The MadOpera Blog

Opera is for the 100%

2011-11-11T16:32:00.001-06:00

"So what is comes down to is this: when I attend an opera, I see people like me. People who like a good story, are moved by passion and feeling, and are wowed by talent, beautiful music, and a feast for the eyes. Opera is very welcoming if you take in everything it offers. Yes, opera is for everyone."

That is an excerpt from The Livingston Inn blog post on opera as an art for everyone. Be sure to check it out here, and pass it on to anyone in your life who has ever thought of themselves as the "wrong" audience for opera.

The Livingston Inn's post truly speaks to why all of us at Madison Opera— our administrative staff, production crew, Board members, volunteers, and the nice people who bring us cookies— are passionate about what we do and work to share it with our patrons and our patrons-to-be. Possibly the most gratifying words this blogger hears are: "This was my first opera ever and I loved it!"

Eugene Onegin: About last night...

2011-11-08T12:11:00.000-06:00

As you may (or may not) know, the MadOpera staff has undergone a changing of the guard. In addition to General Director Kathryn Smith, MadOpera also has new faces in marketing, patron services, and artistic and office management. This past weekend marked the first production for the new crew, and it was quite a weekend!

Eugene Onegin proved to be a hit with the audience!


Scott Ramsay (Lenski) and Hyung Yun (Onegin) just before the fatal shot.

The critics seemed pleased, too:

77 Square - "Madison Opera's rich Russian gamble pays off"
The Isthmus - "Madison Opera's Eugene Onegin tells of love and regret"
The Well-Tempered Ear - "Madison Opera breaks new ground with...Eugene Onegin"
Channel3000.com - "Old Friends Return to Madison Opera"

The palace ballroom in St. Petersburg

The Russian Folk Orchestra and Russian Educational Association were very popular, as well!

Patrons arrived early to listen to the Russian Folk Orchestra.

Artifacts and cultural facts from Russian natives.

It was an exciting weekend of great opera. Thank you to everyone who came out to Eugene Onegin— some of you to both performances! — and to those who stopped the MadOpera staff in the lobby to express your appreciation. We encourage you to email your comments and let us know your thoughts.

Eugene Onegin: The Cast Speaks

2011-11-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

Eugene Onegin opens tomorrow night! We have an absolutely fabulous cast, and everyone here at MadOpera has had a blast over the past few weeks. During the rehearsal process, this blogger got a few moments of the singers' time to hear their thoughts on love, understanding their characters, the music of Eugene Onegin, and why the opera is a must-see:

Eugene Onegin: Art Imitates Life Imitates Art, Part II

2011-11-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

It is perhaps no surprise that Pushkin's life so closely resembled the events in Eugene Onegin, right up to and including the fatal duel. The poet wrote himself as the narrative character, and his fingerprints are evident in every verse. For Tchaikovsky, the composer of the opera, it was not art imitating life, but rather the other way around.

Tchaikovsky and Eugene Onegin

When it was first suggested to Tchaikovsky to adapt Pushkin's poem into an opera, the composer was appalled. In a letter to his brother, Tchaikovsky called the idea "wild". How could he dare take such perfect verse— and nationally treasured verse, at that!— and transform it into an opera?

The very same night the suggestion was made, Tchaikovsky re-read Pushkin's work and was inspired to sketch out the structure of the opera. He wrote Tatiana's famous Letter Scene in one sleepless night, and used it as the basis for his operatic vision.

As Tchaikovsky delved deeper and deeper into Eugene Onegin and its characters, he found that he was moved most by the young, passionate Tatiana. As the book and libretto took shape, the composer found in Tatiana a muse and a heroine. Her sincerity touched him, and he abhorred Onegin's cruel mistreatment of such an innocent and courageous girl.

It is undeniably Tchaikovsky's infatuation with the fictional Tatiana that led him to make a mistake that nearly ended his life.

An Unfortunate Marriage

Little is known of Antonina Miliukova's life before her marriage to Tchaikovsky. She was a student at the Moscow Conservatory, where she and Tchaikovsky met briefly, and spent much of her adult life working in Moscow and Kronstadt as a music teacher.

Although Tchaikovsky could not recall having met Antonina, the brief interlude made quite an impression on her. Twelve years after their first meeting, Antonina sent Tchaikovsky a letter confessing her love for him. Tchaikovsky rebuffed her, stating that he could never return her love and that their life together could only be one of sorrow and resentment.

Tatiana was a girl of 17 when she encountered Onegin and fell in love. Antonina had been 16 when she first met the man she would marry, though by the time she wrote her own confessional letter she was nearly 30-years-old. Nonetheless, Antonina's letter contained a similar sweetness, turmoil, and intermingling of hope and despair to that which characterizes Tatiana's letter.

The parallels between Antonina and Tatiana did not escape Tchaikovsky. Neither, to his horror, did the parallels between himself and Onegin. Appalled at his own behavior, Tchaikovsky rushed to set things right with Antonina, proposing to her in an effort to convince himself that he was nothing like the selfish, jaded Onegin. Tchaikovsky wrote in a letter to his friend and patron, Nadezhda von Meck: "It seems to me as if the power of fate has drawn to me that girl."

Tchaikovsky and Antonina married a few months after she sent her letter. In the following weeks, the composer finished Eugene Onegin, suffered a deep depression, and attempted suicide by throwing himself into a river in the hopes of catching pneumonia. He wrote letter upon letter to his friends and family of how he despised his wife, and the temporary fever induced by his opera that had led him to make such a regrettable choice.

After only a few months of marriage, Tchaikovsky and Antonina separated. They never lived together again.

The End of the Tale

We can imagine many scenarios for what became of Onegin after Tatiana's rejection of him. Perhaps, awakened at last to love, he moved on from Tatiana and found it with another woman. Maybe he spent the rest of his life a bitter man. The same is true of Tatiana. She could well have found true joy with her husband, despite Onegin's presence in her heart. Or, the second encounter with Onegin may have soured her marriage for her, and the lonely years that passed left her a shadow of her former self.

In the opera, Madama Larina tells her bright-eyed daughter that life is not like a novel, a lesson that Tchaikovsky, like Tatiana, failed to heed. And though the end for Tatiana and Onegin was bittersweet, it was nothing but bitter for Tchaikovsky and Antonina. They remained married until the composer's death, but Tchaikovsky felt nothing for his wife other than resentment and hatred. It is recorded that the mere mention of Antonina's name could send him into a panic attack.

Antonina's tale ends sadly. She spent several years in a live-in relationship that produced three children, all of whom Antonina was forced to surrender to orphanages and all of whom died in childhood. The last twenty years of her life were passed in an asylum, where she eventually died. Though history has often been harsh to Antonina, framing her as a stupid and selfish woman, some sympathetic scholars describe her as warm and sincere, and utterly bewildered by how her powerful love could end in such sorrow. In this light, it is possible that Tchaikovsky was never mistaken about her similarities to his beloved Tatiana.

Eugene Onegin: A Taste of Talent

2011-11-02T08:47:00.000-05:00

The set has been erected. The costumes are perfectly fit. The Madison Symphony Orchestra has joined the party. The singers are in beautiful form. Eugene Onegin is coming together here at Madison Opera. Tonight is our final dress rehearsal, and here's a taste of what you'll hear this weekend:

Maria Kanyova and Hyung Yun sing the final duet, followed by Scott Ramsay singing Lenski's aria.

Eugene Onegin: A Dangerous Love Letter

2011-10-31T17:28:00.000-05:00

The following is written by guest blogger Kylie Toomer. Kylie is the new Artistic and Office Manager for Madison Opera. She received her B.A. from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and her M.M. in Performance from the University of North Texas, where she studied with renowned American Tenor Richard Croft.

Many of us may reminisce on our adolescence and fondly (or not-so fondly) remember our “first love” and the tumultuous feelings of excitement, expectation, and doubt. “Should I confess how I feel? What if they don’t feel the same? But, what if I say nothing? I have to say something!” Then the moment comes: you finally get up the nerve to bare your soul. Your palms are sweaty, you cannot stop fidgeting, you forget to breathe, and you lose all ability to form a coherent sentence. You finally blurt out: “I-like-you-will-you-go-out-with-me?” Good thing you spent all that time rehearsing in front of the mirror!

Tatiana with a romance novel (Lidia Timoshenk)

In Tchaikovsky’s most famous opera, Eugene Onegin, we meet an adolescent who is discovering her first love. Tatiana, a young country girl who always has her head in a romance novel, meets and instantly falls for the mysterious Onegin. Tatiana resolves to tell Onegin exactly how she feels in one of the most celebrated scenes in the opera, the “Letter Scene.” Tchaikovsky brilliantly portrays Tatiana’s feelings of exhilaration and hesitation as she pours out her heart to Onegin. Tatiana is young, but she understands the possible consequences of telling Onegin her true feelings. Nevertheless, she is compelled by a stronger force—that of fate— and ultimately succumbs to her emotions.

As the scene begins, Tatiana speaks with a passion and dramatic fire that mimics what she reads in her romance novels— a sign that her fantasies of love are far more real to her than reality (listen for this music again in Act II). Finally, she begins to write. Tchaikovsky cleverly uses the orchestra to depict the scene: the syncopation (off-beat rhythm) of the low strings represents her erratic heartbeat, the oboe and the flute mimic her writing, and the arpeggiation of the harp paints the image of Tatiana dipping her quill in ink.

Tatiana contemplates love (D.A. Belyukin)

Unsatisfied with her words, she tears up her letter. Tatiana is overwhelmed with frustration and fear of rejection, yet the hand of fate drives her to confess her feelings. Once again, the same interlude is heard and Tatiana begins another version of the letter, but ultimately discards it. She is convinced Onegin is the man destiny has chosen for her, despite her obvious fears and doubts; recklessness and rationality are fighting against each other. Eventually, Tatiana takes a moment to ponder the wisdom of her actions, and it is here that Tchaikovsky invokes some of the most sentimental and luscious melodies in the opera as she contemplates her as yet unknown fate. Tatiana asks herself: “Are you, Onegin, my guardian angel or my fatal tempter? Perhaps this is all trivial, an illusion of an inexperienced soul.” The simple rhythm and beautiful chromaticism (pitches not belonging to the primary tonal scale) evoke an overwhelming sense of honesty and hope; she is tempering her heart’s passions with a touch of caution. This is Tatiana’s first rational moment in the entire scene and is a glimpse of the woman she is to become.

However, this moment of rationality is brief and Tatiana decides to commit her life to the hands of destiny. In a musical outburst of elation, this same sentimental motif is transformed into a more dramatic and fanciful state, as if Tatiana’s dream and her reality are at last intermingled. Notice the melody begins with the trombones and interweaves with woodwinds, while the flourishing of the strings mimic Tatiana’s elation. Without hesitation, she signs the letter and before she can change her mind, sends it to Onegin. Anxious but hopeful, she must now wait for an answer…

Tatiana and Onegin years later, with
Onegin's letter to Tatiana at their feet (Lidia Timoshenk)

As you listen to soprano Maria Kanyova sing Tatiana’s beautiful letter scene, you will hear motifs that Tchaikovsky uses throughout the opera. These motifs are Tatiana’s thoughts and emotions, but Tchaikovsky cleverly weaves these motifs into Onegin's music as he rediscovers Tatiana and this time falls in love with her. Tatiana's youthful motif reappears in her final scenes with Onegin, where they serve as a symbol of what Onegin once scorned and will never have: a love as pure and honest as Tatiana’s love for him.

Eugene Onegin: Artists Interviews

2011-10-29T11:38:00.000-05:00

Eugene Onegin opens next Friday, and our artists spent this past week giving interviews about the breath-taking production. If you missed any of the fun, catch up on it now:

Soprano Maria Kanyova on WPR's "The Midday" with Norman Gilliland
Listen here

Soprano Maria Kanyova and baritone Hyung Yun on NBC-15's "The Morning Show" with Amy Carlson

Tenor Scott Ramsay and General Director Kathryn Smith on WKOW's "Wake Up Wisconsin!" with John Beard

Mezzo-soprano Jamie Van Eyck and Stage Director & Choreographer Candace Evans on WIBA's "Outside the Box" with Mitch Henck

Eugene Onegin: Our Artists in the Press

2011-10-26T19:57:00.002-05:00

Eugene Onegin opens next Friday, and this week has been a whirlwind of rehearsals, photo shoots and interviews! The end of this week will round-off with live radio and TV interviews. If you want to hear the cast and artistic staff of Eugene Onegin talk about the production, opera, and maybe even the Green Bay Packers, tune in:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28

6:20 am: Tenor-- and Green Bay native-- Scott Ramsay (Lenski) is live on Wake Up Wisconsin! with host John Beard. Have your morning coffee while Scott and Madison Opera's General Director Kathryn Smith spill the beans about Eugene Onegin. Well worth getting out of bed extra early! Turn the TV channel to WKOW ABC.

10:00 am: Keep your morning going with mezzo-soprano Jamie Van Eyck (Olga) and stage director Candace Evans. These talented ladies chat with "Outside the Box" host Mitch Henck about Eugene Onegin and life in the opera. Tune in radio station 1310AM.

12 noon: Soprano Maria Kanyova (Tatiana) joins host Norman Gilliland on WPR's "The Midday." Set your radio to 88.7FM.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29

6:40 am: Baritone Hyung Yun (Onegin) and soprano Maria Kanyova (Tatiana) will jump-start your weekend! Amy Carlson of The Morning Show Weekend Live hosts on NBC-15. Stay up extra late or get up a little earlier to hear the artists discuss love, life and Tchaikovsky.

Keep checking in with MadOpera blog for more insightful and entertaining musings on Pushkin, poetry, life, death, Tchaikovsky, the rehearsal process, the art of production and the production of art, and why our office staff needs bowl after bowl of chocolate candies.


The Madison Opera candy bowl, around which is often heard the phrase: "Wasn't this full on Monday?"

Eugene Onegin: Art Imitates Life Imitates Art, Part I

2011-10-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

A statue of Pushkin at Tsarkoe Selo, Russia

Pushkin in Eugene Onegin
Pushkin spent much of his adult life either in banishment or under house-arrest for his political views, which challenged the validity and competence of Russia's Tsarist autocracy. Although the poet eventually reined in his polemic in trade for permission to publish (some of) his works, Eugene Onegin was, in many ways, a scathing commentary on Imperial Russia's aristocracy and their social norms. As one Russian immigrant explained to me over a cup of tea last week: "The truth of Pushkin is in the verse, is in Onegin."

The poem is told entirely through the viewpoint of a narrator, a thinly-veiled raisonneur of Pushkin himself. The Tatiana and Onegin of the poem are based on individuals from the poet's life. Onegin is said to be fashioned after Pushkin's friend Pyotr Chaadaev, and Tatiana after Chaadev's friend Dunia Norova (both Chaadaev and Norova are mentioned in the original Russian verse). Lenski, the romantic young poet with lofty ideals, embodies many of Pushkin's beliefs about truth, honesty and purity of art. Despite these real-life connections, Pushkin treats his characters with little sympathy: he despises Onegin for his cynicism, ridicules Lenski for his naïveté, and bemoans Tatiana's preoccupation with fictional romance. Pushkin explains their behavior as the inevitable fallout from being forced to abide by social conventions, which Pushkin viewed as stifling and destructive. Pushkin spent his early years in rebellion against the confines of his social sphere through copious consumption of booze, drugs and women. Yet he, too, eventually fell victim to the expectations of his society. For Pushkin, like Lenski, it proved fatal.

Lenski and the Duel

Nathalia Goncharova

At Tatiana's name-day celebration, Lenski and Onegin quarrel over Olga. Although Onegin is only teasing his friend and means no real harm, Lenski angrily challenges Onegin to a duel. A few days after the ball, the men gather at the appointed dueling space, Lenski with his second, Zaretski. In the poem's duel scene, Pushkin describes the multiple breaches of social etiquette. The second in a duel has two responsibilities: to enforce the rules of dueling, and to try to prevent the duel from happening in the first place. Zaretski has three honorable opportunities to stop the duel without causing either Onegin or Lenski to lose face; he does not do so. Social convention does not allow for either Lenski or Onegin to withdraw from the duel of their own accord and, in the end, Onegin kills his friend.

