THE 69TH FESTIVAL 11–18 OCTOBER, 2020 WAITING FOR… THE FESTIVAL… IN THE AIR WELCOME Click below for a video welcome from Wexford Festival Opera’s Artistic Director ROSETTA CUCCHI FUNDERS FALSTAFF CHRONICLES SIX EPISODES FROM FALSTAFF BY GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813–1901) NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE | 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 OCTOBER | 18:00 GMT + 1 The plays of William Shakespeare CREATIVE TEAM were the 17th century equivalent Music Directors.....Carmen Santoro, Andrea Grant to the modern-day soap-operas, Director...........Roberto Recchia which are watched daily to hear Designer ..........Serena Treppiedi tell of the latest scandal. Giuseppe Verdi was inspired to write his CAST final opera Falstaff, based on one Sir John Falstaff ....Rory Dunne / David Howes of Shakespeare’s most beloved Ford .............Dmitry Cheblykov characters, when he was nearly Bolshoi Young Artist Programme 80 years of age. The members of Alice Ford .........Francesca Federico / Jade Phoenix the Wexford Factory will perform Nannetta..........Kathleen Norchi / Sarah Shine a six-part mini-series rendition of Meg Page .........Sarah Richmond Verdi’s masterpiece Falstaff over Mistress Quickly ....Anna Brady six consecutive days. Follow the Fenton ...........Andrew Gavin chronicles of the fat knight, Sir Dr Caius ..........Conor Prendiville John Falstaff, as he attempts to Bardolfo ..........Vladimir-Mihai Sima seduce two married women in Pistola ............Conall William O’Neill an effort to gain access to their husbands’ wealth. Sung in Italian LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WEXFORD FACTORY YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMME ON THE WFO WEBSITE PETITE MESSE SOLENNELLE Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE | SUNDAY, 11 OCTOBER | 20:00 GMT + 1 Rossini’s final composition CREATIVE TEAM before his death, and one of Conductor ........Kenneth Montgomery the finest examples of a solemn First Pianist ........Finghin Collins mass. Petite messe solennelle Second Pianist .....Carmen Santoro is considered one of the most Harmonium........Andrew Synnott remarkable compositions of his CAST entire career, demonstrated by Soprano ..........Claudia Boyle his use of beautiful, memorable Mezzo-soprano.....Tara Erraught melodies and rhythmic vitality. Tenor.............Pietro Adaíni Capturing the glorious acoustics Bass .............John Molloy of the National Opera House, Chorus ...........Wexford Factory Ensemble Rossini’s magnificent piece will be performed on the stage in This performance is dedicated to the memory of the victims its original version with two of the COVID-19 pandemic. pianos, harmonium, four soloists and chorus. Sung in Italian LEARN MORE ABOUT PETITE MESSE SOLENNELLE ON THE WFO WEBSITE GALA CONCERT – REMOTE VOICES FRIDAY, 16 OCTOBER | 20:00 GMT + 1 This year’s Gala Concert, hosted FEATURED SINGERS* by Artistic Director Rosetta Aigul Akhmetshina, Sophie Gordeladze, soprano Cucchi, will feature performances mezzo-soprano Ermonela Jaho, soprano from some of the most famous Nicola Alaimo, baritone Rachel Kelly, mezzo-soprano and outstanding stars from the Simone Alberghini, bass-baritone Leon Kim, baritone opera world, all of whom have Daniela Barcellona, Alessandro Luongo, baritone appeared in Wexford. Wexford mezzo-soprano Raffaella Lupinacci, Festival Opera has historically Paolo Bordogna, baritone mezzo-soprano served as a springboard for many Joseph Calleja, tenor Angela Meade, soprano young singers at the beginning of Roberto de Candia, baritone Sergey Romanovsky, tenor their careers onto the international Helena Dix, soprano Luca Salsi, baritone stage and while they have gone Anne Sophie Duprels, soprano Levy Sekgapane, tenor on to lofty careers, Wexford Juan Diego Flórez, tenor Mariangela Sicilia, soprano Festival Opera has always Igor Golovatenko, baritone Nora Sourouzian, mezzo-soprano remained in their hearts. It is with Dmitry Golovnin, tenor Noah Stewart, tenor great honour that we welcome them back to perform for you once again – from their homes *Singers subject to change. to yours. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GALA CONCERT ON THE WFO WEBSITE LISETTE OROPESA with the Wexford Festival Orchestra NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE | SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER | 20:00 GMT + 1 A special concert live from the Lisette Oropesa is one of the most Conductor Francesco Cilluffo is best stage of the National Opera in-demand lyric coloraturas today, remembered by Wexford audiences House with the internationally- who has triumphed in various roles for leading the critically-acclaimed renowned American lyric throughout the most important operas: Guglielmo Ratcliff coloratura soprano Lisette houses in Europe and the US. (Mascagni, 2015), Risurrezione Oropesa, accompanied by the Known for her liquid legato and (Alfano, 2017), and most recently Wexford Festival