2012-13 Season Overview
By Richard Strauss
In German with projected English texts
Elektra—a poisoned, shattered soul—witnessed the murder of her father King Agamemnon when she was just a child. And the killers? Elektra’s very own mother, Queen Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus. Isolated and maltreated, Elektra now lives for just one thing—death for her mother at the hands of her brother Orestes. But when she’s told that he’s been killed, Elektra cracks—vowing to enact her own terrible revenge.
By Giuseppe Verdi
In Italian with projected English texts
Boccanegra takes on the same challenges facing any American president. He’s striving for peace and desperately trying to get opposing sides to work together for the good of the country. But that’s the end of this opera; the action starts much earlier, when Boccanegra, a swashbuckling pirate, is thrust into the role of Doge amidst the splendors of 14th-century Genoa. Not only are the patricians and plebeians at each others’ throats—the private dramas that keep unfolding are just as incendiary as the politics.
By Jules Massenet
In French with projected English texts
Bring your handkerchief. When it comes to romances that tear at the heartstrings, this one ranks among the best. Goethe’s novel on which it’s based made him the toast of Europe. And Massenet’s emotionally vivid music—sometimes grandiose, sometimes achingly fragile—brilliantly illuminates the complex psychology of its troubled protagonists.
By Gaetano Donizetti
In Italian with projected English texts
Never mind that he’s having a late-life crisis. The well-aged and well-heeled Don Pasquale just wants a little respect. So when his headstrong nephew Ernesto (who’s head over heels for the luscious Norina) refuses to marry the woman Pasquale thinks he should, Uncle P goes ballistic. He cuts Ernesto out of his will and decides to father his own heir.
By Engelbert Humperdinck
In German with projected English texts
This deliciously enthralling show has won accolades on two continents, and the lushly romantic score is beloved by all. But for those who think all fairytales are sugarcoated, remember that the Brothers Grimm usually lived up to their name. Food and the lack of it propel the story of two children who dream not of toys but of having enough to eat. With just enough scary and gruesome ingredients, plus a hilarious food-flinging scene, Hansel and Gretel appeals to kids, too. So bring them!
By Giacomo Puccini
In Italian with projected English texts
Yearning, ecstasy, and despair—you hear it all in the music! The score so exquisitely conveys the essence of every character that you’ll feel like you know each of them personally. You’ll laugh as the saucy femme fatale Musetta drives her painter beau mad with jealousy. You’ll cheer when the fragile seamstress Mimì and her ardent poet Rodolfo find true bliss in each other’s arms. And you’ll cry when tragedy strikes and he loses her in the end.
By Richard Wagner
In German with projected English texts
This glorious masterwork stands with The Ring as the ultimate test for singers, chorus, and orchestra. At its heart, a song contest that will transform the society in which it takes place. Nürnberg’s ancient guild of mastersingers is looking for a work of art—a shining beacon of poetry and music. Only those who can pass the guild’s onerous test may enter. But the winner gets the ultimate prize—marriage to the peerless Eva.
By Giuseppe Verdi
In Italian with projected English texts
At its rotten core reigns the Duke of Mantua, a serial seducer who’s out to conquer anyone in skirts—from servant girls to the wives and daughters of his noblemen friends. Aiding his boss in the game and cheering him on when he scores is Rigoletto, the despised court jester. Only one person brings him joy—his innocent daughter Gilda, whom he keeps behind locked doors and guards with his life. But no one’s safe in this godless place—and massive emotional devastation is just around the corner. The Duke is hunting again—and this time he’s got Gilda in his sights!
By André Previn
In English with projected English texts
“Who wants real? I know I don’t want it. I want magic!” Blanche DuBois—the fading southern belle who retreats into fantasy to escape from the brutal reality in which she’s forced to live. She’s a wounded, haughty, vulnerable, delusional misfit—a woman who won’t face the sensual side of herself and yet always succumbs to it. And when she moves in with her sister Stella and her sexually ruthless husband Stanley—worlds explode.