Pushkin was intimately familiar with dueling rules that permitted everyone to walk away alive. Pushkin fought 29 duels in his life— generally as the offender rather than the offended— and 20 of those ended with an apology rather than bloodshed.

Pushkin and the Duel
Like Lenski, Pushkin died in a duel over the woman he loved. His wife, Nathalia Goncharova, was much like Eugene Onegin's Olga: a beautiful, rather simple-minded young woman who enjoyed living in high society and had no interest in Pushkin's poetry. Besides driving up Pushkin's debt and saddling him with the expense of her two unmarried sisters, Nathalia regularly roused his jealousy by flirting with her many admirers (including the Tsar). Pushkin was embarrassed and saddened by his wife's behavior, Nathalia's rumored relationship with Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès finally forced Pushkin to act. On November 4, 1836, Pushkin and several of his friends received a "certificate" nominating Pushkin "Coadjutor of the International Order of Cuckolds." Pushkin immediately accused d'Anthès of the insult and challenged him to a duel.

And here is where art and life truly intersect.

Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès

Pushkin's desire to fight d'Anthès may well have been inflamed by the fate he had written for Lenski in Eugene Onegin. In the poem, Pushkin's narrator predicts that Lenski's marriage to Olga would have resulted in a wasted life, in which Lenski ceased being a poet and instead became a gouty, cuckolded landowner. Pushkin's literary output had declined significantly over the course of his marriage, and by the time of the fatal duel he was producing almost nothing. He spent most of his time managing his family's land-holdings while his wife gallivanted all over St. Petersburg.

Even as Pushkin fumed over the prospect that he was careening toward a socially respectable middle age, he might well have considered another parallel between his life and Eugene Onegin. In the poem, Tatiana has a terrifying dream in which Lenski, attempting to defend her honor, duels with Onegin. The poet is killed.

Whether or not Pushkin was affected by the possibility that he predicted the manner of his own death, he did not press the duel. He postponed it twice at his opponent's request, and retracted his challenge altogether when d'Anthès proposed to one of Nathalia's sisters (though Pushkin refused to attend the wedding or permit d'Anthès into his home). That might well have been the end of the story, save for d'Anthès continuing to pursue Nathalia in such a blatant fashion that Pushkin had no choice but to reissue his challenge. As in Eugene Onegin, social convention drove Pushkin's behavior.

In the poem, there is a lapse of only a few days between Lenski's challenge to Onegin and their dawn duel beside a picturesque mill. Nearly two months elapsed between Pushkin's initial calling-out of d'Anthèd'Anthès. After Pushkin issued his challenge to d'Anthès, Nathalia made efforts to distance herself from the Frenchman despite his attempts to trap her into being alone with him.

Afterward
In the poem, Olga marries a soldier following an acceptable mourning period. Nathalia remarried six years after Pushkin died. In both cases, there is debate over whether these women loved their men. Scholars have argued for more than a century over Nathalia's true feelings for her husband, one side blaming her vanity and selfishness for Pushkin's death, the other conceding that she was vain but not so self-absorbed she couldn't recognize Pushkin's greatness. Whatever conclusions we might draw of her, it is worth noting that Nathalia preserved every letter Pushkin wrote to her during their tumultuous life together.

Eugene Onegin: The Element of Dance

2011-10-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin is filled with beautiful music, replete with complex musical motifs and well-defined character relationships (more on that later this week). But also of importance are the dances that pepper the opera. At first glance, the dances in Eugene Onegin appear deceptively decorative, a way for the composer to paint the backdrop of farming life in the Russian countryside or the lush social lives of the haut monde in St. Petersburg. While the dances do accentuate the locales of Eugene Onegin, they also have a cultural and narrative function.

Matryoshka dolls, a famous
aspect of Russian culture

Cultural Identity
Much of the higher culture of Imperial Russia was imported from France and Italy. In the 19th-century, Russia turned its focus to establishing and supporting a strong national identity, and composers like Tchaikovsky incorporated clearly identifiable aspects of Russian culture into their works. These elements helped connect all of Russia's social spheres to the literary and theatrical arts of Imperial Russia's cultural Golden Age. Tchaikovsky, who believed that Russian culture and Western culture could meld, employed both Russian and European dance traditions in most of his works.

Narrative Voice
The dances in Eugene Onegin are particularly important because they mark a historic moment in which dance became a dramatic plot-point rather than a musical interlude. Pushkin's novel was told entirely through the viewpoint of a narrator, and Tchaikovsky uses music and dance as a substitute for Pushkin's narrative voice. Let's take a look at some of the dances from Eugene Onegin and how they relate to the action.

The khorovod
The first dance we see is a traditional Russian folk dance, the khorovod. It is a circle dance performed by the peasants at Madame Larina's command. Culturally, the khorovod fulfilled the needs of many occasions: weddings, harvests, deaths, complete happiness or utter despair. Tchaikovsky uses it as foreshadowing. The peasants, who have just completed the harvest, are sprightly and joyous with the simple delight of a job well done. As they dance, though, they sing of a young but hopeful maiden about to encounter a stranger carrying a cudgel. The innocence of the dance meeting with the menace of the song parallels sweet Tatiana's following encounter with the dangerous Onegin.

The waltz
At Tatiana's name-day celebration months after her rejection by Onegin, he has the poor taste to not only show up at her party and ask her for a dance, but the gall to abandon her in the middle of the dance floor. The waltz here is a "countrified" version of the ballroom dances performed at the Imperial Court in St. Petersburg and the palaces in France. The waltz is cultured but a little clumsy, reflecting the youthful Tatiana's adult determination to remain civil to Onegin despite his mistreatment of her and his embarrassing behavior.

As the name-day scene continues and Onegin incites Lenski's jealousy over Olga, note the presence of lively Russian dance characteristics such as circles, raised arms and quick foot movement, and contrast those with the sedate European influences of lowered arms, straight lines and elongated steps. The music brings both elements together, underscoring Onegin's "devil may care" attitude and Lenski's rising anger.

A version of the polonaise (by Kornelli Szlegel)

The polonaise
There is some irony in the fact that the polonaise began life as a rustic Polish dance, quickly rising to the heights of popularity in the ritziest circles of European society. Russia once occupied one-third of Poland, and the nation's composers were entranced with the polonaise. The dance came to signify royalty and uncommon destiny. It became a staple of Russian operas and ballets, and appeared in countless symphonic and chamber pieces. In this way, the polonaise has become connected with Russia.

In Eugene Onegin, the slightly rigid but nonetheless elegant polonaise is reflective of the now married and socially elevated Tatiana. The dance is constrained in its movements, yet each step and sweep hints at a wildness just waiting to break free. Married to a Prince and part of St. Petersburg's Imperial society, Tatiana is much like the polonaise: she is poised, regal...but the passions of her youth still smolder within her. When the jaded Onegin is inflamed at the mere sight of her, the musical strains of the polonaise seem to underscore the question: Will they, or won't they?

Our first dance rehearsal
Stage director Candace Evans is also the choreographer for Eugene Onegin. This past Saturday, she brought together the production's professional dancers, principle singers, and the Madison Opera chorus in their first all-cast dance rehearsal. Take a look at some of the highlights below, and be sure to get your tickets to see it all come together:

Eugene Onegin: A labor of love (and a little fear)

2011-10-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

Madison Opera opens the 2011-2012 Season of Dreamers with Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, our first Tchaikovsky piece and our first Russian-language opera. The composer is most well-known for Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and, of course, the 1812 Overture which is performed at every public Fourth of July celebration in the United States. If you're scratching your head as to how an overture celebrating a Russian victory over Napoleon has become a staple of American independence...well, that's a topic for another blog.

Tchaikovsky is one of Russia's most important musical luminaries. He produced his extensive body of work during the Russian Romantic period, a volatile era spanning the 18th and 19th centuries during which Russia forged a distinct cultural identity. Russian Romanticism reflects Imperial Russia's captivation with longing, love, and the nature of the human spirit, themes expressed thoroughly in Eugene Onegin. Tchaikovsky wrote an opera of passion and honesty, but he very nearly never wrote it at all.


Aleksandr Pushkin 1799-1837, seven years of which were spent writing Eugene Onegin

Eugene Onegin was first penned as a novel in verse by iconic poet, Aleksandr Pushkin. Pushkin is of even greater importance to Russia than Tchaikovsky. An old Soviet joke goes that the winning entry in a national Pushkin monument competition, judged by Stalin himself, was a statute of Stalin reading Pushkin. The moral of the story: above all else, the legend and stature of Pushkin would withstand government tyranny, social upheaval, and historical revision. Pushkin is to Russia as Shakespeare is to England, and more. During a period when most of upper-class Russia denounced their own language and culture as vulgar in favor of French words and attitudes, Pushkin wrote in Russian from a Russian perspective. For this reason, he is the undisputed father of Russian literature.

It is therefore completely understandable that after someone else suggested Tchaikovsky turn Pushkin's poem into an opera, Tchaikovsky dismissed the idea as "quite preposterous." How could an opera capture the subtle, witty, glittering narrative of the poem? More importantly, how could he dare to subject the greatest national literary treasure to operatic conventions?

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1840-1893

After one sleepless night, Tchaikovsky found the answer. A prolific letter writer (5,347 letters survive to this day), Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest:

"How pleasant to avoid all the routine Pharaohs, Ethiopian princesses, poisonded [sic] cups and all the rest of these tales about automata. What poetry there is in Onegin! I am not blind to its faults. I fully realize that it gives little scope for treatment, and will be poor in stage effect, but the richness of the poetry, the humanity and simplicity of the subject, embodied in Pushkin´s inspired verse, will make up for whatever it lacks in other ways." (1877)

Modest, along with most of Tchaikovsky's circle of friends and peers, criticized him for his choice of topic and urged him not to take the risk of infuriating Russia by adapting Pushkin's beloved verse to stage. While Tchaikovsky's letters express his own anxieties about molding Pushkin's masterpiece into opera, they also chronicle his love for the story and his belief that the public would embrace the work (after careful exposure and a suitable warming-up period, of course). In the end, Tchaikovsky was proven right and the opera Eugene Onegin was embraced throughout Russian society from the poorest rural villages to the magnificent court of Tsar Alexander III.

The magic of Eugene Onegin lies not in its theatricality, of which there is very little, or its tragedy, which even Tchaikovsky described as banal, but in its emotional verity. Eugene Onegin is a story about the everyday occurrences that make up a human life: our impulsive desires, our longing for love and our need for friendship, the choices we make and how we live with our regrets. Tchaikovsky spent a year laboriously, lovingly, and a little fearfully capturing the universal emotions of Pushkin's characters, in the end creating a masterpiece of music and poetry that is unique in the operatic repertoire.

Over the next few weeks leading up to opening night, MadOpera will explore the lives of Pushkin and Tchaikovsky, the language of music and dance (yes, dance!) in Eugene Onegin, and our breath-taking production of the opera. Along the way, there will be brief photographic forays into Russian culture, courtesy of the UW Madison Russian Folk Orchestra and the Russian Educational Association, and a guest blogger will give you an intimate introduction to Eugene Onegin's famous Letter Scene. If you just cannot wait until the next post, have a look at our Eugene Onegin opera guide.

It's going to be a fun and informative few weeks, so be sure to get your tickets to Eugene Onegin before the excitement overwhelms you.

An inspiring "Season of Dreamers"

2011-09-13T17:17:00.000-05:00

Single tickets for the 2011-2012 season are now on sale through the Overture Center Box Office (608-258-4141). Purchase your tickets now to this Season of Dreamers!

I hope you're as excited as I am. My name is Ronia, and I'm the new Manager of Marketing & Community Outreach at Madison Opera. There are a number of new faces at the Monroe Street office, fitting for a season celebrating the spirits of dreamers and risk-takers. We are all thrilled to join Madison Opera as it enters its second half-century. Brian is having a great time as a grad student at the Bolz Center, and I am honored to pick up where he left off, as well as bring my own personal touch to Madison Opera.

In recognition of the joy and tumult that new beginnings bring, I want to share one of my favorite historical recordings of the celebrated "Letter Scene" from Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin:

Madison Opera's not-to-be-missed 51st season opens with the passionate and heartrending Eugene Onegin, featuring the striking Maria Kanyova in the role of Tatiana.

Maria Kanyova

Thank you to everyone who has sent me good wishes, and I'm pleased to be here at Madison Opera, sharing the love of a beautiful art!

Looking forward to "A Season of Dreamers"

2011-08-12T12:27:00.000-05:00

We have great news: our subscription deadline for the 2011-2012 season has been extended to next Friday, August 19th! Get your orders in now to ensure you reserve the best seats before they go on-sale to the public. Plus, if you're a new subscriber, you save 15%.

That's the good news. On a slightly sadder note, today is my last day with Madison Opera, as I'm going back to school to pursue an MBA in arts administration. My leaving isn't necessarily the sad part, as I know the company and The MadOpera Blog are in great hands. The sad part is that I will not be apart of this new season of operas I love.

Before I go, here's a selection of what I'll be missing, and what you should most definitely not miss.

The final duet from Eugene Onegin is incredibly moving - as you saw at Opera in the Park:

Galileo Galilei has never been recorded, so here's a piano version of one of my all time favorite Philip Glass pieces, his opera Orphee:

Rossini's Cinderella is known for "vocal fireworks" - a phrase we've been tossing around quite a bit. It's not an exaggeration:

Thanks for reading, it has been a pleasure!

A night of opera, joy, and celebration in the park

2011-07-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

Opera in the Park 2011 was special for a few reasons before it even began. It was the free concert's 10th annual outing and the final event of our 50th anniversary season, for starters. It was also a time to pay tribute to our beloved former general director and Opera in the Park co-founder Ann Stanke, who passed away in May. And it was also our new general director Kathryn Smith's first event at the helm of Madison Opera, a grand welcome for her if ever there was one.

For those reasons alone, we knew that it would be a special night. But we could not have predicted the perfect weather, clear with a light breeze and an almost-full moon. And we could not have predicted the musical alchemy onstage between our soloists Maria Kanyova, Daniela Mack, Scott Ramsay, and Hyung Yun. I think we all know that the music is what it's all about, and in the true spirit of Opera in the Park, the performances carried the night and are what stick with us today.

Before getting into some photos from Opera in the Park 2011, the entire Madison Opera family must first extend a huge thank you to everyone who generously contributed to the Opera in the Park Fund. It is my pleasure to announce that we have met our goal of raising $50,000! As part of our 50 for 50 campaign, you met the $25,000 challenge, which was then matched by a very generous friend of the opera. Hundreds of donations of all sizes played a role in meeting our goal, and we are so grateful for such an outpouring of community support.

And now, a look back to just two weeks ago...

"Such gorgeous music, hanging in the summer air, could make an opera lover out of anyone." -Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times

Opera in the Park Essentials

2011-07-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

Opera in the Park is set to go this Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Garner Park. Here's everything you need to know to plan your evening:

Garner Park is located at 333 S. Rosa Rd. Parking is available across Mineral Point Rd. in University Research Park, and off of Rosa Rd. in CUNA Mutual. Handicap parking and drop-off is along Rosa Rd.
The park will open at 7 a.m. for those wishing to place chairs or blankets early in the day. Many people do this, but Garner Park is big: there is plenty of space, especially up the hill, even if you arrive at or after 8 p.m.
Picnicking is allowed and encouraged. Feel free to bring in you own alcoholic beverages, but note that no wine or beer is for sale in the park.
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream is the only vendor in the park, in addition to sodas and water for sale by Madison Opera.
Raffle tickets will be sold in the park for $10 and 3 for $25. Prizes are an opera season package, $1,500, and a grand prize of $3,000. This is a great way to support Opera in the Park!
Programs for Opera in the Park are available for free, and lighsticks are sold for $1. Be prepared for lighstick conducting during Oklahoma in the second half of the program!
Forecast updates, and in the event of severe weather, a notice of postponement, will be announced at this page on the Madison Opera website. We know there is the chance of intermittent rain during the day on Saturday, but the evening is expected to be clear. The rain-date for Opera in the Park is Sunday, July 17, same place and time.

