New York City Opera Presents a film noir L'AMORE DEI TRE RE
By: A.A. Cristi Apr. 03, 2018
New York City Opera presents a new production of Italo Montemezzi's masterpiece L'amore dei tre re (The Love of the Three Kings) directed by Michael Capasso with Pacien Mazzagatti leading the New York City Opera Orchestra. The production marks the first time Montemezzi's opera will be heard in New York City in nearly a decade. Four performances of L'amore dei tre re will be presented at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m., April 14 at 2:00 p.m., and April 15 a 4:00 p.m.
Italo Montemezzi's L'amore dei tre re was one of the world's most popular operas between the time of its premiere at La Scala in 1913 and the end of World War II. With a lush score influenced by Debussy and Wagner fueling a dramatic tale of love, betrayal, and jealousy, L'amore dei tre re was particularly popular in the United States. The Metropolitan Opera alone presented the opera 66 times, both in New York and on tour, from 1914 to 1948. In the years following, the once-popular opera was performed less frequently and inexplicably fell out of the standard repertoire. New York City Opera's last production of the opera was in 1982 and starred bass Samuel Ramey. This season's new production of L'amore dei tre re, directed by Michael Capasso, returns Montemezzi's melodrama to the New York stage after a long absence.
City Opera General Director Michael Capasso says: "L'amore dei tre re holds a special place in opera history. There may be no opera that maintained such a high level of popularity for decades, and then, inexplicably, suddenly fell out of the standard repertoire and has been relegated to obscurity ever since. Bringing lesser-known works to the New York stage has been a City Opera tradition for decades, and it's been a privilege to work together with the stellar cast of this production to continue that heritage."
City Opera has assembled an exciting, international cast of both company veterans and debut artists. Bass Philip Cokorinos, who was recently heard at City Opera as Il Curato in Respighi's La campana sommersa, and Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas stars as Archibaldo, the old, blind baron. In the role of Fiora, the princess who beguiles the hearts of the three kings, is Italian soprano Daria Masiero, who after captivating audiences at La Scala and Torre del Lago, makes her American debut. Raffaele Abete, who triumphed with the company as Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca, returns to City Opera in the role of the ardent prince Avito. Abete will alternate performances with Italian tenor Giuseppe Varano in his company debut. Following successful debuts at San Francisco Opera and the Wexford Festival, Baritone Joo Won Kang, makes his City Opera debut as Manfredo, Fiora's betrayed husband. Tenor Alex Richardson returns to New York City Opera as Flaminio, Archibaldo's treacherous servant. Complete bios for all singers can be found here.
In keeping with their mission to make production accessible, City Opera will offer free tickets to children when accompanied by an adult for each performance of L'amore dei tre re.
Conducting the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus is City Opera Principal Conductor Pacien Mazzagatti who earlier this season led the critically acclaimed New York premiere of Tobias Picker's Dolores Claiborne. In the 2016-17 season, he conducted the American premiere of Literes's Los elementos, which The New York Times praised as "a musical delight and a charming entertainment," and the New York premiere of Péter Eötvös's Angels in America.
City Opera General Director Michael Capasso directs this production of L'amore dei tre re. Capasso has produced, directed, and toured opera and musical theater productions in the U.S. and abroad for over 30 years. In 1981, he cofounded New York's Dicapo Opera Theatre. During his leadership, Dicapo Opera Theatre presented a diverse programming to the New York public, including three productions of contemporary American operas in Europe. In addition to his work with the Dicapo Opera Theatre, Mr. Capasso has directed operas at l'Opéra de Montréal; Mallorca Opera, Spain; Toledo Opera; Connecticut Opera; New Jersey State Opera; Opera Carolina; and Orlando Opera, among others.
In keeping with their mission to make productions accessible to as many audience members as possible, City Opera will offer free tickets to each performance of L'amore dei tre re to children under 18 when accompanied by an adult.
