuring the world-class Chorus and Orchestra of Welsh National Opera singing major opera choruses the show will be conducted by WNO’s Chorus Master, Donald Nally, with principal roles being performed by singers from within the Chorus, Chorus! brings opera to life and will surprise the audience with how much opera they can recognise from TV and the movies. 

This fully staged concert will be directed by the respected opera director, David Pountney, who has been associated with WNO over many years being responsible for some of the Company’s most successful productions – the Janácek cycle of the 1970’s, WNO’s 50^th Anniversary new commission by Peter Maxwell Davies, The Doctor of Myddfai, and Simon Boccanegra.  He will return to Welsh National Opera in 2006 to direct the Company’s new Flying Dutchman, with Bryn Terfel singing the title role for the first time in his career.

This evening event, which is supported by Classic FM, will be performed throughout WNO’s autumn tour with special low-ticket prices from £12.50 with discounts for groups and the usual concession groups. 

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