Write on our wall and win big!

2011-07-13T16:34:00.000-05:00

Write a "love letter" to Opera in the Park on our Facebook wall, and you could win 2 tickets to Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin!

In the opera, Tatiana famously reveals her passionate love for Eugene Onegin in a letter. Now, we want YOU, our fans, to tell us why you love Opera in the Park in a post on our Facebook wall. Is it the lightstick conducting? The community atmosphere? The fabulous singers? The FREE? We want to know! Once you post, you'll be entered in a drawing to win 2 tickets to Eugene Onegin, the opening production of Madison Opera's 2011-2012 Season.

The competition starts now and closes on Wednesday, July 20th at 9 a.m. CST.

In the mood for Opera in the Park?

2011-07-12T10:08:00.001-05:00

Here are some videos to get you excited for Opera in the Park, coming up this Saturday night!

Opera in the Park 2011 Trailer:

Wisconsin Public Radio footage from 2010:

Kathryn Smith on "Wake Up Wisconsin" (7/11/2011):

Fun for Families at Opera in the Park

2011-07-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

Meet Cinderella

Opera in the Park (coming up on July 16th!) makes a great introduction to opera for families with children of all ages. The relaxed outdoor atmosphere combined with a program that offers a dose of recognizable opera hits all help to make this one of Madison Opera's most accessible and exciting events of the year. The price point of $0 also doesn't hurt!

New this year is something even more enticing for the young ones: we're told that Cinderella is making an appearance in Garner Park! Along the main path off of Rosa Road, keep an eye out for the Isthmus Parents booth, where children and parents are invited to stop and take a picture with Cinderella. The maid-turned-princess is making an early stop in Madison before she stars in Rossini's opera in Overture Hall next April.

Cool down in the pool and warm up your vocal chords

In anticipation of Opera in the Park that night, the Goodman Pool is hosting "Opera in the Pool" from 1 to 3 PM on Saturday, July 16th. Sing along to your favorite tunes while enjoying a dip in the pool as all swimmers have a chance with the Goodman's karaoke machine.

Opera in the Park Playlist

2011-06-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

Have you visited our Opera in the Park page recently? There's lots of great info on our Prelude Dinner, guest artists, donating, parking, and more, including the repertoire for this year's concert. While the program is still subject to change, I thought it would be fun to assemble a YouTube playlist previewing some of the selections that will be featured in Garner Park on July 16th. Check it out below!

Please note that this doesn't include every piece we're doing, and that these are not performances by Madison Opera artists.

Met operas on Wisconsin Public Television

2011-06-13T13:06:00.001-05:00

Wisconsin Public Television is once again broadcasting Great Performances at the Met. This is a fantastic series, offering a look at some very exciting repertoire performed by the best in the world. Apologies for missing the announcement of Don Pasquale, which aired last night, but you can still catch:

9:30 pm. Sunday, June 19
Great Performances at the Met “Boris Godunov”

René Pape takes on one of the greatest bass roles in a new production by Stephen Wadsworth.Valery Gergiev conducts Mussorgsky’s epic spectacle that captures the suffering and ambition of a nation, with Aleksandrs Antonenko, Vladimir Ognovenko, and Ekaterina Semenchuk leading the huge cast.

9:30 p.m. Sunday, June 26
Great Performances at the Met “Don Carlo”

The Metropolitan Opera’s much-admired new production of Verdi’s Don Carlo is conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Verdi’s grand opera, in which love, war, politics, and religion intertwine against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition, stars Roberto Alagna as the conflicted title character; Marina Poplavskaya as Elisabeth de Valois; Anna Smirnova as the scheming Princess Eboli; Ferruccio Furlanetto as the tormented tyrant Philip II; Simon Keenlyside as the heroic Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa; and Eric Halfvarson as the Grand Inquisitor.

10:30 p.m. Sunday, July 31

Great Performances at the Met "La Fanciulla del West"

Puccini’s wild-west opera, based on David Belasco’s play, made its world premiere in 1910 at the Met. Now, on the occasion of its centennial, all-American diva Deborah Voigt sings the title role of the “girl of the golden west,” opposite Marcello Giordani in this revival of Giancarlo Del Monaco's 1991 production. Lucio Gallo is the villainous sheriff Jack Rance. Nicola Luisotti conducts.

Madison Opera After-School at Overture

2011-05-31T10:22:00.003-05:00

Madison Opera's teaching artist Saira Frank with after-school vocal students at the Overture Center as part of the Arts Education Initiative.

Last week, Madison Opera proudly participated in the culminating event of the Overture Center Arts Education Initiative, a project that has been two years in the making. A cooperative effort between the Overture Center, five of its resident companies, and the Madison Metropolitan School District, the Arts Education Initiative places teaching artists in local schools for residencies and provides access to resident company performances at Overture; in addition, the Initiative engages interested students in a ten-week after-school program in the arts. Not to mention, prior to this first season of executing the program, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, school teachers, resident company teaching artists, and resident company administrators participated in multiple professional development seminars in arts and creativity education. In short, the Arts Education Initiative makes the Overture Center and performances by resident companies like Madison Opera more accessible to students and teachers in the community, while also bringing art and art education to the classroom - and not just to elective arts classrooms, but to math, social studies, humanities and science classrooms, ensuring creativity has no bounds.

Here's how the Initiative worked for Madison Opera: after a year of planning and training, our teaching artist Saira Frank worked with 6th grade classes at Cherokee Middle School, introducing them to opera and in particular to Verdi's La Traviata. After participating in a variety of activities based on the aesthetic education model centered on La Traviata, the students saw the piece performed live in Overture Hall at Madison Opera's recent Student Matinee. Not only did the classes Saira worked with attend, but the entire 6th grade of Cherokee Middle School was there!

Following the in-school residency and performance components of the Initiative came the after-school program. At the after-school program, students from Sherman and Cherokee Middle Schools broke into different specialties to create their own artistic works inspired by the Shinique Smith exhibit at MMoCA.Over ten sessions, the vocal students worked with Saira to filter their ideas and feelings about Shinique Smith's artwork into songs, or "arias," that they then performed last Thursday. Working in pairs, the students wrote their own lyrics and set them to existing arias that fit the mood and atmosphere of the Shinique Smith work they were inspired by. The results were pretty incredible, and we are beyond thrilled that the Overture Center for the Arts has already received a new $37,000 grant from the NEA to continue the Arts Education Initiative next year.

Remembering Ann Stanke, 1935-2011

2011-05-24T16:57:00.000-05:00

Ann Stanke with Maestro Roland Johnson.

Ann Stanke, Madison Opera's general director from 1984 to 2005 and a coach, accompanist, and manager for nearly all of the company's 50 years, passed away on May 18th at the age of 76, following a 22-month long battle with ALS. It is hard to adequately express her contribution to our company and community, but several local writers have done so. You can read about her extraordinary life and impact below:

Madison.com: Obituary for Ann Stanke

The Isthmus: Ann Stanke leaves a legacy of humane musicality (John W. Barker)

Wisconsin State Journal: Former Madison Opera director dies (Doug Moe)

WISC Madison: Ann Stanke, an artful life (Neil Heinen)

The Well-Tempered Ear: Madison Opera Founder Ann Stanke is dead at 76 (Jake Stockinger)

Ann considered the commission and world-premiere of Shining Brow the proudest moment of her career.

Ann and Maestro Johnson backstage.

Ann in the old Madison Opera office.

Madison Opera on the radio

2011-05-19T09:41:00.000-05:00

Relive the magic of Madison Opera's The Marriage of Figaro and La Traviata starting this Saturday on Wisconsin Public Radio!

Saturday, May 21st at Noon - Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, starring Jason Hardy, Anya Matanovic, Jeff Mattsey, Melody Moore, and Emily Lorini. Recorded live in Overture Hall on November 5, 2010. View complete cast and learn about the opera.

Saturday, May 28th at Noon - Verdi's La Traviata, starring Elizabeth Caballero, Giuseppe Varano, and Donnie Ray Albert. Recorded live in Overture Hall on April 29, 2011. View complete cast and learn about the opera.

How to listen - Click here to listen online, or tune into 88.7 WERN if you're in the Dane County region.

Ignorance is Bliss: Florence Foster Jenkins

2011-05-06T10:09:00.000-05:00

Want to make a complete 180 after basking in the lush, gorgeous voices of last weekend's La Traviata? This weekend, the Madison Theatre Guild presents Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins. Jenkins was an American soprano who became famous for her conviction that she was a great singer, despite her obvious lack of talent and basic ability to sing on pitch. Think we're kidding? Just listen to her take on Mozart's Queen of the Night aria.

Souvenir, by Stephen Temperley, premiered on Broadway in 2005 and stars local favorites Terry Kiss Frank as Florence Foster Jenkins and Taras Nahirniak as Cosme McMoon. From the press materials: "Souvenir is a heartfelt, wickedly funny look at the limits of self-perception and the unpredictable nature of friendship. The story of real-life Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York socialite and tone-deaf diva who thought she was a great soprano. Unfortunately her great love of music was not matched by her own abilities. Her brilliant, wry accompanist, Cosme McMoon, chronicles Florence's unlikely rise to cult status, which culminated in an infamous sold-out Carnegie Hall performance in October 1944."

Performances are May 6-21 at the Evjue Theatre at the Bartell (113 E. Mifflin Street) and tickets start at $15. Betty Diamond directs.

10 Questions with Kathryn Smith

2011-05-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

Our newly appointed general director Kathryn Smith won't officially start until July 1st, but we thought it'd be fun to get to know her a little bit better in the interim. Here are her answers to ten questions we recently sent her way:

Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Seattle

Q: When did you first attend a live opera, and what was it?
A: I think it was either Porgy and Bess at age six or seven, or Rigoletto (in English) at eight or nine. I remember that the latter bored me.

Q: It’s not fair, but I have to ask: who are your top 3 favorite composers?
A: Mozart, Schubert, and Cole Porter.

Q: What are your top 3 favorite operas, if you had to choose? This is a desert island scenario.
A: Le Nozze di Figaro, Carmen, and Les Contes d’Hoffmann.

Q: What is the last book you read that you’d recommend to a friend?
A: I read all of Dorothy Sayer’s Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries this year – a surprising lapse in my education – so I’d recommend any of them.

Q: Who is your favorite non-classical, non-opera musical artist?
A: Judy Garland or Fred Astaire (and I do consider him a musical artist)

Q: Can you name one of the highlights from your time at the Met?
A: Just one? The first time you set foot on the stage is unforgettable, and so is the first time someone cancels an hour before curtain. Plus I heard so many incredible performances, from Natalie Dessay’s first Met Zerbinetta to Hei-Kyung Hong in just about anything, and Bryn Terfel and Ferruccio Furlanetto playfully negotiating a platform that rose out of the stage an act too early in Don Giovanni.

Q: What are you most proud of achieving at Tacoma Opera?
A: Growing a company that was truly connected to its community, using mostly Northwest-based singers to present operas that a company of our budget size had no business producing, like Le Comte Ory and Faust.

Q: What intrigues you most about moving to the city of Madison?
A: Learning to drive in the snow.

Q: After spending a week with Madison Opera during our rehearsal process for La Traviata, what are you most excited about in joining our company?
A: Every individual I met, whether audience member or stage crew, told me how much Madison Opera meant to them. Joining a company and a community that cares that deeply is a very exciting prospect, as it means we all want to do great things together.

Thanks, Kathryn - we're all looking forward to working with you, and perhaps lending some snow-driving tips along the way!

News and Reviews from La Traviata Weekend

2011-05-02T09:53:00.000-05:00

What a weekend!

First, we announced our new general director, Kathryn Smith:

77 Square - "Opera Chooses New General Director"
The Business Journal - "Madison Opera Hires New General Director"
Broadway World - "Madison Opera Names Kathryn Smith As Its General Director"

Then, we put on Verdi's La Traviata:

77 Square - "Madison Opera's painterly 'Traviata' sings an old story"
The Isthmus - "Madison Opera's La Traviata is sterling, heart-wrenching"
Local Sounds Magazine - "La Traviata Gets Big City Treatment from Madison Opera"
Channel3000.com - "Soprano Shines in Madison Opera Production"
Brava Magazine: Culturosity - "The Soprano Always Dies"

And lastly, our 50th anniversary gala on Saturday night was a huge success. The evening opened with the Art of Opera Glasses Auction and music by Anthony and Leslie Cao. Dinner was accompanied by a tribute to Madison Opera's past, present, and future, with a very special appearance by founder Roland Johnson, as well as performances by the former Madison Opera Showcase Singers, the MO High School Apprentices, and the MO Chorus with Donnie Ray Albert. The evening concluded in spectacular fashion on the Overture Hall stage, with desserts and entertainment by the inimitable Robin Pluer:

La Traviata: Scenes from production week

2011-04-27T17:05:00.000-05:00

La Traviata is just days away, not to mention our Golden Anniversary Gala and Out at the Opera! But that hasn't slowed us down this week one bit, as rehearsals have been in full swing, as well as a variety of educational programs. Check out these photos from the last few days:

The Art of Opera Glasses

2011-04-22T09:25:00.001-05:00

Madison Opera's Golden Anniversary Gala on April 30th will include a one of a kind silent auction called "The Art of Opera Glasses". For the auction, local artists and friends of the opera have generously created unique pieces inspired by the operatic art form, all utilizing opera glasses in some way. Here's a sampling so far, with more to come:

Artist: Jennie Nuese, "Setting"

Artist: Laurie Rossbach

Artist: Beth Heeney

Artist: Karen Juno

Artist: Phoebe Saunders, "Ric Rac Golden Anniversary Gala Edition"

Artist: Sarah Stob


Artist: Mary Jo Scandin, "La Traviata"

Video: A Conversation with the Cast of La Traviata

2011-04-21T12:58:00.001-05:00

If you can't already tell, we have a fantastic group of guest artists in town for La Traviata. Last week, we were lucky enough to hear what some of them have to say about Verdi's masterpiece: the characters, the music, the production, and why it makes a great opera if you've never been before. Here's the video:

*On a technical note, apologies for any inconsistencies in the video's editing/quality - we're trying out some new technology and haven't quite mastered it yet!

Italian tenor Giuseppe Varano makes U.S. debut in Madison

2011-04-20T09:47:00.002-05:00

Buzz has been building for some time now around the the U.S. debut of Italian tenor Giuseppe Varano. His 2010 performances as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland earned Mr. Varano praise for his “shining” (Osterbottens Tidning) and “breathtaking” (Das Opernglas) voice. A young tenor on the rise with credits throughout Europe, he has also recently appeared as Pinkerton at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna and as Alfredo at Opera Graz, opposite Marlis Petersen as Violetta. Other highlights include Rodolfo in La bohème at the opera houses of Messina, Rimini and Leipzig, and the title role in Faust at the Teatre Principal de Palma in Spain. Future engagements include debuts at Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Colorado and Deutsche Opera am Rhein.

On a personal note, Giuseppe has proved an exceptionally gracious colleague and has expressed great pride as the cast's "Italian ambassador." We feel incredibly lucky to have him with us, and look forward to some exciting Verdi singing in La Traviata next week!

(Just in case you can't wait until next week, check out Giuseppe's YouTube channel, with excerpts from past productions.)

Join the #operaplot 2011 contest, featuring a Madison Opera prize!

2011-04-11T12:51:00.000-05:00

It started as a dorky classical music meme on Twitter and is now a beloved annual contest, with rules, prizes, and formidable guest judges. That's not to say #operaplot has lost its street-cred. Rather, if you don't have any clue what we're talking about, it's high time you learned and, more importantly, participated!

