Presented by Glasgow Light Opera Club

A shipboard romance or two, silly criminals, foreign gamblers, pretty showgirls and a happy ending all round combine with a storyline by P.G. Wodehouse in this musical comedy.

Coupled with Cole Porter songs such as I Get a Kick out of You, All Through the Night, Easy to Love, You’re the Top, Let’s Misbehave and, of course, Anything Goes, this is a fun-filled production by one of Glasgow’s longer established amateur production companies.

The Chinese State Circus presents an action-packed spectacular, combining the agility and precision of the world’s greatest acrobats, including the exquisite grace of the Wu-Shu Flying Warriors, and the spine-tingling sounds of the renowned Peking Opera.

Bursting with high-adrenalin acts and thrilling special effects, this is electrifying entertainment for the whole family.

The Chinese State Circus presents an action-packed spectacular, combining the agility and precision of the world’s greatest acrobats, including the exquisite grace of the Wu-Shu Flying Warriors, and the spine-tingling sounds of the renowned Peking Opera.

Bursting with high-adrenalin acts and thrilling special effects, this is electrifying entertainment for the whole family.

Florence's soaring, epic vocals, quirky melodies and self-contained musical world have already won her the 2009 Critics Choice Award at the Brits. Some compare her to Kate Bush. You’ll also find touches of Tom Waits and Nick Cave in her dark visions, and if you heard a little of Bjork too, she’d find it a compliment. But mainly, Florence is out on her own: an exhilarating place to be, she points out, but also a little scary.

This major Florence & The Machine UK tour celebrates the release of Flo's debut long-player, 'Lungs', and features the full force of a 7-piece Machine. The previous tour sold-out in minutes so, as if you really need to be told twice, you should get your filthy little hands on some tickets now before they're all used up...

The story goes that Haydn, seeking to rival the success of Handel’s Messiah, was handed a Bible and advised to begin at the beginning. He did, and created his magnificent oratorio, The Creation (it was also the first bilingual choral work, composed simultaneously in German and English). From its amazing Representation of Chaos to the divine bliss of the conclusion (this is Adam and Eve before the Fall), The Creation is a masterpiece, and it created such a buzz at its premiere in 1798 that performances sold out and police were hired for crowd control. Listeners were unanimous – they had never experienced anything like it. Nor will you.

This program marks the Australian conducting debut of Martin Haselböck, one of the most stylish and insightful interpreters of the Classical style, and Haydn’s angels and mortals will be sung by an international cast, including Australia’s own Steve Davislim.

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Stanton Welch's smash hit The Sleeping Beauty enchants Australian audiences once again

A princess, cursed by a wicked fairy, falls into a hundred-year sleep on her sixteenth birthday. Only the kiss of her one true love can break the spell ...

Seventeenth-century fairytale The Sleeping Beauty was first adapted to the stage by Marius Petipa in 1890. The décor, the dancing and the spellbinding score by Tchaikovsky made it an instant classic.

In Stanton Welch's hands, this timeless fairytale became a greater story about the nature of good and evil, replete with romance, enchantment, and three acts of beautiful dancing. Designer Kristian Fredrikson conjured a series of opulent fantasy worlds that evoked the exoticism of the Orient and the Middle East. Welch, meanwhile, infused the tale with fresh, fiendishly difficult choreography and brought to life a cast of unforgettable characters, including charming animals, irresistible fairies, and the ravishing baddie Carabosse.

The Sleeping Beauty, as The Daily Telegraph concluded, is "thoroughly enchanting ... Beautiful to look at but also beautifully danced." This magical ballet is not to be missed.

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A journey to the centre of modern ballet

From Russia, England and Spain, Concord gathers three of the most exciting choreographers working in ballet today: Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, and Nacho Duato.

Collaborating across dance, visual arts, and film, Wayne McGregor is known for his daring musical commissions and electrifying choreographic voice. St Petersburg's Alexei Ratmansky was just thirty-five when he was appointed Director of the Bolshoi Ballet, credited with bringing the famed company to the forefront of ballet once again. In 2009 they will both create brand-new works for The Australian Ballet. Completing the bill is Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato's Por vos muero, a ballet Dance Australia called "totally absorbing, ravishingly beautiful" and "deeply affecting".

Concord is a coup: two world premiere works from arguably the worlds most in-demand choreographers, plus the welcome return to the Australian stage of a much-loved ballet.

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Underneath Prokofiev’s cheeky wit, spiky sarcasm and sheer brilliance was a romantic soul. In his lyrical mood he was capable of irresistible melodies – laughing, poignant, always unique. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his soaring ballet music for Romeo and Juliet – one of the great musical interpretations of this timeless love story. The Sixth Symphony from 1947 shares some of its tragic mood. And with the Third Piano Concerto we bring you Prokofiev’s calling card as a virtuoso composer-pianist. This brilliant, memorable music shows Prokofiev in all his moods, but it’s the romantic Prokofiev who shines through.

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Imagine the brash young virtuoso striding onto the stage to perform his own piano concerto. It’s a graduation competition and he figures he’s got a better chance of winning if the judges don’t know the music. That’s the story of Prokofiev’s dazzling First Piano Concerto – its mercurial energy compressed into one bravura movement. (He won, by the way.) His First Violin Concerto, written a decade later, paints a different picture – all dreamy lyricism, with Prokofiev’s trademark sparkle and bite offset by poetic filigree and a fairytale atmosphere. Jumping to the melancholy end of a brilliant career and Prokofiev’s final work, the rarely heard Seventh Symphony brings a nostalgic mood and a renewed sense of classical beauty.

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Vladimir Ashkenazy holds the Fifth Symphony to be one of the great creations of Prokofiev’s Soviet years. Here was a composer forced to compromise yet still wanting to be himself. ‘How does one do that?’ asks Ashkenazy. Prokofiev shows us how in epic and optimistic music, conceived to represent ‘the greatness of the human spirit’. The Fifth is Prokofiev’s second most popular symphony – we pair it with his most popular, the sparkling Classical Symphony. This is Prokofiev pretending to be Haydn and getting away with it. In between is music that shows Prokofiev’s lyrical side – a concerto that dresses its energy, wit and melancholy in appealing tunefulness.

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Peter and the Wolf speaks to the child in us all: daring, goodhearted and just a tad rebellious. Prokofiev’s voice comes through in this much-loved symphonic fairytale with its entertaining, characterful music and his laconic narration. Another story begins the concert: a cinematic tale of bureaucratic bungles and an invented scapegoat who takes on a life of his own – birth, death, even marriage – all to Prokofiev’s sentimental yet sparkling soundtrack. These adventures frame the unusual Fifth Piano Concerto, with its five movements, almost balletic in character, shimmering like a string of finely cut jewels.

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Neil Armfield directs a new production of Benjamin Brittens masterpiece with Stuart Skelton in the title role, Peter Coleman-Wright as Captain Balstrode and acclaimed British soprano Susan Gritton as Ellen Orford.

A co-production by Opera Australia, Houston Grand Opera, West Australian Opera and Perth International Arts Festival.

Performed in English with surtitles.

Duration: two hours and forty-five minutes including one twenty-minute interval

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Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony is a sumptuous and powerful model of a Romantic symphony. He transforms and deftly weaves his musical ideas until – literally pulling out the stops – that earworm of a final tune (Babe!) thunders into the hall. Saint Saëns’ friends called his Third the ‘symphony with organ’, and this concert offers a rare chance to hear the Sydney Opera House organ – the largest mechanical action organ in the world – take the spotlight.

Shostakovich wrote his First Cello Concerto for Rostropovich. It’s obsessive music that veers between radiant lyricism and undercurrents of bleakness. Korean cellist Han- Na Chang made her Sydney Symphony debut with Lorin Maazel in 2000 – just a teenager but already possessing a prodigious technique. A former student of Rostropovich himself, she now returns to bring new maturity and authenticity to this demanding music.

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His first time in Sydney, Yannick Nézet-Séguin astonished with vivid and intensely felt Bruckner. Next time, he conducted one of the most stylish and vigorous performances of Haydn the Orchestra has ever given.

If we weren’t into Haydn’s classical wit and lucid style – he changed our minds. If we’d been avoiding Bruckner’s colossal symphonic visions – he made us see the light. Now he gives us the best of both worlds. Be there!

HAYDN Symphony No.100 (Military)
BRUCKNER Symphony No.3

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor

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Giulietta Capulet and Romeo Montague are in love, and their families are at war. It is an age-old story, which has inspired many from Shakespeare to Leonard Bernstein and beyond but one version stands apart from the crowd. Bellinis The Capulets and the Montagues is, above all, about the thrill of the voice.

Performed in Italian with surtitles.

Running time: approximately two hours and forty minutes including one twenty-minute interval.

A co-production with Opera North (UK) and Opera Ireland.

ACT 1

The city of Verona is torn by civil strife. The Capuleti family are at war with the Montecchi family, but Romeo Montecchi and Juliet Capuletti are in love. To further complicate matters, Romeo has killed Juliet's brother Capellio in a recent duel.

