MOZART DON GIOVANNI MAY 1 – 10 | 2015 Esther Nelson, stanford calderwood general & Artistic Director blo.org | David Angus, Music Director | John Conklin, Artistic Advisor A THANK YOU TO THE CALDERWOOD CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FROM THE BOARD AND STAFF OF BOSTON LYRIC OPERA Boston Lyric Opera is proud to announce a $5 million gift from The Calderwood Charitable Foundation. This, the largest single institutional gift in Boston Lyric Opera’s 39-year history, will endow our General & Artistic Director position, currently held by Esther Nelson, and be commemorated by its naming as the Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director. We are honored to be counted among the organizations that have benefitted from the tremendous legacy of Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood and extremely thankful to Foundation Trustees John Cornish and William Lowell, who have worked tirelessly to realize the Calderwoods’ vision of a strong, collaborative cultural community in Boston. “I am honored to be the first to hold the title of Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director at Boston Lyric Opera and humbled by the challenge of keeping our Company an innovative, driving force in Boston and throughout the opera world. I trust that this gift will inspire others to support our efforts and, at the same time, compel all of BLO’s future leaders to push the art form forward.” Esther Nelson Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director Welcome I open this final letter of the Season with a truly special message. For many years, BLO has counted itself among the organizations supported by the good work of The Calderwood Charitable Foundation. With the leadership of its Trustees, John Cornish and William Lowell, and our own Board Chair Steven Akin, the Foundation gave BLO a challenge to inspire the Company’s donors to help grow the endowment. The resulting grant is a transformative gift to the endowment, building on its foundation and setting the course for a strong future for BLO. I am profoundly grateful to these gentlemen for their vision and dedication, and to The Calderwood Charitable Foundation. Stanford Calderwood and his wife Norma Jean were longtime patrons of the arts in Boston. I believe they would both be proud to see all the benefits that their legacy has created in our community. And going forward, I am honored to bear the title that reflects and perpetuates their good work. I also welcome you to the final opera of our Season, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, which has impassioned audiences and artists alike throughout its history. G.B. Shaw called it “the opera of operas.” Tchaikovsky, after seeing a performance, wrote, “I could cry out and weep under the overwhelming stress of the emotional impression.” The French novelist Stendhal in The Life of Henry Brulard wrote, “I would walk ten miles through the mud, the thing I hate most in the world, to hear a good performance of Don Giovanni.” What is the lasting allure of this opera? Most of Mozart’s operas have waxed and waned in popularity throughout the centuries, but Don Giovanni has enjoyed constant audience success. Some attribute it to the opera’s easy blend of the comic and serious. Mozart called the opera a dramma giocoso, a comic or jocular drama. Both Mozart and his librettist Da Ponte, with whom he also collaborated on The Marriage of Figaro and Così Fan Tutte, were keen observers of human behavior with a sharp sense of humor. The Don Giovanni plot pits men against women, nobles against commoners, individuals against society. I ascribe the opera’s popularity to the charismatic, magnetic, and complex title character: rake, blasphemer, upper class playboy, an irresistibly sexy, destructive narcissist. He holds up a mirror (and promise) to our own unfulfilled fantasies. The 18th-century Giovanni also represented the quintessential old order, demanding absolute privilege, against which the Enlightenment rose. On the other hand, he also embodies the autonomous subject, rebelling against the old order, which was the cornerstone of the Enlightenment. He has no doubts of his own irrevocable damnation and wins our reluctant admiration by his courageous refusal to be anything but his true self. During my conversations with our stage director, Emma Griffin, we discussed how the allure of the Don Juan idea continues to persist today. But how do we present the idea of divine punishment or fateful intervention for today’s audiences, and diverse cultures? Our fear of — or hope for — such retribution and justice is as real as it was in the 18th century, but it is manifested in many different ways. Emma brings Don Giovanni up close and turns him into a man, and an idea, of our time. His dangerously attractive qualities are also not, I dare suggest, limited to men. (Maybe we’ll find a new opera, a female version: Lady Joanna?) Opera tells emotional truths on many levels. I hope