Here's the deal: #operaplot is an annual Twitter contest where participants tweet summaries of operas in 140 characters or less using the hashtag #operaplot. You have all week to tweet your ingenious #operaplots, at the end of which world-renowned opera star Eric Owens will pick his favorites. And guess what, if you're chosen, you get a prize from this list of opera tickets, CDs, giveaways, and more. Details and regulations are online.

If you're wondering why you should participate, we have even more motivation for you this year: added to the prize-pool is a pair of tickets to any production from Madison Opera's 2011-2012 season, which we're announcing on Monday, April 18th! Impress Judge Owens and you may just find yourself front and center in Overture Hall next year.

So what are you waiting for? Start tweeting today!

Confused or need some inspiration? Check out the winning tweets from last year!

A big thanks to #operaplot organizer The Omniscient Mussel!

The return of Donnie Ray Albert

2011-04-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

Do you remember Donnie Ray Albert? This globe-trotting, Grammy-winning baritone performed with Madison Opera at Opera in the Park 2005, and he'll be back in town later this month as Giorgio Germont in La Traviata. He is the real deal, as you can read below, and we are honored to have him in this special 50th anniversary season production.

Now in his 35th year of performing professionally, Donnie Ray Albert has sung baritone roles and concerts in some of the world's most prominent opera houses and symphony halls. Mr. Albert has performed such roles as Wotan and the Wanderer in Die Walküre and Siegfried with the New National Theatre in Tokyo, Japan, and the title role of Macbeth at the Klangbogen Festival in Vienna, Austria. Recent engagements include Mephistopheles in Faust with Semperoper Dresden; Four Villains in Les Contes d’Hoffman with the National Theater in Prague; and the title role in Rigoletto with Vancouver Opera. Donnie Ray Albert, a native of Baton Rouge, has received two Grammy Awards for Best Opera Recording, first for Porgy and Bess in 1977 and most recently for The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny in 2009.

Soprano Elizabeth Caballero takes on TV

2011-03-22T12:29:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth Caballero in
Madison Opera's Carmen.

If you haven't been able to tell, we're very excited that Elizabeth Caballero is returning to Madison Opera after appearances at Opera in the Park and most recently as Micaela in Carmen (2009). This time around, the Cuban American soprano will be taking on the thrilling role of Violetta in La Traviata in performances on April 29 and May 1. Ms. Caballero, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut last season, has had a busy year, with performances at the Florida Grand Opera as Liu in Turandot, and as a guest judge on the wildly popular Univision program, Sabado Gigante. Wait...what?

That's right, Ms. Caballero has recently taken on a new role as judge in an American Idol style singing competition ("Su Majestad La Voz") on Spanish TV. Here's what she has to say about the new gig:

Sabado Gigante is a Spanish TV show that has been on the air on Univision for over 30 years. It's like a cross between the Price is Right and The Ed Sullivan Show but in Spanish. And of course with it being Spanish TV, there are a lot of tight dresses and big hair. Spanish TV is a hoot! The show has amazing ratings and it's viewed by millions of people world wide, especially in North and South America. So when they decided to do an American Idol version for young opera singers, I thought it was an amazing idea, and when they asked me to judge, I was beyond honored.

Quite an honor indeed! Through the experience, Liz has gained exposure to a whole new audience while serving as an advocate for her passion, opera. To give you an idea of the show, here's a clip, with Judge Caballero chiming in at the 2:35 mark:

To stay up to date on this busy soprano's career, check out her Facebook page!

Verdi's "theme music" for Italian unification

2011-03-17T10:35:00.001-05:00

NPR reports today that Italy is in the midst of celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the country's unification. Giuseppe Verdi, the composer of La Traviata, somewhat unwittingly created the movement's "theme music" when his opera Nabucco premiered in 1842. In the third act of Nabucco, the exiled and defeated Jews sing a beautiful chorus, Va, pensiero, longing for their homeland. It's simple, folk quality, the swelling music, and the content of the lyrics ("Oh, my country so beautiful and lost! Oh, remembrance so dear and so fatal!") struck a nationalistic nerve, and it does so to this day. In fact, at a 2005 performance of Nabucco in Verona, I witnessed an audience of thousands singing along to the chorus and demanding an encore mid-performance, something simply unheard of in the U.S.! Here's the famous piece, and below, find some important dates in the history of the Italian unification movement as they correspond to Giuseppe Verdi's life.

1813: Giuseppe Verdi is born in Busseto, Italy, then part of the First French Empire, under the rule of Napoleon
1814: Napoleon is defeated and is exiled to St. Elba
1815: Napoleon escapes, but is defeated again at the Battle of Waterloo; Congress of Vienna restores Austrian rule to the Kingdom of Italy
1836: Verdi marries first wife, his childhood sweetheart
1839: Verdi‘s first opera, Oberto, premieres at La Scala in Milan
1842: Premiere of Verdi‘s Nabucco, in which the plight of the oppressed Jews was instantly compared to the plight of the Northern Italians under the Austrian Empire
1848: Revolution of 1848 in France results in the establishment of the Second French Republic, spreads revolutionary movements throughout Europe, including Italy; death of bel canto opera composer Gaetano Donizetti
1853: Premiere of Verdi‘s La Traviata at La Fenice in Venice
1859: War in Italy gradually removes Austrian rulers from northern states
1861: First Italian parliament is called, at peak of unification process, and Rome is declared the capitol of Italy
1866: Austria cedes rule of Venice to Italy
1870: Rome is seized from the Pope by the Italian army, effectively ending the battle for Italian unification

Announcing OUT @ THE OPERA

2011-03-11T10:12:00.000-06:00

Madison Opera is excited to announce the launch of Out @ the Opera, a new affinity group for Madison Opera's LGBT friends and fans! The inaugural Out @ the Opera event will be held on opening night of Verdi's La Traviata, Friday, April 29th at 8 P.M., and will include attending the performance in Overture Hall and a special after-party at Fresco Restaurant.

Tickets are $35 (mezzanine level) or $75 (circle level) and cover admission to La Traviata and the after-party. Call the Madison Opera office at (608) 238-8085 to order today!

More details are available on Facebook or our website.

Help defend the Wisconsin Arts Board and NEA

2011-03-03T10:57:00.002-06:00

While this is hardly a space for political posturing, I believe it is important to alert Madison Opera fans that two significant sources of our funding are under attack in the current round of national and local budget cuts. In congress, the National Endowment for the Arts is facing a proposed $43.1 million decrease for FY11. In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker's recent budget proposal would eliminate the Wisconsin Arts Board entirely, leaving all remaining arts granting duties to the Department of Tourism, with a depleted budget of $1.5 million (down from $3.7 million).

At Madison Opera, we believe that the arts are part of the solution, not the problem. The arts create jobs, build communities, and offer invaluable educational opportunities for all. Government funding for the arts in the U.S. is already paltry; we must speak up for what little is left. If you agree, here's how you can help (the links below go to personalized forms that will be e-mailed directly to your representatives):

Defend the NEA by telling your Representative and Senator about the importance of federal funding for the arts in your community. The NEA has specifically funded recent productions of The Tender Land and The Turn of the Screw, allowing Madison Opera to sustain its expansion to a 3-production season, in turn providing new employment opportunities for artists, designers, production staff, and stagehands. It has also funded Opera in the Park, a free event enjoyed annually by over 14,000 citizens from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa.
Defend the Wisconsin Arts Board by writing your state representatives in the upper and lower chambers. The WAB is an indispensable state agency for fostering arts education, employment, and accessible performances in our communities. Any depletion of its granting capabilities will directly and negatively impact the hundreds of organizations it supports across the state. You can tell them specifically that the WAB is one of Madison Opera's largest season sponsors.

Thank you for your continued support, and let's hope the climate for the arts turns in our favor!

Mid-Season Office Update

2011-02-23T10:56:00.001-06:00

Apologies for the prolonged quiet spell here on the blog, it's been a while! Since The Threepenny Opera, things have been a bit hectic around the office, so here are a few items of note to catch you up:

Last Tuesday, we bid adieu to our general director of six seasons, Allan Naplan. It was of course sad, and we had fun reflecting on the growth of Madison Opera over the past six years, but we also know that Allan has a great opportunity ahead as the new president and general director of Minnesota Opera.
Speaking of the general director, our search for Allan's replacement has been under way for some time now and it is going very well. The fantastic Catherine French Group has been working closely with our Board of Trustees to review top-notch candidates and to ensure a smooth transition period for the company.
While February has mostly been about our seven sold-out performances of Threepenny, the real action in the office right now is all about the 2011-2012 season! Before Allan's last day, we were busily finalizing plans for next season, and it is going to be a thrilling one, for many reasons that I cannot share at this point in time (shameless teaser, I know). All forces here are working hard on everything that needs to come together before the season announcement, from grant applications to brochure design, so stay tuned!
And of course, we have La Traviata coming up in April. And our Golden Anniversary Gala. And the launch of OUT @ THE OPERA, our new LGBT geared affinity group for Madison Opera fans. Needless to say, all of this is also contributing to the pace around here!
Last but not least, we have to offer a hearty congratulations to our marketing and development associate Laura Albrecht. Laura is currently completing her MBA at the Bolz Center for Arts Administration in the Wisconsin School of Business, and she originally hails from Austin, Texas. Needless to say, after just a year and a half in Madison, she has earned a lifetime supply of Midwestern street-cred by doing the polar plunge this past Saturday!

Marketing and development associate Laura Albrecht (far left) jumps into a freezing Lake Monona this past Saturday. You can't do that in Texas!

The reviews are in: Threepenny's a hit!

2011-02-07T10:42:00.003-06:00

The first weekend of The Threepenny Opera is over and the reviews are in! Here's what people are saying:

"This Threepenny Opera is a provocative but, above all, lively and thoroughly entertaining presentation. It is clearly the most successful and brilliant of the mid-season mini-productions that the Madison Opera has brought us. And it demonstrates the debt we owe to the directorship of Allan Naplan."
-John Barker, The Isthmus

"With a score by Kurt Weill, story by theater revolutionary Bertolt Brecht, and a translation by Marc Blitzstein, this "Threepenny" is smart, sardonic and utterly entertaining."
-Lindsay Christians, The Capital Times

"So here’s the good news and the bad news: the production is full of strong contributions and still manages to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts, but all seven performances were sold out before last Friday’s opening."
-Greg Hettmansberger, Local Sounds Magazine

"The production rises above potential artistic squalor while still reveling in the narrative’s seedy milieu. Threepenny’s wink-and-a-nod at the operatic genre, its audience and the social issues raised combine to create a work that masters its material rather than submerging beneath the weight of its parts."
-Mike and Jean Muckian, Brava Magazine: Culturosity

"'Threepenny Opera a Bankable Success'....Tracy Michelle Arnold is always wonderful in everything she does and she is wonderful in this role. Her cabaret twang is perfect for [Jenny] and she's a lot of fun to watch."
-Bill Wineke, Channel3000.com

"This weekend at the Overture Center, Madison Opera’s production of “The Threepenny Opera” will surely transform any predispositions about the art form with its entertainingly powerful message, wonderfully jazzy score and quirky humor."
-Katie Foran-McHale, The Badger Herald

"....Madison Opera's thoroughly engaging and stylishly energetic production."
-Jake Stockinger, The Well-Tempered Ear

Thank you to the enthusiastic audiences that came out for Threepenny this weekend and to those who've already filled up the The Playhouse for next weekend: it is your support that has made this run an incredible success already! We'll keep this page updated as more reviews come in, and if you'd like to learn more about Madison Opera's production of The Threepenny Opera, visit our website, view this list of recent preview articles, or check out photos from the final dress rehearsal.

Sneak Peek: Threepenny Opera Edition

2011-02-04T15:11:00.002-06:00

The final dress rehearsal for The Threepenny Opera was held last night in The Playhouse. Here's an exclusive sneak peek of this sold-out production, which opens tonight....

Beggars and the prostitute Jenny Diver (Tracy Michelle Arnold) during the Overture.

Mack the Knife's gang: Walt Dreary (Bart Terrell), Bob the Saw (Paul Kennedy), Ready Money Matt (Alex Cotant), and Crookfinger Jake (Joseph Lullo).

The newly weds Macheath (James DeVita) and Polly Peachum (Alicia Berneche).

Mack and his girls: Molly (Meghan Randolph), Coaxer (Lisa Bozec Maletic), Betty (Kristen Hammargren), and Dolly (Leslie Cao), along with the women of the house, Marja Barger and Katya Kashaeva.

Jenny Diver sings of her twisted pirate fantasy.

The bell tolls for the notorious Mack the Knife.

All photos by Andy Manis.

Mack the Knife storms the press!

2011-02-03T13:23:00.002-06:00

The Threepenny Opera has been generating lots of buzz in the local press. Here's a round-up of previews, with insights from John DeMain, Dorothy Danner, Alicia Berneche, and Mackie himself, Jim DeVita.

Wisconsin Gazette, "Look out, old Mackie is back in town"

The Well-Tempered Ear, "Threepenny links great depression of today..."

The Examiner, "The Threepenny Opera: A fairy tale for our time?"

Madison Magazine, "A New Role"

77 Square, "APT actors star in dark, satirical Threepenny Opera"

The Isthmus, "The Threepenny Opera is a modern masterpiece about depravity"

A.V. Club Madison, "Despite it's name, The Threepenny Opera isn't an opera at all"

Photos by Andy Manis.

Opera Up Close: What You Missed!

2011-01-31T15:12:00.000-06:00

If you weren't at Opera Up Close yesterday, you missed some seriously nformative and entertaining commentary on The Threepenny Opera. Here's our recap of the event:

Sadly, this was our departing general director Allan Naplan's last Opera Up Close. The audience started by giving him a warm and well-deserved ovation for initiating this signature program in Madison. Allan then proceeded to give us an in-depth overview of Kurt Weill's life and work. What stood out was Weill's perpetual "outsider" status: as a Jew in Germany on the eve of the Nazi takeover, and as a German in Paris, and eventually New York. It also seems, though, that this gave him a flexibility and fluidity between styles that really shaped his distinct sound, which draws from jazz, cabaret, operetta, and classical music. It was also interesting to learn the details of the challenging first production of Threepenny in Berlin, which played to a skeptical opening night audience until the bawdy "Army Song" riled them up.

Up next, assistant director Frank Honts offered a special presentation on Marc Blitzstein, the composer and writer who adapted Brecht's original lyrics to English for the popular 1954-61 off-Broadway production. Madison Opera is using the Blitzstein adaptation, and as it turns out, the Blitzstein papers are archived right here in our city at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Having combed that trove of information, Frank talked about Blitzstein's famous, pro-union piece Cradle Will Rock and his mentoring of Leonard Bernstein, who presented the first performance of his Threepenny adaptation at Brandeis University in 1952. It was also comical to hear that Blitzstein's famous "Mack the Knife" translation--later used by Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin--was originally just called "Moritat," a nod to the original German title (rhyming to "Moritat" didn't work as well as "Knife," in the end.) Frank also discovered that Blitzstein had originally toyed with setting his adaptation in San Francisco and New York, before sticking to Victorian London.

Blitzstein was a communist and was always sympathetic to the message of Threepenny, but we learned yesterday that he originally was put-off by Weill's music. Later on, though, it stuck in his head, and he began to toy with a translation. He called Weill at home in 1950, and sang his translation of "Pirate Jenny" to both Weill and Lotte Lenya over the phone. They both loved it, and encouraged him to translate the whole opera. Weill died just months later, but Lenya would appear in the New York production of Blitzstein's translation.