Scene 1: Father Capellio calls a meeting and informs his supporters that Romeo, the head of the Montecchi, is sending an envoy with peace proposals. Lorenzo, a wise friend of both parties, counsels them to hear the proposals, but Tebaldo promises vengeance for Capellio's death with the blood of Romeo. Capellio thereupon announces his daughter Giulietta and Tebaldo will be married.

Meanwhile, Romeo arrives and proposes that a peace be sealed by the marriage of Romeo and Giulietta. Capellio refuses and Romeo discovers that Guilietta is now betrothed to Tebaldo.

Scene 2: Giulietta is longing to see Romeo. He arrives through a secret door and they embrace. Romeo urges her to run away with him, but she resists in the name of her family honour.

Scene 3: The Capuleti are preparing to celebrate the wedding of Giulietta and Tebaldo. Romeo reveals to Lorenzo that there are a thousand armed Montecchi followers outside the city preparing to attack. Giulietta
enters in her wedding dress and Romeo again begs her to follow him, to no avail. Meanwhile, Capellio and Tebaldo arrive leading the Capuleti supporters. Romeo makes his escape.

Act 2

Scene 1: Giulietta is awaiting news of the fighting. Lorenzo arrives to tell her that Romeo is safe, but her wedding to Tebaldo is still due to take place the next day. He shows her a potion that will produce a deathlike condition. Giulietta immediately grasps the potion and drinks it. When Capellio arrives to bless his daughter he is shocked by her condition. Harbouring suspicions of Lorenzo, he sends for Tebaldo and orders him to guard Lorenzo.

Scene 2: Romeo searches for Lorenzo. He finds Tebaldo, who challenges him to a duel, but their stand-off is interrupted by funeral music as the Capuleti proceed to Giulietta's tomb. Both overwhelmed with grief, Romeo and Tebaldo disengage.

Scene 3: Romeo orders her tomb to be opened, bids farewell to Giulietta, then takes poison. Giulietta awakens and calls out to Romeo. She sees him at the foot of the sepulcher and realises the truth. After a passionate embrace Romeo dies and Giuletta falls dead upon his body.

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‘I don’t see why I shouldn’t compose a symphony about myself,’ said Strauss, ‘I’m quite as interesting as Napoleon or Alexander.’ Strauss wasn’t entirely joking, and the result was A Hero’s Life. The music isn’t the complete ego-trip you’d think – the hero is an ‘Artist’ of the Beethoven type, who contends with yapping critics and finds solace in loving arms. But when all is over the Artist’s identity is revealed as Strauss quotes themes (31 of them) from his own music! Of course, there are other ways to make heroes in music: the piano concerto places the virtuoso in the spotlight, and one composer quoting another, as Brahms quotes Haydn, is a sincere tribute to profound inspiration.

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Eisenstein and Shostakovich were two of the greatest Russian artists of the 20th century but they never had a chance to collaborate. Battleship Potemkin is the posthumous synthesis of their work. It’s a revolutionary film set in a revolutionary time. In 1925, with his astonishing new montage technique, Eisenstein changed the art of film-making forever. It might be propaganda – it quotes Lenin, its sailor hero has an uncanny resemblance to Stalin – but the emotive power of this influential masterpiece is undiminished.

When this silent film was revived in the 1970s, Soviet musicologists made a soundtrack from Shostakovich’s Fourth, Fifth, Tenth and Eleventh symphonies. Now conductor Frank Strobel has created a brand new arrangement of Shostakovich’s music. At its heart is the formidable Symphony No.11 (The Year 1905), which Shostakovich wrote after an intense study of Eisenstein’s movie and which touches on the same historical events.

Hear Battleship Potemkin afresh with this definitive new score.

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Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. The opera tells how Leonore, disguised as a prison guard named "Fidelio", rescues her husband Florestan from death in a political prison.

Act 1

Jaquino and Marzelline are alone. Jaquino asks Marzelline when she will agree to marry him, but she says that she will never marry him now that she has fallen in love with Fidelio, who is Leonore in disguise. (Jetzt, Schtzchen, jetzt sind wir allein ["Now, darling, we are alone"]). Jaquino leaves, and Marzelline expresses her desire to become Fidelio's wife (O wr ich schon mit dir vereint ["If only I were already united with thee"]). Rocco and Jaquino enter, looking for Fidelio. Fidelio enters carrying a heavy load of newly repaired chains. Rocco compliments Leonore on her skill, and misinterprets her modest reply as hidden attraction to his daughter. Marzelline, Leonore, Rocco, and Jaquino sing a quartet about the love Marzelline has for Fidelio (Mir ist so wunderbar ["A wondrous feeling fills me"]). Rocco tells Leonore that as soon as the governor has left for Seville, she and Marzelline can be married. He tells them, however, that unless they have money, they will not be happy. (Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben ["If you don't have money on the side"]). Leonore says that she wants something else at least as much as money: To know why Rocco will not permit her to help him in the dungeons when he always comes back out of breath. Rocco says that there is a prison where he can never take her, and inside is a man who has wasted away for two years because of his powerful enemies. Marzelline begs her father to keep Leonore away from such a terrible sight. Instead Rocco and Leonore sing of courage (Gut, Shnchen, gut ["All right, son, all right"]), and soon Marzelline joins in their acclamations.

All but Rocco leave. A march is played as Pizarro enters with guards. Rocco gives Pizarro a message with a warning that the minister plans a surprise visit tomorrow to investigate accusations that Pizarro is a tyrant. Pizarro exclaims that he cannot let the minister discover the imprisoned Don Florestan, who has been thought dead. Instead, Pizarro will murder Florestan (Ha, welch ein Augenblick! ["Hah! What a moment!"]). Pizarro orders that a trumpet be sounded at the minister's arrival. He offers Rocco money to kill Florestan, but Rocco refuses (Jetzt, Alter, jetzt hat es Eile! ["Now, old man, we must hurry!"]), and instead Pizarro orders him to dig a grave in the ruined well in the dungeons. When the grave is ready, Rocco should sound the alarm for Pizarro to come disguised into the dungeon, and kill Florestan himself. Leonore has seen Pizarro plotting, but has not overheard what he said. She is agitated, but thoughts of her husband calm her down (Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin? ... Komm, Hoffnung, lass den letzten Stern ["Scum! Where are you going? ... Come, hope, let the last star"]).

Jaquino begs Marzelline to marry him, but she refuses. Leonore, hoping to find Florestan, asks Rocco to let the poor prisoners roam in the garden and enjoy the beautiful weather. Marzelline also begs him, and Rocco agrees to distract Pizarro while the prisoners are set free. The prisoners, overjoyed at their freedom, sing joyfully (O welche Lust ["O what a joy"]), but, remembering that they could be caught, are soon quiet. Rocco reenters and tells Leonore of his success with Pizarro: Pizarro will allow the marriage, and Leonore will be permitted to join Rocco on his rounds in the dungeon (Nun sprecht, wie ging's? ["Speak, how did it go?"]). They prepare to go to the cell of a poor man who, says Rocco, must be killed and buried within the hour. Leonore is so shaken that Rocco tries to persuade her to stay behind, but she insists on coming. As they prepare to leave, Jaquino and Marzelline rush in and tell Rocco to run: Pizarro has learned that the prisoners are free, and he is furious (Ach, Vater, Vater, eilt! ["O, father, father, hurry!"]). Before they can move, Pizarro enters and demands an explanation. Rocco pretends that they are celebrating the King's naming day, and suggests quietly that Pizarro save his anger for the prisoner in the dungeons below. Pizarro tells him to hurry and dig the grave, then announces that the prisoners will be shut in again. Rocco, Leonore, Jacquino, and Marzelline reluctantly usher the prisoners back to their cells. (Leb wohl, du warmes Sonnenlicht ["Adieu, warm sunshine"]

Act 2

Florestan is alone in his cell, deep inside the dungeons. He sings first of his trust in God, then has a vision of Leonore coming to save him (Gott! Welch Dunkel hier! ["God! What darkness here"]... In des Lebens Frhlingstagen ["In the spring days of life"]). He collapses and falls asleep. Rocco and Leonore come to dig his grave and find him asleep. As they dig Rocco urges Leonore to hurry (Wie kalt ist es in diesem unterirdischen Gewlbe! ["How cold it is in this underground chamber"] ... Nur hurtig fort, nur frisch gegraben). Florestan awakes, and Leonore recognizes him. When Florestan learns at last, that he is in Pizarro's prison, he asks that a message be sent to his wife, Leonore Florestan, but Rocco says it's impossible. Florestan begs for a drop to drink, and Rocco tells Leonore to give him one. Florestan does not recognize Leonore, and tells her she will be rewarded in Heaven (Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten ["You shall be rewarded in better worlds"]). She begs Rocco to be allowed to give Florestan a crust of bread, and he agrees. Florestan eats.

Even though, Rocco obeys his orders and sounds the alarm for Pizarro, who appears and asks if everything is ready. Rocco says that it is and tells Leonore to leave, but instead she hides. Pizarro reveals his identity to Florestan, who accuses him of murder (Er sterbe! Doch er soll erst wissen ["Let him die! But first he should know"]). As Pizarro brandishes a dagger, Leonore leaps between him and Florestan and declares that before he kills Florestan, Pizarro must first kill his wife. Pizarro delights in the chance to kill both of them, but Leonore produces a pistol.

