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HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
Broadcast Schedule — Fall 2009
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RELEASE DATE: |
October 31, 2009 |
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OPERA: |
BEATRICE AND BENEDICT (in English) |
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COMPOSER: |
Hector Berlioz |
| LIBRETTO: |
Adapted by the composer in French from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. English translation by Geoffrey Dunn, as adapted from Shakespeare by Elijah Moshinsky. |
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CAST:
Beatrice
Benedict
Hero
Ursule
Don Pedro
Claudio
Somarone
Leonato
Photographer |
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Norman Reinhardt, tenor
Ailish Tynan, soprano
Leann Sandel-Pantaleo, mezzo-soprano
Ryan McKinny, bass
Liam Bonner, baritone
Donald Maxwell, bass
Charles Krohn, actor
Dennis Arrowsmith (spoken)
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CONDUCTOR: |
Michael Hofstetter |
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STAGE DIRECTOR: |
Robin Tebbutt
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HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS |
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CHORUS MASTER: |
Richard Bado |
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APPROXIMATE LENGTH: |
2 hours 20 minutes |
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RELEASE DATE: |
November 7, 2009 |
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OPERA: |
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (in English) |
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COMPOSER: |
Benjamin Britten |
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LIBRETTO: |
Benjamin Britten |
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CAST:
Oberon
Tytania
Puck
Lysander
Demetrius
Hermia
Helena
Bottom
Flute
Theseus
Peter Quince
Hippolyta
Snug
Snout
Starveling
Cobweb
Peaseblossom
Mustardseed
Moth |
Iestyn Davies, countertenor
Laura Claycomb, soprano
Jon Michael Hill, actor
Norman Reinhardt, tenor
Liam Bonner, baritone
Marie Lenormand, mezzo-soprano
Katie van Kooten, soprano
Matthew Rose, bass baritone
Steven Cole, tenor
Ryan McKinny, bass
Robert Pomakov, bass
Leann Sandel-Pantaleo, contralto
Adam Cioffari, bass
Jon Kolbet, tenor
James J. Kee, baritone
Madeleine Delgado, treble
Eliza Masewicz, treble
Valerio Farris, treble
Ekaterina Gorlova, treble
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CONDUCTOR: |
Patrick Summers
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STAGE DIRECTOR: |
Neil Armfield |
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SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS |
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CHILDREN'S CHORUS MASTER: |
Karen Reeves |
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APPROXIMATE LENGTH: |
2 hours 40 minutes |
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RELEASE DATE: |
November 14, 2009 |
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OPERA: |
RIGOLETTO (in Italian) |
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COMPOSER: |
Giuseppe Verdi |
| LIBRETTO: |
Francesco Maria Piave |
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CAST:
Rigoletto
Gilda
Duke of Mantua
Sparafucile
Maddalena
Count Monterone
Giovanna
Count Ceprano
Borsa
Marullo
Countess Ceprano/Page
Usher |
Scott Hendricks, baritone
Albina Shagimuratova, soprano
Eric Cutler, tenor
Andrea Silvestrelli, bass
Maria Markina, mezzo-soprano
Bradley Garvin, bass-baritone
Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano
Adam Cioffari, bass
Shon Sims, tenor
Octavio Moreno, baritone
Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano
Tommy Ajai George, baritone
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CONDUCTOR: |
Patrick Summers
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STAGE DIRECTOR: |
Lindy Hume |
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SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS |
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CHORUS MASTER: |
Richard Bado |
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APPROXIMATE LENGTH: |
2 hours 50 minutes |
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November 21
Marilyn Horne's Diamond Anniversary Gala For nearly five decades, the great American mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne won the hearts of opera audiences around the world for breathtaking achievements in bel canto singing, whose composers and masterworks she helped restore to the repertory. But her own deepest passion was for recital singing—an art form she could bring to fans both within and beyond the orbit of the great opera houses. Spartan relative to those venues’ grand productions, the recital afforded Horne and her contemporaries the richest possible expressive possibilities over a wide geographical area. And to this day through the Marilyn Horne Foundation, she champions the unique artistry and reach of recital singing.
Earlier this year at Carnegie Hall, Horne celebrated her 75th birthday on the same star-studded evening that marked the 15th anniversary of the foundation that bears her name. Co-hosted by Performance Today host Fred Child and host of the Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday matinee broadcasts, Margaret Juntwait—and emceed on stage by beloved Met stars Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey—the broadcast knitstogether performances by some of the world’s greatest singers: Susan Graham, Joyce Didonato, Karita Mattila, Dolora Zajick, Thomas Hampson, David Daniels, Thomas Quasthoff, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and James Morris.
Numerous recorded tributes from Horne’s own family; from film television stars Carol Burnett, Harry Belafonte, and Florence Henderson; and from vocal luminaries such as Renée Fleming and Dame Joan Sutherland glitter through the evening as well. And at the heart of the celebration are several performances by the young singers whom the Marilyn Horne Foundation has nurtured and championed.
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RELEASE DATE: |
November 28, 2009 |
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OPERA: |
LA CENERENTOLA (in Italian) |
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COMPOSER: |
Gioacchino Rossini |
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LIBRETTO: |
Jacopo Ferretti |
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CAST:
Angelina
Don Ramiro
Don Magnifico
Dandini
Clorinda
Tisbe
Alidoro |
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
Patrick Carfizzi, bass
Earle Patriarco, bass-baritone
Tamara Wilson, soprano
Catherine Cook, mezzo-soprano
Nikolai Didenko, bass
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CONDUCTOR: |
Edoardo Müller
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STAGE DIRECTOR: |
Joan Font |
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SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA & CHORUS |
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CHORUS MASTER: |
Richard Bado |
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APPROXIMATE LENGTH: |
3 hours 15 minutes |
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RELEASE DATE: |
December 5, 2009 |
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OPERA: |
BRIEF ENCOUNTER (in English) (World Premiere) |
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COMPOSER: |
André Previn |
| LIBRETTO: |
John Caird |
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CAST:
Laura Jesson
Alec Harvey
Fred Jesson
Dolly Messiter
Myrtle Bagot
Albert Godby
Dr. Graves
Mary Norton
Beryll
Mrs. Rolandson
Stanley |
Elizabeth Futral, soprano
Nathan Gunn, baritone
Kim Josephson, bass-baritone
Rebekah Camm, soprano
Meredith Arwady, contralto
Robert Orth, baritone
James J. Kee, baritone
Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano
Alicia Gianni, soprano
Faith Sherman, mezzo-soprano
Adam Cioffari, bass
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CONDUCTOR: |
Patrick Summers
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STAGE DIRECTOR: |
John Caird |
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SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ORCHESTRA |
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APPROXIMATE LENGTH: |
2 hours 30 minutes |
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