that you enjoy Don Giovanni and that you will join us once again next Season for all-new BLO productions of both popular classics and works not often seen in Boston, all with a distinct French flavor. I look forward to seeing you at intermission. Sketch by Costume Designer Tilly Grimes for Don Giovanni PROGRAM contents Welcome1 Board of Directors 3 Don Giovanni Background5 and Interpretations BLO's 2015/16 Season 6 Meet the Artists 8 BLO's Version of 13 Don Giovanni Production Staff & 14 Acknowledgments BLO Staff & Volunteers 15 Donors18 Esther Nelson Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director Cover: Jennifer Johnson Cano photo by Matthu Placek O ben gebo photography pera, with its full forces of principal singers, chorus, orchestra, production and more, requires a tremendous investment. Ticket sales traditionally cover only a small percentage of those costs. We rely on the passion and support of our community to produce truly great opera, to develop this generation’s talented Emerging Artists, and to bring opera to a wider audience through community engagement. At this time of year-end giving, please consider making a gift to help us reach new heights next Season. michael blanchard photography Get Involved with BLO After the curtain comes down, there are still lots of ways to get your opera fix! PRIMA FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS— MEMBERSHIP IS FREE! Be in the know with regular news updates, exclusive invitations to events, behind-the-scenes access, opportunities to meet BLO artists, and special PRIMA rates for the best available seats at any performance. Members reap all these benefits with no commitment or fee! Join Boston’s young arts lovers at blo.org/prima, 617.542.6772, or [email protected]. JOIN BLO’S ORFEO SOCIETY Orfeo members provide critical support to the Company. As our thanks, we give you the red carpet treatment: the opportunity to meet other opera lovers in congenial settings—like our hospitality wine & cheese lounge prior to each performance—and insight to the art form through engagement with stage directors, artists, and the creative team behind each production. Plus, join Orfeo for the Seasonculminating special performance and celebration (coming up in June—it’s a “don’t miss”). Orfeo members view performances from the best seats in the house and have access to concierge ticketing. Patrons donating $3,000 or more to BLO’s Annual Fund are welcomed into the Orfeo Society. Learn more at blo.org/support/orfeo-society or contact Sarah B. Blume at 617.542.4912 x228. BECOME A SUBSCRIBER Subscribers get priority access to the best seats at the best prices, flexible exchanges, personal service—all with no fees, replacement tickets if you lose them, insider knowledge before the general public, and more. Find out more at blo.org/subscribe or call 617.542.6772. Facebook “f ” Logo CMYK / .eps Facebook “f ” Logo COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS BLO is making music happen far beyond the opera house with engaging events this summer and throughout the year, produced alongside partners from renowned institutions like the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to organizations at the heart of our community. Whatever your opera background, you’re sure to be informed and inspired by our Season of diverse programs and special events. For more information, sign up for the BLO email list, visit blo.org/events, or email [email protected]. MUSIC! WORDS! OPERA! Every year, hundreds of students experience live opera in their classrooms through BLO’s school outreach program, Music! Words! Opera!. Students create and perform their own classroom operas, and teachers receive professional development training as they implement this interactive curriculum in their classrooms with the support of BLO singers and teaching artists. Bring this thriving, free arts program to your community by encouraging your neighborhood teachers and schools to get involved at blo.org/learn/music-words-opera. INTERESTED IN BOARD SERVICE OR BECOMING A VOLUNTEER? Become an integral part of the Company by giving your time as a volunteer or by assuming a leadership role in the future of BLO through Board service. Contact Sarah B. Blume at 617.542.4912 x228 to inquire. STAYING CONNECTED WITH US PAYS OFF — RECEIVE EARLY ANNOUNCEMENTS, SPECIAL OFFERS, AND MORE VIA OUR EMAIL LIST AND BLOG! CMYK / .eps Buy tickets, learn more about these events and others, check out our restaurant partners, and peek behind the scenes at blo.org. 2 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 ABOUT BOSTON LYRIC OPERA Both locally and beyond, Boston Lyric Opera leads the way in celebrating the art of the voice through innovative programming and community engagement initiatives that redefine the opera-going experience. Under the vibrant leadership of Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director Esther Nelson, BLO’s productions have been described by the magazine Musical