learn more at www.musicsalesclassical.com qiir;L OperaandChorus;GrantGershon;Sony191970 Squitieri; LA Back covercourtesyofElizabethBeristain. Front coverandinsidephotographscourtesyofLosAngelesOpera. CREDITS PHOTO Available:Pl DVD Salsipuedes Postino, Music Publishers. dent incomposition.HismusicispublishedbyAssociated Sussex inEnglandbeforeenrollingPrincetonasaPhDstu- Born inMexico,CatánstudiedphilosophyattheUniversityof . miered inSeptember2010,featuringPlácidoDomingoand [email protected] digital.schirmer.com/gr G. Schirmer/AMPRentalandPerformanceDepartment Grand Rights:,Ballet,Dance ORDERING INFORMATION The MusicSalesGroupofCompanies www.musicsalesclassical.com/rental Publisher andAgencyRepresentation fortheMusicSalesGroup The HalLeonardCorporationdistributes G.Schirmer/AMPmusicinprint. Sales materials [email protected] G. 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USA : ChesterMusicLtd : G.Schirmer,Inc. : EditionWilhelmHansen AS was commissionedbyLosAngelesOperaandpre- for HoustonGrandOpera.Hisfourthopera, : : á cido Domingo, CharlesCatronovo,Amanda cido Domingo, this operaledtothecommissionof American company.Thesuccessof byamajor Spanish commissioned tinction ofbeingthefirstoperain Florencia enelAmazonas heard inhismusic.Hisopera instruments andrhythmsareregularly Strauss alongwithLatinAmerican tions reminiscentofDebussyand majority ofhisworks.Lushorchestra- human voice,whichfeaturesinthe lends itselfparticularlywelltothe Daniel Catán’slyrical,romanticstyle : Tel: +33153 246852 E-mail: [email protected] France Tel: +493022322019 E-mail: [email protected] Germany Tel: +61292998877 E-mail: [email protected] Australia Tel: +34913084040 E-mail: [email protected] Spain : UniónMusicalEdiciones www.halleonard.com : ChesterMusic France : G.SchirmerPtyLtd : MusicSalesClassical Berlin has thedis- : Il “Delivers inawayfewmodern operasdo.” Daniel Catán — TheSanFranciscoExaminer Il Postino Il Postino Commissioned by the Opera in Three Acts, 2010 ACCLAIM “Undeniably beautiful, and it packs an emotional Music and libretto by Daniel Catán punch.” Libretto in Spanish, based on the novel by Antonio Skármeta — Joshua Kosman, The San Francisco Chronicle and the film by Michael Radford. “You’ve got something with considerable crowd DURATION: 2 hours, 5 minutes appeal, which brought the opening night audience to its feet.” WORLD PREMIERE SUBSEQUENT — Anne Midgette, September 23, 2010 PERFORMANCES “Restores a small taste of the politics, sex and Los Angeles Opera December 2010 Skármeta’s wonderful dry humor, as well as , conductor Theater an der Wien, Vienna Neruda’s poetry.” Ron Daniels, director — Mark Swed, The Riccardo Hernandez, set and costume design April 2011 Jennifer Tipton, lighting design University of Houston, TX “Entices the ear without pandering. It may be just what the doctor ordered for an opera com- Philip Bussman, projections pany trying to survive a rough economy without sacrificing its spirit of adventure....the loud- June 2011 est cheers from the season’s opening-night-gala crowd went to the composer.” PREMIERE CAST Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris — Richard S. Ginell, MusicalAmerica.com : Plácido Domingo Matilde Neruda: Cristina Gallardo-Domas SYNOPSIS Mario Ruoppolo: Charles Castronovo (The action takes place on a small Italian island Beatrice: Amanda Squitieri in the 1950’s.) Donna Rosa: Mario Ruoppolo is a gentle young man in an insular Italian fishing village where time moves slowly. Since Mario’s seasickness CAST doesn’t allow him to fish, he takes the job of MARIO RUOPPOLO: postman, delivering mail on a bicycle to only MARIO'S FATHER: Character Tenor a single customer, the famous Chilean poet PABLO NERUDA: Tenor Pablo Neruda. Neruda has been exiled to MATILDE NERUDA: Italy because of his communist views. After a GIORGIO: Bass- while, the two become good friends. In the BEATRICE: Soprano meantime, Mario meets and becomes smit- DI COSIMO: Baritone ten with a beautiful young lady, Beatrice Russo, in the village’s only cafe. Mario has no idea PRIEST: Character Tenor how to pursue the longings of his heart. With the help of Neruda, Mario is able to better communicate his love to Beatrice through the use of poetic metaphors. Soon, Mario is com- DONNA ROSA: Mezzo-soprano posing poetry of his own, with hopes of not only attracting Beatrice’s attention, but of win- PABLITO (son of Mario and Beatrice): Silent ning her heart. Mario and Beatrice are later married, and at the same time Neruda and his 4 THUGS: 2 , 2 wife Matilde learn that they are allowed to return to Chile. Months after Neruda’s departure 5 PATRONS: 3 Tenors, 2 Basses and subsequent lack of contact, Mario makes a nostalgic recording of island sounds for Chorus: TB Neruda, including the heartbeat of his unborn son. Several years later, Neruda comes back to the island and finds Beatrice and her son in the same old cafe. She tells him that Mario was ORCHESTRA killed just before the birth of their son, at a communist rally in Naples. He was selected to 3(pic).2(obda).2+bcl.2/4.3.2+btbn.1/timp.2perc.pf.hp/str read his poetry (dedicated to Neruda) for the crowd, but police stormed the rally before he Onstage band: soprano saxophone, trumpet, sousaphone, percussion, riq, accordion could reach the stage. Beatrice gives Neruda a letter that Mario left for him.