The Dallas Opera Presents TENOR MATTHEW POLENZANI, 1/11

The Dallas Opera, in the latest installment of The Robert E. and Jean Ann Titus Art Song Recital Series, will present the phenomenal American tenor,Matthew Polenzani, in an exclusive, one-time-only recital on the afternoon of Sunday, January 11, 2015 at Southern Methodist University's popular Caruth Auditorium (an intimate 490-seat venue located in the Owen Arts Center, 6101 Bishop, Dallas, TX 75205). The two o'clock recital will also feature the exciting and accomplished playing of Mr. Polenzani's frequent recording partner, pianistJulius Drake.

Their collaboration evokes the "golden age" of recitalists, unafraid to blend and emote as the musical phrase strikes them. Their acclaimed collaboration at Wigmore Hall is available on CD. Furthermore, their recent CD celebrating the music of Franz Liszt prompted Tim Ashley of The Guardian(U.K.) to write: "This stupendous disc, issued ahead of the Liszt bicentenary next year, marks the start of Hyperion's survey of his complete songs, still a grey area for many despite past attempts by major artists such as Brigitte Fassbaender and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau to rehabilitate them...in musico-dramatic terms, the originals are often vastly preferable to the revisions, and tenor Matthew Polenzani and pianist Julius Drake opt for the first versions of the Petrarch Sonnets and the Lieder aus Schiller's Wilhelm Tell interwoven with shorter pieces, familiar or otherwise. Most of Liszt's songs are big statements, usually described as virtuoso. But as with so much of his music, their difficulty in performance is to be found in their emotional and expressive extremes. The challenges are more than met here, with Polenzani doing things in songs such as 'Der Fischerknabe' or 'Pace Non Trovo' that you never thought possible for a human voice, while Drake's intensity is total and unswerving."

Matthew Polenzani has been astounding audiences at New York's Metropolitan Opera and around the world in recent years with his expressive musicality and passionate performances, promptingOpera News to write: "Few singers today command the sheer beauty of timbre and dynamic control of Matthew Polenzani." John von Rhein, longtime critic for The Chicago Tribune praised his "striking performance whose beauty of tone, elegance of line and gravitas of manner remind us that there are few finer Mozart singers around." The New York Times' Anthony Tommasini noted: "A born lyric tenor, he has been branching into heavier repertory that requires vocal heft and carrying power...honeyed sound, melting pianissimos...sublime."

Added Wall Street Journal Classical Music Critic Heidi Waleson, "He was all about passion, and you felt it."

This recital marks Polenzani's hotly anticipated Texas debut.

"Beginning with an outstanding recital by British tenor Ian Bostridge last January," says Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, "the Titus Art Song Recital Series has already accomplished the first of several goals-making new converts to this most personal of musical art forms. It is a particular thrill to be able to invite Matthew Polenzani to make his first appearance in Dallas, where music lovers have eagerly awaited their chance to hear him in person.

"After witnessing Polenzani's exceptional artistry at Covent Garden last season, where he performed the role of Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon under the baton of Dallas Opera Music Director Emmanuel Villaume," Cerny added, "I longed to share that experience with dedicated music lovers here in Texas.

"There is nothing quite so exciting as a world-class singer in his prime, performing with refinement, passion and conviction!"

The program (subject to alteration) will open with Beethoven's "Adelaide," Op. 46, based on an early German poem of the Romantic Era about an unattainable woman, and continue with songs by Franz Liszt; Five Popular Greek Melodies, a song cycle by Maurice Ravel; Three Melodies by Erik Satie and Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs, Op. 29, based on Irish poems from the Middle Ages translated by 20th century literary luminaries including W.H. Auden, Chester Kallman, Seán Ó'Faoláin and Howard Mumford Jones.

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Seating is limited but through the generosity of the Titus Family, all tickets are just $25. Seating is general admission; there are no reserved seats. This recital series was created just last year to showcase well-established artists in programs dedicated to preserving the fine art of "art song."

At the time, Dallas Opera Executive Committee Member Sarah Titus explained, the series "was created by our family to honor my parents' lifetime commitment to the arts in Dallas, as well as their history of giving to the Dallas Opera. My parents' commitment to the organization dates back to its inception in the late 1950s.

"This particular art form has been a lifelong passion of my mother's, so, endowing an annual recital featuring world-class artists and accompanists seemed a natural fit.