America as “part of “This midsize the national dialogue” company has a because of their welcome new role as entry points for new audiences. tempo, new The New York Times ambitions, and observed that BLO new capacities. “clearly intends [its It should be productions] to fascinating to catch the interest of see, as BLO operagoers around the country.” approaches its 40th anniversary in 2017, where it goes from here.” This view is shared by the nearly 40,000 people who experience BLO each – the boston globe, year through dynamic september 20, 2014 performances, extensive partnerships with leading cultural organizations, and programs throughout our vastly diverse and exuberant community. BLO’s programming remains faithful to tradition while blazing new ground, building audiences, and creating new ways to enhance the opera-going experience. BLO Emerging Artists hone their craft and prepare to expand their careers to other world-leading stages. And BLO’s wide-reaching education initiatives introduce opera to new audiences across generations. Through your support and attendance, BLO employs nearly 500 artists and creative professionals annually—vocalists, artisans, stagehands, costumers, and scenic designers—many of whom are members of our own community. The Company is proud to play a significant and meaningful role in Boston’s vibrant arts community. A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood were passionate and generous supporters of both the arts and their community during their lifetimes through their personal giving and their encouragement of philanthropy in others. In this spirit, the Trustees of The Calderwood Charitable Foundation have continued their good work, effecting transformational change for cultural organizations across Boston for many years. Boston Lyric Opera is pleased and proud to be counted among the beneficiaries of the Calderwoods’ tremendous legacy. During our long partnership, the Foundation has supported BLO with funding, a readiness to offer guidance, and a willingness to inspire patronage among others. This historic $5 million gift to BLO’s endowment was made upon the successful completion of a challenge from the Foundation to our Board and patrons, and it reflects our shared commitment to the long-term success of the Company and to a vibrant arts community for Boston. My sincere thanks to Foundation Trustees John Cornish and William Lowell for their vision and commitment, to BLO’s Esther Nelson and Eileen Williston and our Trustees Bill Kennedy and Tom Gill for their partnership and dedication, and to all those who helped BLO meet the challenge. Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood understood the important role we all play in creating and ensuring a robust and vital cultural landscape in our community. May their foresight inspire us all to be patrons of Boston’s arts and carry on their legacy for future generations. Steven P. Akin Chair, Board of Directors BOARD CHAIR Steven P. Akin Vice-CHAIr Wayne Davis Vice-CHAIR & Treasurer Frank Wisneski Clerk Susan Jacobs Stanford Calderwood GENERAL & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Esther Nelson, Ex Officio Jane Akin Linda Cabot Black Miguel de Bragança Alicia M. Cooney JoAnne Walton Dickinson, Esq. Alan Dynner Susan D. Eastman Andrew Eisenberg Kenneth L. Freed Thomas D. Gill Jr. Barbara Winter Glauber Anneliese M. Henderson Mimi Hewlett Horace H. Irvine II Amelia Welt Katzen Maria J. Krokidas Stephen T. Kunian Lois A. Lampson Jeffrey Marshall Abigail B. Mason A. Neil Pappalardo E. Lee Perry Irving H. Plotkin William Pounds Michael J. Puzo David W. Scudder Susan R. Shapiro David Shukis Ray Stata Wynne Szeto Christopher Tadgell Wat Tyler Tania Zouikin BOARD OF OVERSEERS Co-CHAIRs Willa Bodman L. Joseph LoDato Lawrence St. Clair James Ackerman Kyla Akin de Asla Elizabeth Barker Ann Beha Edward Bell Debra Taylor Blair Richard M. Burnes Jr. Ellen Cabot Lynn Dale Carol Deane Jessica Donohue Joseph Glenmullen Catherine E. Grein Amy Hunter William Hunter Louise Johnson Ellen Kaplan Pamela S. Kunkemueller Russell Lopez Anita Loscalzo M. Lynne Markus Shari Noe Jane Pisciottoli Papa Samuel Parkinson Susanne Potts Carl Rosenberg Allison Kay Ryder Jonathan Saxton Wendy Shattuck Sandra A. Urie Mark Volpe Lydia Kenton Walsh Robert Walsh Peter J. Wender Bert Zarins EMERITI David B. Arnold Jr. J.P. Barger Sherif A. Nada Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 3 4 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 The Women of Don Giovanni B The Garden of Don Juan, Lajos Gulácsy, 1910 By Magda Romanska, Ph.D., Boston Lyric Opera Dramaturg y the 18th century, educated women were beginning to question male freedoms and dominance of society, and starting to demand similar freedoms for themselves. Many men were also increasingly uneasy about their own social and economic privileges, especially the moral latitude shown toward male sexuality (as opposed to the constraints placed on female sexuality). The