opera Seize the night Mazda Summer of Opera 8 January – 30 March Sydney Opera House www.opera-australia.org.au Opera – Seize the night. Sydney in Summer. EXPERIENCE LIFE AMPLIFIED DO IT IN STYLE WITH A BOOK 3 OR MORE It’s a special time. The 2010 Summer Season is full PLATINUM PACKAGE OPERAS AND SAVE of delights: fall in love at first sight Come alive this Summer with a Or if you just want to see as Starry skies, the with La traviata; get carried away night at the opera. This year you much as possible, enjoy significant glittering water and a by Manon and shocked by Tosca; can do it in style with our new savings when choosing three feel the magic of A Midsummer Platinum Package, which offers or more operas from our 2010 great city a-buzz with Night’s Dream; and if you like a the ultimate opera experience: program, (including the seven music, theatre and art. challenge, don’t miss Bliss. You the best of the best seats, Winter season operas detailed on can swoon with the passionate complimentary interval drinks and pages 16-19). Where better to drink it arias, thrill to the roar of the grand canapés in the exclusive Qantas Choose Your Own Subscriptions all in than at the opera? choruses, or immerse yourself in Club and a souvenir program (see are still available and offer lives more passionate, more crazy pages 20-21 for more details). significant savings on the costs of Whether it is a special and, somehow, more real – lives buying single tickets (a discount occasion, a special friend amplified by the power of music. of more than 10%). Subscribers can then buy additional tickets at or a special-because- a discount and exchange tickets you-feel-like-it day, a for another night if plans change. night at the opera is a quintessential Sydney Summer experience. 2 3 A SHABBY LITTLE SHOCKER – that’s how one Conductor critic described one of Puccini’s best-loved Andrea Licata Puccini (Until Feb 11) operas. Why? Maybe because when we thrill Tom Woods NEW PRODUCTION to the glorious music we forget the reality: Director a tragic tale of political persecution, rape and Christopher Alden murder. In this first new production of Tosca Set & Lighting Designer Charles Edwards in almost 30 years, director Christopher Alden Costume Designer reminds us with a bold and unflinching vision. Jon Morrell Floria Tosca FLORIA TOSCA AND HER LOVER Mario Cheryl Barker Cavaradossi are embroiled in a plot to help a (Until Feb 11) friend escape from prison. Baron Scarpia, the Nicole Youl chief of police, is determined to extract the Cavaradossi Rosario La Spina truth from Cavaradossi, and a kiss – and the (Until Feb 11) rest – from Tosca. Will she sacrifice herself to Carlo Barricelli save her lover? Scarpia John Wegner I LIVED FOR ART, I LIVED FOR LOVE... (Until March 22) Tosca’s famous aria is one of opera’s greatest Warwick Fyfe Angelotti moments. Hear the soaring voices of Cheryl Jud Arthur Barker and Nicole Youl as Tosca, alongside a Sacristan cast of stars including John Wegner, Rosario Warwick Fyfe La Spina, Carlo Barricelli and Warwick Fyfe plus (Until March 22) David Thelander the unforgettable Opera Australia Chorus. Spoletta YOU’LL LOVE IT IF you like a thrilling and Graeme Macfarlane emotional drama. Sciarrone Luke Gabbedy WATCH OUT FOR some confronting scenes. Marchese Attavante Sian Pendry Opera Australia Chorus, Opera Australia Evenings at 7.30pm: Children’s Chorus, January 8 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 26 | 29 Australian Opera and Ballet February 2 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 24 Orchestra March 6 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 22 Matinees at 1pm: January 23 | February 27 | March 27 ooper C TOSCA an original production by Opera North, UK. Performed in Italian with surtitles. Running time: approximately two hours and twenty hoto: Bill Bill hoto: minutes including one twenty-minute interval. P 4Tosc a 5 COMPOSER | NEW PRODUCTION Conductor LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT can cause a quite a Conductor stir. It certainly does for 17-year-old Manon Emmanuel Plasson DirectorShao-Chia Lü (until Jan 29) Massenet Lescaut, who is on her way to a convent when Tom Woods Stuart Maunder she meets Des Grieux. Their eyes meet and so DesignerDirector begins a romantic whirlwind towards a life of MRogeroffatt Kirk Oxenbould impoverished bliss. But that is nowhere near SetLighting & Costume Designer Designers PTeterrudy England Dalgleish & the end of the story. Meddling family, wealthy RManonussell Cohen Amelia Farrugia lovers and a love of luxury send Manon and Lighting Designer Des Grieux spinning through life in a passionate RDesobert Grieux Bryan adventure which may well end in tears. Julian Gavin Lescaut Opera TitleSKULDUGGERY IS BEAUTIFUL in this Cio-Cio-SanJosé Carbó Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam sumptuous production, with the twists and ComteCheryl DesBarker Grieux nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam turns of fortune taking place amongst the wigs SAntoinettetephen Bennett Halloran Guillot(from Jan de Morfontaine19 to Mar 4) erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation and brocade of rococo France. ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. SuzukiKanen Breen DeCatherine Brétigny Carby Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse GRACIOUS, MOVING AND EVER SO FRENCH, Massenet’s melodies just beg to be sung. It RegistrarRichard Anderson molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros GPoussetteregory Brown is the perfect match for two Australian stars Taryn Fiebig et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril Pinkerton Javotte shining ever brighter, here and internationally. Julian Gavin (until Jan 29) delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit Amy Wilkinson amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod Hear Amelia Farrugia and Julian Gavin sing Rosario La Spina their hearts out with José Carbó and Stephen Rosette tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim JacquelineGoro Dark ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis Bennett as the villains of this delicious affaire InnkeeperGraeme Macfarlane nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. de coeur. YamadoriRichard Alexander Luke Gabbedy (until Feb 13) Autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie YOU’LL LOVE IT if you like a romance with AndrewOpera Australia Jones Chorus all the frills. Think Les Liaisons Dangereuses Australian Opera and Ballet consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et OCommissionerrchestra accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril meets Diva. Andrew Moran delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. WATCH OUT for some seriously starry Sharpless homegrown talent. Barry Ryan Bonze Jud Arthur Opera Australia Chorus Evenings at 7.30pm: Australian Opera and Evenings at 7.30pm: Ballet Orchestra January 4 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 30 January 15 | 21 | 23 | 28 February 4 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 21 February 3 | 10 | 13 March 5 | 14 | 20 Matinee at 1pm: February 6 Matinees at 1pm: Performed in French with surtitles. February 23 | March 1 Running time: three hours and fifteen minutes including two twenty-minute Sung in Italian with surtitles. intervals. Running time: two hours and thirty minutes including two twenty-minute intervals. 6 7 Mano6 n 7 WHEN THE CURTAIN GOES UP on the buzzing Conductor Parisian salon you might be forgiven for thinking Philippe Auguin (Until Feb 22) Verdi you have travelled back in time. Michael Yeargan’s Brian Castles-Onion sets and Peter J Hall’s lavish period costumes Director are the perfect backdrop to the lush, sweeping Elijah Moshinsky melodies of Verdi’s magnificent La traviata. Revival Director Richard Jones IT STARTS WITH CHAMPAGNE, it continues with Set Designer song, but when the beautiful courtesan Violetta Michael Yeargan Valéry sets eyes on young Alfredo Germont her life Costume Designer of parties and paramours suddenly seems so empty. Peter J Hall Will true love win out? Lighting Designer Nigel Levings THIS MEMORABLE PRODUCTION is brought to Violetta Valéry life by an outstanding cast. Russian diva Elvira Elvira Fatykhova Fatykhova returns to play Violetta, Australian tenor Alfredo Germont Aldo Di Toro is the love of her life, and Jonathan Aldo Di Toro Summers is his father. Hear them and weep. Giorgio Germont Jonathan Summers YOU’LL LOVE IT IF you’re after the ultimate (Until Feb 22) romantic night out, perfect for first time opera goers. Michael Lewis WATCH OUT FOR all the favourites – a great Flora Bervoix Dominica Matthews drinking chorus and Violetta’s spine-tingling aria, Gastone ‘Sempre libera’. Stephen Smith Baron Douphol Evenings at 7.30pm: Shane Lowrencev January 22 | 25 | 27 | February 1 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 20 | Marquis d’Obigny 22 | 25 | 27 | March 5 | 10 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 29 Andrew Jones Matinees at 1pm: Dottore Grenvil February 13 | March 13 Stephen Bennett Annina Performed in Italian with surtitles. Teresa La Rocca Running time: two hours and fifty minutes including two twenty- minute intervals. Opera Australia Chorus Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra 8 La travi ata 9 DEEP IN THE FOREST the fairies are stirring. Conductor As Benjamin Britten’s enchanting music slips Alexander Briger Britten Director seductively out of the orchestra pit, discover Baz Luhrmann a place where Indian gods, British colonials Revival Director and rustic clowns collide, collude and Julie Edwardson sometimes fall in love. A Midsummer Night’s Designer Catherine Martin Dream is back. Bill Marron BEFORE ROMEO + JULIET, this was the Lighting Designer production that showed the world the Nigel Levings boundless imaginations of director Baz Revival Choreographer Belynda Buck Luhrmann and designer Catherine Martin.