"Speaking for the entire family, we are excited to be bringing this glorious music to Dallas audiences; and we commend Keith Cerny's responsible leadership of-and vision for-the Dallas Opera."

Tickets go on sale Thursday, November 20th at 10:00 a.m. and may be purchased either online at www.dallasopera.org or by contacting the friendly professionals in the Dallas Opera Ticket/Patron Services Office at 214.443.1000.

MATTHEW POLENZANI, BIOGRAPHY:

One of the most gifted and distinguished lyric tenors of his generation, Matthew Polenzani has been praised for the artistic versatility and fresh lyricism that he brings to concert and operatic appearances on leading international stages. Mr. Polenzani's 14/15 season opens with his return to the Royal Opera House in London for Idomeneo, followed by productions of Les contes d'Hoffmann, led by James Levine at the Metropolitan in New York. He will sing Nemorino and Tamino in L'Elisir d'Amore andDie Zauberflöte at Bayerische Staatsoper along with his debut at the Opernhaus Zurich, in La Traviata. On the concert platform, he appears in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Chicago Symphony conducted by Riccardo Muti, he sings the Verdi Requiem at La Scala, under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, and sings a New Year's concert with Maria Agresta at Teatro La Fenice, Venezia, conducted by Daniel Harding. He will also tour the States for a series of Recitals with pianist Julius Drake, with whom he will also perform in Recital at London's Wigmore Hall, and will sing Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin accompanied by pianist Ken Noda with Parlance Chamber Concerts.

The 13/14 season saw Mr. Polenzani's return to the Metropolitan Opera in Mozart's Cosìfan tutte, and in Verdi's Rigoletto. He was Massenet's Des Grieux in Laurent Pelly's production of Manon at the Royal Opera Covent Garden, and he was Tito in David McVicar's production of La Clemenza di Tito at Lyric Opera of Chicago. The tenor made his debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Berlioz's Faust, and then returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper forI Capuleti e i Montecchi.

Among the many highlights from recent Metropolitan Opera seasons are the premieres of Bartlett Sher's production of L'elisir d'amore, which opened the 2012 season, and David McVicar's production of Maria Stuarda (issued on DVD by Erato), Willy Decker's production of La traviata, Julie Taymor's legendary Die Zauberflöte (DVD available from the Metropolitan Opera), Jürgen Flimm's production of Salome and revivals of Don Pasquale(issued on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon), Don Giovanni, Roméo et Juliette, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Cosìfan tutte, Falstaff, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (DVD also available from Deutsche Grammophon)and L'Italiana in Algeri. To date, he has sung over 300 performances at the Met, many conducted by his musical mentor James Levine. In other American theaters, appearances include Werther, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, La traviata, Roméo et Juliette and Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Die Entführung and Il barbiere di Siviglia for San Francisco Opera, andDie Zauberflöte with James Conlon at Los Angeles Opera.

Following Matthew Polenzani's debut as Gérald in Delibes Lakméwith Opera Bordeaux in France in 1998, appearances in other major European theatres include productions of Don Pasquale and La traviata at the Teatro Comunale in Florence, the Aix en Provence Festival (DVD available on Bel Air Classiques) and on a tour of Japan with Turin's Teatro Regio; I Capuleti e I Montecchi at the Paris Opera; L'elisir d'amore at the Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Naples' Teatro San Carlo and Rome Opera; Cosìfan tutte at Covent Garden with Sir Colin Davis and in Paris with Philippe Jordan; Lucia di Lammermoor at Frankfurt Opera, the Paris Opera and Vienna State Opera; La Damnation de Faust in Frankfurt; Manon on a tour of Japan with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden under Antonio Pappano; Idomeneo in Turin with Gianandrea Noseda, Manon with Fabio Luisi and La traviata at La Scala; Rigoletto at the Vienna State Opera conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos, and at the Salzburg Festival in Don Giovanni (DVD available on EuroArts). Mr. Polenzani is in great demand for symphonic work for the world's most influential conductors including Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Sir Colin Davis, Riccardo Frizza, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Louis Langrée, James Levine, Jesús López-Cobos, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Simon Rattle, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leonard Slatkin, Sir Jeffrey Tate, Michael Tilson Thomas, Franz Welser-Möst and David Zinman, and with many major orchestras both in the United States and Europe, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Orchestra del Santa Cecilia, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra Giovanile "L. Cherubini" at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival and the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris at the Saint Denis Festival.