Just then the trumpet is heard, announcing the arrival of the minister. Jaquino enters, followed by soldiers, to announce that the minister is waiting at the gate. Rocco tells the soldiers to escort Governor Pizarro upstairs. Florestan and Leonore sing to their victory as Pizarro declares he will have revenge and Rocco expresses his fear of what is to come (Es schlgt der Rache Stunde ["Revenge's bell tolls"]). Together, Florestan and Leonore sing a love duet (O namenlose Freude! ["O unnamed joy!"]).

Here Overture to Leonore No. 3 is sometimes played.

The prisoners and townsfolk sing to the day and hour of justice which has come (Heil sei dem Tag! ["Hail to the day!"]). The minister, Don Fernando, announces that tyranny has ended. Rocco enters, with Leonore and Florestan, and he asks Don Fernando to help them (Wohlan, so helfet! Helft den Armen! ["So help! Help the poor ones!"]). Rocco explains how Leonore disguised herself as Fidelio to save her husband. Marzelline is shocked. Rocco describes Pizarro's murder plot, and Pizarro is led away to prison. Florestan is released from his chains by Leonore, and the crowd sings the praises of Leonore, the loyal savior of her husband (Wer ein holdes Weib errungen ["Who has got a good wife"]).

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Opera Australia is thrilled to present Cheryl Barker in her role debut as Puccinis Manon Lescaut.

Mim, Butterfly, Tosca Over the last ten years Cheryl Barker has captivated audiences with her portrayals of Puccinis great heroines. Now she brings her rich, dramatic soprano and fiery stage presence to the freespirited Manon Lescaut.

There are three men in Manons life. Her brother, Lescaut, tries to protect his sister from the harsh realities of life. The wealthy Geronte offers Manon the life of luxury she craves. And the romantic and impoverished des Grieux offers his heart. Should she opt for glitter or passion, comfort or happiness?

Manon thinks she knows what she wants, but it may not be her choice. Whatever the outcome, Puccinis captivating score, with its sweeping arias and gorgeous orchestral colour, makes the tale of a charismatic young heroine into a deeply romantic adventure.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes returns to Sydney to take the role of Lescaut, Manons well-meaning but ultimately powerless brother, Richard Alexander is Geronte, and as the Cavaliere des Grieux, we welcome back tenor Jorge Lopez-Yanez. Alexander Polianichko conducts, Gale Edwards directs this sumptuous production and Roger Kirk creates the glorious wigs and powder of eighteenth-century France.

Performed in Italian with surtitles.

Running time: two hours and fifty minutes including two twenty minute intervals.

An Opera Conference co-production

Synopsis

The action of the opera takes place at Amiens, Paris, Le Havre and Louisiana during the second half of the 18th Century

Act I An Inn yard at Amiens

A stage coach arrives at an inn yard at Amiens. Inside is a young woman, Manon, her brother Lescaut and an elderly rou Geronte. Lescaut is taking his sister to a convent, but when he realises that she is greatly admired by Geronte he is quite happy to let the wealthy old man plot Manons abduction.

Meanwhile, the young cavalier Des Grieux sees Manon and strikes up a conversation. There is a spark between them, and he persuades her to meet him later that evening. However, when one of Des Grieux's friends uncovers a plot to abduct Manon, Des Grieux decides to act sooner. He declares his love for Manon and she agrees to elope with him. They steal Geronte's coach and leave for Paris.

Geronte is furious. He tells the tipsy Lescaut what has happened, but Lescaut assures Geronte that a students purse cannot last long and that Manon will soon return.

Act II A luxurious apartment in Gerontes house in Paris

Lescaut is right. Manon has left the impoverished Des Grieux for a comfortable life with Geronte, although not without regrets. Lescaut arranges for Des Grieux to visit and, inevitably, they fall into each others' arms.

They are interrupted by the sudden return of Geronte. He sarcastically bids her farewell and leaves the lovers alone. As they prepare to run away together, Manon cannot resist gathering up some of the jewels and finery which Geronte has given her. The delay proves fatal. Geronte has denounced Manon as an immoral woman and the door opens to admit a grimly smiling Geronte and the police. Manon is arrested, leaving Des Grieux in despair.

Act III A square near the harbour at Le Havre

Manon is sentenced to banishment to the French possession of Louisiana. Lescaut and Des Grieux come to the prison where she awaits deportation and plot to rescue her, but without success. Des Grieux, however, cannot bear to leave Manons side, so he persuades the ships Captain to take him too.

Intermezzo

Act IV A vast plain near New Orleans

Des Grieux has killed the Governors nephew in a duel in defence of Manon, and the lovers have fled New Orleans. They are lost in the Louisiana desert, and the exhausted Manon begs Des Grieux to go in search of water. Manon is left alone.

Des Grieux returns from his unsuccessful search and finds Manon near death. She asks her lover not to weep for her, telling him that it is the hour of kisses, not of tears. My faults will be forgotten, she says, but my love will not die. In the operas last moments Manon dies, and Des Grieux collapses by her side.

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Marriage, sex, arguments, wailing babies…it’s the stuff of soap opera. So who would have thought that family life could be the subject for an outsized symphonic creation? Richard Strauss did, and he placed his own family at the heart of Symphonia domestica, giving us intimacies wrapped up in monumental music. At the same time he uses his massive orchestra in delicate ways and there’s an endearing tenderness to the whole affair.

The more modest Brahms poured his heart but not his family life into his Violin Concerto. Written with a friend, the violinist Joachim, in mind, it’s rhapsodic and brilliant but, as Viktoria Mullova will show, this noble concerto transcends mere display. Donald Runnicles’ last visit, conducting An Alpine Symphony, proved he is completely at home in muscular Romantic repertoire.

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There will be love and death amongst the pyramids as the thundering choruses and spine-tingling arias of Verdis grandest opera comes to Sydney. One of Australias true visionaries, Graeme Murphy directs an epic new production.

An Opera Conference co-production

Performed in Italian with English surtitles.

Duration: approximately three hours and five minutes including two twenty-minute intervals.

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O Fortune! fickle like the moon…’ Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana has had its own run-in with fortune, fated to be one of the most famous and recognised of all choral works on the strength of just one number. But there’s so much more to this vital and flamboyant piece. The words might have been written down by mediæval monks but the themes are strangely modern and absolutely secular: love, sex, alcohol, gambling and the whims of fortune.

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Yvonne Kenny reveals the perils of love as noble Queen Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, while Taryn Fiebig breaks a monster’s heart in a new production of Handel’s one act wonder, Acis and Galatea, directed by Patrick Nolan, conducted by Antony Walker and with choreography by Lucy Guerin.

Dido & Aeneas

Act I

Aeneas, Prince of Troy, has been blown off course by a storm. He is shipwrecked and lands at Carthage, where he meets the widowed Queen Dido. They begin to fall in love but Dido is reluctant to yield completely. Her courtiers and her confidante, Belinda, however, urge her to pursue her desire. Everyone rejoices when Dido professes her love and Aeneas decides to stay in Carthage.

Act II

Meanwhile, a wicked Sorceress plots with a coven of witches to destroy Carthage by dashing Dido's amorous hopes. Their plan is to conjure a storm while the couple are out hunting in the forest, where an elf, disguised as the Roman god Mercury, will remind Aeneas of his duties and force him to set sail for Rome.

Dido and Aeneas are being entertained by their courtiers when the witches' storm blows in and the lovers are separated. As planned, Aeneas is confronted by the false messenger god Mercury who commands him to leave Carthage. With regrets, he obeys.

Act III

At the port Aeneas' sailors prepare to set sail. The witches gloat over their victory and confidently predict the queen's demise.

Dido confronts Aeneas, silences his excuses and orders him away. Once he is gone, Dido is inconsolable, and after singing her famous lament she kills herself.

Acis & Galatea

Act I

Long ago, in a pastoral land of nymphs and shepherds, Galatea, a sea nymph who is partly divine, loves the shepherd Acis. The two pursue each other, and, with the help of the shepherd Damon, finally become lovers.

Act II

The chorus warns Acis and Galatea of the jealous monster Polyphemus, who loves Galatea. The gruff Polyphemus threatens to use force, but the shepherd Coridon counsels Polyphemus gentler means to win Galatea's heart.

Act III

At the port Aeneas' sailors prepare to set sail. The witches gloat over their victory and confidently predict the queen's demise.
Dido confronts Aeneas, silences his excuses and orders him away. Once he is gone, Dido is inconsolable, and after singing her famous lament she kills herself.

Acis and Galatea swear eternal love and, despite Damon's warnings, Acis decides to fight Polyphemus. The enraged Polyphemus kills Acis. As Galatea mourns the chorus reminds her of her half-divine status. She exerts her powers, transforming Acis into a beautiful fountain as the chorus celebrates his immortality.

