Opera Ireland Spring 09 Season Press Release
Opera Ireland's spring season brings opera to everyone!
A Mozart classic, A Tchaikovsky Masterpiece, a free live broadcast and great discounts:
Opera Ireland Spring 2009 | Don Giovanni, Mazeppa,
On Saturday 28th February, the Opera Ireland season will open with a free live broadcast of its opening night performance of Mozart's classic Don Giovanni, sponsored by BMW, live from the Gaiety Theatre into Meeting House Square in Temple Bar and to an invited audience from the local community in Smithfield. The company will also present the Irish premiere of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece, Mazeppa as part of its Spring season of opera which runs from 28th February to 8th March.
Following the critical success of its 2008 productions of Madama Butterfly and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Opera Ireland will present its winning formula of pairing familiar operatic masterpieces (Don Giovanni by Mozart) alongside Irish premieres of lesser-known works (Mazeppa, Tchaikovsky) a co-production with Opera de Monte Carlo who will present their production in Monte Carlo in 2012.
Rehearsals are already in full swing with visiting casts from Russia, Italy, Austria and Japan aswell as two of Ireland's finest sopranos, Cara O'Sullivan who sings the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and Sinead Mulhern who plays Maria in Mazeppa alongside Bass Gerard O'Connor and tenor Eugene Ginty.
Austrian brothers, Paul Armin Edelmann and Peter Edelmann return to the Opera Ireland stage in the lead roles of Don Giovanni and his servant Leporello, having had previous successes with the company as Il Conte di Amaviva in the Marriage of Figaro, Spring 2008 and Don Alfonso in its production of Cosi fan Tutte, Spring 2007 respectively. Other favourites with Opera Ireland audiences are Japanese soprano Mari Moriya, in the role of Zerlina (Don Giovanni) who gave outstanding performances in the her previous roles of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Liu in Turandot and Italian soprano Daria Masiero as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) who was unforgettable as La Contessa in The Marriage of Figaro.
Mazeppa is a blood-thirsty tale of crazy love, abduction, political persecution, execution, and vengeful murder based on a poem by Pushkin. The production stars some of the finest opera singers in Russia including Valeri Alexeev as Mazeppa and thrilling Russian tenor Vsevolod Grivnov in the role of Andrej The Opera Ireland chorus is joined by twenty young male and female singers from the ‘Organ Hall Chamber Choir' in Chisinau, Moldova to give a thoroughly ‘Russian' authenticity to the Mazeppa production.
Maestro Alexander Annisimov will conduct the RTE Concert Orchestra for Mazeppa and David Brophy will conduct Don Giovanni.
This season the company is also highlighting it's ticket prices and discounts, in times of hardship we need the arts to lift our spirits and this Opera Ireland season has two amazing productions and tickets available at a price ranges to suit every pocket.
Offers for student standby tickets are available at €10.00 for any available seat in the theatre on the night of the performance from 7pm in the Gaiety foyer, aswell as 10% discount for groups of 10 or more and special introductory prices for groups. There is no booking fee through the Opera Ireland box office 1890 67 37 27 or online http://www.operaireland.com/.
For further information, images and interviews please contact:
Conleth
Jennifer O'Connell - Communications Manager, Opera Ireland - 478 60 41 or 087 972 1776 communications@operaireland.ie
OPERA IRELAND SPRING 2009
DON GIOVANNI (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Opera Ireland co-production with Opera Monte Carlo
February 28, March 2, 4, 5, 7,8 | Gaiety Theatre
Mozart's setting of the legend of Don Juan - the great seducer, brings together elements of comedy, melodrama and supernatural forces and is one of the most enduring, popular works in the operatic repertoire. Since its premiere in 1787 Don Giovanni has continued to astonish audiences with its virtuosic arias, ensemble singing and powerful orchestral writing.
The stellar cast sees the return to Opera Ireland of some of Europe's finest Mozart interpreters, led by the charismatic Austrian brothers Paul Armin and Peter Edelmann in the roles of the Don and his servant Leporello, and the great Irish soprano Cara O'Sullivan singing the role of Donna Anna. Those who were moved by Daria Masiero's Countess in last season's Figaro will be delighted to see her return in the role of Donna Elvira. With other Irish audience favourite Mari Moriya also starring, and dynamic Irish conductor David Brophy at the helm of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, this promises to be one of the operatic events of the year.
MAZEPPA (Pyotr Iliych Tchaikovsky)
Opera Ireland co-production with Opera Monte Carlo
March 1, 3, 6 | Gaiety Theatre
Tchaikovsky's bloodthirsty masterpiece, Mazeppa, based on Puskin's poem Poltava, is another Irish première for Opera Ireland. This wonderful Russian opera, with its gripping story of crazed love, abduction, political persecution, murder and revenge, has all of the surging romantic passion found in the greatest of Tchaikovsky's music.
First performed in 1884 at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, the production will be directed by Dieter Kaegi, Opera Ireland's Artistic Director, and conducted by renowned Russian maestro Alexander Anissimov. The cast is headed by the thrilling Russian Tenor Vsevolod Grivnov, and the internationally acclaimed Irish soprano, Sinéad Mulhern, fresh from her triumph as Jenufa at the Vienna State Opera.
OPENING NIGHT LIVE
Presented by Opera Ireland and sponsored by BMW
in association with, Dublin City Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust
February 28 | Meeting House Square & Smithfield
As a part of Opera Ireland's public access programme, the company will bring live screening of the opening nights of Don Giovanni to an invited audience of local community groups in Smithfield, and a free open-air public screening in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar at 8pm Saturday 28th February. We recommend you dress for the weather and come early to get a seat as over 400 people attended the free screening last season as this is a free seating event, first come, first served.
BOOKING & LISTINGS INFORMATION
DON GIOVANNI (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
An opera Ireland co-production with Opera de Monte Carlo
With the RTÉ Concert Orchestra & Opera Ireland Chorus
February 28, March 2, 4, 5, 7 & 8 (six performances) at 8.00pm, Gaiety Theatre
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
MAZEPPA (Pyotr Iliych Tchaikovsky)
An Opera Ireland co-production with Opera de Monte Carlo
With the RTÉ Concert Orchestra & Opera Ireland Chorus
March 1, 3 & 6 (three performances) at 8.00pm, Gaiety Theatre
Sung in Russian with English surtitles
BOX OFFICE - 1890 67 37 27
ONLINE BOOKINGS - http://www.operaireland.com/
Ticket prices: €10 Student standby tickets, €25 - €125 [Season Tickets and group discounts apply]
ALL PERFORMANCES START AT 8PM
