Week 5: History – Cincinnati Opera Edition 1. The very first Cincinnati Opera production in 1920 played to a sold-out house with this 19th century German composer’s most famous opera. Who was the composer and what was the opera? A: Friedrich von Flotow’s Martha On June 27, 1920, Cincinnati Opera Association began its life as the second oldest opera company in the United States. For over 50 years, the Opera performed at the Cincinnati Zoo Pavilion. During the years at the Zoo, a number of now famous opera singers frequented the stage: Norman Treigle, Beverly Sills, Sherrill Milnes, Montserrat Caballé, James Morris, and Roberta Peters, to name a few. Cincinnati Opera premiere of Martha: 1920 Last performance: 1956 Pavarotti sings “M’appari tutt’amore’ from Martha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my6M8HxlTwg 2. What 1968 Cincinnati Opera production was so popular that it was by filmed by PBS and televised in 1968? (Hint: this Donizetti opera was given a “Wild West” spin) A: L’Elisir d’Amore Jame De Blasis, former Artistic Director, achieved national recognition with a new interpretation of Donizetti's L’Elisir d’Amore set in “Wild West” 19th-century Texas. Cincinnati Opera premiere: 1924 Last performance: 1983 Here’s a full length performance for you to enjoy from the Vienna State Opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAXoOqIGlTY 3. In, 1996, Nicholas Muni became the Artistic Director, following James de Blasis. Which opera was NOT premiered during his tenure? a. Britten’s The Turn of the Screw b. Heggie’s Dead Man Walking c. Weinberger’s Schwanda the Bagpiper d. Janácek’s Jenufa The premiere of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw was in 1999. It is also the last time it has been done on stage Glyndebourne Festival Opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VRB8lklo3c Heggie’s Dead Man Walking premiered in 2002. It was also the last time is has been performed. Shreverport Opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTMLoP3Cya0 Composer talks about the opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJQzmtJqVf0 Weinberger’s Schwanda the Bagpiper was first and last seen in 1986. “Polka and Fugue” from Schwanda played by our very own Cincinnati Pops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyXkTHjPVbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXbKp-SR624 Janácek’s Janufa was first and last programmed in 1998. Jennifer Larmore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjnQMLX76FU 4. How many years had Patty Beggs already been with the company when she became the General Director and CEO in 2005? A: 20 In 2005, the company celebrated the triumphant premiere of its first-ever mainstage commission in partnership with Michigan Opera Theater, Richard Danielpour’s Margaret Garner, presented in honor of the opening of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, located on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. Margaret Garner premiered in 2005 and was the last time it was programmed, too. Opera Company of Philadelphia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4CmokrjY44 5. The 2017 season marked the launch of CO Next: Diverse Voices, an initiative committed to showcasing new or existing works by diverse composers or librettists, or works that prominently feature diverse characters in the storyline. What was the first opera presented as part of this initiative? A: Missy Mazzoli’s Song From the Uproar. “Here Where the Footprints Erase the Graves”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urMfnXB6pSY Chicago Fringe Opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIBm1QuzA_4 .