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On Monday, January 14, 2008, Plácido Domingo, General Director of Washington National Opera, announced the repertoire, singers, conductors, directors and designers for the company’s 2008-2009 season, which runs September 13, 2008 to June 4, 2009. Click here to view the complete press release.
Full Subscriptions are now on sale. For more information, click here.
Click here to listen to the 2008-2009 Season Preview CD.
La Traviata
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Elizabeth Futral |
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
September 13, 18, 21m, 24, 27, 30, Oct 2, 5m, 2008
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
The most coveted courtesan in France, Violetta Valéry, at last finds love with the ardent Alfredo. But his well-meaning father tries to save his son from social scandal, and the two lovers find their future doomed in this classic tale of romance in 19th-century Paris.
| Elizabeth Futral, Violetta Valéry |
Dan Ettinger*, Conductor |
| Arturo Chacón-Cruz, Alfredo |
Marta Domingo, Director |
| Lado Ataneli, Germont |
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| Margaret Thompson, Flora |
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Co-production with Los Angeles Opera and Opéra Royal de Wallonie
The Pearl Fishers (Les Pêcheurs de Perles)
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The Pearl Fishers |
Composed by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré
September 20, 22, 25, 28m, Oct 1, 4, 7, 2008
Sung in French with English supertitles
The prayers of the virgin priestess Leïla protect the fleet of pearl fishermen on the ancient island of Ceylon until a love affair ruins the friendship of Nadir and Zurga, the two men who love her. Her own life is threatened when storms destroy the fishermen’s boats, but Leïla is saved from ritual sacrifice by one of her suitors, who gives his own life for her freedom. Bizet’s lush and romantic gem features the stunning duet “Au fond du temple saint.”
| Norah Amsellem*, Leïla |
Giuseppe Grazioli*, Conductor |
| Charles Castronovo*, Nadir |
Andrew Sinclair*, Director |
| Trevor Scheunemann, Zurga |
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| Denis Sedov*, Nourabad |
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Production from San Diego Opera and Michigan Opera Theatre
Lucrezia Borgia
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Renée Fleming |
Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Felice Romani
New Production and Company Premiere
November 1, 5, 7, 9m, 11, 15, 17, 2008
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Superstar soprano Renée Fleming makes her WNO debut as
the infamous Lucrezia Borgia in this tale of madness, mistaken identity, and murder. When Don Alfonso misidentifies his wife’s fixation on Gennaro as an illicit affair—though in fact he is her long-lost illegitimate son—mutual desires for revenge result in mass murder and Lucrezia’s undoing.
Renée Fleming* (Nov 1, 5, 9m, 11), Lucrezia Borgia
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Sondra Radvanovsky* (Nov 7, 15, 17), Lucrezia Borgia
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| Ruggero Raimondi, Duke Alfonso |
| Giuseppe Filianoti*, Gennaro |
| Kate Aldrich*, Maffio Orsini |
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| Plácido Domingo, Conductor |
| John Pascoe, Director |
Carmen
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Denyce Graves |
Composed by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
November 8, 10, 12, 14, 16m, 18, 19, 2008
Sung in French with English supertitles
Men can’t resist Carmen, the fiery gypsy temptress who recklessly loves them and leaves them according to her own whims. The dashing Don José intrigues her, but, when she eventually abandons him for the alluring toreador Escamillo, Don José’s jealousy seals her fate.
