WHAT’S ON AUTUMN 2015 SPRING 2016 WELCOME CONTENTS TO ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA It’s a great pleasure to introduce ENO’s 2015/16 Season. 4 2015/16 Season From Mozart and Rossini, through Verdi and Puccini to Philip Glass – the eight productions of our Autumn 6 Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Spring seasons offer a diverse range of operatic 8 The Barber of Seville repertoire. I truly hope there is something to offer everyone a memorable visit to the London Coliseum. 10 Meet Mark Wigglesworth, ENO’s New Music Director At its heart, ENO is a company of world-class musical storytellers, and we are delighted to welcome the distinguished British conductor Mark Wigglesworth as ENO’s new Music 12 La bohème Director in succession to Edward Gardner. Mark will be conducting many of the season’s 14 The Force of Destiny highlights, and you can read about his aspirations for the company on pages 10–11. 16 Theatre Tours and We have five new productions in this period, all collaborations with some of the world’s Pre-performance Talks most talented and in-demand directors. In the autumn we have Dmitri Tcherniakov’s powerful Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk; Benedict Andrews’s spectacular new staging of 18 The Mikado La bohème, and a major new collaboration with New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 20 The Magic Flute Calixto Bieito’s The Force of Destiny. In the spring we have a thrilling Norma directed by Christopher Alden, while Phelim McDermott continues his exploration of the operas of 22 ENO Friends Membership Philip Glass with a new production of the iconic Akhnaten. 24 Norma Returning to ENO are the enduringly popular Barber of Seville and The Mikado (both 26 Akhnaten originally directed by Jonathan Miller), and the first revival of Simon McBurney’s visually stunning production of The Magic Flute. 28 English National Ballet 29 Food and Drink at the We’re passionate about this work, and we want to make sure that it can be enjoyed by London Coliseum anyone who wants to see it – whether you’re trying opera for the very first time, or come to every ENO production. To that end, we’ve made some changes to our prices for the 30 Visiting Us 2015/16 Season – reducing the cost of many of our seats, and ensuring that at least 500 tickets are available for £20 or less at every performance. You can also find out 32 Ways to Save about other ways to save on page 32. 34 Ticket Prices and Seating Plan ENO performances at the London I hope this all encourages you to explore the world of opera through the talents of this Coliseum (except Akhnaten) are 35 Calendar extraordinary award-winning company. We look forward to welcoming you to ENO soon. sung and surtitled in English. 37 How to Book ENO gratefully acknowledges financial support from Arts Council England. ENO is a registered charity (no. 257210) in the UK and a 501(c)3 registered organisation in the US. John Berry CBE Artistic Director 2015/16 SEASON SHOSTAKOVICH AUTUMN LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK 2015 26 September – 20 October ROSSINI THE BARBER OF SEVILLE 28 September – 11 November PUCCINI LA BOHÈME 16 October – 26 November VERDI THE FORCE OF DESTINY 9 November – 4 December GILBERT & SULLIVAN THE MIKADO 21 November – 6 February MOZART SPRING THE MAGIC FLUTE 2016 5 February – 19 March BELLINI NORMA 17 February – 11 March GLASS AKHNATEN 4 – 18 March PUCCINI Muir AUTUMN/SPRING BOOKING DATES SUMMER BOOKING DATES SUMMER MADAM BUTTERFLY 22 April: ENO Opera Circle Patrons 7 October: ENO Opera Circle Patrons 2016 16 May – 7 July Alastair 6 May: ENO Friends 21 October: ENO Friends WAGNER 20 May: Subscription tickets 4 November : Subscription tickets Photo: TRISTAN AND ISOLDE & Access Scheme booking & Access Scheme booking 9 June – 9 July North. 27 May: Public booking 11 November: Public booking V JANÁCEK O Opera , JENUFA 23 June – 8 July Norma 4 ENO.ORG 020 7845 9300 5 BOLD AND POWERFUL DRAMA LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH The finest Shostakovich interpreter Dmitri Shostakovich and Alexander Preys, after Nikolai Leskov ‘ of his generation 26 September – 20 October | 8 Performances | Running time: 3hrs BBC Music Magazine on ’Mark Wigglesworth Lady Macbeth of Mstensk is a powerful work of raw emotional Conductor intensity. With themes of adultery and murder, the story Mark Wigglesworth follows the downfall of a bored provincial merchant’s wife Director/Set Designer who seeks solace and excitement in an extra-marital affair. Dmitri Tcherniakov Associate Costume Designer With a bold and contemporary setting, this staging provides Elena Zaytseva the perfect backdrop to this 20th-century opera’s unflinching Lighting Designer approach to sex and violence. Shostakovich’s music is Gleb Filshtinsky fast-paced and dynamic, brimming with his hallmark Translator orchestration and unmatched gifts