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New York City Opera Presents ANTONIO LITERES'S Los Elementos
By: Christina Mancuso Apr. 11, 2017
Last June, New York City Opera inaugurated its Opera en Español series with the long-awaited New York premiere of Daniel Catàn's Florencia en el Amazonas. This May, following the critical success of the company's modern day revival of Respighi's rarely heard La Campana Sommersa, New York City Opera will present the second installment in its Opera en Español series with the American premiere of Antonio Literes's circa 1713 Spanish Baroque opera, Los Elementos. Richard Stafford will direct and choreograph the compact, one-hour work with sets by John Farrell, costumes by Janet O'Neill, lighting by Susan Roth and hair and makeup by Georgianna Eberhard. Sopranos Samarie Alicea and Chelsea Bonagura and mezzo-sopranos Melanie Ashkar and Kelsey Robertson will make their City Opera debuts as the four elements: Air (El Ayre), Water (El Agua), Earth (La Tierra), and Fire (El Fuego). City Opera veteran baritone Marco Nisticó returns to portray Time (El Tiempo) and mezzo-soprano Magda Gartner is featured as the Dawn (La Aurora). Pacien Mazzagatti, New York City Opera's Principal Conductor, will lead the New York City Opera Orchestra in Literes's evocative and atmospheric score.
New York City Opera will present four performances of Los Elementos at the intimate Harlem Stage Gatehouse on May 4, 5, and 6 at 7:30PM and May 7 at 4:00PM.
Antonio de Literes y Carrión is considered one of the greatest and most prolific Spanish composers of the Baroque era. Literes spent most of his career in the service of the Spanish royal court, having been named the Master of the Capilla Real in Madrid in 1693. During his lifetime, Literes produced an impressive oeuvre of sacred music, but he is best remembered for the zarzuelas and other stage works he wrote for the Spanish court, including Acis y Galatea, Jupiter y Semele, and Los Elementos.
Unlike many Baroque works which take their stories from mythology or ancient history, Los Elementos tells the story of the four elements, Water, Fire, Earth, and Air, as they anxiously await the arrival of the Dawn. The compact, hour-long work is a masterful balance of arias, ensembles and choruses that marry the distinctive rhythms and melodic contours of Spain with Italianate lyricism.
In recent decades, as opera companies have explored the once-unknown Baroque canon, audiences have become more familiar with 17th and 18th-century works from France, Italy, and England. But the vast repertoire of theatrical music produced in Spain during this time remains neglected. City Opera introduces Los Elementos to the American stage in the hope that the works of Spanish composers such as Antonio Literes, Juan Hidalgo de Polanco, and José de Nebra may someday find a place in the repertoire next to those of Purcell, Rameau, and Monteverdi.
New York City Opera initiated its innovative Opera en Español series last June with the long-awaited New York premiere of Daniel Catàn's 1998 opera Florencia en el Amazonas. With the Opera en Español series, City Opera has committed to presenting at least one work in Spanish every season to better serve the diverse population of New York City. The American premiere of Los Elementos, performed at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse, marks the second installment in this series.
City Opera's production of Los Elementos also continues the company's long tradition of providing opportunities for emerging American talent with the company debuts of Samarie Alicea, Chelsea Bonagura, Melanie Ashkar, and Kelsey Robertson.
"This season has already seen two tremendous, break-out performances by debut artists Meghan Picerno and Brandie Sutton," said Michael Capasso, General Director, New York City Opera, "And we are immensely excited to introduce these four talented young women to the City Opera audience in this fascinating and unique work."
Richard Stafford has directed and choreographed extensively on Broadway, Off-Broadway and National Tours. He won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Choreography for La Cage Aux Folles at the Walnut Street Theatre and the New York Musical Festival Award for Excellence in Choreography for Castle Walk. He will make his City Opera debut directing and choreographing Los Elementos.
New York City Opera's Principal Conductor Pacien Mazzagatti will lead New York City Opera Orchestra in Literes's evocative score, having led the company in its return to the stage with Puccini's Tosca in January 2016. Mazzagatti has conducted at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Polish National Opera, the National Theater in Szeged, Hungary, Sarasota Opera, the International House of Music in Moscow, the Mikhailovsky Theater in St. Petersburg, and Dicapo Opera Theatre.
Los Elementos
New York City Opera
Composer Antonio Literes
Librettist Anonymous
El Ayre Samarie Alicea
La Tierra Melanie Ashkar
El Agua Chelsea Bonagura
El Fuego Kelsey Robertson
La Aurora Magda Gartner
El Tiempo Marco Nisticó
Dancers Esther Antoine, Adam Rogers
Music Director/Conductor Pacien Mazzagatti
Director/Choreographer Richard Stafford
Set Design John Farrell
Costume Design Janet O'Neill
Lighting Design Susan Roth
Hair/Makeup Design Georgianna Eberhard
New York City Opera Orchestra
HARLEM STAGE
Harlem Stage Gatehouse
150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street
Thursday, May 4, 2017, 7:30PM
Friday, May 5, 2017, 7:30PM
Saturday, May 6, 2017, 7:30PM
Sunday, May 7, 2017, 4:00PM
For tickets to Los Elementos
Harlem Stage Box Office
Phone: (212) 281-9240 ext. 19 or 20
E-mail: boxoffice@harlemstage.org
Box Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 12:00pm-6:00pm
For more information please visit nycopera.com.
PR/Communications Contact:
Lawrence Perelman
Managing Director
Semantix Creative Group
Phone: (917) 541 - 7665
E-mail: perelman@semantixconsulting.com
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