New York City Opera presents four performances of Italo Montemezzi's rarely heard masterpiece L'amore dei tre re on April 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m., April 14 at 2:00 p.m., and April 15 at 4:00 p.m. at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
For more information, please visit: https://nycopera.com/lamore-dei-tre-re/
L'AMORE DEI TRE RE
An opera in three acts by Italo Montemezzi
Libretto by Sem Benelli
Based on his novel of the same name
Rose Theater
Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall
Time Warner Center, New York, NY
Thursday, April 12, 2018 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 13, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 14, 2018, 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 15, 2018, 4:00 p.m.
Creative Team & Cast
Conductor Pacien Mazzagatti
Stage Director Michael Capasso
Set Designer John Farrell
Lighting Designer Susan Roth
Costume Designer Janet O'Neill
Wigs and Make-up Designer Georgianna Eberhard
Archibaldo Philip Cokorinos
Fiora Daria Masiero
Avito Raffaele Abete (4/12, 4/14)
Giuseppe Varano (4/13, 4/15)
Manfredo Joo Won Kang
Flaminio Alex Richardson
New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus
For tickets to L'amore dei tre re
Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office
Broadway at 60th Street, Ground Floor
Monday-Saturday, 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Sunday, 12:00PM - 6:00PM
CenterCharge: (212) 721-6500
ABOUT NEW YORK CITY OPERA
Since its founding in 1943 by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia as "The People's Opera" New York City Opera has been a critical part of the city's cultural life. During its history, New York City Opera launched the careers of dozens of major artists and presented engaging productions of both mainstream and unusual operas alongside commissions and regional premieres. The result was a uniquely American Opera Company of international stature.
For more than seven decades, New York City Opera maintained a distinct identity, adhering to its unique mission: affordable ticket prices, a devotion to American works, English-language performances, the promotion of up-and-coming American singers, and seasons of accessible, vibrant and compelling productions intended to introduce new audiences to the art form. Stars who launched their careers at New York City Opera include Plácido Domingo, Catherine Malfitano, Sherrill Milnes, Samuel Ramey, Beverly Sills, Tatiana Troyanos, Carol Vaness, Shirley Verrett, among dozens of other great artists.
In 1999, New York City Opera founded VOX, Contemporary Opera Lab, an annual concert series that offered composers and librettists the opportunity to hear excerpts of their works performed by professional singers and musicians. For decades New York City Opera has been committed to introducing opera to the young, bringing the art form to new audiences with educational outreach performances in New York City's public schools.
Now, having returned to the stage, New York City Opera continues its legacy at a new, state-of-the-art home at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater with revitalized outreach and education programs, and programming designed to welcome and inspire a new generation of City Opera audiences. The 2016 - 2017 season included Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Rachmaninoff's Aleko, the New York premiere of Tobin Stokes' Fallujah, 10 sold-out performances of Harold Prince's production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide, and the U.S. premiere of Literes's baroque opera, Los Elementos, at Harlem Stage. City Opera opened New York City's 2017/2018 cultural season with a new production of Puccini's beloved La fanciulla del West. In October 2017, City Opera presented the first installment of its Chamber Opera series with the New York premiere of Tobias Picker's Dolores Claiborne, based on the novel by Stephen King and presented in a new chamber adaptation prepared for City Opera by the composer. In January 2018, City Opera presented the New York premiere of the world's first mariachi opera, José "Pepe" Martinez's Cruzar la Cara de la Luna as part of its Ópera en Español series. The Chamber Opera series continued in March with a unique pairing of Rameau's Pigmalion and Donizetti's first opera Il Pigmalione. Having presented Respighi's rarely heard La campana sommersa in April 2017, City Opera presents another 20th-century Italian rarity, Montemezzi's L'Amore dei tre re in April 2018. City Opera began its singular LGBT Opera initiative last June with the New York premiere of Péter Eötvös's Angels in America and continues that initiative this May with the long-awaited U.S. premiere of Charles Wuorinen's Brokeback Mountain.
For more information please visit: www.nycopera.com
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