After Frank, it was John DeMain and Dorothy Danner's turn. Both have extensive experience crossing the opera and musical theater boundary, so there was a lively discussion about how we define both genres. John's opinion was that if it's majority sung, then it's an opera, and since Threepenny is majority dialogue, it's musical theater. He then shared a fantastic anecdote about a dinner with Stephen Sondheim, where he asked Sondheim whether he thought Sweeney Todd was a musical or an opera. Sondheim replied that it had entirely to do with venue, which shapes the audiences expectation ("It's opera when an opera company does it, and musical theater when it's on Broadway.") John also talked about Weill's philosophy that there's no opera or musical theater, but just good music and bad music. Dorothy, a former Broadway actress/dancer, revealed that she fell into opera directing while hanging behind-the-scenes with her opera-singer husband. She also shared that she approaches opera and musical theater the same way, but whether you're working at an opera company or a theater company really impacts what your expectations are on day one. The conversation was lively, and it was incredible to hear these two pros chat and reminisce about their experiences.

Finally, Jim DeVita (Macheath) and Alicia Berneche (Polly) took the stage to talk about their roles. Jim, a classical actor noted for his work at American Players Theatre, talked about overcoming his fear of singing and his recent coaching sessions with John DeMain. He also talked about making the role of Macheath his own, and the challenges of the opera process (he compared the transition between theater and opera to what it would be like for a pilot being asked to fly a space shuttle.) Alicia, an acclaimed soprano who has performed across the country, thought that she had a leg up in this repertoire versus the traditional opera singer because she started out in straight theater. She also cited Dorothy--whom she has collaborated with frequently--for teaching her how to be herself onstage, breaking down the facade that opera sometimes invites. It was a fascinating discussion, and we're so thankful this thoughtful group of artists took time out of their day for our Opera Up Close audience!

As usual, Allan closed the event with a segment on opera in popular culture, this time with a look at "Mack the Knife" through the ages. (My favorite had to be this McDonald's commercial.)

The next Opera Up Close will be for La Traviata, on Saturday, April 16th, from 1-3 PM in MMoCA's lecture hall, hosted by yours truly.

Opening night, just a week away!

2011-01-28T14:13:00.004-06:00

Alicia Berneche as Polly, Jim DeVita as Macheath, and
Tracy Michelle Arnold as Jenny Diver

We are one week away from opening night of The Threepenny Opera, and the excitement is setting in. Having sat through rehearsal on Wednesday night, a few things strike me about Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's masterpiece. It can be aggressive and gritty, but also surprisingly tender, and quite honest in its portrayal of longing. I was also surprised at how funny it can be - the humor is at turns witty and crass. There is of course an air of satire and irony, and yet, despite what Brecht may have intended, one can't help but empathize with certain characters. In summary, The Threepenny Opera is every bit as entertaining and thought provoking as its reputation has led me to expect.

Two items of note:

1) If you don't follow @MadOpera on Twitter, you may want to, or at least visit the site to view our live-updates and photos from rehearsals. Same goes for our Facebook page, where there's always an interesting conversation or contest going on, like our recent Threepenny CD giveaway.

2) This is the 300th post on The MadOpera Blog. Thank you to all of the generous readers of the last two and half years!

Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson

2011-01-20T14:30:00.000-06:00

The New York Times published an interesting piece today: "Rare Reprises for an Unlikely Collaboration," a look at Kurt Weill's partnership with the playwright Maxwell Anderson, and Weill's post-Germany career in New York. Two Weill/Anderson pieces - Knickerbocker Holiday (1938) and Lost in the Stars (1949) - are receiving performances in the coming weeks.

Several commentators note the disparate genres that influenced Weill's music at different points in his career. The piece also points out that it wasn't until the 1954 production of Marc Blitzstein's adaptation of The Threepenny Opera in New York that Weill's reputation was secured (Madison Opera is producing the Blitzstein adaptation). Additionally, it's fascinating to think that Weill and Anderson were working on a musical version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at the time of Weill's death in 1950.

Here is Weill's famous "September Song" from Knickerbocker Holiday and "Lost in the Stars" from Lost in the Stars:

Famous Macks

2011-01-18T15:38:00.002-06:00

The role of Macheath (aka Mack the Knife) in The Threepenny Opera has been taken up by a slew of famous actors in the 20th and 21st centuries, including these guys:

Left to right: Jerry Orbach (1956, Off-Broadway), Tim Curry (1986, London), Sting (1989, Broadway), Jesse L. Martin (2003, Williamstown), Alan Cumming (2006, Broadway)

Now, Jim DeVita is not a British celebrity, nor was he a fixture on Law and Order (as far as I know), but if you've ever seen him down the road at APT, you know you're in for a treat with this Mack!

Ticketing Update: The Threepenny Opera

2011-01-14T12:12:00.001-06:00

The Threepenny Opera created a sensation after its Berlin premiere, and it's already doing the same in Madison. Rehearsals start on Monday but tickets are selling fast, and we've added an extra performance. Here's an update on what's available:

FRI, FEB 4 • 8 PM - SOLD OUT

SAT, FEB 5 • 8 PM - Limited Availability
SUN, FEB 6 • 2:30 PM - SOLD OUT
FRI, FEB 11 • 8 PM
SAT, FEB 12 • 2:30 PM - Just added
SAT, FEB 12 • 8 PM
SUN, FEB 13 • 2:30 PM - SOLD OUT

Call (608) 258-4141 or visit the Overture Center website to purchase your tickets today. For production information, check out our Threepenny page and don't miss the educational features in the 'Discover' section on the left.

Exploring Mack the Knife: Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin jazz things up

2011-01-12T09:41:00.002-06:00

In November, we started a new series of blog posts looking at how Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" became the iconic American classic, "Mack the Knife." At first glance, the original is a gritty, darkly comic murder ballad about the seditious ways of the notorious Mackie Messer. The comedy lay in the understanding that Mack is not so different from the politicians and members of respectable society that look down at ruffians of his stature; Brecht and Weill want us to know that corruption is a game everyone plays.

Die Dreigroschenoper premiered in Berlin in 1928. In the 1930s, as the Nazis took over Germany and Weill's livelihood and life itself were endangered, he emigrated to the United States and began his second life as a composer for Broadway and Hollywood. He died in 1950, just as the composer Marc Blitzstein was beginning a new English translation of Die Dreigroschenoper. Blizstein's adaptation--The Threepenny Opera--premiered off-Broadway in 1954, bringing the work to a wide American audience for the first time. While the run was deemed an enormous success (it ran until 1961 and garnered a Tony Award for Weill's wife Lotte Lenya in the role of Jenny), Mack the Knife's moment in the cultural spotlight was still to come.

In 1956, Louis Armstrong introduced his version of "Mack the Knife" to the American hit parade in a new, jazzed up version that decidedly lightened the musical tone of the piece:

Just two years later, in 1958, Bobby Darin recorded his iconic version of "Mack the Knife." The single was released in August 1959 and sold 2 million copies, stayed at number one on the charts for 9 weeks, and won the Grammy for Record of the Year, forever embedding the piece in the annals of American pop culture. Darin used Blitzstein's translation in his recording, but he was liberal in throwing in some "babes" at the end of almost every line. Furthermore, influenced by Armstrong's take on "Mack," Darin's arrangement is almost aggressively smooth and sugary where the original is rough and bitter. Take a listen below:

Sounds a little different than this, huh? In Darin's version, much like in Armstrong's, Mack is no longer the dangerously seductive criminal you fear. Rather, he sounds almost like an Elvis figure, someone slightly dangerous but endlessly cool, someone you want to know. While the words are only slightly altered, the new music is downright gleeful, rendering a work that would likely be unrecognizable to Kurt Weill.

2010 In Review

2011-01-03T15:07:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! 2010 was a pretty great year for Madison Opera, which is why 77 Square and The Isthmus have singled us out in their year-end reviews. 2011 has a lot to live up to, but first, a look at the exciting year behind us!

January 2010 - The Turn of the Screw. Madison Opera's first fully staged Britten production and company debut in The Playhouse.


April 2010 - The Flying Dutchman. Madison Opera's Wagner debut hailed as a landmark achievement.

July 2010 - Opera in the Park draws record audience of over 14,000 people to Garner Park.

November 2010 - The Marriage of Figaro. Mozart's classic comedy ushered in Madison Opera's 50th Anniversary season to rave reviews and with the Mayor proclaiming "Madison Opera Day" before a sold-out house.

All photos credited to James Gill.

Spotlight on Bertolt Brecht

2010-12-20T16:48:00.003-06:00

Brecht is the key figure of our time, and all theatre work today at some point starts from or returns to his statements and achievement. – Peter Brook

Bertolt Brecht, along with composer Kurt Weill, created Madison Opera’s next production, The Threepenny Opera. This is our first venture in to Brecht’s works and we’re excited to have our return to musical theatre be with a piece of this caliber. Here’s an introduction to one of the most influential figures in theatre of all time: Bertolt Brecht.

When Brecht entered the theatre world in the 1920’s, he started a revolution. Brecht was devoted to the concept that theatre should serve a social purpose. To encourage his audience to think critically about the political themes in his plays, he developed a style that he named ‘Epic Theater.’ This style is now commonly referred to as ‘Brechtian.’

Brechtian theatre techniques are designed to alienate or distance the audience. However, the goal is not that the audience does not feel any emotions, but instead that they feel different emotions than the characters on the stage. So it is perfectly acceptable to feel sympathy for the characters, but not empathy. Brecht believed that when the audience identified emotionally with the characters, they lost the ability to think critically about what was happening on stage and apply it to the world around them. In Brecht’s words:

As we cannot invite the audience to fling itself into the story as if it were a river and let itself be carried vaguely hither and thither, the individual episodes have to be knotted together in such a way that the knots are easily noticed. The episodes must not succeed one another indistinguishably but must give us a chance to interpose our judgment.

Brecht had specific techniques designed to create that critical distance. These included using unusual vocabulary and language, harsh lighting and the removal of the ‘fourth wall.’ The fourth wall refers to the imaginary line between the play and the audience. To break the fourth wall, characters in Brecht’s work would often speak directly to the audience, which reminds the audience that the play is a representation of reality, not actual reality.

Another distancing technique Brecht employed was inserting songs in to his works to break up the action. This, as well as Brecht’s strong belief in collaboration, led to a partnership with Kurt Weill that lasted for years. In addition to Threepenny, Brecht and Weill collaborated together on a number of musicals, including Happy End and Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany. However, The Threepenny Opera is by far their most successful and widely produced musical.

Today in Germany, Brecht’s works are produced more often than Shakespeare. While Brecht was socially motivated, his works are still dazzling, entertaining and powerful.

Art ought to be a means of education, but its purpose is to give pleasure. –Bertolt Brecht

Sources:

Eddershaw, Margaret. Performing Brecht: Forty Years of British Performances.

Reinelt, Janelle. After Brecht: British Epic Theatre.

-Laura, Development/Marketing Associate

Fifty Years of Madison Opera: La Boheme, 1963 (Part 2)

2010-12-09T15:05:00.001-06:00

The Wisconsin winter is conducive to reflection, and so it feels right that we continue our series on Madison Opera history today. It perhaps is especially appropriate because it was in December 1962 that plans were busily coming together for Madison Opera's first fully staged, full length performance of an opera.

Last we left off, the Johnsons had arrived in Madison, the Opera Workshop had been born, and the new ensemble debuted with "A Night in Vienna." The reviews were encouraging, and a May 28, 1962 profile in The Milwaukee Journal was titled "Opera Sounds New Note in Madison: Roland Johnsons lead renaissance." The piece opened by stating "The birth--and apparently successful debut--of the Madison Civic Opera Workshop surprised no one more than Mrs. Roland Johnson." The writer goes on to note that though Arline Johnson had determined to retire temporarily from music after leaving Alabama, the enthusiasm of local singers to venture into operatic repertoire upon her arrival in 1961 made her continuing involvement inevitable. After "A Night in Vienna," plans had already been laid for a full production of La boheme the next year:

"Next May we plan to do a full length 'La Boheme,'" [Roland] Johnson said, "and we think we have enough local singers to do a good job. It is terribly familiar and we will do it in English, so it should be a good bridge for reaching the audience for musicals."

Puccini came knocking sooner than expected. On November 8, 1962, Viola A. Ward wrote to her friends and peers in the community that Madison had determined to launch its own Civic Opera Group, which was to present a fully staged production of La Boheme. She stated that it was imperative to form a supporting guild to sponsor the event: "This is not a money making event as such. If the enthusiastic support of an opera guild can achieve sell-out performances, the project will support itself financially." She invited guests over for desserts and coffee on November 15th, and it is safe to conclude that on that evening opera in Madison started to look like a sustainable venture, as a Guild was formed with the purposes of:

Personal promotion for this project.
To inspire a group of patrons and guarantors.
To co-ordinate and handle ticket sales and publicity campaign.
Public schools as liason (as the youth are our future public).

The local papers were abuzz. Sets were being built with the cooperation of the Madison Theater Guild. Over 75 local singers, as well as the Madison Symphony Orchestra, were set to perform. And despite the fact that no auditorium in Madison had a pit for the orchestra, a suitable situation was arranged at Madison East High School. The Capital Times wrote in December that "The atmosphere for the initial presentation will be colorful and intimate as though it were being done in France." The Wisconsin State Journal published an editorial with the headline, "Don't Miss City's New Opera." Tickets for $3, $2, $1.50, and $1 were sold in advance at Manchester's, Ward-Brodt, Forbes Meagher, Victor, and Monona Grove Music House. A dress rehearsal was broadcast on local radio station WHA the Sunday prior to the premiere, featuring intermission interviews with Roland and Arline Johnson.

Performances of La Boheme took place on January 11 and 12, 1963, at 8:30 PM, with an additional "Matinee for Young People" at 2 PM on January 12. The production was cast as follows:

By all accounts, La Boheme was a huge success. In The Wisconsin State Journal society pages, Louise C. Marston wrote:

It came off with professional finesse before a loyal but critical audience which enjoyed every second of it - and showed it by enthusiastic clapping and a few sophisticated "Bravos" at the right moments. The audience, which filled the rather hard seats of East High School's auditorium to overflowing, managed to look quite "dressy" despite jillions of boots and galoshes, sensibly donned in view of the night's heavy snowfall.

Carmen Elsner's review in The Wisconsin State Journal was equally enthusiastic:

Madison's fledgling Civic Opera tried its wings Friday night, and its first flight was a delightful one into musical fancy...The music and action had its desired effect - one wanted to cry. But shouted "Bravo" instead. The whole performance, using all home talent and sung in English, was a valiant effort and a good one...But it was Roland Johnson, director of the orchestra, and Mrs. Johnson who masterminded the whole production, and have given this city a budding opera troupe.

And like that, the Opera Workshop of 1961 and 1962 became the Madison Civic Opera, a true company with the goodwill of the city of Madison behind it. Enjoy these photos of the first La Boheme in Madison:

Give the gift of opera

2010-12-07T12:13:00.000-06:00

Yes, we say it every year, but hey, it's true: opera tickets make a great holiday gift! This year especially, we can promise that tickets to the remaining productions of our irresistible 50th Anniversary Season will be a hit with aficionados and newbies alike:

The Threepenny Opera, FEB 4 - 13, 2011 | The Playhouse: Kurt Weill's jazz and operetta infused score, Brecht's gritty drama, and the star power of James DeVita and Tracy Michelle Arnold: what's not to love? Have we mentioned Dorothy Danner is directing, and John DeMain is conducting? Mack the Knife is coming to town, and you don't want to miss him.

La Traviata, APR 29 & MAY 1, 2011 | Overture Hall: Verdi's classic tells the story of the free-spirited Parisian party-girl Violetta, who falls hard for the romantic Alfredo, and it's all brought to life with some of the most memorable operatic music ever written. Madison Opera's production features gorgeous sets from the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the return of soprano Elizabeth Caballero, and the US debut of Italian tenor Giuseppe Varano.

Lock your doors, and call the law...

