SHAKESPEARE & VERDI MAKE FOR COMIC SEASON FINALE WITH FALSTAFF AT OPERA COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA
All-star cast features five graduates of AVA and Curtis!
Philadelphia, PA: The Opera Company of Philadelphia closes the 2006-2007 Season with Verdi's comic masterpiece, Falstaff. After a career made of operatic tragedies, Verdi ended his career with this divine comedy, drawing on Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor as his inspiration. When the title character sets his sights on two married ladies, the women plot to get even. Quarrels are forgiven, lessons are learned, and young love blooms in this irresistible opera. Verdi's masterful ensembles are so full of charm and wit that audiences will be thirsty for more.
Starring as Sir John Falstaff is baritone Roberto de Candia, who had Philadelphia audiences laughing in the title role of last season’s The Barber of Seville. After leaving Philadelphia, de Candia sang Ragueneau in the Metropolitan Opera’s Cyrano de Bergerac, and portrayed Verdi’s laughable knight at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels and then Lescaut in Manon Lescaut with Teatro Lirico di Cagliari. This winter de Candia sang the role of Silvio in Pagliacci with the Teatro Carlo Fenice di Genova.
Another genius of comic timing, soprano Christine Goerke (Die Fledermaus, '05) returns to the Academy of Music as Alice Ford, one of Falstaff's love interests. Goerke spent time in Paris this year, where she sang the role of Gutrune in Götterdämmerung at the Théâtre du Chatelet, and reprised Rosalinde in Fledermaus at San Francisco Opera. She’ll be returning to Philadelphia next spring to close the exciting 2007-2008 season in the title role of Norma.
Baritone Mark Stone makes his highly anticipated U.S. and Company debut as Ford. This season he appeared in Royal Opera Covent Garden’s Cyrano de Bergerac as Valvert, and in English National Opera roles as the Count in The Marriage of Figaro and Marcello in La bohčme. After leaving Philadelphia, Stone makes his Santa Fe Opera debut as Guglielmo in this summer’s production of Cosě fan tutte.
Falstaff is rife with locally-trained artists enjoying international careers. Curtis Institute graduate contralto and regular Lyric Opera of Chicago artist Meredith Arwady is Mistress Quickly in her first OCP appearance since Faust in 2004. This summer she debuts with Santa Fe Opera as Gaea in Daphne. Academy of Vocal Arts graduate tenor Jesús Garcia (Don Pasquale, '04) sings the role of Fenton, with AVA resident artist soprano Evelyn Pollock in her Company debut as Nannetta. Pollock returns to the Academy of Music stage next season as Roxane for the East Coast premiere of the new American opera Cyrano. Curtis graduate and another Lyric Opera of Chicago regular, soprano Elizabeth de Shong makes her Company debut as Meg Page, with Curtis-trained bass Matthew Rose (Ariadne, ’03), who successfully completed the Royal Opera Young Artist Program and has performed major roles with Glyndebourne Festival and Welsh National Opera in the last season, as Pistola.
Tenor Steven Cole, who wowed Philadelphia audiences as Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess, returns for his second role of the season as Bardolfo. In the role of Dr. Caius is tenor Mark T. Panuccio (La fille du régiment, ’98), who recently appeared as Remendado in Carmen with Opera Pacific and will sing the role of Mao Tse-Tung in Cincinnati Opera’s production of Nixon in China this summer.
Opera Company Music Director Corrado Rovaris takes to the podium once more to conduct this fast-moving, glorious production, with Robert Driver directing. The original Opera Company production is designed by Paul Shortt (The Grand Duchess, ’04), and features lighting design by Drew Billiau.
FALSTAFF
by Giuseppe Verdi
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
May 2, 4, 6m, 9, 11 & 13m, 2007
FALSTAFF Roberto de Candia
ALICE FORD Christine Goerke
MISTRESS QUICKLY Meredith Arwady
FORD Mark Stone*
FENTON Jesús Garcia
NANNETTA Evelyn Pollock*
MEG PAGE Elizabeth de Shong*
PISTOLA Matthew Rose
BARDOLFO Steven Cole
DR. CAIUS Mark T. Panuccio
CONDUCTOR Corrado Rovaris
DIRECTOR Robert B. Driver
SET DESIGN Paul Shortt
LIGHTING DESIGN Drew Billiau
WIG & MAKE-UP DESIGN Tom Watson
CHORUS MASTER Elizabeth Braden
* Opera Company debut
ADDITIONAL OPERA COMPANY INFORMATION:
All performances take place at The Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Streets.
Performance times: Wednesday at 7:30pm; Friday at 8:00pm; Sunday matinees are at 2:30pm.
SINGLE TICKETS ARE PRICED FROM $7.00 (seven) to $195. To purchase, call 215-893-1018 or visit www.operaphilly.com.
ADVANTA is proud to be the Season Sponsor of the Opera Company of Philadelphia since 1993.
The May 6th performance of Falstaff is sponsored by Sotto restaurant.
US Airways is the official airline of the Opera Company of Philadelphia. YAMAHA is the official piano of the Opera Company. Burdumy Volvo is the official automotive dealership of the Opera Company. The Opera Company of Philadelphia is supported by major grants from The William Penn Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Lenfest Foundation, and the Annenberg Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Independence Foundation and the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. The Opera Company of Philadelphia receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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