For its forty ninth yr of operation, Virginia Opera is pairing attention-grabbing gateway operas like “The Barber of Seville” and “Madama Butterfly” with the Ring Cycle warhorse “Siegfried” and “Sanctuary Street,” a contemporary oratorio that tells the story of a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
“It’s just a little little bit of every part for everybody,” explains Inventive Director Adam Turner. “I wouldn’t say there’s an overarching theme.”
Earlier than “Siegfried” hits Richmond’s Dominion Vitality Heart on Oct. 13, right here’s a preview of the Norfolk-based opera firm’s upcoming season.
“Siegfried”
Oct. 13 and 15
Most individuals won’t affiliate Richard Wagner with comedy, however Turner assures that “Siegfried” is the “funniest, lightest” opera of the Ring Cycle, 4 works loosely tailored from Germanic legend.
Virginia Opera started the cycle in 2021 with “Das Rheingold.” As a COVID precaution, these performances happened at Topgolf areas, with singers dressed as professional golfers belting their arias on the driving vary as audiences watched from the hitting bays.
Final yr, the opera introduced “The Valkyrie” indoors, however with a staging that channeled sci-fi works like “Star Wars.” “Siegfried” will preserve the sci-fi motif.
“It’s a continuation of exploring the world of synthetic intelligence and exploring how our humanity, our collective humanity, is being affected by machines and digital enhancements or distractions or disruptions,” Turner says. “It’ll be huge and bombastic, and hyper-romantic. It’s like a Grimm Brothers fairy story mixed with ‘Recreation of Thrones’ mixed with ‘Lord of the Rings.’ But it surely additionally packs that highly effective punch of Wagner.”
Virginia Opera will conclude the Ring Cycle subsequent yr with “The Twilight of the Gods” for its fiftieth anniversary season.
- Courtesy of Virginia Opera
- Adam Turner, inventive director of Virginia Opera.
“The Barber of Seville”
Nov. 17 and 19
Seven years in the past, Virginia Opera staged a hilarious, chicken-themed “Barber of Seville” loosely primarily based on Pedro Almodóvar’s black comedy “Ladies on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.”
Now, the two-act opera buffa returns to Virginia’s phases, sans chickens this time.
Within the present, Depend Almaviva is smitten with Rosina, the younger rich ward of Bartolo, an aged physician. Bartolo, nonetheless, plans to marry Rosina as soon as she’s of applicable age in order that he can entry her sizeable dowry. Into the combo comes Figaro, a mischievous barber who helps the Depend woo Rosina.
“It’s a basic opera that’s beloved by every kind of operagoers younger and outdated. And it’s a variety of enjoyable,” Turner says.
This manufacturing will function the course of Nora Winsler, who has served as a resident assistant director at Virginia Opera for the final two years.
“She’s a younger artist who’s on the verge of an distinctive profession,” Turner says. “We’re getting considered one of her very first forays into steering the ship, so to talk.”
“Sanctuary Street”
Feb. 9 and 11 (2024)
“William Nonetheless was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, serving to a whole lot of enslaved individuals escape to freedom and compiling their tales within the ebook “The Underground Railroad Data.” Nonetheless and his tales have served because the inspiration for “Sanctuary Street,” a 2017 Grammy-nominated oratorio by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell.
“Early subsequent yr, Virginia Opera will give this oratorio (outlined as a large-scale musical work for orchestra and voices) a full dramatic staging.
“Turner first noticed the work carried out in Pennsylvania a yr and a half in the past below the baton of Everett McCorvey, the director and govt producer of College of Kentucky Opera Theatre; McCorvey will even conduct Virginia Opera’s staging.
“I used to be simply awestruck by the sound he was in a position to elicit from that very small chamber refrain. I can’t wait to see the sound he will get from our 40-voice refrain right here in Virginia,” Turner says. “It’s a big orchestral and choral piece with a dramatic story that options 5 soloists. It’s our largest sonic illustration of the whole season.”
“Most of the narratives explored within the present join with Virginia, Turner says. One portion of the oratorio relates the story of Henry “Field” Brown, who famously shipped himself in a crate from Richmond to Nonetheless in Philadelphia to assert his freedom.
“Madama Butterfly”
March 22 and 24 (2024)
Whereas it’s solely been 5 years since Virginia Opera final staged Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” Turner says the pandemic has operagoers itching to see the preferred works within the canon.
“These items are in such demand as a result of audiences love them,” he says.
“Butterfly” is a few younger Japanese maiden who marries an American naval officer on the flip of the final century. Shortly after their wedding ceremony, he leaves her for 3 years. The aftermath of their actions have devastating penalties.
“It’s a romantic opera. It’s additionally very tragic,” Turner says. “It’s so compelling, it’s so lovely. The music is simply romantic and luxurious and actually captures the spirit of early twentieth century Japan.”
Other than Turner within the orchestra pit, this efficiency will function an all-female Asian American manufacturing staff.
“They actually convey a novel perspective to the staging, the lighting, the costuming of the opera,” Turner says.
For this present, the setting has been moved to simply after World Struggle II.
“Proper after World Struggle II and the bomb, there have been a variety of American GIs stationed in Japan. There actually was this sense of the Japanese battle bride,” Turner says, including that the shift “offers it just a little extra immediacy, much more relevancy for viewers members.”