Jonathan Miller directs Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto as part of BAM’s 2008 Spring Season
Il matrimonio segreto Music by Domenico Cimarosa Conducted by Paul Goodwin Directed by Jonathan Miller
Orchestra: Members of Brooklyn Philharmonic
Libretto by Giovanni Bertati
Set design by John Conklin Costume design by Clare Mitchell Lighting design by Robert Wierzel
Il conte Robinson – Jonathan Best Fidalma – Fredrika Brillembourg Geronimo – Conal Coad Elisetta – Georgia Jarman Paolino – Chad A. Johnson Carolina – Heidi Stober
In Italian with English titles
Produced by BAM
American Express is the Presenting sponsor for Il matrimonio segreto.
Support for BAM Opera is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Ronald P. Stanton. BAM 2008 Spring Season is sponsored by Bloomberg.
BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St) May 28, 29, 31, June 3 & 4 at 7:30pm; June 1 at 3pm Tickets: $30, 55, 80, 90 BAMdialogue with Jonathan Miller May 29 at 6pm BAM Hillman Attic Studio Tickets: $8 ($4 for Friends of BAM) 718.636.4100 or BAM.org
Brooklyn, NY/April 25, 2008—A central figure in late 18th-century Italian comic opera, Domenico Cimarosa (a contemporary of Mozart) enjoyed great popular success in his lifetime. Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage)—a two-act opera for six characters, composed in 1792—is considered his masterpiece. This humorous cautionary tale about the consequences of keeping secrets features complex vocal ensemble scenes (the composer's hallmark), beautiful melodies, and a witty libretto by Giovani Bertati. Six performances of Il matrimonio segreto will take place in the BAM Harvey Theater on May 28, 29, 31 and June 3 & 4 at 7:30pm and on June 1 at 3pm. To purchase tickets please contact BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100 or visit BAM.org.
In the hands of director Jonathan Miller—who returns to BAM following critically acclaimed productions of Bach's St. Matthew Passion (Spring 1997, 2001, 2006) and Mozart's Così fan tutte (Spring 2003)—human nature is always keenly observed. According to The New York Sun, “Mr. Miller is not only one of the world’s most prodigious and ingenious opera directors, he is also one of the most intelligent and articulate. His meticulously crafted productions, laden with telling details taken from everyday life, form a staple part of the repertoire…” Miller’s production of Il matrimonio segreto is set in the work’s original 18th-century period and features members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic under the direction of Paul Goodwin (conductor of Miller’s recent St. Matthew Passion).
The BAM production is based on Miller’s earlier staging of the work at Zurich Opera in 1996 and at Glimmerglass Opera in 1992. Staged on a single set (designed by John Conklin—also responsible for the Glimmerglass and Zurich productions), the opera tells the delightfully comic story of three mismatched couples: The English Count Robinson arrives in Italy to wed one sister (Elisetta) but falls in love with the other (Carolina). The object of the Count’s desire is secretly married to another man (Paolino), who is pursued by the sister (Fidalma) of the two young women’s father (Geronimo). Cimarosa’s duets, trios, and extended ensembles—involving all six characters—advance the story and enhance the comedy. Order, in this Enlightenment work, is, of course, restored in the end.
Il matrimonio segreto will feature performances by Jonathan Best (bass), Fredrika Brillembourg (mezzo soprano), Conal Coad (bass), Georgia Jarman (soprano), Chad A. Johnson (tenor), and Heidi Stober (soprano). The orchestra for this production comprises 31 members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic.
Director Jonathan Miller’s career spans many different fields: author, lecturer, television producer and presenter, and director of theater, opera, and film. At the English National Opera, Miller directed some of his most enduring successes—The Mikado, Rigoletto, The Marriage of Figaro, The Turn of the Screw, Der Rosenkavalier, and Carmen. He has also directed operas for La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, and Glimmerglass Opera. Miller’s theatrical career has included many memorable productions—The Merchant of Venice with Sir Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright, The Taming of the Shrew (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Seagull (Chichester Festival Theatre), A Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Haymarket Theatre), and The Emperor (Royal Court). Between 1988 and 1990, as artistic director of the Old Vic, Miller directed a number of highly-acclaimed productions including Andromache with Janet Suzman, The Tempest with Max von Sydow, King Lear, and Corneille’s comedy, The Liar. Recently, Miller directed La Clemenza di Tito in Zurich, Don Pasquale at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Così fan tutte at BAM and at Seattle Opera, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo in Manchester and Bristol, Der Rosenkavalier in Tokyo, and Elisir d’amore at New York City Opera.
Paul Goodwin is one of Britain’s most versatile conductors, renowned for his historically informed interpretations of baroque, classical and romantic music, while also being a great advocate of contemporary music. Paul is Associate Conductor of the Academy of Ancient Music and a regular guest conductor with the Kammerorchester Basel and the Sudwest Rundfunk Orchester Kaiserslautern. He was the Principal Guest Conductor of the English Chamber Orchestra for six years. Paul has a wide symphonic repertoire, conducting orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra., Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, the Belgium and Spanish National Orchestras, Helsinki and Royal Stockholm Philharmonics and the Bayerischer and Hessischer Rundfunkorchesters. His repertoire spans from Purcell and Bach to Brahms and Schumann, from Ravel, Elgar, and Stravinsky, to Messiaen, Takemitsu, and Maxwell Davies. In opera, Paul has appeared at the Komische Oper in Berlin with Iphigenie en Tauride, at the Teatro Real in Madrid with Britten’s Rape of Lucretia, and at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris with Handel’s Riccardo Primo. Paul Goodwin was awarded the Handel Honorary Prize of the City of Halle (Saale) in 2007 in recognition of his extraordinary services to performances of works by George Frederic Handel.
Credits BAM 2008 Spring Season is sponsored by Bloomberg. Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
American Express is the Presenting sponsor for Il matrimonio segreto.
Support for BAM Opera is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ronald P. Stanton, The Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust, The Isak & Rose Weinman Foundation, Inc.
Additional support for BAM Opera provided by The Reed Foundation and Max & Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, and Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation. MetLife Foundation is the Presenting sponsor for BAM Humanities programs.
BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors, including: The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation; New York City Council; Estate of Richard B. Fisher; The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; The Ford Foundation; The New York State Music Fund; Bloomberg; The Starr Foundation; JPMorgan Chase Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Bank of America; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Time Warner Inc.; The Kovner Foundation; Booth Ferris Foundation; The Norman & Rosita Winston Foundation, Inc.; American Express; Forest City Ratner Companies; Visa Signature; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Skirball Foundation; Friends of BAM and BAM Cinema Club. Sovereign Bank is the BAM Marquee sponsor. R/GA is the BAM.org sponsor. Yamaha is the official piano for BAM. New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for BAM. Sharp Electronics Corporation is BAM’s Consumer Electronics Partner. BAM Lounge Furniture Provider is west elm.
General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafé, and Brownstone Books at BAM are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn’s only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to Howard Gilman Opera House performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live nights on Friday and Saturday with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 8pm.
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