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This is your chance to hear how Vaughan Williams transcends Englishness, the ‘pastoral’ style and sheer lyrical beauty. The spirited overture to The Wasps shows him in satirical mode (Aristophanes was the inspiration). Flos campi is more sensual – a reverie on the Song of Solomon for viola, wordless choir and orchestra. And A London Symphony – heard here in its original version – gives an impressionistic depiction of the sights and sounds of his home city: jingling hansom cabs, Big Ben, even the Thames fog. But the symphony also embraces Vaughan Williams’ personal philosophy: making his art ‘an expression of the whole life of the community’.

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Thomas Zehetmair, a favourite collaborator of some of the world’s most thoughtful and admired musicians, is sure to offer a fresh perspective of Brahms’ Third Symphony – the warmest and most passionate of the four. Zehetmair will be joined by his wife, Ruth Killius, for Bartók’s Viola Concerto. Bartók died before he could complete the concerto, leaving it in a cryptic sketch form. Composer Tibor Serly brought its propulsive rhythms and consoling meditations to fruition, giving us the most often played of all viola concertos. Schubert thought Alfonso und Estrella was his ‘best opera’ but its enchanting overture was the only part of this story about love between warring clans that was performed in his lifetime.

SCHUBERT Alfonso und Estrella: Overture
BARTÓK Viola Concerto
BRAHMS Symphony No.3

Thomas Zehetmair conductor
Ruth Killius viola

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Dianne Reeves and her quartet return to the Sydney Symphony to perform songs from her latest album.

Featuring songs from Dianne Reeves’ latest album, When You Know.

When you know that Dianne Reeves and the Sydney Symphony sold out the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall in 2006, it’s smart to get in early for this new concert, built around her latest album. It’s not just your imagination, join us in September and find yourself in love again with this great jazz diva’s extraordinary vocal sound and polished artistry.

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Are all women the same? What about the men? Take a rollercoaster ride through innocence, experience and sexual intrigue when the legendary Jim Sharman takes a fresh look at Mozart’s bittersweet romance.

Performed in English with surtitles.

Duration: approximately three hours including one twenty-minute interval.

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Richard Gill has designed a program that unites three of his passions: music, education, and new creativity. It journeys across three centuries to show how one genre – the concerto – emerged in the baroque period, was transformed in the 19th century and now reshapes its heritage for today. The music itself ranges from the magnificence of Handel in a concerto for the orchestra principals to the warm emotion of Dvořák’s much-loved Romantic masterpiece, and beyond to a brand new work commissioned from leading screen composer Christopher Gordon. His Horn Concerto gives a modern twist to the Baroque tradition of the concerto grosso, with percussion and harp joining the horn in the spotlight.

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Anthony Warlow stars as the Lord High Executioner with Taryn Fiebig as the delectable Yum-Yum in Gilbert and Sullivan’s zany romp through love, life and death in the town of Titipu.

Performed in English with surtitles.

Duration: two hours and forty minutes including one twenty-minute interval.

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Giles Havergal’s hugely successful 1994 production was hailed as 'a breath of fresh air' (Metro) at its revival in 2000. This popular, funny and gorgeously colourful production promises once more to be a real treat for audiences when it returns this Autumn.

Hapless peasant Nemorino is head over heels in love with Adina, but to no avail. He seeks out a love potion from the local quack doctor, which he hopes will turn her head, and thinks it’s working when the village girls are all over him. Adina is mad with jealousy. Can it be that she loves him after all?

Donizetti’s score contains some of the loveliest melodies in opera. It’s also one of the funniest, thanks to its timeless themes of unrequited love, feminine manipulation, male gullibility and jealousy. This comic work also conveys a slightly darker message - that conmen sometimes win and perhaps the only true elixirs of love are money and alcohol.

Elena Xanthoudakis, (a prizewinner in Placido Domingo’s prestigious International Opera Contest ‘Operalia’ in 2008) sings Adina with Lithuanian tenor Edgaras Montvidas singing the role of Nemorino. Italian conductor Maurizio Babarcini makes his Scottish Opera debut.

Production supported by Scottish Opera’s ‘The Perfect Tonic’ Appeal

Scottish Opera
The Elixir of Love
Gaetano Donizetti

Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Revival of 1994 Production

‘I know how to tame these men’ says Isabella in this playful new production. Rossini’s quick-witted, independent leading lady is a thoroughly modern heroine. The sparkling music and energetic melodies, arias and ensembles will keep audiences entertained from start to finish, as acclaimed theatre director Colin McColl takes a bold new look at this comic masterpiece.

International playboy Mustafa is bored with his wife. He plans to marry her off so that he can take an Italian wife. When the young and gorgeous (and conveniently Italian) Isabella arrives on the scene, Mustafa is smitten. But feisty Isabella proves to be quite a match, and then the games really begin…

Italian bass Tiziano Bracci makes his UK debut in the role of Mustafa. Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, who the Guardian called a ‘bright star’ for her performance as Rosina in Scottish Opera’s 2007 production of The Barber of Seville, sings Isabella. Scottish Opera Music Director Francesco Corti conducts.

Production supported by The Scottish Opera Syndicate

Scottish Opera
The Italian Girl in Algiers
Gioachino Rossini

Sung in Italian with English supertitles
New co-production with New Zealand Opera

This iconic opera tells the story of the love affair between Mimi and the struggling writer Rodolfo. The welcome return of an audience favourite, Tony award-winning director Stewart Laing’s production presents a traditional tale in a meaningful contemporary context - the exciting modern art scene of 21st century New York.

Young artists, living and working in stark studio apartments, turn loft spaces into art galleries. When Rodolfo sees Mimi for the first time, they fall hopelessly in love - but the course of true love rarely runs smoothly. Encompassing dramatic passion and the pain of being young, poor and in love, Puccini’s whirling melodic score moves from revelry to romance as it carries the story toward its tragic conclusion.

Young Irish soprano Celine Byrne and French tenor Avi Klemberg, make their Scottish Opera débuts. Nadine Livingstone (who also takes the title role in this season’s Kátya Kabanová) sings Musetta. Scottish Opera Music Director Francesco Corti conducts.

Scottish Opera
La bohème
Giacomo Puccini

Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Revival of 2004 production

The Adventures of Mr Broucek is one of Janácek’s most vibrantly original works. Rarely presented in the UK, this is an exciting new collaboration with Opera North. The production is a first for Scottish Opera who, with Welsh National Opera, championed the composer’s work in the 1970s and 80s with an acclaimed Janácek Cycle.
 
The beer-fuelled Mr Broucek’s adventures take him through space and time: first to the moon and then to the middle of the revolution in 15th-century Prague. By turns funny, surreal, tender and thrilling, the opera is full of wonderful portraits and parodies - of artists, poets, soldiers, and the ordinary people of Janácek’s homeland.
 
The music is just as varied as Broucek’s adventures, from the extra-terrestrial sounds of the moon music, to the gorgeous orchestral interlude which transforms the action from the moon to Prague. Bagpipes and an organ add an edge to the stirringly patriotic Hussite hymns and celebrations, sung by a 40 strong chorus.
 
John Fulljames directs a superb cast including English tenor John Graham Hall and Scottish contralto Frances McCafferty, making her Scottish Opera débuts, alongside celebrated Scottish baritone Donald Maxwell.

Scottish Opera
The Adventures of Mr Broucek
Leoš Janácek

Production supported by The Alexander Gibson Circle
Sung in English with English supertitles
A new co-production with Opera North

Anything for Love features all of your favourite Meatloaf classics including Bat Out of Hell, All Revved Up, I Would Do Anything for Love and more.

Part rock concert, part love story, and part musical showcase, Anything for Love will be a great night for you, your family, and friends.

Neil Armfield directs a new production of Benjamin Brittens masterpiece with Stuart Skelton in the title role, Peter Coleman-Wright as Captain Balstrode and acclaimed British soprano Susan Gritton as Ellen Orford.

A co-production by Opera Australia, Houston Grand Opera, West Australian Opera and Perth International Arts Festival.

Performed in English with surtitles.

Duration: two hours and forty-five minutes including one twenty-minute interval

Performance Info

7.30pm on:

* 15th, 17th, 21st, 24th, 27th, 30th October 09

Giulietta Capulet and Romeo Montague are in love, and their families are at war. It is an age-old story, which has inspired many from Shakespeare to Leonard Bernstein and beyond but one version stands apart from the crowd. Bellinis The Capulets and the Montagues is, above all, about the thrill of the voice.

Performing at the Arts Centre, Melbourne at the Sydney Opera House.

Performed in Italian with surtitles.
Running time: approximately two hours and forty minutes including one twenty-minute interval.

A co-production with Opera North (UK) and Opera Ireland
Synopsis

ACT 1

The city of Verona is torn by civil strife. The Capuleti family are at war with the Montecchi family, but Romeo Montecchi and Juliet Capuletti are in love. To further complicate matters, Romeo has killed Juliet's brother Capellio in a recent duel.

Scene 1: Father Capellio calls a meeting and informs his supporters that Romeo, the head of the Montecchi, is sending an envoy with peace proposals. Lorenzo, a wise friend of both parties, counsels them to hear the proposals, but Tebaldo promises vengeance for Capellio's death with the blood of Romeo. Capellio thereupon announces his daughter Giulietta and Tebaldo will be married.

