Juilliard Opera presents

Teseo Music by by , after Philippe Quinault's Thésée

Recorded January 31—February 19, 2021 Peter Jay Sharp Theater and Suite 213

Gary Thor Wedow, Conductor Stephen Wadsworth, Director

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The Cast (in order of vocal appearance) Agilea Hye young Moon Clizia Nicoletta Berry Arcane Alma Neuhaus Egeo Maggie Reneé Medea Megan Moore Teseo Emily Sierra Il sacerdote di Minerva Joseph Parrish

Lighting Designer: David Lander Costume Coordinator: Luke Simcock

Covers Carlyle Quinn (Arcane); Song Hee Lee (Clizia); Jasmin White (Egeo); Evan Lazdowski (Il sacerdote di Minerva); Libby Sokolowski (Medea)

Music Preparation: Gary Thor Wedow Orchestral Preparation: Robert Mealy Assistant Conductor: David Belkovski Language Preparation: Stefano Baldasseroni Associate Coach: David Moody

Assistant Director: Anna Rebek Production Stage Manager: Alexandra Hall Assistant Costume Coordinator: John Polles* Assistant Stage Manager: Mickey Acton* Titles Creator: Celeste Montemarano

*Member, Professional Apprentice Program

Score edition by Peter Jones

Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts was established in 2010 by the generous support of Ellen and James S. Marcus.

The Juilliard School is grateful to Sarah Billinghurst and Howard Solomon for their generous support of the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts and the Juilliard Opera season.

Juilliard’s full-scholarship Historical Performance program was established and endowed in 2008 by the generous support of Bruce and Suzie Kovner.

Additional support for this performance was provided, in part, by the Muriel Gluck Production Fund.

Juilliard’s livestream technology is made possible by a gift in honor of President Emeritus Joseph W. Polisi, building on his legacy of broadening Juilliard’s global reach.

Juilliard is committed to the diversity of our community and to fostering an environment that is inclusive, supportive, and welcoming to all. For information on our equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging efforts, and to see Juilliard's land acknowledgment statement, please visit our website at juilliard.edu.

Director’s Note by Stephen Wadsworth In a more innocent time, Brian Zeger and I fixed on Teseo as a strong vehicle for our singers; after our partners in Historical Performance came on board, it was set for production in February 2021. But in the past year of international confusion, constantly changing health edicts, and the ever-present, unknown danger of the virus, the performing arts have struggled to live. Our public and private worlds have been deeply shaken. The Teseo project has suffered innumerable setbacks and transformations. Every member of the team has turned these corners with heartache, wiped the slate clean yet again, worked to find a way to save this project we’d come to love, and—more to the point—ensured that our cast and orchestra could engage with it, somehow, in performance.

We finally arrived in the theater to film and record arias from Teseo, the orchestra upstage of the fire curtain seal and only one person in the entire theater—the singer. No duets or scene partners were possible, and a number of arias were omitted due to technical challenges arising from our physical setup. The school lavished its technical resources on the chosen sequences—nine cameras, state of the art sound capture, lighting designers for both stage and film, the list goes on. In a different shoot, in a repurposed office, we captured sequences for continuo and up to two singers.

We kept thinking about what we’d lost (like everyone else affected by the virus), but we also discovered a thrilling pedagogical exercise that combined multiple challenges for the students: In every take, they must integrate the rigors and pressures of recording and filming as well as the tricky ensemble setup, with acting, singing, and playing. And the privations continued—technical glitches, blizzard cancellations, infection anxieties, changes of personnel—but we did not give up. We had a rare opportunity to tell our truths … because and in spite of the many difficulties of the year past.

The Story of Teseo by Stephen Wadsworth Some years earlier, the Athenian king Egeo sired a son in Troezen but left him there to protect him from Athenian rival factions. Egeo left a hidden sword for Teseo, with which Teseo should make himself known to Egeo when he comes of age. Teseo finds it, proceeds to Athens, and—before identifying himself—fights alongside his father to wipe out those rival factions.

The libretto implies that Teseo has been in the court for a while, long enough for Medea, Egeo’s intended, to fall in love with him, and perhaps long enough for Teseo and Medea to have an affair. But during the battle for Athens, Teseo saves Egeo’s ward, Agilea, and realizes it is her he loves—as Agilea discovers she loves him. At the same time, Egeo’s feelings for Agilea have grown into love, and he asks for her hand.

When Medea loses Teseo, she offers to help him but also tries to force him and Agilea apart, using manipulation and magic. Medea succeeds in forcing Agilea to tell Teseo she is unfaithful and doesn’t love him, but their unbreakable love ultimately humbles Medea, and she must leave Athens—but not before she persuades Egeo that Teseo wants his throne and must be killed.

In touching counterpoint to the ordeals of Teseo and Agilea, two young lovers, Clizia (lady-in-waiting to Agilea) and Arcane (close aide to Egeo), must work their way through misunderstanding to a trusting, mature relationship. When Teseo finally reveals his identity to his father, Egeo, poisoned cup in hand, puts aside the cup and gladly surrenders both Agilea and the throne. The priest of Minerva (Athena) brings the goddess’ final measure of resolution and strength to the city and its rulers.

Juilliard415 Roster

Peter Jay Sharp Theater Violin Oboe Majka Demcak* Pablo O’Connell Aniela Eddy* Gaia Saetermoe-Howard Natalie Rose Kress* Alyssa Campbell Bassoon Carmen Johnson-Pájaro Aaron Goler Edward Li Joseph Lorang Harpsichord Kako Miura David Belkovski Rachel Prendergast Nicola Canzano Kevin C. Devine Viola *Section leaders Majka Demcak Aniela Eddy Natalie Rose Kress Suite 213 Rachel Prendergast Harpsichord Gary Thor Wedow Cello Nicola Canzano Cullen O’Neil* Charlie Reed* Cello Clara Abel Cullen O’Neil Adrienne Hyde Theorbo Stauffer John Stajduhar Violin Flute Kako Miura Ellen Sauer Melanie Williams