Photo by Karen Almond
Are you ready for a big dose of culture? The Dallas Opera opens its 2019-2020 "Standing Ovation" Season on a high note this Friday with The Linda and Mitch Hart Season Opening Night Performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final operatic masterpiece,The Magic Flute. The October 18, 2019 performance in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center will begin at 8:00 p.m. (note the special curtain time) with subsequent performances at the usual times. As always, you'll catch me at the opening, and if you can't make it, visit my Instagram @czarina_ekaterina for an insider view on the show and after-party!
Conducted by Emmanuel Villaume (The Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director of The Dallas Opera) and directed by Kyle Lang (Ann Stuart Stage Director) in his company debut, The Eleanor Ford Penrose Mainstage Production boasts a superb international cast of singers who have captivated audiences from the Kennedy Center to Covent Garden.
Italian tenor Paolo Fanale and American soprano Andrea Carroll will make their house debuts as the spirited romantic leads, Tamino and Pamina, braving trials and separations in order to find love, wisdom and happiness together, at long last.
This production, originally directed by the late Sir Peter Hall, was designed by British cartoonist and illustrator extraordinaire, Gerald Scarfe, best known for a half century of scathing political cartoons for The Sunday Times and for directing and designing the animation sequence for Pink Floyd’s film and concert versions of The Wall. Mr. Scarfe has designed sets and costumes for opera companies from Seattle to New Zealand, as well as creating numerous books, exhibits, and acclaimed one-man shows. You know I'm a huge fan of Mozart, and The Magic Flute is sure to be an incredible experience for opera-lovers and newcomers alike! I would love to see you there this Friday!
This eighteenth-century masterpiece premiered in Vienna in 1791, and mixes popular song with show-stopping coloratura and a lilting touch of glockenspiel. Translation: you'll love it.
Tickets for Mozart’s The Magic Flute may be purchased by phone (214.443.1000), online (www.dallasopera.org) or at the door, starting at just $19. I encourage you to buy tickets online to skip lines and save some time!
And if you can't make it, you can see it for free! The Dallas Opera will present a free live simulcast of Mozart’s The Magic Flute at beautiful Klyde Warren Park. This special presentation takes place in the Dallas Arts District on Friday, November 1, 2019 (curtain time - 7:30 p.m.) and is open to all.
The fun begins at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 1st with popular radio host Amy Bishop of WRR, "Classical 101" and Kristian Roberts, Education Administrator for The Dallas Opera. Activities include a trivia contest, behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast, and the high-definition screening of a 1950 classic cartoon, Rabbit of Seville (courtesy of WB Classics), directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. This short was voted #12 of the 50 all-time greatest cartoons ever created, in a survey of animation industry professionals. The cartoon also "tips the hat" to our engaging season finale, The Barber of Seville (April 24th through May 10, 2020), Rossini’s hilarious comic masterpiece.
Just so you have time to park and get situated - please arrive well before 7:30!
The 2019 Magic Flute Simulcast is made possible in part by The Enrico Foundation with additional support provided by Texas Instruments.
If you're an opera junkie or want to impress your date/friend, read on to learn more about the acclaimed cast and crew!
Italian tenor Paolo Fanale and American soprano Andrea Carroll will make their house debuts as the spirited romantic leads, Tamino and Pamina, braving trials and separations in order to find love, wisdom and happiness together, at long last.
“Tamino demands a beautiful voice that radiates youthful ardor,” wrote Harper’s Bazaar, “and you’ll hear it from this ‘heart-throb Italian tenor (Paolo Fanale).” Meanwhile, Opera News noted that Miss Carroll is “a favorite of the Vienna State Opera, (lauded for her) vibrant soprano (with its) rich, low register and gleaming top.”
American soprano Jeni Houser will account for several of the performance’s high notes as the majestic Queen of the Night. She, too, earned exceptional praise from Opera News for her “focused expressive high soprano…nailing her killer Act II showpiece.”
The role of Papageno, a comic tour-de-force, marks the eagerly-awaited house debut of baritone Sean Michael Plumb, whose “elegant lyricism and responsive musicality” (The New York Times) have made this award-winning California native a welcome presence on many of the world’s most prestigious stages.
Dallas Opera favorite Morris Robinson, an American bass last seen on the Winspear stage as The Commendatore in our acclaimed 2018 spring production of Don Giovanni, “dominates the stage…with his firm, opulent tone that seems to pour forth from another world” (The Classical Review). He returns in the role of the mysterious Sarastro.
Casting the roles of the First, Second, and Third Lady is about choosing complementary voices capable of creating one of the great trios in opera. The Dallas Opera indulged in “luxury casting” across the board: The First Lady will be sung by American soprano Diana Newman, the Second Lady by American mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey (The Charron and Peter Denker Rising Star), and the Third Lady by American contralto Hannah Ludwig – all in their TDO debuts.
The troubled Monastatos, will be portrayed by character tenor Brian Frutiger with soprano Abigail Rethwisch as the charming Papagena and bass David Pittsinger as The Speaker.
Rounding out this outstanding cast are the First, Second and Third Boy sung by Keiland Holleman, Lukas Palys, and Michael Blumenthal, respectively.
The First Man in Armor will be sung by Aaron Short. Ryan Kuster will portray the Second Man in Armor. Sam Parkinson appears in the role of the First Priest, with Michael Christopher as the Second Priest.