for biting parody. David Pountney This vibrant new production launches Mark Wigglesworth’s Cast includes tenure as ENO Music Director. It is a perfect piece to mark his Katerina Ismailova arrival as he is a critically acclaimed Shostakovich interpreter, Patricia Racette who has recorded all the composer’s symphonies. He is Sergei partnered by Dmitri Tcherniakov, one of the most in-demand John Daszak Straub directors currently working in opera. The world-class cast Zinovy Ismailov Peter Hoare is led by soprano Patricia Racette, one of today’s greatest Eduard Sonyetka singing actresses, alongside acclaimed British tenors Clare Presland John Daszak as her lover, Sergei, and Peter Hoare as the Photo: Old Convict cuckolded Zinovy. Matthew Best Rhein. Shabby Peasant Adrian Thompson am Aksinya Oper Rosie Aldridge Priest Graeme Danby Deutsche Sep 26, 29 & Oct 2, 8, 10, 13, 20 at 7.30pm , Oct 17 at 6.30pm Pre -performance talk: 8 Oct, 5.15–6pm, £5/£2.50 concs Co-production with Opéra de Lyon Originally created by Deutsche Oper am Rhein New production supported by a syndicate of individual donors Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk ENO.ORG 020 7845 9300 7 A COMIC CLASSIC THE BARBER OF SEVILLE GIOACHINO ROSSINI A genuinely funny Cesare Sterbini, after Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais and a libretto attributed to ‘ opera staging Giuseppe Petrosellini Evening ’Standard 28 September – 11 November | 10 Performances | Running time: 2hrs 50mins The Barber of Seville will have you smiling from the moment it Conductor begins. Filled with fun and farce, this sunny adventure follows Christopher Allen the escapades of the barber Figaro as he assists Count Director Almaviva to prise the beautiful yet feisty Rosina away from Jonathan Miller her lecherous guardian Dr Bartolo. Revival Director Peter Relton Designer Set in an elegant vision of 18th-century Seville, Jonathan Tanya McCallin Miller’s much-loved production returns to the Coliseum and Lighting Designer remains as side-splittingly funny as ever. For this revival, the Tom Mannings talented Christopher Allen will conduct Rossini’s sparkling Translators score, packed full of wit and playful tunes. Amanda Holden and Anthony Holden As Dr Bartolo, ENO favourite Andrew Shore returns in one of his signature roles, showcasing his peerless comic timing. Cast includes Kathryn Rudge, a former ENO Harewood Artist, sings the role Figaro of Rosina for the first time, alongside rising baritone Morgan Morgan Pearse Pearse as Figaro. Making his ENO debut as Almaviva is Rosina Kathryn Rudge Eleazar Rodriguez, a tenor who has won critical praise for his Count Almaviva Rossini roles. Eleazar Rodriguez Dr Bartolo Andrew Shore Don Basilio Great fun and highly recommended Barnaby Rea Berta The Guardian ‘ ’ Katherine Broderick Fiorello Matthew Durkan Sep 28, 30, Oct 9, 15, 19, 30 & Nov 5, 11 at 7.30pm Oct 3, 24 at 6.30pm Rylander Pre -performance talk: 30 Sep, 5.15–6pm, £5/£2.50 concs Scott Revival Photo: ENO.ORG 020 7845 9300 9 MEET MARK WIGGLESWORTH ENO’S NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR AS A FAN OF ENO FOR to produce operas that others never This season’s journey forget. It is these people that give OVER THIRTY-FIVE YEARS, offers operas that define ENO its identity beyond the work ‘ THE PHILOSOPHY OF THIS itself. Regular audience members are ENO’s fresh taste to the EXCEPTIONAL COMPANY IS part of this family and newcomers familiar and its constant VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART. feel welcome in an environment that commitment to adventure. simultaneously manages to be both Opera is an equal and indivisible spectacular and relaxed. Revivals of iconic productions of The’ combination of music and drama, Barber of Seville, The Magic Flute, movement and design. It tells The company is rightly Madam Butterfly* and The Mikado sit elemental stories through the essential alongside new takes on cult status simplicity and depth of the human ‘proud of its past and I am contemporary work such as Akhnaten, voice. Singing in our own language immensely excited to be and to have the opportunity to hear not only increases opera’s power again David Alden’s Olivier Award- part of its future. O to move, challenge and excite, winning production of Jenufa* is to but also allows it to connect with ’ be able to be profoundly affected by as broad a public as possible. This season’s journey offers operas one of the greatest twentieth-century Our productions, like our that define ENO’s fresh taste to the operas ever written. audiences, express diversity, familiar and its constant commitment curiosity and passion, and to adventure. The huge forcesO involved The company is rightly proud of its experiencing them in London’s in breathtaking pieces like Lady past and I am immensely excited greatest theatre always creates Macbeth of Mtsensk and The Force to be part of its future.