Meanwhile, Romeo arrives and proposes that a peace be sealed by the marriage of Romeo and Giulietta. Capellio refuses and Romeo discovers that Guilietta is now betrothed to Tebaldo.

Scene 2: Giulietta is longing to see Romeo. He arrives through a secret door and they embrace. Romeo urges her to run away with him, but she resists in the name of her family honour.

Scene 3: The Capuleti are preparing to celebrate the wedding of Giulietta and Tebaldo. Romeo reveals to Lorenzo that there are a thousand armed Montecchi followers outside the city preparing to attack. Giulietta enters in her wedding dress and Romeo again begs her to follow him, to no avail. Meanwhile, Capellio and Tebaldo arrive leading the Capuleti supporters. Romeo makes his escape.

Act 2

Scene 1: Giulietta is awaiting news of the fighting. Lorenzo arrives to tell her that Romeo is safe, but her wedding to Tebaldo is still due to take place the next day. He shows her a potion that will produce a deathlike condition. Giulietta immediately grasps the potion and drinks it. When Capellio arrives to bless his daughter he is shocked by her condition. Harbouring suspicions of Lorenzo, he sends for Tebaldo and orders him to guard Lorenzo.

Scene 2: Romeo searches for Lorenzo. He finds Tebaldo, who challenges him to a duel, but their stand-off is interrupted by funeral music as the Capuleti proceed to Giulietta's tomb. Both overwhelmed with grief, Romeo and Tebaldo disengage.

Scene 3: Romeo orders her tomb to be opened, bids farewell to Giulietta, then takes poison. Giulietta awakens and calls out to Romeo. She sees him at the foot of the sepulcher and realises the truth. After a passionate embrace Romeo dies and Giuletta falls dead upon his body.

Performance Info

7.30pm on:

* 11th, 14th, 20th, 22nd, Aug 09
* 1st, 5th, 9th Sep 09

Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. The opera tells how Leonore, disguised as a prison guard named "Fidelio", rescues her husband Florestan from death in a political prison.

Act 1

Jaquino and Marzelline are alone. Jaquino asks Marzelline when she will agree to marry him, but she says that she will never marry him now that she has fallen in love with Fidelio, who is Leonore in disguise. (Jetzt, Schtzchen, jetzt sind wir allein ["Now, darling, we are alone"]). Jaquino leaves, and Marzelline expresses her desire to become Fidelio's wife (O wr ich schon mit dir vereint ["If only I were already united with thee"]). Rocco and Jaquino enter, looking for Fidelio. Fidelio enters carrying a heavy load of newly repaired chains. Rocco compliments Leonore on her skill, and misinterprets her modest reply as hidden attraction to his daughter. Marzelline, Leonore, Rocco, and Jaquino sing a quartet about the love Marzelline has for Fidelio (Mir ist so wunderbar ["A wondrous feeling fills me"]). Rocco tells Leonore that as soon as the governor has left for Seville, she and Marzelline can be married. He tells them, however, that unless they have money, they will not be happy. (Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben ["If you don't have money on the side"]). Leonore says that she wants something else at least as much as money: To know why Rocco will not permit her to help him in the dungeons when he always comes back out of breath. Rocco says that there is a prison where he can never take her, and inside is a man who has wasted away for two years because of his powerful enemies. Marzelline begs her father to keep Leonore away from such a terrible sight. Instead Rocco and Leonore sing of courage (Gut, Shnchen, gut ["All right, son, all right"]), and soon Marzelline joins in their acclamations.

All but Rocco leave. A march is played as Pizarro enters with guards. Rocco gives Pizarro a message with a warning that the minister plans a surprise visit tomorrow to investigate accusations that Pizarro is a tyrant. Pizarro exclaims that he cannot let the minister discover the imprisoned Don Florestan, who has been thought dead. Instead, Pizarro will murder Florestan (Ha, welch ein Augenblick! ["Hah! What a moment!"]). Pizarro orders that a trumpet be sounded at the minister's arrival. He offers Rocco money to kill Florestan, but Rocco refuses (Jetzt, Alter, jetzt hat es Eile! ["Now, old man, we must hurry!"]), and instead Pizarro orders him to dig a grave in the ruined well in the dungeons. When the grave is ready, Rocco should sound the alarm for Pizarro to come disguised into the dungeon, and kill Florestan himself. Leonore has seen Pizarro plotting, but has not overheard what he said. She is agitated, but thoughts of her husband calm her down (Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin? ... Komm, Hoffnung, lass den letzten Stern ["Scum! Where are you going? ... Come, hope, let the last star"]).

Jaquino begs Marzelline to marry him, but she refuses. Leonore, hoping to find Florestan, asks Rocco to let the poor prisoners roam in the garden and enjoy the beautiful weather. Marzelline also begs him, and Rocco agrees to distract Pizarro while the prisoners are set free. The prisoners, overjoyed at their freedom, sing joyfully (O welche Lust ["O what a joy"]), but, remembering that they could be caught, are soon quiet. Rocco reenters and tells Leonore of his success with Pizarro: Pizarro will allow the marriage, and Leonore will be permitted to join Rocco on his rounds in the dungeon (Nun sprecht, wie ging's? ["Speak, how did it go?"]). They prepare to go to the cell of a poor man who, says Rocco, must be killed and buried within the hour. Leonore is so shaken that Rocco tries to persuade her to stay behind, but she insists on coming. As they prepare to leave, Jaquino and Marzelline rush in and tell Rocco to run: Pizarro has learned that the prisoners are free, and he is furious (Ach, Vater, Vater, eilt! ["O, father, father, hurry!"]). Before they can move, Pizarro enters and demands an explanation. Rocco pretends that they are celebrating the King's naming day, and suggests quietly that Pizarro save his anger for the prisoner in the dungeons below. Pizarro tells him to hurry and dig the grave, then announces that the prisoners will be shut in again. Rocco, Leonore, Jacquino, and Marzelline reluctantly usher the prisoners back to their cells. (Leb wohl, du warmes Sonnenlicht ["Adieu, warm sunshine"]

Act 2

Florestan is alone in his cell, deep inside the dungeons. He sings first of his trust in God, then has a vision of Leonore coming to save him (Gott! Welch Dunkel hier! ["God! What darkness here"]... In des Lebens Frhlingstagen ["In the spring days of life"]). He collapses and falls asleep. Rocco and Leonore come to dig his grave and find him asleep. As they dig Rocco urges Leonore to hurry (Wie kalt ist es in diesem unterirdischen Gewlbe! ["How cold it is in this underground chamber"] ... Nur hurtig fort, nur frisch gegraben). Florestan awakes, and Leonore recognizes him. When Florestan learns at last, that he is in Pizarro's prison, he asks that a message be sent to his wife, Leonore Florestan, but Rocco says it's impossible. Florestan begs for a drop to drink, and Rocco tells Leonore to give him one. Florestan does not recognize Leonore, and tells her she will be rewarded in Heaven (Euch werde Lohn in bessern Welten ["You shall be rewarded in better worlds"]). She begs Rocco to be allowed to give Florestan a crust of bread, and he agrees. Florestan eats.

Even though, Rocco obeys his orders and sounds the alarm for Pizarro, who appears and asks if everything is ready. Rocco says that it is and tells Leonore to leave, but instead she hides. Pizarro reveals his identity to Florestan, who accuses him of murder (Er sterbe! Doch er soll erst wissen ["Let him die! But first he should know"]). As Pizarro brandishes a dagger, Leonore leaps between him and Florestan and declares that before he kills Florestan, Pizarro must first kill his wife. Pizarro delights in the chance to kill both of them, but Leonore produces a pistol.

Just then the trumpet is heard, announcing the arrival of the minister. Jaquino enters, followed by soldiers, to announce that the minister is waiting at the gate. Rocco tells the soldiers to escort Governor Pizarro upstairs. Florestan and Leonore sing to their victory as Pizarro declares he will have revenge and Rocco expresses his fear of what is to come (Es schlgt der Rache Stunde ["Revenge's bell tolls"]). Together, Florestan and Leonore sing a love duet (O namenlose Freude! ["O unnamed joy!"]).

Here Overture to Leonore No. 3 is sometimes played.

The prisoners and townsfolk sing to the day and hour of justice which has come (Heil sei dem Tag! ["Hail to the day!"]). The minister, Don Fernando, announces that tyranny has ended. Rocco enters, with Leonore and Florestan, and he asks Don Fernando to help them (Wohlan, so helfet! Helft den Armen! ["So help! Help the poor ones!"]). Rocco explains how Leonore disguised herself as Fidelio to save her husband. Marzelline is shocked. Rocco describes Pizarro's murder plot, and Pizarro is led away to prison. Florestan is released from his chains by Leonore, and the crowd sings the praises of Leonore, the loyal savior of her husband (Wer ein holdes Weib errungen ["Who has got a good wife"]).