Denyce Graves (Nov 8, 10, 14, 16m, 19), Carmen
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| Laura Brioli* (Nov 12, 18), Carmen |
| Germán Villar*, Don José |
| Brandon Jovanovich*, Don José |
| Alexander Vinogradov*, Escamillo |
| Jorge Lagunes, Escamillo |
| Sabina Cvilak, Micaëla |
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| Julius Rudel, Conductor |
| Francesca Zambello, Original Production |
| Duncan MacFarland*, Director |
Co-production from Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Den Norske Opera
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Peter Grimes |
Peter Grimes
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Montagu Slater
Company Premiere
March 21, 23, 26, 29m, April 1, 4, 2009
Sung in English with English supertitles
Peter Grimes, Benjamin Britten’s first full-scale opera, recounts the tale of the fisherman who is accused of murdering his young apprentices and the school teacher who tries to save him from his demons. The gloomy psychological fable, set in an oppressive seaside town, was Britten’s first great operatic success and remains a popular staple of the international repertoire.
| Christopher Ventris, Peter Grimes |
Ilan Volkov*, Conductor |
| Patricia Racette, Ellen Orford |
Paul Curran, Director |
| Alan Held, Captain Balstrode |
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| Ann Quintero, Auntie |
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| Daniel Okulitch*, Swallow |
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Production from Santa Fe Opera
Siegfried
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Scene from Die Walküre |
Composed by Richard Wagner
Libretto by composer
New Production and Company Premiere
May 2, 5, 9, 14, 17m, 2009
Sung in German with English supertitles
Wotan’s prophecy—of a hero who forges a mighty sword
to slay the dragon Fafner—forms the basis of the third installment of Wagner’s epic Ring cycle. Siegfried, son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, fulfills Wotan’s predictions and
forms a triumphant union with warrior maiden Brünnhilde, foretelling the ultimate destruction of the gods.
| Pär Lindskog*, Siegfried |
Heinz Fricke, Conductor |
| Alan Held, The Wanderer/Wotan |
Francesca Zambello, Director |
| Gordon Hawkins, Alberich |
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| Iréne Theorin, Brünnhilde |
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| Gidon Saks, Fafner |
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Co-production with San Francisco Opera
Turandot
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Turandot |
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
May 16, 19, 21, 24m, 27, 30, June 1, 4, 2009
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
The legendary beauty Princess Turandot poses
three riddles to her potential suitors only to
behead them with one wrong answer. She meets her match in Calaf, the mysterious prince who risks his head to win her heart. Puccini’s final opera, celebrated for its tapestry of soaring melodies and rich orchestration, features the beloved aria “Nessun dorma.”
Maria Guleghina (May 16, 19, 21, 24m, 27), Princess Turandot
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Sylvie Valayre (May 30, Jun 1, 4), Princess Turandot
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Darío Volonté* (May 16, 19, 21, 24m), Calaf
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Franco Farina (May 27, 30, Jun 1, 4), Calaf
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| Sabina Cvilak (May 16, 19, 21, 24m), Liù |
| Maija Kovalevska* (May 27, 30, Jun 1, 4), Liù |
| Morris Robinson, Timur |
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| Keri-Lynn Wilson*, Conductor |
| Andrei Serban*, Director |
Production from Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Two Performances Only!
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Andrea Bocelli |
Petite Messe Solennelle
Composed by Gioachino Rossini
November 21, 22, 2008
Sung in Latin
In Rossini’s own words, “Is it indeed music for the blest that I have just written, or just some blessed music?” In this moving concert work, the final work of the prolific opera composer in the twilight of his life, Maestro Plácido Domingo conducts a quartet of soloists, featuring tenor phenomenon Andrea Bocelli, with the Washington National Opera Chorus and Orchestra.
| Andrea Bocelli*, Soloist |
| Plácido Domingo, Conductor |
* Company Debut
Casting, program, schedules, and pricing are specified in good faith as accurate at the time of printing but are subject to change without notice.
Photo Credits: La Traviata photo by Joel Baldwin for Washington National Opera. The Pearl Fishers photo by Ken Howard for San Diego Opera. Renée Fleming by Andrew Eccles/Decca. Production photo of Denyce Graves as Carmen by P. Switzer for Opera Colorado. Peter Grimes photo by Ken Howard for Santa Fe Opera. Die Walküre photo by Karin Cooper for Washington National Opera. Turandot photo by Bill Cooper for Royal Opera House Covent Garden.
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