2010-11-18T16:56:00.004-06:00

...because Macheath's back in town

These lyrics are from "Mack the Knife", the famous Kurt Weill song that opens The Threepenny Opera. According to Wikipedia, at least 29 pop versions of "Mack the Knife" have been recorded, and lucky for us, many of them are on YouTube. In the coming months, before Macheath really is in town, I think it'd be fun to examine the many incarnations of "Mack the Knife", or "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" in the original German. The big question is, how did such a dark song, composed in Berlin on the eve of historic political instability, become an upbeat, popular American staple?

Let's start at the beginning. The first version on record is by Bertolt Brecht, the revolutionary playwright who wrote the text for The Threepenny Opera:

From Wikipedia:

"A moritat (from mori meaning "deadly" and tat meaning "deed") is a medieval version of the murder ballad performed by strolling minstrels. In The Threepenny Opera, the moritat singer with his street organ introduces and closes the drama with the tale of the deadly Mackie Messer, or Mack the Knife, a character based on the dashing highwayman Macheath in John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. The Brecht-Weill version of the character was far more cruel and sinister, and has been transformed into a modern anti-hero.

The play opens with the moritat singer comparing Macheath (unfavorably) with a shark, and then telling tales of his robberies, murders, rapes, and arson.

The song was inserted in the play shortly before its première in 1928, because Harald Paulsen, who created the role of Macheath, wished a more effective introduction of his character. The original German text is:

Und der Haifisch, der hat Zähne,
Und die trägt er im Gesicht.
Und Macheath, der hat ein Messer,
Doch das Messer sieht man nicht.

And the shark, it has teeth,
And it wears them in its face.
And Macheath, he has a knife,
But the knife one doesn't see."

Serious stuff, with not much for a swinging Sinatra-type to grab on to. We'll see how that came to be next time.

Tommy Awards Student Critics go to the opera

2010-11-15T15:55:00.002-06:00

Madison Opera was thrilled to welcome the Tommy Awards Student Critics to our production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. The Student Critics program aims to foster critical thinking and writing skills among area high school students and is a component of the Overture Center's Tommy Awards. Here are some excerpts from their reviews:

Fiorella Fernandez

...As the lights dimmed on the opening of Madison Opera’s 50th anniversary season, there was an unspoken excitement radiating from the sold out theatre. Maestro DeMain led the orchestra playing Mozart’s sweet melodies in beautiful harmony, and clarity. Then the curtain rose, and there appeared an elaborate set featuring a black-checkered floor, and painted blue draped curtain in the background behind imposing columns that portrayed wealth and power....

All in all, a fun and memorable production (though a little lengthy in its three-hour run) filled with unique, and smooth voices, a playful cast, and many laughs. Congratulations Madison Opera… on your 50 years and your lively, and entertaining production!

Julianna Jerosch

...The costumes reflected the personality of each character vibrantly. The set is an elaborate set-up which makes up the scenes for each of the four acts, changing by a quick removal a few panels. It is an accurate neoclassical design which was the fashion of the day. Lighting designer Jeff Harris has many skilled effects, such as sunlight shining in through the windows. On the other hand, the shadows of those entering or exiting the stage can be seen the entire third act. The superscript was helpful to fully understand the goings-on during a scene. The sections of harmony of the music were outstanding, and they outshone many solo parts.

The Marriage of Figaro, directed by A. Scott Perry, is a sure choice for a night at the opera. This comic story is impressive with its overall quality and appeal.

Bat-Zion Hose

Why do people go to the opera? It’s long compared to other forms of entertainment. It’s essentially a play set to music. On the other hand, opera won’t put you to sleep unless you are bored by jealousy, revenge, and lust. Plus, opera is NOT a dead form of art as many believe it to be. In fact, the fastest growing opera audience in the United-States is 20s to 30s...

...Opera’s are typically longer than most plays, but The Marriage of Figaro is definitely worth the sacrifice of time. This opera was easy to understand and comical. Jason Hardy, who made his Madison Opera debut, was a perfect fit for the role of Figaro. He’s appearance was forceful and strong. Not surprising because it was his third time playing the role of Figaro. He and Anya Matanovic made the perfect couple of Figaro and Susanna. The cast worked well together and are all well known. Jeff Mattsey, who was Count Almaviva is known worldwide for his signature baritone roles.

Abby Taylor

...The second the curtains opened, I was overwhelmed by how beautiful the show was visually. From the extravagant sets to the intricate and gorgeous costumes, it was clear the opera was not going to be a disappointment. As the show continued, I was swept away by the music’s beauty and how wonderfully the singers performed it. The two most impressive players, however, had to be Susanna, played by Anya Matanovic, and the Countess, played by Melody Moore. Their voices blended perfectly together and their talent was clear in their many duets and interactions throughout the show. Their comedic timing was also near perfection, and they never failed to get a laugh. Honestly, the only negative I could truly find about the show is the length of the opera itself...

Kristina Rodel

Before attending Madison Opera’s production of “The Marriage of Figaro” (directed by A. Scott Parry, a Madison Opera newcomer), many seasoned opera-goers assured me that Figaro is an excellent “starter” for those of us who are only beginning to test the waters of the opera world, and based on my experience at the Overture Center on November 5th, their judgment is keen.

The plot unfolds over the course of a single day- and it sure has a lot of unfolding to do. Figaro (Jason Hardy) is the Count’s valet, and is ready to marry lovely Susanna (Anya Matanovic). On their wedding day, however, Susanna confesses to Figaro that the Count has been making advances on her, and Figaro is determined to thwart the Count’s prowl with his own cleverness. It becomes much more than the basic love triangle when an old housekeeper Marcellina (Melissa Parks) has plans of her own for Figaro, who did not repay a loan she granted to him, and for which he must atone by marrying the old woman. Factor in a lovesick pageboy named Cherubino (Emily Lorini) whose heart pounds for nearly any woman, and gossipy music master Don Basilio (James Doing), and the resulting shenanigans complicate not only Figaro and Susanna’s wedding plans, but the peace of just about everyone else...

Jesse Bossingham

Opera is considered a truly great cultural experience, so as a first time opera-goer, the only emotion I can honestly say I felt at first is overwhelmed. Before the show even began, I saw people far more dressed up than my collared shirt and black pants. The lieutenant-governor and the mayor of Madison both appeared to give a speech opening the fifth anniversary of the opera. And then, once the strains of the overture (classical music, already intimidating on its own), the curtain rose on a beautiful Greco-Roman set and the waves of that operatic soprano began to echo over the crowd. As an opera newcomer, it was initially terrifying. But when Figaro began using his ruler to perform an air guitar solo in time with the orchestra, I realized that I would not be in for the stilted, formal experience I was expecting. The Marriage of Figaro grew on me as it became a farce of miscommunication and botched plans.

Every marriage is complicated, but generally most partners do not have to deal with a jealous Count watching their every move, hoping to find a way to reinstate the policy of primae noctis in order to take advantage of the young bride. Figaro and Susanna, the lucky couple, cook up plans in order to escape the Count's wrath. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at explaining these plans to each other. From there, everything spirals out of control...

Allan Naplan appointed by Minnesota Opera; Madison Opera begins national search for new general director

2010-11-11T11:54:00.003-06:00

Madison Opera’s Board President announced today that current General Director Allan Naplan has been tapped to be the new President and General Director of Minnesota Opera, the 15th largest opera company in the US. Naplan will continue his duties with Madison Opera through performances of The Threepenny Opera in Feb. 2011, and the company is beginning a nationwide search to fill his position.

“We are thrilled for Allan, as this is an amazing opportunity for one of the youngest leaders of an opera company in this country,” said Fran Klos, Board President. Klos continued, “Allan has provided wonderful creativity and energy to our company, and he has helped us reach the highest levels of artistic excellence. It is an honor to Madison Opera that Allan has been offered this prestigious position. Meanwhile, with a strong board of trustees and a multi-year artistic and financial plan, the company’s continued success in ensured. Because of Allan’s leadership, our wonderful audiences, and our generous donors, Madison Opera has finished in the black for each of the last five seasons.”

In reflecting on his five years with Madison Opera, Naplan commented, “Madison has been a wonderful city for my family and me, and we leave it with regret. I truly appreciate the opportunities that Madison Opera has given me and the support we have received from the entire community. I have full confidence in the company and am convinced that Madison Opera has a bright future.”

Naplan will assume duties in the Twin Cities on Mar. 1, 2011. Madison Opera has organized a search committee and is beginning a nationwide search for a new general director. Klos stated, “We are already interviewing national search firms and we have put a transition team into place to assure the continuation of our business of producing outstanding opera for our Madison and regional audiences.” Continuing, she stated, “Allan will be deeply missed, but we are confident that with our organizational strength, our talented staff, artistic guidance from Maestro John DeMain, and a wide base of support, we will continue to grow and be a significant force in the Madison community for years to come.”

In September 2010, Madison Opera announced a budget surplus for the closing of the 2009-2010 season and increased subscription sales for the 2010-2011 season. The company opened its 50th anniversary season on Nov. 5 with a sold-out and critically acclaimed production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and will continue its year-long celebration with performances of The Threepenny Opera, La Traviata and the Madison summer tradition, Opera in the Park, which most recently drew a record audience of over 14,000 people to Garner Park.

Finger puppets to the rescue

2010-11-09T10:39:00.000-06:00

Going through Figaro withdrawal? Well, look no further than this finger puppet version of the opera to cheer you right up. Our charming Susanna, Anya Matanovic, hand-made all of the puppets from her hotel room in Madison, and filmed with the help of our Countess, Melody Moore, and Cherubino, Emily Lorini!

And the Winner of the Wedding Cake Contest is...The Rolling Pin Bake Shop!

2010-11-08T15:22:00.001-06:00

As many of you saw, Figaro's Wedding Cake Contest was held in the lobby of the Overture Center this past weekend during Madison Opera's The Marriage of Figaro. The participants, Madison area's top bakeries, more than exceeded our expectations! The cakes and cupcake arrangement were all different - some were classic, some were Figaro themed, and all were exquisite.

However, there can only be one winner: The Rolling Pin Bakeshop! The Rolling Pin's cake (pictured to the right) was a seven layer cake that encompassed everything about the opera, from the stage curtain at the bottom to Mozart and the streets of Seville.

Congratulations to The Rolling Pin Bakeshop and thank you to all who participated!

Figaro Review Roundup

2010-11-08T14:45:00.002-06:00

It doesn't get better than the season opener. The excitement in the air, the energy on stage. Madison Opera's cast of The Marriage of Figaro turned in performances that thrilled, and the critics are singing their praises...

The Capital Times - "Fine 'Figaro' Launches Madison Opera's 50th Season"

The Isthmus - "Madison Opera stages splendid The Marriage of Figaro"

Local Sounds Magazine - "Madison Opera 'Figaro' Proves Marriage works with Commitment"

Channel3000 - "Standing ovation well-deserved for Madison Opera"

BLOGGER NIGHT REACTIONS

Your Ill-Fitting Overcoat - "Opera can be actually, legitimately, hilariously funny."

Irony or Mayo - "Act Two really cranks up the Benny Hill music. There's ducking, lying, hiding, jumping out of windows--you could almost see Scooby and the gang running from the villain of the week."

Clyde's Rebirth - "I got goosebumps when the orchestra began...The comedy was a delightful counterpart to the typical 'stuffy and boring' rap that opera usually gets."

Dane101.com - "My last words on this performance will be to call out my instantaneous love for the voice of Anya Matanovic, who plays Susanna. Her voice is like champagne. She's my new favorite opera singer and I heartily recommend seeking out her performances."

Scenes from Opening Night of The Marriage of Figaro

2010-11-06T11:43:00.002-05:00

Bakers, bloggers, and government officials came out to celebrate Madison Opera Day, the opening of Madison Opera's 50th Anniversary Season with Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in Overture Hall. Check out those cakes!

Figaro in the Press, Part 2

2010-11-05T15:36:00.001-05:00

The good word keeps spreading! Here's more press on Madison Opera's The Marriage of Figaro, opening tonight in Overture Hall:

Dane101 - "Madison Opera at 50: Growth Spurt in Progress"

77 Square - "Meddling in Marriage"

The Badger Herald - "Humor 'marries' with talent"

The Well-Tempered Ear - "Interview with A. Scott Parry: Part 2"

Blogger Night at the Opera REDUX

2010-11-05T15:03:00.002-05:00

It's time for our second annual Blogger Night at the Opera! If you attended Carmen last year, you saw these guys blogging away about their operatic experiences. This year brings in another fantastic crop of local bloggerati, all with a variety of interests and backgrounds, from food and theater writers to a fashionista who'll be on the prowl for trend-setters at the opera . Follow them for live posts from The Marriage of Figaro tonight, as it's bound to be a lively discussion!

Your Ill-Fitting Overcoat [Laurie, @your_overcoat]

Clyde's Rebirth [Merl, @clydesrebirth]

Irony or Mayo [Kyle, @thebookpolice]

Dane101 [Maddie, @dane101]

Eye on the Cast: The Women of Figaro

2010-11-03T16:38:00.000-05:00

The Marriage of Figaro, despite its title, might as well be called "The Marriage of Susanna," or, "The Countess's Dilemma," so compelling and significant to the plot are the female characters in Mozart's opera. These two stars bring the central women of The Marriage of Figaro to life with style, grace, and spunk to spare.

Anya Matanovic, singing her first Susanna in Madison Opera's production of Figaro, was born in Madison and raised in Washington state. Currently based in New York, she is a star on the rise, with recent credits at Cleveland Opera, Seattle Opera, and the New Israeli Opera. She made her Madison Opera debut this past summer at Opera in the Park, and this coming summer she makes her debut at the prestigious Glimmerglass Opera festival as Micaela in Carmen.

Melody Moore, the Countess Almaviva, arrived in Madison direct from London, where she was starring as Marguerite in a new production of Faust at the English National Opera. The Daily Telegraph praised her "thrillingly red-blooded singing," and previously in London, after a performance as Mimi in La Boheme, the Independent proclaimed: "this young lady is special." Based in San Francisco, Ms. Moore has recent credits at San Francisco Opera and LA Opera.

Figaro in the Press, Part 1

2010-11-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

Buzz is building for Madison Opera's production of The Marriage of Figaro! Here's some recent coverage in the press:

Allan Naplan on "Wake Up Wisconsin":

Also new this morning, director A. Scott Parry is interviewed by The Well-Tempered Ear, and bass Jason Hardy is interviewed by the international opera blog COMMANDOpera in a multi-part video series.

Aria Focus: Dove Sono

2010-10-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

The following is written by guest blogger Adria Rice. Adria is the new operations manager for Madison Opera. She recently graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in vocal performance and English.

In The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s music and Da Ponte’s lyrics create a scenario in which the upper class and the lower class scheme with and against each other. The Count Almaviva attempts to use his status and power to exercise his “feudal right” and take his wife’s chambermaid, Susanna, to bed before her marriage to Figaro (the Count’s personal valet). Susanna, a trusted friend of the Countess, reveals her wit and cunning as she and the Countess concoct a plan to expose the Count and reprimand him for his lecherous behavior. The plan to trick the Count begins when Susanna tells the Count that she will come to the assignation in the woods. But the woman he woos in the woods will not be Susanna, but his wife, the Countess, dressed as Susanna.

By Act III, Scene 8, the Countess is waiting for Susanna to arrive with an update concerning their plan to trick the Count. In the recitative before the Countess’s Act III aria Dove sono, the Countess wavers, wanting to go ahead with the plan, but fearing to punish her husband publically: “The plan seems to me a little rash, and against such a quick and jealous husband! But what harm is there in it?” In her public life she is a strong noblewoman, but in private she is a despondent wife forced to seek refuge in the cunning of her friend and maid, Susanna. The Countess sings, “First loved, then insulted, and at last betrayed, you [The Count] force me to seek help from one of my maids!” Her recitative is very dramatic, and her anger at her husband builds throughout the recitative, culminating toward the end with an A above the staff on her last phrase.