Performance Info

1pm on:

* 15th Aug 09

7.30pm on:

* 30th July 09
* 4th, 7th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, 24th, 26th, 29 Aug 09

Opera Australia is thrilled to present Cheryl Barker in her role debut as Puccinis Manon Lescaut.

Mim, Butterfly, Tosca Over the last ten years Cheryl Barker has captivated audiences with her portrayals of Puccinis great heroines. Now she brings her rich, dramatic soprano and fiery stage presence to the freespirited Manon Lescaut.

There are three men in Manons life. Her brother, Lescaut, tries to protect his sister from the harsh realities of life. The wealthy Geronte offers Manon the life of luxury she craves. And the romantic and impoverished des Grieux offers his heart. Should she opt for glitter or passion, comfort or happiness?

Manon thinks she knows what she wants, but it may not be her choice. Whatever the outcome, Puccinis captivating score, with its sweeping arias and gorgeous orchestral colour, makes the tale of a charismatic young heroine into a deeply romantic adventure.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes returns to Sydney to take the role of Lescaut, Manons well-meaning but ultimately powerless brother, Richard Alexander is Geronte, and as the Cavaliere des Grieux, we welcome back tenor Jorge Lopez-Yanez. Alexander Polianichko conducts, Gale Edwards directs this sumptuous production and Roger Kirk creates the glorious wigs and powder of eighteenth-century France.

Performed in Italian with surtitles.
Running time: two hours and fifty minutes including two twenty minute intervals.

An Opera Conference co-production

Synopsis

The action of the opera takes place at Amiens, Paris, Le Havre and Louisiana during the second half of the 18th Century

Act I An Inn yard at Amiens

A stage coach arrives at an inn yard at Amiens. Inside is a young woman, Manon, her brother Lescaut and an elderly rou Geronte. Lescaut is taking his sister to a convent, but when he realises that she is greatly admired by Geronte he is quite happy to let the wealthy old man plot Manons abduction.

Meanwhile, the young cavalier Des Grieux sees Manon and strikes up a conversation. There is a spark between them, and he persuades her to meet him later that evening. However, when one of Des Grieux's friends uncovers a plot to abduct Manon, Des Grieux decides to act sooner. He declares his love for Manon and she agrees to elope with him. They steal Geronte's coach and leave for Paris.

Geronte is furious. He tells the tipsy Lescaut what has happened, but Lescaut assures Geronte that a students purse cannot last long and that Manon will soon return.

Act II A luxurious apartment in Gerontes house in Paris

Lescaut is right. Manon has left the impoverished Des Grieux for a comfortable life with Geronte, although not without regrets. Lescaut arranges for Des Grieux to visit and, inevitably, they fall into each others' arms.

They are interrupted by the sudden return of Geronte. He sarcastically bids her farewell and leaves the lovers alone. As they prepare to run away together, Manon cannot resist gathering up some of the jewels and finery which Geronte has given her. The delay proves fatal. Geronte has denounced Manon as an immoral woman and the door opens to admit a grimly smiling Geronte and the police. Manon is arrested, leaving Des Grieux in despair.

Act III A square near the harbour at Le Havre

Manon is sentenced to banishment to the French possession of Louisiana. Lescaut and Des Grieux come to the prison where she awaits deportation and plot to rescue her, but without success. Des Grieux, however, cannot bear to leave Manons side, so he persuades the ships Captain to take him too.

Intermezzo

Act IV A vast plain near New Orleans

Des Grieux has killed the Governors nephew in a duel in defence of Manon, and the lovers have fled New Orleans. They are lost in the Louisiana desert, and the exhausted Manon begs Des Grieux to go in search of water. Manon is left alone.

Des Grieux returns from his unsuccessful search and finds Manon near death. She asks her lover not to weep for her, telling him that it is the hour of kisses, not of tears. My faults will be forgotten, she says, but my love will not die. In the operas last moments Manon dies, and Des Grieux collapses by her side.

Performance Info

8pm on:

* 25th July 09

7.30pm on:

* 16th, 22nd, 28th & 31st Jul 09
* 6th, 10th, 13th Aug 09

ENO has consistently championed the work of Benjamin Britten ever since we premiered Peter Grimes at Sadler’s Wells in 1945. Nine years later Britten turned Henry James’s Victorian ghost story, The Turn of the Screw, into a hauntingly atmospheric and ambiguously twisted tale of domestic abuse and corrupted innocence. Originally produced by the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, David McVicar’s chilling production won the South Bank Show Award for Opera when it was staged at ENO in 2007. It now receives its first revival, conducted by former ENO Music Director Sir Charles Mackerras and reuniting the four principal singers of what The Sunday Times hailed as an ‘unbeatable cast’ led by Rebecca Evans and Timothy Robinson.

La Fura dels Baus, the Catalan ‘total theatre’ company that famously created the opening ceremony for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, makes its ENO debut with a production of the darkly comical masterpiece of the late György Ligeti. With its outrageous cross-gender casting and wildly virtuosic (often erotic) vocal writing, Le Grand Macabre is a crazy surrealist farce set in a fantasy world, that laughs in the face of death and points the moral: eat, drink and make love, for who knows when the world might end. ENO gave the work’s UK premiere in 1982 and now proudly presents the composer’s 1996 revision with an international cast conducted by the Company’s Olivier Award-winning Music Director, Edward Gardner.

Brilliantly relocating the original Renaissance court setting of Verdi’s great revenge drama to the vendetta-driven culture of 1950s Mafia-run New York, Jonathan Miller’s ‘Little Italy’ staging of Rigoletto was acclaimed as a classic when it was first seen in 1982 and has remained in ENO’s repertoire ever since. For its latest revival, leading Verdi baritone Anthony Michaels-Moore, who has sung the title role to acclaim in Brussels, Vienna and the Netherlands, now sings it for the first time on the British stage. Recently praised in the Financial Times for conducting ‘with a fire and articulation worthy of Toscanini’, Stephen Lord, Music Director of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, makes his UK debut in Verdi’s darkly dramatic, melody-driven score.

Following Anthony Minghella’s Olivier Award-winning Madam Butterfly and Jonathan Miller’s 1930s-style La bohème, ENO continues to renew its core Puccini repertoire with a new production of the composer’s operatic swansong. Directed by dynamic young theatre director Rupert Goold — fresh from his multi-award-winning Macbeth and record-breaking West End run of Oliver! — this darkly beautiful staging promises to be a Turandot for our times. German soprano Kirsten Blanck makes her UK stage debut as the man-hating ‘ice princess’; Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones (Pinkerton in Minghella’s Butterfly) makes his role debut as the unknown prince whose death-defying passion solves the riddle of her tortured heart. Featuring the aria Nessun Dorma, Puccini’s most iridescently exotic score is conducted by ENO’s Olivier Award-winning Music Director, Edward Gardner.

Beautiful, passionate and brave, Puccini’s Tosca is the ultimate role for a soprano. American diva Deborah Voigt takes on the part in The Royal Opera’s stunning 2006 production with Italian sensation Marcello Giordani as her lover Cavaradossi, and Bryn Terfel as her nemesis, the corrupt police chief Baron Scarpia.

Please note
Deborah Voigt as had to withdraw from the role of Tosca for all performances due to illness.

We are pleased to announce that the role will now be shared by two wonderful sopranos:
Angela Gheorghiu, who will sing on 9, 14 and 16 July.
Nelly Miricioiu, who will sing on 11 and 18 July.

With dramatic settings ranging from the seat of power to the foot of the gallows, Un ballo in maschera combines political intrigue, forbidden love and assassination in one of Verdi’s most fascinating works. Directed by Mario Martone and with atmospheric settings by Sergio Tramonti, the staging brings out the innate theatricality and drama of Verdi’s ‘most operatic of all operas’.

Running time: 3 hours 15 minutes | 2 Intervals
Performed in Italian with English

A ravishing fast-paced fantasy set amid verdant forests and majestic temples, Sir Frederick Ashton’s mythological love story unites the huntress Sylvia and a lovelorn shepherd with the divine intervention of the deity Eros.

The splendid score by Léo Delibes was so admired by Tchaikovsky that he purportedly declared: had he known the music existed at the time, he would never have composed Swan Lake!

Programme for Castleward Opera's 2009 production, Die Fledermaus.

This beautifully produced programme for Castleward Opera's 2009 summer season is available for pre-purchase and will be available for collection on the day of your performance. We're sorry, but this item is only available to Castleward Opera 2009 ticket holders.

With this exclusive packaged hotel deal you receive ticket(s) to "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Majestic Theatre and choose your duration at our selection of hotels.

The Night Belongs to Phantom...

Now celebrating over two decades as Broadway's Most Haunting Love Story.

Winner of seven 1988 Tony® Awards including Best Musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterwork is more than the longest-running musical in Broadway history - it's an international phenomenon that unmasks emotions like no other show can, leaving audiences everywhere breathless.

You'll be entranced by the sumptuous score, the haunting romance and the timeless story of seduction and despair.

Running Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

Audience: May be appropriate for children 4 and older. Children under 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

Cast includes Patricia Bardon as Carmen, Gwyn Hughes Jones as Don José, David Soar as Escamillo, Sarah-Jane Davies as Micaëla, Henry Waddington as Zuniga, Joanne Boag as Frasquita and Carolyn Dobbin as Mercedes.

