100th Production Leads Pacific Opera's 2013-14 Season

Pacific Opera Victoria (POV) has announced a diverse season that includes main stage productions of Verdi's Falstaff, Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. Additional productions in collaboration with the Early Music Society of the Islands and with the Victoria Symphony include La Descente d'Orphée aux Enfers and La Couronne de Fleurs by a master of early Baroque, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and a special concert presentation of South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The season kicks off with POV's 100th production - Falstaff. How better to mark Verdi's bicentennial than with the old man's glorious parting shot - the greatest comedy in the Italian repertoire. Shakespeare may have invented the character of Sir John Falstaff, but the portly, hard-drinking, womanizing scoundrel is the perfect fit for opera. Here Verdi is at the top of his game. About to turn 80, he gave us his last laugh - his first comedy in a half century, written for the sheer joy of it - a rich, layered feast about another old man who faces the indignities of age with irrepressible good humour.

Directed by Glynis Leyshon, and conducted by Timothy Vernon, Falstaff is presented at Victoria's Royal Theatre, October 17, 19, 23, 25, 2013, at 8 pm, with a matinée October 27 at 2:30 pm.

The second production of the season is Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, February 13, 15, 21, 2014, at 8 pm, with a matinée February 23 at 2:30 pm, at the Royal Theatre. A cockeyed take on art, love, and fidelity, Ariadne auf Naxos is at once divinely comic and profoundly enchanting.

The richest man in Vienna is having a party. His guests will be treated to a new opera - the tragedy of the jilted Ariadne - followed by a burlesque farce, The Fickle Zerbinetta and Her Four Lovers. When dinner runs late, the patron orders that both works be staged simultaneously.
What follows is a musical class war as The Players perform a quirky mash-up of high-minded opera and earthy comedy. Strauss has a field day with melody, tossing off playful roulades and sizzling coloratura, unveiling a kaleidoscope of lush orchestral textures and colours.

Robert McQueen returns to POV to direct the production, with Timothy Vernon conducting.

A riotous comedy with a revolutionary subtext, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro follows the Almaviva household through a single tumultuous day as Count Almaviva, his wife, his valet Figaro, and his servants spin a tangled web of love affairs, plots, and counterplots.

Based on the Beaumarchais play that caused an uproar in 18th century France for its subversive portrayal of uppity servants outwitting their aristocratic betters, the opera charges along like Upstairs, Downstairs on steroids. The predatory Count tries to seduce Figaro's fiancée Susanna on her wedding day. But even as the Count receives his come-uppance, the opera becomes a poignant study of love, jealousy, and ultimate forgiveness.

The Marriage of Figaro opens April 24, and continues April 26, 30, and May 2, 2014, at 8 pm with a matinée May 4 at 2:30 pm, at Victoria's Royal Theatre.

Pacific Opera Victoria's founding Artistic Director, Timothy Vernon, conducts each of the three main stage productions of the 2013-2014 season, as well as a special concert presentation of South Pacific.

In an exciting collaboration, the Victoria Symphony and POV join forces to produce a semi-staged production of the much loved Rodgers and Hammerstein Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece. Glorious melodies and wonderful singers will ensure sell-out performances at the Royal Theatre, November 23, 2014 at 8 pm and November 24 at 2:30 pm.

An important Victoria premiere is offered March 14 and 15, 2014 at 8 pm at the city's McPherson Playhouse. A co-presentation with the Early Music Society of the Islands, POV is delighted to offer a stunning operatic double bill by a master of early Baroque, Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

La Descente d'Orphée aux Enfers and La Couronne de Fleurs are two jewels of the early Baroque. The operas are a brilliant fusion of music, drama, and dance, staged by one of the world's leading baroque ensembles. Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs, reigning authorities on early music, lead the internationally acclaimed singers, instrumentalists, and dancers of the Boston Early Music Festival.

Pacific Opera Victoria has earned a reputation as one of Canada's leading opera companies, thanks to its dynamic repertoire choices, its original productions, and its commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for artists and audiences. Founded in 1979 and incorporated in 1980, POV has become one of Canada's most exciting arts institutions, with an audience that is, per capita, two to five times that of any other Canadian opera company.

Pacific Opera Victoria is now taking subscriptions for the 2013-2014 season. Subscribers receive guaranteed seating, savings up to 40% and ticket exchange and replacement privileges. Call 250.385.0222 or email boxoffice@pov.bc.ca. For more information visit www.pov.bc.ca.

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