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Toledo Opera opens its
2009-2010 season with Giuseppe Verdi’s effervescent
comic masterpiece Falstaff. This enchanting
and amusing opera based on Shakespeare’s notorious
protagonist is filled with both physical comedy and the
elegant language of Shakespeare. Falstaff tells
the story of the incorrigible yet irresistible rogue
Falstaff, a braggart, con man and habitual liar who attempts
to woo two married noblewomen at the same time, in hopes
of procuring their fortunes. His scheme is quickly discovered,
and the women get hilarious revenge. The opera’s
underlying theme is that “in life, we are all fools
and he who laughs last, laughs best.” No Shakespeare
story would be complete without a subplot of forbidden
lovers, embodied in the characters of Nanetta and Fenton.
Verdi celebrates young love with some of the most glorious
melodies ever written.
Written when the great
composer was nearly 80 years old, this masterpiece fulfilled
his long-cherished ambition of setting Shakespeare’s Merry
Wives of Windsor to music. Verdi had set only two
comic operas in his long career – his first and
his last. Working in secret for two years, Verdi’s
opera premiered in 1893 to immediate and resounding acclaim.
Performances are November
7 and 13, 2009 at 7:30 pm and November 15, 2009 at 2
pm at the Valentine Theatre. The opera is sung in Italian
with English translations projected above the stage.
In February, it may be
cold in Toledo…but we can still dream
of April in Paris. The Opera’s 2010
Opera Gala will feature an evening of stirring choruses
and poignant arias from great French operas. Ou la la!
C’est magnifique! One performance at The Peristyle
on February 13, 2010 at 7:30 pm.
In March, hauntingly
beautiful music is married with an ancient Roman tale
in Benjamin Britten’s opera Lucretia. The
men of the Roman army have discovered that during their
absence, their wives have faithlessly betrayed them—all
but one, that is. Lucretia has remained faithful to her
husband Collatinus…but when the young prince Tarquinius
plots to test her fidelity, he takes not only her chastity,
but he brings about her complete ruin. Performances
March 13 at 7:30pm and March 14 at 2pm in The Valentine
Theatre. This performance is sung in English.
The season will end with
Gaetano Donizetti’s boisterous comedy, The
Elixir of Love at the Valentine Theatre. A delightfully
flirtatious tale of innocent love and boundless devotion, The
Elixir of Love will have audiences rooting for the
shy, love-struck Nemorino as he naively relies on a “love
potion” to help him win the heart of the beautiful
Adina. Unaware that the potion he has purchased is a
sham, Nemorino finds his courage and eventually the love
he has been pining for. Sung in Italian with English
translations projected above the stage, the three performances
of The Elixir of Love are scheduled for May
1, and 7, 2010 at 7:30pm and May 9, 2010 at 2pm. All
performances are at The Valentine Theatre.
“We’ve assembled
a season with great breadth of repertoire,” shared
General and Artistic Director Renay Conlin. “This
season promises a very well-rounded experience for the
many thousands of opera lovers in Toledo. In addition
to the star vocal artists that we engage, we are excited
to be bringing a consistently high quality of theatre
to our audience through productions that are visually
alluring and musically moving.”
Join us for a pre-performance
discussion – free to ticket holders – one
hour prior to each performance at The Valentine Theatre.
These informal lectures provide interesting background
information about the opera and the composer to make
your listening experience more enjoyable.
Season Subscription renewals for 2009-2010 are being
sent in mid March. New subscriptions will be accepted
after the company’s production of Candide on
May 2. For information, call 419-255-7464 or visit www.toledoopera.org.
Single tickets for the 2009-2010 season go on sale the
second week of September and can be purchased through
our website or by calling the Toledo Opera office. |
