HOUSTON (January 8, 2014) - On January 23 and 25, the
Houston Symphony will present a semi-staged production of Mozart's
Abduction from the Seraglio, under the baton of Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Directed by Lloyd Wood, whose opera credits include the revival production of
Don Giovanniconducted by Orozco-Estrada at the Glyndebourne
Festival Opera, the program will feature international soloists as well as a chorus drawn from the vocal program at The University of Houston's Moores School of Music, prepared by Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, Director of Choral Studies at the Moores School. The Symphony's first Opera in Concert under the leadership of Orozco-Estrada will be the first of many large-scale productions that will become a hallmark of Orozco-Estrada's tenure. Mozart's
The Abduction from the Seraglio (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) - set in Turkey - tells the story of the hero Belmonte's attempt to rescue his beloved Konstanze from the harem (or seraglio) of the Pasha Selim. This entertaining piece is full of colorful, comedic twists and turns, where in the end love and humanity prevail. Commenting on this programming choice, Orozco-Estrada stated that the operatic repertoire "gives orchestral musicians an opportunity to perform works they don't regularly play, strengthening their flexibility and ensemble playing, and showing the musicians in a new light to our audiences. This concept also allows us to explore the wealth of young talent in roles that are unconventional to our orchestral performances. Opera is definitely a genre that you will see throughout my tenure in Houston" said Andrés. The concept developed by Lloyd Wood will include entrances and exits for the cast and lighting to evoke the rich hues of the Turkish seraglio and enhance and underline the dramatic arc of the story. The vocal cast has been selected from some of the brightest young stars of the opera world, including Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and Houston Grand Opera Studio alumnus Lauren Snouffer (soprano) as Konstanze, young
Metropolitan Opera star
Paul Appleby (tenor) as Belmonte, as well as soprano
Abigail Dueppen as Blonde and bass Aaron Sorensen as Osmin, both graduates of the University of Houston's Moores School of Music. Tenor Rafael Moras - an alumnus of The Shepherd School of Music - will also join the cast as Pedrillo. Moras is currently participating in the Los Angeles Opera's Young Artist program under the guidance of legendary tenor Plácido Domingo. The opera will be sung in German with English translation projected above the stage. The dialogue will not be performed by the singers; instead, actor Jim Johnson will take on the role of the Pasha Selim, ruler of the seraglio, as well as the role of narrator, performing a condensed version of the dialogue in English. Full of fun and satire, this narration has been created by American writer and dramaturg Gretl Satorius. The spoken text will move forward the emotional and dramatic line of the opera at a lively and engaging pace.
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