In the aria Dove sono, The Countess laments her broken heart and her husband’s wandering affections. Dove sono is challenging because it has long legato phrases that require skilled breath control. Great vocal technique is imperative in order to sing it successfully. If sung improperly, a Mozart aria will quickly reveal flaws and imperfections, but if sung with good technique it will reveal all the beautiful qualities and textures of the voice. Arguably, Mozart gave his most difficult and most lyrical music in The Marriage of Figaro to The Countess, and we know Madison Opera audiences are in for a treat with soprano Melody Moore's interpretation.

Listen to the great Renée Fleming sing the Countess’s Act III recitative and aria, Dove sono, and follow along with the English translation:

Aria:
Where are the lovely moments
Of sweetness and pleasure?
Where have the promises gone
That came from those lying lips?
Why, if all is changed for me
Into tears and pain,
Has the memory of that goodness
Not vanished from my breast?
Ah! if only, at least, my faithfulness,
Which still loves amidst its suffering,
Could bring me the hope
Of changing that ungrateful heart!

Madison Opera Celebrates National Opera Week 2010

2010-10-26T17:03:00.004-05:00

Madison Opera is proud to join nearly 100 other opera organizations nationwide to celebrate National Opera Week (October 29 – November 7), organized by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, with support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

National Opera Week celebrates the vitality of opera in America today and brings the inventiveness and excitement of opera to a broader national audience. The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles and opera training programs across the United States will be shared through a variety of free and accessible activities for opera lovers and newcomers to the art form.

“National Opera Week is an opportunity to highlight the astounding diversity and creativity of opera activity across the United States today,” stated Marc A. Scorca, president & CEO of OPERA America. “There is something for everyone during National Opera Week, providing both the seasoned attendee and newcomer a chance to learn about, experience and enjoy the art form in an informal setting.”

Madison Opera is excited to offer a variety of opportunities for people in the Madison area to get involved. From a Book Club discussion of Marrying Mozart to a "Figaro" themed wedding cake contest, from a free Pre-Opera Talk to Blogger Night at the Opera, there is something for everyone. Check out our full list of events and join the fun.

Coinciding with the presentation of the NEA Opera Honors in Washington, D.C., National Opera Week also honors the careers of the outstanding artists chosen each year for this award. The recipients of the 2010 NEA Opera Honors are Soprano Martina Arroyo, General Director David DiChiera, Composer Philip Glass and Music Director Eve Queler. Previous honorees include Composer John Adams, Composer Carlisle Floyd, Mezzo-Soprano Marilyn Horne, Conductor James Levine and Soprano Leontyne Price. The 2010 NEA Opera Honors took place on Friday, October 22 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Announcing The Marriage of Figaro Wedding Cake Contest!

2010-10-25T16:05:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the marriage of Figaro and Susanna, Madison Opera is excited to host a Wedding Cake Contest among the Madison area’s top bakeries! The wedding cakes and cupcake arrangements will be on display in the Overture Hall lobby and the voting will take place on Opening Night of The Marriage of Figaro, November 5th, prior to the performance and during intermission. The winner will be the most attractive and inventive, as determined by YOU, the audience members! Whether you're planning a wedding and want to scope out local vendors or just love sweets, come view the scrumptious deserts and vote for your favorite! Everyone who votes will also be entered into a raffle to win gift certificates to the participating bakeries. The following bakeries have stepped up to the challenge:

Scenes from a weekend, Oct. 23-24

2010-10-25T15:11:00.001-05:00

"Cakes" in the Rotunda: Attendees at the Overture Center's Kids in the Rotunda help Madison Opera color in wedding cakes to decorate the Overture Hall lobby for opening night of The Marriage of Figaro

Opera Up Close: A. Scott Parry, Jason Hardy, Anya Matanovic, Jeff Mattsey, and Melody Moore discuss The Marriage of Figaro

Cabaret Italiano: Artistic Director John DeMain and General Director Allan Naplan unite for a special performance at Cabaret Italiano, kicking off our 50th anniversary season in swinging style

Fill your weekend with Madison Opera

2010-10-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

Here's the rundown on what's happening this weekend with Madison Opera:

"Cakes in the Rotunda" - SATURDAY, OCT 23, 2010, 9 AM - 1 PM

Join Madison Opera at Kids in the Rotunda as we prepare for the opening of The Marriage of Figaro by coloring in "Cakes" in the Rotunda! At this event, young children are invited to showcase their coloring talents by decorating cake templates in the Overture Hall lobby, before and after jamming with The Gomers at Kids in the Rotunda! The colorful creations will be on display in the Lobby during performances of the opera on Nov. 5th and 7th.

"Opera Up Close: The Figaro Preview" - SUNDAY, OCT 24, 2010, 1 - 3 PM

General Director Allan Naplan starts the Opera Up Close 2010-11 Series with an engaging, multimedia preview and introduction to The Marriage of Figaro. Explore Mozart's life and music and hear from the director and cast of the Madison Opera production. $20 general admission / free with valid student ID. MMoCA Lecture Hall.

SOLD OUT: "Cabaret Italiano" - SUNDAY, OCT 24, 2010, 4:30 - 8 PM

A special event to benefit Madison Opera, featuring delicious Italian dining and entertainment with the cast of The Marriage of Figaro, plus a special performance by Allan Naplan and John DeMain. At Full Compass Systems.

*These events are our first as part of NATIONAL OPERA WEEK! We'll post more about what's to come on Monday.

Apprenticeship Program Starts Third Season

2010-10-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

The Madison Opera High School Apprenticeship Program kicked off its third season last night with a new round of participants. We could not be more thrilled to have 8 new apprentices joining us for this exciting season! Coming from a wide range of local and regional schools, these impressive juniors and seniors in high school are all interested in learning about how opera is produced and what it takes to become a professional opera singer, or in one case, conductor. Without further ado, the 2010-2011 Madison Opera High School Apprentices are:

Sami Elmer (Oregon High School)
Claire Lamberty (Waunakee High School)
Kelly Noltner (Monona Grove High School)
Tiffany Orr (Abundant Life Christian School)
Joshua Sanders (Sauk Prarie High School)
Alannah Spencer (Verona Area High School)
Mikko Utevsky (Madison East High School)
Bayley Waters (Edgewood High School)

At last night's staging rehearsal for The Marriage of Figaro, the apprentices met each other for the first time and reviewed the story of the opera. They also heard from our stage manager Jill Krynicki and director A. Scott Parry before observing our chorus and principal singers at work. The night finished off with Figaro's famous aria, "Non piu andrai."

Over the next few weeks, the apprentices will see the evolution of the staging and learn about the production process by attending a variety of rehearsals and the final full performances, in addition Opera Up Close: The Figaro Preview this Sunday. They'll also get to have dinner with a guest artist, and learn about the many paths one can take to become an opera singer. It's always a ton of fun, and we're looking forward to an exciting year ahead!

Eye on the Cast: Jeff Mattsey

2010-10-15T10:53:00.001-05:00

Jeff Mattsey makes his Madison Opera debut as the Count in The Marriage of Figaro in just a few short weeks. Renowned worldwide for the signature baritone roles that have defined his career, Jeff made his operatic stage debut at the age of 21 as Marcello in La boheme, opposite Luciano Pavarotti at the Opera Company of Philadelphia (photo, right). He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1998 and can be seen at the MET this season as Marco in Gianni Schicchi, Hermann/Schlemiel in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Paris in Romeo et Juliette, and Joe Castro in La Fanciulla del West. In recent seasons, Mattsey has also been a frequent guest at Vancouver Opera and the San Diego Opera. Of one recent performance, the San Diego Tribune says, "Baritone Jeff Mattsey was an extraordinary Marcello: extraordinary because he created a character so rich and textured with so little apparent effort - and sang the role with such an outpouring of warm, burnished sound..."

But wait! There's more...Any "Real Housewives of New York City" fans out there? Mr. Mattsey appeared on the notorious reality show to grace the ladies with an excerpt from The Barber of Seville at a charity event:

Now that's drama of operatic proportions.

Eye on the Cast: Jason Hardy

2010-10-13T11:32:00.001-05:00

American bass Jason Hardy is well-known as an exceptional Figaro, so we're pretty excited that he'll be joining us here in Madison starting this weekend to rehearse for The Marriage of Figaro. He's recently performed Mozart's title role with Opera Birmingham, Opera Omaha, and Cleveland Opera, with the Cleveland Plain Dealer writing that Hardy "turns in a Figaro of charismatic allure, with an elegant bass." Jason also garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of Leporello in Don Giovanni last season at the New York City Opera. Just listen to samples of his CD "Youth and Love" on iTunes, and you know this is a lustrous, rich voice, perfect for Figaro.

There's also the fact that Hardy earned official "barihunk" status after going shirtless in NYCO's Don Giovanni, with even the New York Times noting his "buff" physique. But ladies, we have to tell you, this Figaro is already on his way to getting married! Hardy made waves again when he proposed to fellow opera singer Carrie Kahl onstage during the curtain call of a performance of The Marriage of Figaro at Opera Birmingham. Here's the proof:

Don't miss Jason in The Marriage of Figaro, Nov. 5th and 7th in Overture Hall!

Katharine Goeldner brings her Carmen to Lyric Opera of Chicago

2010-10-12T12:34:00.000-05:00

Last year, Madison Opera audiences were mesmerized by Katharine Goeldner's smoldering portrayal of the title-role in Carmen. Tomorrow night, she brings Bizet's notorious femme fatale to life again, this time for the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Originally slated for one performance as Carmen in Chicago, Goeldner will now portray the title-role gypsy in all six October performances. We know Lyric audiences are in for a treat, and we're sending Katharine a hearty "Toi, toi, toi" from Madison!

And guess what, Katharine isn't the only Madison Opera "alum" in this Carmen production. Escamillo will be sung by Kyle Ketelsen, most recently seen in Madison as Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor (2008). Additionally, in March performances, Nicole Cabell--our Pamina in The Magic Flute (2006)--will portray Micaela.

Show your support for the Overture Center

2010-10-08T15:32:00.003-05:00

Despite what you may have read this summer, the fate of the Overture Center remains unclear. While there remains a proposed solution that would see Overture's lending banks and generous local donors resolve the building's lingering $28 million debt, it is contingent on the building being purchased by the city for $1 and then being operated as an independent non-profit organization, all in the name of encouraging a sounder financial and operational future for the beleaguered arts center. The city will vote on whether to approve this action in November.

Sadly, the results of the impending vote are not easy to predict at this point in time, because of the perceived incompleteness of Overture's plan to transition to a non-profit, and because of the continued public outcry against the building, which many wrongly assume will increase taxes. (In fact, capital costs for the Overture Center are significantly less than they would be right now if the city was still responsible for the old Civic Center.)

As a resident organization of the Overture Center, we ask you, our supporters and fans, to please get vocal with your support for our incredible performance home. Regardless of how you feel about the specifics of the proposed transition, we hope you can agree with Madison Opera's simple stance that it would be a horrible thing to lose this building. The local press and our public leaders have only been hearing the negative, so please, contact your alder, write a letter to the editor, and let them know what Overture means to you, and to our community. Tell them to keep the doors open.

Madison Opera's strength over the last five years has no doubt been helped by the opening of the Overture Center. Here's what the Overture Center has meant to us:

1. In the season just prior to the opening of Overture, the company’s operating expenses totaled just over $1 million. Six years later, the company’s operating budget has increased by 100%, totaling $2 million in 2010.

2. Prior to the opening of Overture, attendance at Madison Opera productions regularly averaged 78% capacity. In the six seasons since the opening of Overture, Madison Opera attendance has increased by 17%, to an average capacity of 91%.

3. Box office revenue for the season just prior to the opening of Overture totaled $228,000. This season, box office revenue is conservatively projected to total $630,000. An increase of 176%! (Note: The Opera’s annual fundraising covers the gap between box office revenue and total operating expenses.)

4. In the six seasons since the opening of Overture, Madison Opera has averaged a subscription renewal rate of 82%, a remarkably high rate by industry standards.

5. In the six seasons since the opening of Overture Center… Over 49,000 adults have attended Opera performances, and 20% of them have attended for under $35. Over 7,000 junior high and high school students have attended Madison Opera performances for just $7 or less! Over 6,000 people have attended FREE Opera previews held at Overture Center, in advance of each opera performance.
Over 1,400 children have participated, for FREE, in the Opera’s annual collaboration with Overture’s Kids in the Rotunda series.

6. On average, over 180 Madison-based professional musicians, artists and production technicians are employed for each of the Opera’s productions.

7. Since the opening of Overture, Madison Opera has increased its season from two productions to three and Madison Opera’s institutional growth has been featured in profile articles in the leading opera magazines of Europe and North America.

8. Prior to Overture, Madison Opera’s free summer event, Opera in the Park, attracted audiences averaging between 4 and 6 thousand. This past summer, Opera in the Park attracted a record 14,000 attendees. While this event is not held in the Overture Center, its success is directly tied to the recent growth of Madison Opera.

9. Madison Opera, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this season, could not be where it is today, if it weren’t for the attraction, the experience, the excellence and the existence of the Overture Center.

Click here to learn more about the state of the Overture Center and the impact it has had on Madison.

Ticketing Update for Subscribers

2010-10-05T10:29:00.000-05:00

Attention season subscribers: your tickets have been mailed! They should be landing in your mailbox shortly. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to seeing you in Overture Hall. Should you have any questions, please contact our office at (608) 238-8085 or info@madisonopera.org.

Spotlight on Constanze Weber: Mozart's Wife

2010-09-27T16:32:00.001-05:00

With only six weeks remaining until our production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, we turn the spotlight to someone who often doesn’t receive much attention: Mozart’s wife, Constanze Weber. Their courtship was scandalous and their married life tragic, but there is no denying the impact she had on Mozart’s life.

A trained musician herself, Contanze originally met Mozart when he fell in love with her older sister, Aloysia. Aloysia rejected Mozart and married someone else, but four years later Mozart ended up boarding in the Weber home. When it became clear that Mozart was pursuing Constanze, now 19, the Weber’s asked him to leave. The romance continued despite opposition from Mozart’s father, Leopold. Without Leopold’s permission to marry, the two lived together without a wedding. On July 31, 1782, Mozart wrote the following to his father:

“All the good and well-intentioned advice you have sent fails to address the case of a man who has already gone so far with a maiden.”

Some historians believe that Constanze’s mother threatened to call the police if they did not remedy this situation, and the two were married on August 4^th, 1782.

In the nine years that the couple was married, Constanze delivered 6 children, only two of whom reached their first birthday. The tragedies they dealt with are thought to have a put a strain on their marriage and some believed that Constanze began a long term affair. This is disputed by others; the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians claims that assertion to be unfair:

"Early 20th-century scholarship severely criticized her as unintelligent, unmusical and even unfaithful, and as a neglectful and unworthy wife to Mozart. Such assessments were based on no good evidence."

What can be known for certain is that Constanze was only 29 when Mozart died in 1791, deeply in debt and with two small children. Constanze built a life for herself by organizing memorial concerts and publishing her husband’s works, eventually doing quite well for herself financially. She remarried in 1809 to a Danish diplomat and writer, who worked with her on Mozart’s biography before his death in 1826. Constanze lived as a widow for another 18 years. She was 80 years old.

We will be digging deeper into Constanze's life in the Madison Opera Book Club with our first book of the season, Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell. Be sure to join us when we meet on October 30th!

-Laura, Marketing/Development Associate

Figaro Casting Update

2010-09-24T15:45:00.001-05:00

Figaro approaches, and we have some news in the casting department: recently added to the cast are Emily Lorini as Cherubino, Melissa Parks as Marcellina, and Michael Gallup as Dr. Bartolo. Locally based talents Emily Birsan, James Doing, and Justin Niehoff Smith will round out the ensemble as Barbarina, Don Basilio, and Antonio.

Our website now features lots of good stuff on Figaro, including artist bios and headshots, as well as enhanced "Discover" pages for the opera where you can read a synopsis, listen to audio samples, view production photos, and read our educational guide.