women of Don Giovanni showcase the many tensions that dominated gender relations of the era, each representing different aspects of the cultural and social landscape. For critics, the most problematic of the three central female characters is Donna Anna. Her character does not appear at all in Molière’s play, Don Juan. In Tirso de Molina’s The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest, it is suggested that perhaps Don Giovanni raped her, with the play revolving largely around the issue of her honor. At the end, Giovanni confesses that he had not been successful with her, thus resolving the main dramatic question. In Mozart’s opera, she figures not so much as one of Giovanni’s conquests, but foremost as the daughter of the Commendatore whom Giovanni kills, and who in turn enacts his own supernatural revenge on the libertine. Anna’s relentless pursuit of Giovanni and her request to delay the wedding to her fiancé, Don Ottavio, suggest that perhaps she may have been violated, though some critics note that she may simply have been traumatized by the death of her father, who was killed while protecting her honor. In his book on Mozart’s opera, Edward Joseph Dent argues that Anna and Ottavio, “were evidently intended by Da Ponte to be the pair of more or less serious lovers customary in most Italian comic operas.” If Anna and Ottavio indeed fulfill the function of the Italian innamorati, Irving Singer points out that her request to wait the conventional year before marrying is rather normal, and there is no reason for us to believe that her encounter with the Don had anything to do with it. Singer suggests that Anna, the dutiful and guilt-ridden daughter, represents Mozart himself and his own strained relationship with his father. At the end, Singer notes that “neither the capture of Don Giovanni nor the comfort of Ottavio’s love can eliminate the sadness she feels” at the loss of her father. Of the three women, Zerlina appears to be the most sexually liberated. She can be portrayed as either an innocent village girl or a cunning, no-nonsense peasant woman. She most closely parallels commedia dell’arte’s Colombina, the clever maid stock character that emerged later. Although Zerlina has no qualms about flirting with Don Giovanni on the day of her wedding to Masetto, we don’t know if her interest is genuine and she indeed comes under the spell of the Don’s charisma, or whether it’s merely her strategy of dealing with Masetto, making him jealous and by extension more prone to her influence. As Singer points out, “[S]he knows that the more she is fickle with Masetto, the more he will dote on her; the more he dotes on her, the greater her freedom to deceive him.” We also don’t know if Zerlina really believes in Giovanni’s promises of marriage or merely pretends to in order to justify the seduction. She is sensual, but she also understands the social and moral judgment that women must conform to, and she quickly adjusts her behavior to what Masetto expects, begging him to “beat your poor Zerlina.” In the end, Masetto doesn’t beat Zerlina, but Giovanni beats Masetto, which she cleverly blames on Masetto’s own jealousy. Zerlina is often compared to Papagena from The Magic Flute, a child of nature who treats sensual pleasure with casual joy and without the guilt of dominant Christian morality. Finally, Donna Elvira’s chase of the Don and her drive to “avenge my deceived heart” is one of the most tragic motifs of the opera. Elvira is as traditional as possible; believing in the institution of marriage, she is unable to come to terms with Giovanni’s false promises and betrayal. If she were a character in an opera buffa, her love-hate pursuit of her former lover would be farcical, but the music that accompanies her is always serious, suggesting something darker and perhaps even pathologically obsessive in her passion. As David Cairns put it, “[Elvira] is a victim-figure, and her music depicts her obsessiveness, her continued sexual fascination with Don Giovanni, her lack of control; but, unlike the Don, it doesn’t deride her. She rises above the indignities callously heaped on her, and earns our respect.” She is constantly torn between the reality of her predicament and her fantasy world. She desperately wants to believe Giovanni’s assertions because not believing means admitting her own gullibility, but the more she trusts him, the more she suffers. He deceives her until the very end. Magda Romanska, Ph.D., BLO Dramaturg, is an award-winning theatre scholar and writer. She is Associate Professor of Theatre and Dramaturgy at Emerson College, and Research Associate at Harvard University’s Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, and Davis Center for Eastern European Studies. Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 5 We'll Always have Paris— BLO's 2015/16 Season By Richard Dyer B LO’s 2015/16 Season is another way to fly off to Paris. La Bohème and The Merry Widow are set in the city of light and love. And while Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther is set in a suburb of Frankfurt, stage director Crystal Manich and designer John Conklin plan to transport Werther to a suburb of Paris and to present it in the visual style of the celebrated French film director, Jean Renoir. Three strongly contrasting operas written in three countries within a span of 15 years, but linked in many ways, transport us to Paris, the city on the Seine, in three different historical periods. These operas are the kind that audiences take home with them, and each leaves lifelong impressions. They certainly have for me. My first Bohème was on May 13, 1953, with the Met tour in Oklahoma City. I was 11, and I cried my heart out (if I am at a good performance, I still will). My first Merry Widow was at the Kenley Players in Warren, Ohio in 1961, when the popular television comedienne Edie Adams appeared as the widow, astonishing the audience with her legitimate singing voice (she had studied at Juilliard). The effect was as startling as Lady Gaga’s performance of excerpts from The Sound of Music at the Academy Awards this year. Who knew? My first Werther was at the Opéra Comique in Paris when I was a 19-year-old student, not far from Werther’s age. I was so overwhelmed that I went to every other performance that season. First impressions are lasting ones; all three operas are the kind you live with. La Bohème is Puccini’s most popular work and is currently the most popular opera in the world, surpassing even Verdi’s Aida, which held the record for decades. His source was a series of magazine sketches of bohemian life that Henri Murger, wrote beginning in 1845; they didn’t find much of an audience, but later Murger and a collaborator adapted them into a stage play which became internationally popular. Still later Murger assembled the sketches into a loose-limbed novel. Murger knew first-hand the world he was writing about because it was his own— he lived in the company of ambitious, spirited, and penniless young artists and musicians, their loves and quarrels, successes and failures, joys and despairs, intense lives and early deaths. The tragic story of Mimì and Rodolfo is only one strand in Murger’s narrative collage, but it captured the imagination of everyone who read it or saw it on stage. 6 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 In 2002, the filmmaker Baz Luhrmann brought his famous 1990 Australian Opera production of La Bohème to Broadway, and one of the sopranos rotating in the role of Mimì was Kelly Kaduce, fresh out of Boston University. Now one of America’s leading sopranos, she returns to Boston to recreate the role. Jesus Garcia also appeared in the production as Rudolfo; both he and Kaduce will star in BLO’s new La Bohème. The production, by Rosetta Cucchi with set designs by John Conklin, will unfold in Paris at the time of the epoch-defining student protests in 1968, with a visual style derived from the “New Wave” films of the same time by Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, and others. It is difficult today to imagine the scope of the success of Goethe’s novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, which he published in 1774 at the age of 24. It was translated into many languages and read around the world, defining a whole generation. The protagonist, who reveals his Notes from BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin on Glass's In the Penal Colony, BLO's 2015/16 Opera Annex In the world of contemporary opera, Philip Glass is one of the rare composers to have built a highly acclaimed and ongoing body of work ... and all with an impressive variety of style and subject matter. His opera Satyagraha was a triumph at the Metropolitan Opera, and one of BLO’s greatest successes was Akhnaten in 2000. I worked with Philip (and director JoAnne Akalitis) on the world premiere (2000) of his one-act piece based on the well-known and dramatically disturbing short story by Kafka. I soon realized that this was a very powerful, tense, and concentrated composition (composed for two singers and a string quintet) neatly (almost inevitably) fusing the obsessive forward-driving energy of Glass with the subtle yet unstoppable theatricality of Kafka’s vision. story and pours out his feelings in a series of impassioned letters, is a notable figure in the history of outsiders, a descendant of Hamlet and an ancestor of James Dean. He is a passionate romantic who falls in love with Charlotte, a woman he cannot have. Jules Massenet responded to the principles and the pain of his two leading characters with music of profound, self-revealing emotion in an opera that sweeps the public into a maelstrom of feeling. The music, of course, is quintessentially French (although the influence of Wagner in the fluidity of the harmony is obvious). There is also a modern touch—Massenet introduces the saxophone into the orchestration, even though it had not been invented at the