MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS(presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
Don Carlo (Giuseppe Verdi)
September 22 through October 14, 2018; revivalJames Conlon conducts a cast led by Ramón Vargas in the title role, with Ana María Martínez as Elisabeth de Valois, Anna Smirnova as Princess Eboli, Ferruccio Furlanetto as King Philip II, and Plácido Domingo as Rodrigo. The production by Ian Judge returns to Los Angeles for the first time since 2006. [Not after the fab cast we had in 2016 in SF.]
September 22 through October 14, 2018; revivalJames Conlon conducts a cast led by Ramón Vargas in the title role, with Ana María Martínez as Elisabeth de Valois, Anna Smirnova as Princess Eboli, Ferruccio Furlanetto as King Philip II, and Plácido Domingo as Rodrigo. The production by Ian Judge returns to Los Angeles for the first time since 2006. [Not after the fab cast we had in 2016 in SF.]
Satyagraha (Philip Glass)
October 20 through November 11, 2018; company premiere
Following the extraordinary success of Einstein on the Beach (2013) and Akhnaten (2016), LA Opera completes the Philip Glass operatic trilogy about great thinkers who changed the world. Satyagraha (Sanskrit for “truth force”) is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s early years in South Africa, where he developed the radical new idea of nonviolent political resistance. Grant Gershon conducts a production created by Phelim McDermott (director of Akhnaten) for the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera, starring Sean Panikkar as Gandhi. [YES.]
Hansel and Gretel (Engelbert Humperdinck)
November 17 through December 15, 2018; revival
James Conlon conducts a revival of Doug Fitch's dreamlike production, full of fantastical sets and elaborate special effects. Sasha Cooke and Liv Redpath sing the title roles, with diva extraordinaire Susan Graham as the uproariously wicked witch, eager to lure her young victims into a delicious trap. [YES YES YES. Can you tell that I love this opera? and the cast? Although....I favor a dramatic mezzo as the Witch.]
La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
March 2 through 24, 2019; company premiere; new production
James Conlon conducts La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart's final opera seria, written simultaneously with The Magic Flute in the last months of the composer's life. The new production is directed and designed by Thaddeus Strassberger, who previously staged LA Opera productions of The Two Foscari (2012) and Nabucco (2017). Russell Thomas stars as the imperiled emperor whose generosity and compassion point the way to a brighter future. [YES YES YES so that I can finally say that yes, I have seen this.]
October 20 through November 11, 2018; company premiere
Following the extraordinary success of Einstein on the Beach (2013) and Akhnaten (2016), LA Opera completes the Philip Glass operatic trilogy about great thinkers who changed the world. Satyagraha (Sanskrit for “truth force”) is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s early years in South Africa, where he developed the radical new idea of nonviolent political resistance. Grant Gershon conducts a production created by Phelim McDermott (director of Akhnaten) for the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera, starring Sean Panikkar as Gandhi. [YES.]
Hansel and Gretel (Engelbert Humperdinck)
November 17 through December 15, 2018; revival
James Conlon conducts a revival of Doug Fitch's dreamlike production, full of fantastical sets and elaborate special effects. Sasha Cooke and Liv Redpath sing the title roles, with diva extraordinaire Susan Graham as the uproariously wicked witch, eager to lure her young victims into a delicious trap. [YES YES YES. Can you tell that I love this opera? and the cast? Although....I favor a dramatic mezzo as the Witch.]
La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
March 2 through 24, 2019; company premiere; new production
James Conlon conducts La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart's final opera seria, written simultaneously with The Magic Flute in the last months of the composer's life. The new production is directed and designed by Thaddeus Strassberger, who previously staged LA Opera productions of The Two Foscari (2012) and Nabucco (2017). Russell Thomas stars as the imperiled emperor whose generosity and compassion point the way to a brighter future. [YES YES YES so that I can finally say that yes, I have seen this.]
El Gato Montés: The Wildcat (Manuel Penella)
April 27 through May 19, 2019; production new to Los AngelesIn one of the greatest masterpieces of the Spanish lyrical theater, a beautiful gypsy (Ana María Martínez) unwittingly inspires a fatal rivalry between a renowned bullfighter (Arturo Chacón-Cruz) and a bandit on the run (Plácido Domingo). The quintessentially Spanish tale unfolds with passionate melodies, dazzling choreography and an atmospheric staging. Spanish conductor Jordi Bernàcer leads a production created by director José Carlos Plaza for Madrid's Teatro de la Zarzuela. [Probably, maybe.]
April 27 through May 19, 2019; production new to Los AngelesIn one of the greatest masterpieces of the Spanish lyrical theater, a beautiful gypsy (Ana María Martínez) unwittingly inspires a fatal rivalry between a renowned bullfighter (Arturo Chacón-Cruz) and a bandit on the run (Plácido Domingo). The quintessentially Spanish tale unfolds with passionate melodies, dazzling choreography and an atmospheric staging. Spanish conductor Jordi Bernàcer leads a production created by director José Carlos Plaza for Madrid's Teatro de la Zarzuela. [Probably, maybe.]
La Traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)
June 1 through 22, 2019; revival
James Conlon conducts a revival of Marta Domingo's popular Art Deco-inspired update of the Verdi classic. In the face of certain death, a beautiful courtesan dedicates her remaining time to decadent pleasures, dazzling parties and wealthy admirers. But she is transformed when a devoted suitor declares his true love, and demonstrates her great humanity with a heart-breaking sacrifice before her premature passing. Romanian soprano Adela Zaharai, the 2017 winner of Operalia, makes her company debut as the glamorous Violetta, with Rame Lahaj (a 2016 Operalia winner) and Charles Castronovo sharing the role of Alfredo. [So....who is singing Germont Pere? Dare I ask? The production is really not very good; it played in SF in 2009. Move Traviata into the 20s and what you have is...La Rondine, except she dies.]
June 1 through 22, 2019; revival
James Conlon conducts a revival of Marta Domingo's popular Art Deco-inspired update of the Verdi classic. In the face of certain death, a beautiful courtesan dedicates her remaining time to decadent pleasures, dazzling parties and wealthy admirers. But she is transformed when a devoted suitor declares his true love, and demonstrates her great humanity with a heart-breaking sacrifice before her premature passing. Romanian soprano Adela Zaharai, the 2017 winner of Operalia, makes her company debut as the glamorous Violetta, with Rame Lahaj (a 2016 Operalia winner) and Charles Castronovo sharing the role of Alfredo. [So....who is singing Germont Pere? Dare I ask? The production is really not very good; it played in SF in 2009. Move Traviata into the 20s and what you have is...La Rondine, except she dies.]
OFF GRAND PRESENTATIONS
(presented in various venues)
(presented in various venues)
[All of these look VERY interesting, if I can take any of them in opposite a MainStage opera, I will.]
Vampyr (Joby Talbot)
October 27 through 31, 2018; world premiere
Our annual Halloween mash-up of opera and cinema returns to the spectacular Theatre at Ace Hotel with filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer’s surreal 1932 masterwork, underestimated for decades but now regarded as an important landmark of the horror genre. Composer Joby Talbot creates a compelling new score for chamber orchestra and singers, performed live with a rare screening of this cinematic gem, and conducted by Matthew Aucoin, LA Opera's Artist in Residence.
Presented at the Theatre at Ace Hotel (929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, 90015)
October 27 through 31, 2018; world premiere
Our annual Halloween mash-up of opera and cinema returns to the spectacular Theatre at Ace Hotel with filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer’s surreal 1932 masterwork, underestimated for decades but now regarded as an important landmark of the horror genre. Composer Joby Talbot creates a compelling new score for chamber orchestra and singers, performed live with a rare screening of this cinematic gem, and conducted by Matthew Aucoin, LA Opera's Artist in Residence.
Presented at the Theatre at Ace Hotel (929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, 90015)
Prism (Ellen Reid and Roxie Perkins)
November 29 through December 2, 2018; world premiere
A mother and daughter lock themselves away from the world to protect themselves from the dangers lurking outside. Prism explores the viscosity of memory after trauma, and the lengths one will go to feel better—no matter the cost. Marking LA Opera's fifth season of collaborations with Beth Morrison Projects, the Los Angeles world premiere presentation of Prism will be followed by performances at the Prototype Festival in New York.
Presented at REDCAT (631 W. Second Street, Los Angeles, 90012)
November 29 through December 2, 2018; world premiere
A mother and daughter lock themselves away from the world to protect themselves from the dangers lurking outside. Prism explores the viscosity of memory after trauma, and the lengths one will go to feel better—no matter the cost. Marking LA Opera's fifth season of collaborations with Beth Morrison Projects, the Los Angeles world premiere presentation of Prism will be followed by performances at the Prototype Festival in New York.
Presented at REDCAT (631 W. Second Street, Los Angeles, 90012)
the loser (David Lang)
February 22 and 23, 2019; West Coast premiereTwo piano prodigies at a master class encounter an even greater talent: the virtuoso Glenn Gould, on the cusp of superstardom. The devastating realization that they will never approach their new rival’s level of artistry changes their lives forever. A painful meditation on dreams forsaken and hopes unrealized unfolds, with Rod Gilfry starring in an intimate staging that incorporates multiple levels of the spectacular Theatre at Ace Hotel.
February 22 and 23, 2019; West Coast premiereTwo piano prodigies at a master class encounter an even greater talent: the virtuoso Glenn Gould, on the cusp of superstardom. The devastating realization that they will never approach their new rival’s level of artistry changes their lives forever. A painful meditation on dreams forsaken and hopes unrealized unfolds, with Rod Gilfry starring in an intimate staging that incorporates multiple levels of the spectacular Theatre at Ace Hotel.
Presented at the Theatre at Ace Hotel (929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, 90015)
For more information about LA Opera’s Off Grand initiative, visit LAOpera.org/OffGrand.
Igor Golovatenko will sing the role of Alfredo's dad for three of the six performances of La Traviata.
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