In recital, Matthew Polenzani has appeared in recital with Julius Drake at Wigmore Hall (available on CD from the Wigmore Hall label), Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Celebrity Series Boston at Jordan Hall and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society; with noted pianist Richard Goode in a presentation of Janá?ek's The Diary of One Who Vanished at Carnegie's Zankel Hall, and in recital at the Verbier Festival with pianist Roger Vignoles (commercially available on CD on VAI). Mr. Polenzani was honored to have appeared on all three stages of Carnegie Hall in one season: in concert with the MET Chamber Ensemble at Zankel Hall; in solo recital with James Levine at the piano in Weill Hall; and in a Schubert Liederabend on the stage of Isaac Stern Auditorium with colleagues Renée Fleming, Anne Sofie Von Otter, and René Pape, again with James Levine as pianist.

Matthew Polenzani was the recipient of the 2004 Richard Tucker Award and Metropolitan Opera's 2008 Beverly Sills Artist Award. An avid golfer, he makes his home in suburban New York with his wife, mezzo-soprano Rosa Maria Pascarella and their three sons.

JULIUS DRAKE, BIOGRAPHY:

The pianist Julius Drake lives in London and specializes in the field of chamber music, working with many of the world's leading artists, both in recital and on disc. He appears at all the major music centres: in recent seasons concerts have taken him to the Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Munich, Salzburg, Schubertiade, and Tanglewood Music Festivals; to Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Centre, New York; the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and Philarmonie, Cologne; the Châtelet and Musée de Louvre, Paris; the Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Vienna; and the Wigmore Hall and BBC Proms, London.

Director of the Perth International Chamber Music Festival in Australia from 2000 - 2003, Julius Drake was also musical director of Deborah Warner's staging of Janá?ek's Diary of One Who Vanished, touring to Munich, London, Dublin, Amsterdam and New York. In 2009 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Machynlleth Festival in Wales.

Julius Drake is also a committed teacher and is regularly invited to give master classes, this season in Aldeburgh, Basle, Toronto, Utrecht, and at the Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien. He is Professor at Graz University for Music and the Performing Arts in Austria, where he has a class for song pianists.

Julius Drake's passionate interest in song has led to invitations to devise song series for the Wigmore Hall, London, the BBC and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. A series of song recitals - Julius Drake and Friends - in the historic Middle Temple Hall in London, has featured recitals with many outstanding vocal artists including Thomas Allen, Olaf Bär, Ian Bostridge, Angelika Kirchschlager, Sergei Leiferkus, Felicity Lott, Katarina Karneus, Simon Keenlyside, Christopher Maltman, Mark Padmore, Christoph Pregardien, Amanda Roocroft, and Willard White.

Julius Drake is frequently invited to perform at international chamber music festivals - recently Kuhmo in Finland, Delft in the Netherlands, Oxford in England and West Cork in Ireland - while his instrumental duo with Nicholas Daniel has been described in The Independent newspaper as "one of the most satisfying in British chamber music: vital, thoughtful and confirmed in musical integrity of the highest order."

Julius Drake's many recordings include a widely acclaimed series with Gerald Finley for Hyperion, for which the Barber Songs, Schumann Heine Lieder and Britten Songs and Proverbs have won the 2007, 2009 and 2011 Gramophone Awards; award winning recordings with Ian Bostridge for EMI; several recitals for the 'Wigmore Live' label, with among others Lorraine Hunt Liebersen, Matthew Polenzani, Joyce Didonato and Alice Coote; and recordings of Tchaikovsky and Mahler with Christianne Stotijn for Onyx and English song with Bejun Mehta for Harmonia Mundi.

Julius Drake is now embarked on a major project to record the complete songs of Franz Liszt for Hyperion: the second disc in the series, with Angelika Kirchschlager, won the BBC Music Magazine Award for 2012.

Highlights in his present schedule include an extensive tour of the USA with Matthew Polenzani; a four part Schumann Series at the Concergebouw in Amsterdam; recordings with Sarah Connolly, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Christoph Pregardien, Ian Bostridge and Gerald Finley; recitals in his own series at the historic Middle Temple Hall, London; and a tour of Japan and Korea with Anne Sophie von Otter and Camilla Tilling.

Photo Credit: Dario Acosta

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