Home Contact Us Endowment Search

Review: Log in Register The Voice of Prague Summer Nights CATEGORIES production of Don THE BIG STORY What's On in Prague? PRAGUE NEWS Giovanni CZECH NEWS Category: Night & Day Published: 04 July 2015 Wed Dec 09 @ 7:00PM - 12:00AM EU NEWS Written by Raymond Johnston Hits: 2512 Mefistofele @ State WORLD NEWS Wed Dec 09 @ 7:00PM - 12:00AM NIGHT & DAY The Cunning Little Vixen @ The National VIEWPOINT Theatre ECONOMY Wed Dec 09 @ 7:00PM - FINANCE Mefistofele @ State Opera EDUCATION Wed Dec 09 @ 7:00PM - REAL ESTATE Editors @ Roxy TECHNOLOGY Wed Dec 09 @ 7:00PM - 12:00AM PROFILES The Bartered Bride @ The National Theatre CULTURE Theatre FOOD & DRINK Wed Dec 09 @ 8:30PM - Smetana Trio @Rudolfinum CINEMA FASHION Wed Dec 09 @ 9:00PM - Monkey Business @ Lucerna Music Bar SPORTS Thu Dec 10 @ 7:00PM - 12:00AM TRAVEL Thu Dec 10 @ 7:00PM - 12:00AM Mefistofele @ State Opera LEVY LIBRARY Thu Dec 10 @ 7:00PM - 12:00AM The Bartered Bride @ The National Theatre Thu Dec 10 @ 7:00PM - 12:00AM The Cunning Little Vixen @ The National Theatre Cherise LukowLike in a costume238 byTweet Theodor Pištěk for ‘.’ Courtesy photo Share 2 Share 0 StumbleUpon +/- FONT:

Up and coming talent tackles Mozart, under the direction of Sherrill Milnes

Prague residents are sometimes a bit suspicious of classical music events in the summer, with all the bored renditions of “The Four Seasons” and truly amateur travelling groups that often sound no better than a college marching band.

But there are exceptions. A production of Don Giovanni The BIG Stories at the Estates Theatre for four shows only, and ending its run July 5, does rely on young talent but also has many Ransdorf presents documents professional aspects. Overall, it is high quality production defending his cause 08 Dec 2015 12:07 - Czech News Agency that showcases a few singers who have the potential to

have significant careers on stage, as well as a young but Communist MEP gives his side competent orchestra. Home Contact Us Endowment Search

Murat˙theater Tickets Czech court recognizes gay German-Czech Chamber party adoptionGerman-Czech Chamber party Morristown˙community Theater 07celebrates Dec 2015 11:43 summer - Czech News Agency 22 Jun 2015 16:52 - Sponsored content

Ruling is seen as a Anchorage˙community Theater breakthroughAbout 1,000 guests for LGBT joined rights the summer party of the German-Czech Chamber of Orpheum Theatre Tickets Industry and Commerce in Ransdorf deniest [ ... ] wrongdoing 06 Dec 2015 16:46 - Czech News Agency Quincy˙community Theater Throne from GoT comes to Karlovy Communist MEP says Vary Paramount Theatre Tickets documents he had were not 03 Jul 2014 13:52forged - André Crous

Updated: CommunistFans can have MEP pictures taken Updated: Communistwith prop that mayMEP outshine suspected ofmany financial other stars frau... at annual film 04 Dec 2015 16:10festival - Czech News Agency

Jessica ChastainSwiss police becomes detain Czech KSČM MEP Ransdorf over Madonna’salleged ‘unapologetic fraud b... 09 Nov 2015 11:43 - Raymond Johnston South Korea offers nuke plants South KoreaGolden offers Globe nuke winning plants actress completion,joined helicop... pop star onstage in 02 Dec 2015 17:00Prague - Czech News Agency

3 questionsZeman for Ann met withVan South den KoreanBroek president Park Geun-hye for 19 Jan 2015 10:15 - 420People signing of memorandums

The choreographer discusses her recent project Phrasing the Pain

Don Giovanni Exhibition: ‘Only the Good Ones’ at Directed by Sherrill Milnes and Maria Zouves the Rudolfinum... When: July 4 at 2 and 7 p.m.; July 5 at 7 p.m. 31 Jan 2014 07:00 - Ada von Kayser Where: Estates Theatre An exhibition dedicated to the www.narodni-divadlo.cz rock ’n’ roll of photography: the www.bohemiaticket.cz snapshot www.colosseumticket.cz www.facebook.com

The sets and costumes are from the National Theatre archives, and help enormously to push the show over the top. Josef Svoboda originally designed the set for a 1969 production, and copies have been used a few times since. The costumes from 2006 are by Theodor Pištěk, who also worked on the films Amadeus and Valmont, and designed the uniforms for the Prague Castle guards.

The stage director was also making his debut, but he was not one of the project's younger members. Sherill Milnes is a baritone who worked with the Met in New York from 1965 to 1997. He and his wife, soprano Maria Zouves, led the young mostly North American cast through a new staging on the archival set.

Milnes in the past was the first American to sing in Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre, so he was not stranger Home Contact Us Endowment Search

the audience, saying that the young people in the program had a once in a lifetime experience discovering their characters on the same stage where Mozart conducted the premiere in 1787.

The conductor for this production was also an experienced professional. John Nardolillo has been conducting internationally since 1994 and teaches master classes.

A few performers will be in all four shows, while other roles will use alternates, to give more people a chance at the limelight.

The Estates Theatre is a large venue to fill with a voice, and some singers at times were a bit soft compared to the orchestra, but most had a decent stage presence that was helped enormously by their truly spectacular costumes — especially for the female roles.

Svoboda’s set was also a treasure, designed to look like the boxes from the auditorium extended onto the stage. A bridge over the orchestra pit allowed actors to move from the stage to the auditorium, and leave by a theater side door.

The set was also highly flexible, and could be quickly changed with movable metal gate, a few backdrops and other mix and match parts so the visual element was never static for too long.

A ballroom dance just before the intermission was one part that could have used a touch more choreography, and the ensemble struggled a bit with the steps, but some productions in the regular season also suffer from a stage overly crowded by the chorus.

The same singers and musicians had appeared the night before in an opera gala, presenting works by Mozart as well as Puccini, Verdi, Offenbach Donizetti and Dvořák.

Aside from Nardolillo, the orchestra at the gala was conducted by Milnes and James Burton, another professional with the Prague Summer Nights program.

Standouts among the young talent in the gala included Mary Catherine Wright, who is one of two people playing Zerlina in Don Giovanni; Cherise Lukow and Britanny Cary, both playing Donna Elvira; and Josue Hernandez, one of two people playing Ottavio.

John Holland, appearing in all shows as Masetto, was more impressive in Don Giovanni than in the gala, where he sang a piece from Dvořák.