Don José’s life was quiet, respectable and law abiding. From the moment he met Carmen his life has unravelled. He is intoxicated by her, blinded by jealousy, pursuing her across Spain and on the run. His jealousy will destroy him and if the cards are telling the truth, it will destroy Carmen too.

Bizet’s most famous creation is full to the brim with instantly recognizable music and paints a mesmerizing picture of a Spain teeming with fascinating characters. Carmen herself is one of the most charismatic and hard to resist characters in opera. For a century and a half audiences the world over have fallen in love with her. Patricia Bardon returns to this production as Carmen with Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones reprising the role of Don José.

Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser’s production for Welsh National Opera distils Bizet’s masterpiece right down to its essence.

Sung in French with surtitles in English.
Co-production with Scottish Opera.

Enter into the history of Opera de Paris through a guided tour in its public areas such as the Grand Staircase. Built in marble of various colours, the double stairway leads to the foyers and the different levels of the auditorium.

The red and gold Italian-style horseshoe-shaped auditorium comprises 1,900 red velvet seats. The magnificent stage screen represents a draped curtain with gold braids and pompoms. The room is lit by an immense crystal chandelier hanging below the famous Marc Chagalls brightly coloured ceiling.

Times:

Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday
@ 11.30am (tour in French)
@ 2.30pm (tour in English)
@ 3.30pm (tour in French)

Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Meeting Point: Opera Garnier ,in front of the desk "Visites Guides".

No-one is safe in the Rome of 1800. Under Baron Scarpia corruption and suspicion hang over the city, virtue and humanity are cruelly stamped out.

The world of opera singer Floria Tosca is about to be turned upside down. She is suspicious of her lover Mario’s fidelity. Little does she realize that he is at the centre of a struggle that will lead to tragedy. Soon she herself will become the object of Scarpia’s insatiable lust and she will be forced to ask what she has done to deserve this.

Once decried as a 'shabby little shocker', Tosca has become one of the best-loved of all operas. The combination of its fast paced plot, high tension and the poignancy of the great arias Vissi d’arte and E lucevan le stelle ensure that Tosca never fails to enthrall. Michael Blakemore’s period set production Welsh National Opera of this pulsating thriller promises to set your emotions on a knife-edge.

Cast includes Alwyn Mellor as Floria Tosca, Geraint Dodd as Cavaradossi, Robert Hayward as Scarpia.

Sung in Italian with surtitles in English.

Co-production with the State Opera of South Australia.

Don José’s life was quiet, respectable and law abiding. From the moment he met Carmen his life has unravelled. He is intoxicated by her, blinded by jealousy, pursuing her across Spain and on the run. His jealousy will destroy him and if the cards are telling the truth, it will destroy Carmen too.

Bizet’s most famous creation is full to the brim with instantly recognizable music and paints a mesmerizing picture of a Spain teeming with fascinating characters. Carmen herself is one of the most charismatic and hard to resist characters in opera. For a century and a half audiences the world over have fallen in love with her. Patricia Bardon returns to this production as Carmen with Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones reprising the role of Don José.

Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser’s production for distils Bizet’s masterpiece right down to its essence.

Cast includes Patricia Bardon as Carmen, Gwyn Hughes Jones as Don José, David Soar as Escamillo, Sarah-Jane Davies as Micaëla, Henry Waddington as Zuniga, Joanne Boag as Frasquita and Carolyn Dobbin as Mercedes.

Sung in French with surtitles in English.
Co-production with Scottish Opera.

Belmonte’s lover Constanze is being held captive by Pasha Selim. If Belmonte is going to rescue Constanze he will have to get past the Pasha’s steward Osmin first. This may not necessarily sound like the premise of a comedy but The Abduction from the Seraglio is one of Mozart’s wittiest and most delightful creations.

The joyous overture suggests a boisterous sense of fun, which is carried right through to the final curtain with stratospheric arias and blissful ensembles along the way. BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Rosenblatt Recital Song Prize winner Andrew Kennedy performs the role of Belmonte.

James Robinson’s stylish production for Welsh National Opera is irresistibly entertaining, setting the opera on the Orient Express of the 1920s en route from Paris to Istanbul.

Cast includes Andrew Kennedy as Belmonte, Lisette Oropesa as Constanze, Petros Magoulas as Osmin, Claire Ormshaw as Blonde and Wynne Evans as Pedrillo.

Sung in German with surtitles in English.

A co-production of Houston Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Colorado, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Minnesota Opera and Opera Pacific.

A Gala Night of Opera, featuring Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the Future Stars of Opera with The City of London Sinfonia, performing at the Tower of London as part of the Continental Airlines Tower Festival 2009.

The Tower of London provides a stunning and unique location to host an entertainment event, a setting unrivalled anywhere else in the UK.

Performances from the cream of London arts companies combined with state of the art sound and lights and visual projections onto the Tower walls will create a truly spectacular experience.

Are all women the same? What about the men? Take a rollercoaster ride through innocence, experience and sexual intrigue when the legendary Jim Sharman takes a fresh look at Mozarts bittersweet romance.

Performed in English with surtitles.

Duration: approximately three hours including one twenty-minute interval.

Performance Info

7.30pm on:

* 17th, 19th, 23rd, 26th & 28th Sep 09
* 1st, 6th, 10th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 23rd, 26th & 29th Oct 09

There will be love and death amongst the pyramids as the thundering choruses and spine-tingling arias of Verdis grandest opera comes to Sydney. One of Australias true visionaries, Graeme Murphy directs an epic new production.

An Opera Conference co-production

Performed in Italian with English surtitles.

Duration: approximately three hours and five minutes including two twenty-minute intervals.

Performance Info

1pm on:

* 18th and 25th Jul 09
* 19th Sep 09

7.30pm on:

* 7th, 11th, 15th, 21st & 29th July 09
* 1st, 5th, 8th, 15th, 19th, 28th & 31st Aug 09
* 3rd, 8th, 11th & 15th Sep 09

ShowTrans is a state of the art service that provides multilingual, scene-by-scene commentary of a theatrical production. ShowTrans is not a word-for-word translation of the show. Instead, the system gives the patron detailed plot information in his or her chosen language, enabling him or her to follow the action of the show. ShowTrans is available at every performance in varying languages including Japanese, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Korean. Since its introduction in 1998, ShowTrans has been installed at numerous Broadway productions including such favorites as The Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia! and Wicked.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Available in:
French
Japanese
Portuguese
Spanish

You will be able to choose your desired language and number of required sets during the booking process. The date chosen must match the performance date you are seeing this show.

TICKET TO THIS SHOW MUST BE PURCHASED SEPARATELY.

Transfer Times

The 'Transfer to the Opera' has got fixed departure times. However, the exact times will be decided upon by March 2009.

Last years departure times were Torri @ 5:30pm, Garda @ 5:45pm & Bardolino @ 5:55pm most likely they wont change but the final decision will not be made before March 2009.

Kaija Saariaho’s opera, L’Amour de loin, was described by The New York Times as ‘Best New Work of the Year 2000’. Having directed the worldwide sensation Corteo for Cirque du Soleil, Daniele Finzi Pasca turns his creative vision to a major new production of this work for ENO.

This combination of physical theatre and modern opera follows a 12th century troubadour’s search for love across a constantly changing theatrical landscape.

ENO Music Director Edward Gardner brings his passion for Saariaho’s music to conducting the rich, sensual score. Roderick Williams, Joan Rodgers and Diana Montague sing the principal roles, interacting with an extraordinary troupe of acrobats and performers.

CAST:
Jaufre Rudel Roderick Williams; Clemence Joan Rodgers; The Pilgrim Diana Monatague

Andrew Lloyd Webber's romantic musical is based on Gaston Leroux's gothic novel of life beneath the stage of the Paris Opera House. A mysterious masked man falls in love with Christine, a singer who inspires The Music of the Night.

Duration: [2hr 30m]

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the staging of Phantom of the Opera, all seats may have restricted view during parts of the performance. Pillar seats in the Stalls and Royal Circle and the side seats in the Grand Circle are particularly affected.

Picture shows Earl Carpenter as The Phantom and Katie Knight-Adams as Christine. Photo by Clive Barda.

Opera Calendar 2008

An evening in genuine Italian style, devoted to discovering Tuscan cuisine and a famous opera.

Our assistant will take you to a charming old district in the city centre. In a characteristic restaurant, you will be served a typical Tuscan dinner with excellent Chianti wine.

Talented singers will be awaiting you after dinner in an intimate, old setting (the Anglican church), to perform four acts of one of the most famous Operas (of Verdi, or Puccini or Mozart), accompanied by piano music.

You will be reserved front-row seats so you can enjoy this absorbing spectacle to the full.