Cabaret Italiano: Good food, good music, good times to benefit Madison Opera

2010-09-22T12:15:00.001-05:00

We're kicking off our 50th Anniversary Season on October 24th with Cabaret Italiano, a casual evening of food, music, and wine to benefit Madison Opera. Delicious Italian classics, cabaret and Broadway entertainment with the cast of The Marriage of Figaro, a special performance by Allan Naplan and John DeMain, plus a silent auction full of great gifts for the holidays, will all make for an exciting night. Embrace la dolce vita and reserve your seats now for this unique event!

UT season opens with premiere of Across A Distance

2010-09-16T14:30:00.004-05:00

University Theatre opens its new season with the world premiere of "Across A Distance", a multimedia bilingual performance piece for soprano and deaf actor (Mitchell Theater, Sept. 17 - 25). The creative team for this exciting new work includes playwright Nick Lantz and performer Robert Schleifer, and a trio well known at Madison Opera: soprano Julia Faulkner (recently heard in The Turn of the Screw and The Flying Dutchman), director Kelly Bremner (a regular assistant director for Madison Opera), and composer Scott Gendel (staff accompanist for Madison Opera). In development for over five years, "Across A Distance" unites Deaf performance and opera through an allegorical tale about Man, a storyteller, and Woman, a scientist, who live on separate islands, longing to connect.

We caught up with Scott to learn more about his new piece.

MadOpera: How would you describe your music for "Across a Distance"?

Scott: The music for "Across a Distance” is really written around the sounds of Julia Faulkner’s voice and Nick Lantz’s poetry.

Nick’s words don’t shy away from complexity, but are also written in simple, plain language. To pick up on that style, my music for this show is based on the richness of Romantic and early 20th century opera, but has elements of musical theatre and folk song woven in. In this way, the songs bridge the gap between a dense operatic language and a simpler “pop music” sensibility.

Julia’s voice is so luscious; she has an amazing way with legato lines, and a deep understanding of Romantic gesture from all her work on the operas of Richard Strauss. But not everyone knows that she has a strong musical theatre background, which lends her a wonderful ability to deliver a sung line simply, as if it were speech. So her voice is really perfectly matched to Nick’s poems; her basic sound is lush and full of color, but she can also sing in a more direct vernacular style.

My music, then, is operatic in most ways: grand gestures, long legato phrases, lush harmonies that recall Romantic and 20th century operas, and a real focus on the beautiful sound of the voice. But the songs also incorporate aspects of musical theatre and folk song traditions, so that when the poetry takes on a simpler, more direct tone, the music reflects that by moving into more speech-like modes of expression, influenced by popular music.

MadOpera: How has your work as accompanist for Madison Opera informed how you write for the voice?

Scott: My job as accompanist for Madison Opera (and for other vocal performances) has been a huge help in composing music for the voice! By coaching such accomplished singers, I get the privilege to hear what kinds of phrases a professional singer loves to sing, what music causes them the biggest headaches, how to best set up a singer for success on high notes, how a performer’s voice changes over the course of a 3-hour opera, and countless other observations that have been invaluable in my composing career. And of course, getting to completely immerse myself in operatic masterworks for weeks at a time is a wonderful luxury that I count as one of the great joys of my chosen profession. There is no better way to learn about opera than to lose oneself in it! Through such intensive score study, I learn how to effectively support a singer with instrumental accompaniment, how to create character development through musical gestures, and so much more.

"Across a Distance" opens tomorrow night. Bringing Scott's music to life in the pit is the Solo Nero Duo: Jessica Johnson, piano, and Tony Di Sanza, percussion.

Season Preview

2010-09-15T16:13:00.004-05:00

Watch our 2010-11 season preview video to get a taste of our upcoming productions, and of course save the dates (or purchase tickets now, why don't you?).

^A tip: change the video settings to 480p for the best quality.

Fifty Years of Madison Opera: A New Series (Part 1)

2010-09-14T12:06:00.004-05:00

Today is Madison Opera founder Maestro Roland Johnson's 90th birthday, and it is with our sincerest gratitude that we wish him a very happy day! We are using this special occasion to start a season long blog series documenting Madison Opera's 50 year history, which is inextricably tied to the passion and hard work of Maestro Johnson, the company's artistic leader for 32 years.

Roland Johnson was born in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1920. A trained violinist, he received a scholarship to the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. As a young man, he enlisted in the Navy during World War II, and following the war, he pursued graduate studies in violin and composition at the Juilliard School and Tanglewood. In 1948, Johnson took over as conductor of the CCM orchestra, and in 1952-53, he received a Fleischmann Fellowship and spent a year in Europe as an assistant conductor to Hermann Scherchen.

Upon his return from Europe, Johnson was appointed to the University of Alabama as a teacher of violin and voice, in addition to a position leading the university orchestra and chorus. It was at the University of Alabama that Johnson met his wife, Arline Hanke, a singer and the director of the school's opera program.

Roland and Arline Johnson arrived in Madison in 1961, where Roland was to be the new Music Director of the Madison Civic Music Association. At the time, no formal opera organization was associated with MCMA. However, upon their arrival, the Johnsons were approached by a group of Civic Chorus members led by Lois Dick, Robert Tottingham, Warren Crandall and Joanna Overn, about creating a formal opera company.

The immediate result was the Madison Civic Opera Workshop (above), which debuted in May of 1962 at a pops concert titled "A Night in Vienna." Held in the Youth Building (now the Alliant Energy Center), the ensemble performed Act II of Strauss's Die Fledermaus. Later the same month they performed Act II of The Marriage of Figaro in Scanlan Hall of Central High School, making that opera a fitting start to Madison Opera's 50th season.

We have a winner!

2010-09-13T10:10:00.000-05:00

Our Facebook Fan Drive closed at Midnight on Friday, bringing in 185 new Facebook fans for Madison Opera over the course of ten days. Without further ado, the winner of two tickets to The Marriage of Figaro is...

MADISON ON THE CHEAP

Congratulations to Nadine and Izzy the intern for bringing in 30 fans, we hope you enjoy the show! Runners up were The Jewelers Workshop and Lavonne Dettmers, with 23 and 22 recruits respectively.

A big thank you to all who participated. Stay tuned for more fun Facebook contests and we'll see you at the opera!

Single tickets on sale Sept. 11th

2010-09-10T09:51:00.000-05:00

Single tickets for Madison Opera's 2010-2011 Season: Celebrating Fifty Years, go on sale tomorrow morning, September 11th at 8 a.m., through the Overture Center Box Office (201 State St.). Those in line at the Box Office tomorrow morning will be able to enjoy free Starbucks coffee and treats!

Ticket purchases by phone and online start at 10 a.m. on September 11th. To order by phone, call (608) 258-4141. To purchase online, follow the links below:

Win tickets through our Facebok Fan Drive!

2010-09-01T15:57:00.003-05:00

As we gear up for the new season and single ticket sales, we decided to have some fun with a Facebook Fan Drive! We're asking YOU to recruit your friends to become Madison Opera fans. The person who gets the most new people to "like" our page on Facebook between now and the start of single ticket sales on Sept. 11th will win two orchestra-level seats to The Marriage of Figaro in November (a $156 value!). When encouraging your friends to "like" Madison Opera on Facebook, be sure to ask them to post your full name on our wall so we know who sent them! The winner will be announced on Monday morning, September 13th.

Ticketing Update

2010-08-27T10:58:00.001-05:00

Madison Opera's 2010-2011 Season: Celebrating Fifty Years, is almost here, which means it's time to start thinking about your tickets if you don't already have them. You wouldn't want to miss this group of wildly talented and beautiful stars on stage, would you? Here's the rundown of your options:

We are still accepting last-minute subscriptions for the 2010-11 season. They've been selling fast all summer, and this is definitely the best way to ensure you have first pick of your seats. Plus, new subscribers save 15%. Please note the availability notices, and call (608) 238-8085 with any questions or to order by phone.
Single tickets go on-sale Saturday, September 11th. On this day, the Overture Center Box Office windows will open at 8 a.m. We encourage you to come on down for a cup of coffee and some treats with your purchase! Starting at 10 a.m., tickets will be available online and by phone at (608) 258-4141.

118 [possible] reasons Mozart died

2010-08-24T15:45:00.000-05:00

It seems very few famous classical composers made it past the age of 40 during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Mozart's death at 35 has perhaps received the most attention, and now the New York Times has published a piece drawing attention to the work of one scholar who has organized and analyzed 118 possible reasons for the composer's death: "After Mozart's Death, an Endless Coda." That so much energy has been committed to a mystery without much historical import (especially since poisoning by rival composer Salieri seems to be ruled out) is a testament to the unique passion Mozart inspires.

For more on Mozart's last years and burial site, check out this old post: "The Real Mozart."

Four Seasons Theatre presents South Pacific (and blogs about it, too!)

2010-08-19T15:26:00.001-05:00

Four Seasons Theatre presents the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific in a staged concert version this weekend in the Wisconsin Union Theater (Aug. 20 & 21 at 7:30 pm, Aug. 22 at 2 pm). Broadway star and Lodi native Tom Wopat will be featured as Emile de Becque, along with Verona native Alli Foss as Nellie Forbush. Added to the mix, FST Managing Director (and Madison Opera supertitles master) Sarah Marty is blogging about the production on the new FST Blog.

What are you most excited for next season?

2010-08-18T12:14:00.004-05:00

(Set for The Marriage of Figaro, Courtesy David Bachman)

Madison Opera fans, what are you most looking forward to in our upcoming season? The beautiful ensembles in Figaro? Jim DeVita in Threepenny? Or maybe the famous brindisi in Traviata? There's so much to choose from, let us know! Join the conversation on Facebook or leave a comment below.

More Opera on WPT

2010-08-16T16:23:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin Public Television is continuing its broadcasts of Great Performances at the Met through the rest of August. Unfortunately, I'm a day late to post the information for Carmen, which aired last night and featured Elina Garanca in the title role, along with Madison Opera favorite Elizabeth Caballero (our Micaela in Carmen last November, and our Violetta in La Traviata next April) as Frasquita.

However, it's not too late to watch Placido Domingo as a baritone (!!!) in the title role of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra next Sunday, Aug, 22, 9:30 p.m. And don't miss the final broadcast of the summer: Ambroise Thomas's rarely staged Hamlet on Aug. 29 at 9:30 p.m., starring Simon Keenlyside in the title role, along with a fantastic cast incluiding Marlis Petersen, Jennifer Larmore, Toby Spence, James Morris, and David Pittsinger (Mephistopheles in our May 2009 Faust).

Isthmus Vocal Ensemble this Friday

2010-08-04T15:38:00.000-05:00

The Isthmus Vocal Ensemble is presenting an "Isthmus Christhmus" this Friday night, August 6th at 7:30 p.m., Luther Memorial Church. Tickets are $15, and $10 for students/seniors. Madison Opera has a few choristers in the IVE, which performs only once a year, so if you're craving the choral sound this will surely be a rewarding evening of music making. The program will feature Advent and Christmas choral music ("yes, in August," as they say) by Praetorius, Lauridsen, Paulus, Rachmaninoff, and others.

WPR video of Opera in the Park

2010-07-30T09:28:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin Public Radio was at Opera in the Park as a lead media sponsor, and their team created this fantastic video of the evening. Check it out!

What our fans are saying

2010-07-23T10:12:00.002-05:00

Stage view from park path (C) Brian Hinrichs

Madison Opera's Facebook fans have been vocal about their feelings for Opera in the Park. Here's what they're saying:

"What a wonderful event. It was a celebratory evening." -Michael

"It was SENSATIONAL!!! A literal sea of people for as far as you could see.... some 14,000 of us! Way to go, Madison Opera!" -Pete

"Congratulations on another spectacular Opera in the Park!" -Cate

"Came from Rockford for the show, truly wonderful" -Dena

"Bravo!!!! In a word... Wonderful!!! What a beautiful night for beautiful voices singing beautiful music ~ It is as if I slipped someone my personal request list. Again... Wonderful... Thank you to all of you~" -Rebecca

Our youngest fans (C) Brian Hinrichs

What the critics are saying

2010-07-19T12:12:00.004-05:00

Tenor Rodrick Dixon and soprano Anya Matanovic (C) Lucas Keapproth

Opera in the Park 2010 was a HUGE success! And we do mean huge, as a record setting audience of 14,000 people came out despite soaring temperatures and the threat of storms! I think it's safe to say they were aptly rewarded for their bravery, especially according to these stellar reviews:

77 Square: "Rain-free Opera in the Park gives a sneek peak into next season"
The Isthmus: "Singing draws record crowd to Opera in the Park"
The Well-Tempered Ear: "From crowd to sound, Opera in the Park scores big success"
Culturosity by Brava: "Opera Before the Storm"

View from the chorus (C) Tom Stone

And of course, it's not too late to show your support for Opera in the Park. Donate online or simply text the word "Opera" to the number 20222 to contribute $10!

UPDATE - Here's some more coverage of the event:

Mayor Dave's Blog: "My Favorite Things"
WISC-TV:

Everything to know for tonight

2010-07-17T09:59:00.001-05:00

It's here! Tonight at 8 p.m. the curtain goes up on Opera in the Park 2010. Dress rehearsal last night sounded fantastic, the weather is cooperating, and we are good to go. A great evening of opera under the stars awaits!

Here are some helpful links to prepare for your Opera in the Park experience:

It is also good to remember that food for sale in the park will include Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and a popcorn stand, with water and Pepsi products also available for purchase. Pack accordingly, arrive early if you can, and don't worry if you can't - there's always a great spot to be discovered in the park!

Opera in the Press

2010-07-16T09:49:00.003-05:00

Opera in the Park previews have all been published, here is a master list of links:

Wisconsin State Journal: "Would it be improper to do the wave at Opera in the Park?"
77 Square: "Madison Opera presents Opera in the Park"
The Well-Tempered Ear: "Classical Music Preview: Ninth Annual Opera in the Park"

Plus, check out The Isthmus in print: "Bold Choices: Classical groups innovate with 2010-11 seasons," or tune into WISC-TV today at Noon and WKOW27 today at 5 and 6 p.m.

UPDATE: Click here to watch General Director Allan Naplan on "Wake Up Wisconsin" discussing Opera in the Park, or here to watch soprano Anya Matanovich on News at 12 on WISC-TV.

OITP Preview: Barbara Shirvis

2010-07-15T15:23:00.000-05:00

Last but not least in our "Preview" series is Barbara Shirvis, an "authentic blonde beauty" (Opera News) and powerhouse soprano. Ms. Shirvis will be performing excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro, Rusalka, Phantom of the Opera, and A Little Night Music at Opera in the Park, and we couldn't be more excited to have her with us in Madison.

In addition to her performance with Madison Opera this summer, Ms. Shrivis will sing the title role in Tosca in concert performances with the Minnesota Orchestra, opposite her husband and fellow OITP guest artist Stephen Powell as Scarpia. Throughout her career, Mozart has been her calling card, with triumphs around the country as Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte in particular. But Ms. Shirvis's range of repertoire is wide, having conquered everything from Verdi to Ricky Ian Gordon. A frequent concert artist and recitalist, she has partnered with Powell for programs spanning the American songbook, and the Opera in the Park audience will be treated to her rendition of "Do, Re, Mi" come Saturday.

Click here to listen to a sample of Barbara Shirvis singing "Come Scoglio" from Cosi fan Tutte.

Madison Opera on TV

2010-07-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

Madison Opera's General Director Allan Naplan and our Opera in the Park guest artists will be making the rounds on local news channels over the next few days. Here's where you can find them:

Thursday, July 15, 4 p.m. / News with Carleen Wild on NBC15
Friday, July 16, 6:40 a.m. / Wake Up Wisconsin on WKOW27
Friday, July 16, 12:20 p.m. / News 3 at Noon on WISC-TV
Friday, July 16, 5 & 6 p.m. / News at 5 and News at 6 on WKOW27