Puccini's IL TRITTICO Launches Pacific Opera's Season

Pacific Opera's first opera of the season is a gem of the operatic repertoire that has not been performed in Canada in more than 50 years. Puccini's Il Trittico is a triple-bill of one-act operas that, when staged together as the composer intended, provides an emotional roller coaster of an evening. Il Trittico is presented October 17, 19, 25, 2019 at 8 pm, and October 23 at 7 pm, with a matinee October 27 at 2:30 pm. All performances take place at the Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton Street, Victoria.

The composer of blockbusters La bohème and Madama Butterfly, Puccini was at the height of his career when he created Il Trittico, his final staged work. Each of Il Trittico's three one-act operas is a masterpiece intended to be presented in a single triumphant performance. The first opera of the trio, Il tabarro (The Cloak) is a dark thriller of infidelity and suspicion as, over the course of a single night, a marriage comes to a brutal end. Il tabarro is followed by Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica), a poignant tragedy. In the confines of a convent, where all desire is considered a sin, a nun with a devastating secret struggles with anguish and guilt. The performance concludes with Gianni Schicchi, a black farce in which a family squabbling over an inheritance gets what's coming to them! Each of the operas is a "first" for Pacific Opera Artistic Director Timothy Vernon who describes Il Trittico as "vocally and dramatically rewarding" and "a virtuoso display confirming Puccini's mastery of both drama and comedy."

Il Trittico requires three sets and a large cast, making it complicated and costly. It is therefore rarely produced in its entirety. This is the first time in western Canada that the original triptych has been presented as the composer intended.

Pacific Opera has gathered a stellar artistic team for this ambitious production. Directed by Glynis Leyshon with set and costume design by Pam Johnson, a cast of acclaimed singers, familiar to Pacific Opera audiences, will perform a variety of roles; an overlap in casting that allows the audience to witness the singers' arc from supporting character to villain to comic genius in a single evening. American baritone Todd Thomas sings the leading roles of Michele (Il tabarro) and Gianni (Gianni Schicchi). Soprano Aviva Fortunata sings back-to-back dramatic leads in Il tabarro and Suor Angelica, then joins the company ensemble of Gianni Schicchi. Tenor Adam Luther sings the roles of Luigi (Il tabarro) and Gherardo (Gianni Schicchi). Soprano Lara Ciekiewicz sings dual roles of Suor Genevieve (Suor Angelica) and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), delighting with one of opera's most famous and recognizable arias, "O mio babbino caro".

Conducted by Pacific Opera founding Artistic Director, Timothy Vernon, Il Trittico is the first in a series of donor-supported special events scheduled this season and next in recognition of Pacific Opera's 40th Anniversary.

Il Trittico is performed at the Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton Street in Victoria, BC, October 17, 19 and 25, 2019, at 8 pm, Wednesday, October 23 at 7 pm, and Sunday, October 27 at 2:30 pm. Pre-performance lectures take place in the theatre lobby one hour prior to each show. The opera is performed in Italian, with English surtitles, and the approximate running time is 2 hours and 50 minutes, plus two intermissions.

Priced between $29 and $151, including GST & box office service charges, tickets are available from the Royal and McPherson Box Office at 250-386-6121, or online at www.rmts.bc.ca

For more information, contact Pacific Opera at 250-385-0222 or visit www.pacificopera.ca

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