OPERA
NORTH BRINGS SEASON OF CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS TO NEWCASTLE
Opera North
Newcastle
Theatre Royal
Tuesday
12 – Saturday 16 March 2019
The
Magic Flute 12 & 15 March;
Katya
Kabanova 14 March;
The
Rite of Spring/Gianni Schicci 16 March
Opera North returns to
Newcastle Theatre Royal with a bewitching coming-of-age adventure, an intense
tragedy and a double bill of spellbinding contemporary dance and wickedly funny
opera, as well as opportunities for families and schoolchildren to enjoy their
first taste of opera.
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Opera
North’s production of
Janáček’s Katya
Kabanova
|
Opening the season is a
magical new production of Mozart’s much-loved opera The Magic Flute directed by James Brining from Leeds Playhouse.
Deftly weaving together comedy and darkness with Mozart’s beautiful music,
Brining’s operatic debut features an international cast including South African
soprano, Vuvu Mpofu, making her UK debut as Pamina, opposite Chinese-Australian
tenor Kang Wang, finalist at the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, as
Tamino. Samantha Hay takes on the role of Queen of the Night, with Gavan Ring
(Figaro, The Barber of Seville, 2015)
as Papageno the bird-catcher. Early music specialist Robert Howarth conducts.
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Opera North’s production of
Janáček’s Katya Kabanova
|
To engage local schoolchildren
with opera, a shortened version of The
Magic Flute will be performed at a special schools’ matinee at the theatre
on Wednesday 13 March. For even younger children there are three performances
of The Mini Magic Flute at Seven
Stories in the Ouseburn Valley on Saturday 16 March. This interactive 30-minute
retelling of the story features a trio of opera singers, accompanied by an
accordionist, and is preceded by a special craft activity for all the family.
|
Opera North’s production of
Janáček’s Katya Kabanova
|
Janáček’s wildly beautiful
tale of temptation, passion and guilt, Katya
Kabanova comes to the stage on 14 March. With a weak husband and
overbearing mother-in-law, Katya does her best to conform to the stifling
expectations of her community, but when her husband goes away on business,
temptation proves impossible to resist. As her world unravels, Katya’s intense
emotional states are charted by Janáček’s exceptional score, from the lyricism
of her dreams to her longing for her lover Boris and the anguish of her guilt.
|
Opera North’s production of
Janáček’s Katya Kabanova
|
One of the country’s most
distinguished conductors, Sian Edwards makes her Opera North debut with a cast
headed by Stephanie Corley as Katya. American tenor Harold Meers sings the role
of Boris, Heather Shipp is the formidable mother-in-law Kabanicha, and Andrew
Kennedy is the spineless Tichon.
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Opera North’s production of
Janáček’s Katya Kabanova
|
Completing the season on the
Saturday is a dance/opera double bill created in association with Phoenix Dance
Theatre, marking the first ever collaboration between the two Leeds-based
companies. Stravinsky’s groundbreaking The
Rite of Spring is reimagined for Phoenix's ensemble by Haitian-born
choreographer Jeanguy Saintus. For his
UK debut, he has taken his inspiration from the Vodou rituals of his
homeland to create a truly mesmerizing staging. The full Orchestra of Opera
North performs Stravinsky’s
famous score, which sounded so revolutionary at its premiere in 1913 that it
sparked a riot.
|
Opera North’s production of
Janáček’s Katya Kabanova
|
Offering a unique chance to
experience two art-forms in one evening, The
Rite of Spring is paired with Puccini’s short – and only – operatic comedy Gianni Schicchi. Scheming relatives
gather round the deathbed of a rich man, each laying claim to his fortune,
before coming to the questionable decision to call in local conman Gianni
Schicchi for help. Rich with vivid characterisation and colourful music, this
mini-masterpiece includes one of the greatest soprano arias in opera, O mio
babbino caro. Richard Burkhard (Tonio, Pagliacci,
2017; Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro,
2015) returns to Opera North in the title role with the supporting cast
including Tereza Gevorgyan as Lauretta, Diego Silva as Rinuccio and Leah-Marian
Jones as Zita. Scottish conductor Garry Walker conducts both pieces.
Photos: Jane
Hobson
Tickets:
|
Opera North’s production of
Janáček’s Katya Kabanova
|
Opera North is at Newcastle
Theatre Royal from Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 March 2019
The
Magic Flute 12 & 15 March;
Katya
Kabanova 14 March;
The
Rite of Spring/Gianni Schicci 16 March
Tickets from £18.50 can be purchased from the Theatre Royal
Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls
cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online
at www.theatreroyal.co.uk
Under 18s 50% off excluding
gallery (when accompanied by a full paying adult – up to 4 per
adult)
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