Tour Info:

Times:

• Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday @ 7:15pm (EXCLUDING August)
• Return: 11:15pm approximately

With this exclusive packaged hotel deal you recieve ticket(s) to a "Arena Di Verona" event, and accommodation at the luxury hotel of your choice.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s masterful interpretation of Shakespeare’s enduring romantic tragedy has become one of ABT’s signature productions. Against a sumptuous setting in Renaissance Italy, MacMillan weaves a dance tapestry rich in character nuance and sensuality, and Sergei Prokofiev’s stirring music underscores the lyric beauty and passion of this beloved ballet’s star-crossed lovers.

La Cenerentola (Cinderella) is an opera (drama giocoso) in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, with libretto by Giacomo Ferretti, after Charles Perrault’s tale Cendrillon. It premiered on 25 January 1817 at the Teatro Valle in Rome.

A disfigured musical genius haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera and exerts strange control over a lovely young soprano. Based on "Le Fantome de L'Opera" by Gaston Leroux. Score includes: "Music of the Night," "Angel of Music," "Think of Me" and the title song.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash musicalization of the Gaston Leroux novel won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission

Performance Times:

Monday: 8pm

Tuesday: 7pm

Wednesday - Saturday: 8pm

Wednesday and Saturday: 2pm

With this exclusive packaged hotel deal you can choose from the range of "Phantom of the Opera" theatre tickets and choose your duration at our selection of London hotels.

Lloyd Webber's romantic musical is based on Gaston Leroux's gothic novel of life beneath the stage of the Paris Opera House. A mysterious masked man falls in love with Christine, a singer who inspires The Music of the Night.

Running Time: [2hr 30m]

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the staging of Phantom of the Opera, all seats may have restricted view during parts of the performance. Pillar seats in the Stalls and Royal Circle and the side seats in the Grand Circle are particularly affected.

A beautiful square in Seville with a cigarette factory, a guard house, and a bridge. Morales and the soldiers are on guard, very bored ("Sur la place, Chacun passe").

Micala appears seeking Jos, her fianc, but is accosted by the impudent soldiers who desire her company, causing her to run away. As Jos approaches with the new guard, he and the soldiers are imitated by the street-children ("Avec la garde montante").

The cigarette girls emerge from the factory, greeted by their men ("La cloche a sonn"). Carmen appears, and all the men ask her when she will love them ("Quand je vous aimerai?"). She replies that she loves the man that does not love her in the famous Habanera. ("L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"). When asked to choose a lover, she throws a flower in front of Jos ("Carmen! sur tes pas, nous nous pressons tous!"). Jos is temporarily transfixed until Micala brings him a letter and kiss from his mother ("Parle-moi de ma mre!").

Jos longingly thinks of his home. As soon as she leaves, screams are heard from the factory and the women run out, singing chaotically ("Au secours! Au secours!"). Don Jos and his superior, Zuniga find that Carmen has been fighting with another woman, and slashed her face with a knife.

Zuniga attempts to interrogate Carmen who impudently sings a folk song, ignoring him ("Tra la la"). Zuniga instructs Jos to arrest her, and escort her to the gaol. Carmen seduces Jos with a Seguidilla ("Prs des remparts de Sville"), and convinces Jos to let her escape. Jos is arrested for letting Carmen escape.

Performance Info

19th & 27th June 2009 @ 9.15pm

2nd, 9th, 14th, 18th, 23rd & 30th July 2009 @ 9.15pm

2nd, 13th, 20th, 23rd, 25th & 28th August 2009 @ 9pm

Customers must exchange their voucher on the day of the performance between 6pm an 8pm in "Ristorante IPPOPOTAMO", Piazza Bra Nr. 22 (first floor) in Verona.

Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Victorien Sardou's drama, La Tosca. The work premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on January 14, 1900.

One of the most dramatic of operas and a staple of the standard operatic repertoire, Tosca appears as number 8 on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America.

Performance Info

Times: 15th, 19th 22nd, 26th & 29th August 2009 @ 9pm

Customers must exchange their voucher on the day of the performance between 6pm an 8pm in "Ristorante IPPOPOTAMO", Piazza Bra Nr. 22(first floor) in Verona.

The work was made to order (commissioned by the Egyptian viceroy and opera lover Ismail Pasha) for the ceremonial opening of the Suez Canal (November 17, 1869), although Verdi only started writing it after its opening.

Verdi endowed the story of the Ethiopian princess Aida, imprisoned as a slave at the court of Egyptian pharaohs and living out her tragic amorous relationship to an Egyptian chieftain, with fervent music. He created a musical drama full of fairy-tale fantasy yet at the same time realistically convincing. Aida became one of the most renowned opera works ever.

Performance Info

20th, 25th & 28th June 2009 @ 9.15pm

4th, 12th, 16th, 22nd, 26th, 28th & 31st July 2009 @ 9.15pm

5th, 8th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 27th & 30th August 2009 @ 9pm

Customers must exchange their voucher on the day of the performance between 6pm an 8pm in "Ristorante IPPOPOTAMO", Piazza Bra Nr. 22 (first floor) in Verona.

Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Harem) is an opera (Singspiel) in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie the Younger. It was composed between 1781 and 1782 and premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 16 July 1782.

La bohème (Bohemian Life) is an opera in four acts by Giacomo Puccini, with libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. It was composed between 1893 and 1895, with further revisions in 1896. It premiered on 1 February 1896 at the Teatro Regio in Turin.

Die Fledermaus (The Bat) is a comic operetta in three acts by Johann Strauss II, with libretto by Carl Haffner and Richard Genée. It was composed between 1873 and 1874 and premiered at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 5 April 1874.

Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. It was composed between 1785 and 1786 and premiered on 1 May 1786 in the Burgtheater in Vienna.

Semper Opera Premiered 22 January 2006
Runs 3 hours, 15 minutes
Performed in Italian with German surtitles

CAST
Graf Almaviva
Roman Trekel (Nov.)
Markus Butter (June)

Gräfin Almaviva
Ute Selbig (Nov.)
Rachel Harnisch (June)

Susanna
Lydia Teuscher (Nov.)
Julia Kleiter (June)

Figaro
Markus Marquardt (Nov.)
Christoph Pohl (June)

Cherubino
Antigone Papoulkas (Nov.)
Stephanie Atanasov (June)

Marcellina
Christa Mayer (Nov.)
Andrea Ihle (June)

Bartolo
Georg Zeppenfeld (Nov.)
N.N. (10. | 18. June)
Rainer Büsching (12. | 16. June)

Basilio
Tom Martinsen (Nov.)
Gerald Hupach (June)

Barbarina
N.N.

Don Curzio
Angelo Antonio Poli (Member of «Junges Ensemble Semperoper») (Nov.), Peter Küchler (June)

Antonio
Rainer Büsching (Nov.), Peter Lobert (June)

Staatsopernchor
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

With generous support of the Foundation for Support of the Semper Opera House

PRODUCTION TEAM
Musical direction
Tomáš Netopil

Production
David Mouchtar-Samorai

Stage design
Heinz Hauser

Wardrobe
Joachim Herzog

Lighting design
Jan Seeger

Choir
Christof Bauer

Dramaturgy
Hans-Georg Wegner

Lohengrin is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner, with libretto by the composer. It was composed between 1846 and 1848 and premiered at the Grand Ducal Court Theatre in Weimar on 28 August 1850.

Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, composed originally between 1846 and 1847, although was revised between 1864 and 1865. The original libretto was by Francesco Maria Piave (with additions by Andrea Maffei), after the tragedy of the same name by William Shakespeare and the revised libretto by Charles Nuittier Alexander Beaumont. It premiered at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence on 14 March 1847 and the revised version at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris on 21 April 1865.

La Fille Mal Gardée (The Girl in the Garden) is a Comic Ballet in 2 Acts and inspired by Choffart's engraving of Pierre Antoine Baudouin's 1789 painting Le Reprimande/Une Jeune Fille Querrillée Pa sa Mere.

The ballet was first presented under the title Le Ballet de la Paille ou Il n'est Qu'un Pas du Mal au Bien (The Ballet of Straw or There Is Only One Step From Bad to Good) by the Ballet of the Grand Théâtre, Bordeaux, France on 1 July 1789.

Performance Info

• Premire June 27th @ 19:30
• June 29,30 @ 1930
• July 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,14,15 @ 19:30
• Running Time: 2 hours

"Even if you think you've seen The Phantom of the Opera before, believe me, you've never seen it like this." - Toronto Star

PHANTOM - The Las Vegas Spectacular is an all-new 95–minute production that includes every song from the original and reunites Andrew Lloyd Webber, Hal Prince and others from the show’s original creative team. This lavish production was named the “#1 show in Las Vegas” by the Las Vegas Review Journal and continues to thrill audiences night after night.

From the moment you enter the magnificent $40 million custom-built theatre, you are in the storied Paris Opera House and part of The Phantom's world and all its signature songs, lyrics, costumes, and more. With spectacular sets, new illusions and a breathtaking chandelier experience unlike anything you have ever seen, PHANTOM is a can't-miss experience that promises surprises that will astound new audiences and loyal PHANTOM fans alike, and it’s only at The Venetian. Get your tickets today!

"An only-in-Vegas thrill ride!" - USA Today

"There's no longer any reason to see this show anywhere else." - Chicago Tribune