Orchestra, seamless technique, stylistic the double-bill of L’oracolo/Mala conducted by Francesco Cilluffo. integrity, precise coloratura, and vita (Leoni/Giordano, 2018). superlative acting, Lisette excels La Stampa named Francesco in the repertoire of the bel canto, as one of the top young Italian Mozart, and French composers. conductors on the international circuit today. LEARN MORE ABOUT LISETTE OROPESA ON THE WFO WEBSITE DINNER TIME RECITAL – CELINE BYRNE NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE | SATURDAY, 17 OCTOBER | 20:00 GMT + 1 Irish soprano Celine Byrne will Covent Garden, Israeli Opera in and Joseph Calleja. Celine Byrne perform in a very special dinner Tel Aviv, Mikhailovsky Opera, St. will be one of the internationally time recital from the stage of the Petersburg, Deutsche Oper am renowned masterclass tutors who National Opera House. Celine Rhein, Düsseldorf and Minnesota will mentor the thirteen young is very familiar to both Irish and Opera amongst others. She has talented Irish singers selected international audiences having also performed in concert with for the inaugural Wexford Factory, performed with Irish National world-renowned tenors José which will take place from Opera, Royal Opera House, Carreras, Roberto Alagna and 5–15 September. LEARN MORE ABOUT CELINE BYRNE ON THE WFO WEBSITE IMPOSSIBLE INTERVIEWS MONDAY, 12 OCTOBER | WEDNESDAY, 14 OCTOBER | FRIDAY, 16 OCTOBER | 15:00 GMT + 1 Michael Dervan, music critic and Irish Times contributor, meets up with three ground-breaking international artists to discuss the past, present and future of opera. Ermonela Jaho, soprano Graham Vick, director Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho Graham Vick is the Artistic Director One of today’s most sought- made her Wexford debut in 2000 of Birmingham Opera Company after conductors, acclaimed for in Tchaikovsky’s Orleanskaya deva and works in the world’s major his charismatic leadership and and returned in 2001 and 2002 opera houses with many leading inspirational performances in to perform in Massenet’s Sapho conductors. His pioneering work both symphonic and operatic and Auber’s Manon Lescaut, in Birmingham has attracted repertoire, Sir Antonio Pappano respectively. She was described the attention of people and has been Music Director of the in The Economist as “the world’s companies worldwide and is now Royal Opera House Covent most acclaimed soprano”. seen to be at the forefront of the Garden since 2002, and Music modernisation of opera and a Director of the Orchestra pioneer in its development as a dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa 21st-century art form.. Cecilia in Rome since 2005. LEARN MORE ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE INTERVIEWS ON THE WFO WEBSITE WHAT HAPPENED TO LUCRECE A new opera commissioned by WFO based on The Rape of Lucrece by William Shakespeare composed by Andrew Synnott – Artist-in-Residence WFO 2020 Libretto by Alessandra Binucci and Rosetta Cucchi TUESDAY, 13 OCTOBER | WEDNESDAY, 14 OCTOBER | THURSDAY, 15 OCTOBER | 20:00 GMT + 1 Composer and Artist-in-Residence, CREATIVE TEAM Andrew Synnott’s new opera, Conductor ........Andrew Synnott commissioned by WFO, is based First Pianist ........Andrea Grant on the Shakespeare narrative Director...........Rosetta Cucchi poem, The Rape of Lucrece, about Designer ..........Rosetta Cucchi the legendary Roman noblewoman CAST Lucretia. Under the direction of Lucrece ...........Wexford Factory singer, mezzo-soprano Rosetta Cucchi, What happened to Sextus ............Rory Musgrave, baritone Lucrece is written for four singers Collatine ..........Wexford Factory singer, soprano and piano, and will be performed Nannette .........Wexford Factory singer, soprano on three separate evenings. Each performance will have a different Sung in English ending: one tragic, one farcical and one romantic. Viewers are invited to vote on their preferred ending. LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO LUCRECE ON THE WFO WEBSITE WFO 2.0 – POP-UP EVENTS VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN WEXFORD TOWN SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER – SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER | 12:00 GMT + 1 For those feeling (National initiative is designed to bring the will be streamed on Facebook live Opera) House-bound, a series Festival back into the community each day on the Wexford Festival of pop-up events comprising of Wexford, making it more Opera page. Programme and multidisciplinary performances accessible and inviting for new venues to be announced in the featuring music, drama, singing and diverse audiences. Each day autumn. A limited number of the and dance, will be performed in will feature a different ‘pop-up’ public may attend in keeping with non-traditional settings around event in a different location in social-distancing guidelines. Wexford town. This exciting new Wexford town. All pop-up events Facebook Live: Wexford Festival Opera LEARN MORE ABOUT WFO 2.0 POP-UP