The NBR New Zealand Opera has announced its 2012 Season. It will be presenting three operas one of which, Hohepa, will have its world première at the New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington in March.
The NBR New Zealand Opera has announced its 2012 Season. It will be presenting three operas one of which, Hohepa, will have its world première at the New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington in March.
The two main-stage productions which will be performed in Auckland and Wellington are a new production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, and Smetana’s comic masterpiece The Bartered Bride.
Hohepa revolves around the true story of the friendship between Maori chief Hohepa and Pakeha settler Thomas Mason during the New Zealand Wars is told in Jenny McLeod’s ground-breaking new work Hohepa, premièring at the New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington.
Jenny McLeod, widely respected as one of New Zealand’s foremost composers, took up the task of writing the libretto and music of Hohepa in the late ’90s. Since then, her research has been extensive, based on recorded, personal and oral histories, and the result is a warm and at times humorous opera, epic yet very human at heart.
General Director of The NBR New Zealand Opera, Aidan Lang, says: “In the early days of our discussions with Jenny, we envisaged Hohepa as being a chamber opera. Now, through the support of the New Zealand International Arts Festival, we are thrilled to be able to present Hohepa on a much larger scale, to incorporate dance, as well as a large cast of singers, and to do justice to this important New Zealand story.”
Bringing Hohepa to life on stage is New Zealand director Sara Brodie with Tony de Goldi designing the set and costumes. Alongside them are video artist Louise Potiki-Bryant, lighting designer Jeremy Fern, assistant director and choreographer Taiaroa Royal, and cultural advisor Paraone Tai Tin. With this creative team, audiences can expect a dynamic production.
A high-calibre cast, comprising almost entirely New Zealand talent, has been secured. Returning from the UK to sing the title role is The NBR New Zealand Opera’s PwC Dame Malvina Major Young Artist, Phillip Rhodes. Alongside him are fellow New Zealanders Jonathan Lemalu, Jenny Wollerman, Martin Snell, Deborah Wai Kapohe, Eddie Muliaumaseali'i and Robert Tucker.
Hohepa by Jenny McLeod
Wellington – The Opera House
Thu 15th & Sat 17th March – 7.30pm, Sun 18 March – 5pm
Verdi’s Rigoletto is which is one of the top ten popular operas is a grim melodrama which shows the composers ability to integrate drama with music. It includes some of Verdi’s more memorable arias such as Gilda’s Care nome and the Duke’s cynical La donna è mobile.
The story is a grim melodrama of seduction, corruption, love and deception which plots the consequences of a courtier’s curse on the Duke of Mantua and Rigoletto.
Aidan Lang says “Rigoletto is an emotionally charged opera and this new, New Zealand Opera production will be a Rigoletto of our times; it will be topical.”
“Our style is to offer a judicious re-examination of the operas we perform. We make old war horses come alive again. And under the direction of Lindy Hume, whose 2007 Lucia di Lammermoor so thrilled its audiences, this Rigoletto will certainly be alive. Lindy’s productions are always intelligent and well thought out theatrically. Her approach enables her to achieve exemplary performances from her singers, and with the line-up in this production, she’ll produce some great results.”
The NBR New Zealand Opera’s Director of Music, Wyn Davies, conducts a top-notch cast including Warwick Fyfe in the great central role of Rigoletto. Emma Pearson returns from her triumphant Susanna in 2010 to sing his daughter Gilda, and Rafael Rojas plays the philandering Duke of Mantua. Egyptian bass baritone Ashraf Seweilam takes the role of Sparafucile, and New Zealanders Kristen Darragh and Rodney McCann sing Maddalena and Count Monterone respectively.
Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
Wellington – St James Theatre
Sat 19 May (7.30pm), Tue 22 May (6pm), Thu 24 May (7.30pm), Sat 26 May (7.30pm)
Auckland – ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
Thu 7 Jun (7.30pm), Sat 9 Jun (7.30pm), Wed 13 Jun (7.30pm), Fri 15 Jun (7.30pm), Sun 17 Jun (2.30pm)
Bedřich Smetana’s dream to establish a Czech national opera was realised with The Bartered Bride, his second opera, and the first Czech opera to become a worldwide hit.
An effervescent, comic look at Bohemian life, The Bartered Bride is a tale of true love prevailing despite the best efforts of a scheming marriage broker and a couple of social-climbing parents.
Aidan Lang says he is excited to be presenting The Bartered Bride to New Zealand audiences, particularly as it is the highly acclaimed Opera North production directed by Daniel Slater.
“This is a thoughtful and highly engaging production,” he says; “it’s a comedy, but with an edge to it. Daniel directs it at a very human level and paints clearly the dilemmas the characters go through. He takes the piece at face value, deliberately moving away from a folkloric look and instead dealing with real people in real situations.
“The result is a potent piece of comedic theatre.”
A largely New Zealand cast has been secured with principal roles taken by Anna Leese, Conal Coad, Patricia Wright, Helen Medlyn, Richard Green and Andrew Glover.
And returning following critical acclaim as conductor of 2011’s Cav & Pag is Oliver von Dohnányi, Director of the State Opera of Prague and the original conductor of this production when it was performed in the UK.
Daniel Slayer says of the production “With a famous overture that promises an even madder day than The Marriage of Figaro – and delivers on that promise – our Bartered Bride is a political comedy featuring polkas, fights, excessive amounts of Czech beer, a brilliant anti-Communist circus and a dancing Russian bear.”
The Bartered Bride by Bedřich Smetana
Auckland – ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre
Sat 22 Sep (7.30pm), Tue 25 Sep (6.30pm), Thu 27 Sep (7.30pm), Sat 29 Sep (7.30pm)
Wellington – St James Theatre
Sat 13 Oct (7.30pm), Tue 16 Oct (6pm), Thu 18 Oct (7.30pm), Sat 20 Oct (7.30pm)