time of the story. Like Puccini, he created great roles that continue to attract major singers. BLO’s production features the debut of the charismatic Canadian tenor Joseph Kaiser and the return of Company favorite Sandra Piques Eddy as Charlotte, most recently seen here in Janáček’s Kátya Kabanová. Eiffel Tower, Jean-Philippe Letarte Anyone who has ever fallen in love can relate to the story, and hearing Puccini’s music brings back all the turbulence and ecstasy of youthful love (Puccini was only 35 years old when he started work on this opera). This is one reason why older singers can still prove convincing in the opera—some readers may remember how affecting Carlo Bergonzi and Pilar Lorengar were on the Met tour here in 1977, when both of them were old enough to be the grandparents of Mimì and Rodolfo—and why other productions of the work have effectively set the story in diverse times and places from 1845 to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s (the choice of the Broadway musical Rent, which used a contemporary score by Jonathan Larson to tell the old story again). Nine years after La Bohème, Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow had its premiere and, like La Bohème, it has been performed all over the world ever since. Lehár’s story, about the attempt of an impoverished Pontevedrian government to keep the fortune of the country’s wealthiest new widow from passing into the pocket of a foreign suitor, comes from a slightly naughty French play by Henri Meilhac. (Meilhac is remembered today for the libretto he prepared for Bizet’s Carmen as well as his collaborations with Jacques Offenbach. And in another link among the Season’s composers, Meilhac co-wrote the libretto for Massenet’s most popular opera, Manon, another opera set in Paris.) We are in a different Paris from that of La Bohème. On the map, the Café Momus in the Latin Quarter, where the bohemians hang out, isn’t that far from Maxim’s, on the Rue Royale on the other side of the Seine. But the revelers at Maxim’s have money—or pretend they do— and they come from a frivolous world devoted to the pursuit of both instant pleasure and constant gratification. Indeed, Maxim’s may not have acquired its legendary and enduring reputation if it had not been for The Merry Widow. The plot of The Merry Widow is a contrivance, an intricate framework onto which Lehár hung a string of vivacious ensembles and seductive melodies in three-quarter time. The operetta has triumphed on stage for more than a century. There have been television productions and two movies—a great one with Maurice Chevalier wooing Jeanette MacDonald, and a dreadful one with Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas. The Turner movie, however, did inspire the legendary undergarment bearing the same name. Since the premiere, glamorous sopranos have coveted the role of the merry widow and her haunting song “from her native land,” “Vilja.” In recent years, the role has become associated with such late-career divas as Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland, and Frederica von Stade, who said she couldn’t imagine a nicer way to take leave of the Met than to waltz offstage in the arms of Plácido Domingo; just this season, Renée Fleming and Deborah Voigt have taken on the role. BLO will break with recent tradition by presenting a widow young enough to be merry—the Metropolitan Opera’s vivacious Susanna Phillips, whose early career brought her twice to the Company, in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Canadian tenor Roger Honeywell will make his debut as the dashing Count Danilo. The production, again designed by Conklin, promises lots of sparkle and spectacle while suggesting the fragility of this artificial world that would soon be swept away by World War I. The soundtrack for my own student year in Paris—filled with the joyous, youthful discoveries of Café Momus rather than the heady glitz of Maxim’s—was written in part by Puccini, Massenet, and Lehár. I have known each of these works by heart for more than 50 years. There are some operas you can’t remember, but these are operas you can’t forget. RICHARD DYER is a distinguished writer and lecturer. He wrote about music for The Boston Globe for over 30 years, serving as chief music critic for most of that time. He has twice won the Deems Taylor/ ASCAP Award for Distinguished Music Criticism. Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 7 Boston lyric opera Presents mozart don giovanni Music Director David Angus 2014/15 Season Sponsor, Linda Cabot Black Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte A new Boston Lyric Opera production Sung in Italian with projected English translation This production is made possible through the generous support of Paul and Sandra Montrone Performances: FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015 AT 7:30 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2015 AT 3:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015 AT 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015 AT 7:30 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2015 AT 3:00 P.M. Conductor Sponsored by Linda Cabot Black Stage Director EMMA GRIFFIN* Set Designer LAURA JELLINEK* Costume Designer TILLY GRIMES* Lighting Designer MARK BARTON* Fight Director ANDREW KENNETH MOSS Wig and Makeup Designer JASON ALLEN BOSTON LYRIC OPERA Orchestra Sandra Kott Concertmaster BOSTON LYRIC OPERA chorus Michelle Alexander Chorusmaster DAVID ANGUS Performed in approximately two hours, 50 minutes with one intermission Citi performing arts centerSM shubert theatre 265 tremont street, boston * Boston Lyric Opera Debut † Boston Lyric Opera Emerging Artist ‡ Boston Lyric Opera Emerging Artist Alumnus Rehearsal Coach/Accompanist BRETT HODGDON‡ Sponsored by Rusty Rolland and The Schick Foundation Assistant Director ALLEGRA LIBONATI* Production Stage Manager CHELSEA ANTRIM Cast & SYNOPSIS CAST in order of vocal appearance Leporello.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................KEVIN BURDETTE Sponsored by Susan W. Jacobs Donna Anna........................................................................................................................................................................................................MEREDITH HANSEN‡ Sponsored by Wayne Davis & Ann Merrifield Don Giovanni............................................................................................................................................................................................................. DUNCAN ROCK* Sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. E. Lee Perry Commendatore.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... STEVEN HUMES Sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Michael Puzo Don Ottavio............................................................................................................................................................................................................... JOHN BELLEMER Sponsored by Katie & Paul Buttenwieser Donna Elvira.....................................................................................................................................................................................JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO* Sponsored by Barbara and Robert Glauber Zerlina...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................CHELSEA BASLER† Sponsored by Willa and Taylor Bodman Masetto......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... DAVID CUSHING‡ Sponsored by Linda Cabot Black SYNOPSIS ACT I The masked Don Giovanni pursues Donna Anna, who resists the intruder. Her cries for help arouse her father, the Commendatore, who struggles with Giovanni and is killed. When a former conquest, Donna Elvira, arrives seeking Giovanni, she is fobbed off on his servant, Leporello. Giovanni tries to seduce a young bride, Zerlina, and again Leporello is used to distract the bridegroom, Masetto. Giovanni’s seduction of Zerlina is interrupted by Elvira, who proceeds to warn Anna and her fiancé, Don Ottavio, of Giovanni’s treachery. Anna recognizes Giovanni as the killer of her father and swears vengeance. Joined by Elvira, Anna and Ottavio confront Giovanni and vow that justice is at hand. ACT II Giovanni and Leporello exchange clothes. Giovanni serenades Elvira’s maid while Leporello (as Giovanni) toys with the deluded Elvira. Masetto, seeking revenge, is tricked and beaten by Giovanni in disguise. Leporello, still dressed as the Don, is confronted by a furious Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina, and Masetto; he reveals his true identity and escapes. Giovanni encounters the figure of the Commendatore and scornfully invites him to dine. The Commendatore accepts, but when he arrives, Giovanni boldly refuses to repent. Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 9 Artists DAVID ANGUS Conductor Tilly Grimes Costume Designer BLO: Kátya Kabanová, The Love Potion, Lizzie Borden, I Puritani, The Magic Flute, The Flying Dutchman, Clemency, Macbeth BLO: Debut Recent Highlights: Concerts: London Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra of Flanders, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston; Salome, Wexford Festival; Messiah, Huddersfield Choral Society, Opera North (U.K.) Recent Highlights: The Irish Arts Design Award for Caligua, Twelfth Night, Present Laughter, NYU; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Trinity Repertory Company; New World Stages; La MaMa; HERE Arts Centre; guest artist and designer at Juilliard, NYU, Trinity College Dublin; Co-Artistic Director of SavageCharm Upcoming: La Bohème, Werther, BLO; Concerts: London Philharmonic, Orchestra of Opera North (U.K.), Filarmonico Arturo Toscanini Orchestra Mark Barton Lighting Designer BLO: Debut EMMA GRIFFIN Stage Director BLO: Debut Recent Highlights: Out Cold & Zippo Songs, BAM’s Next Wave Festival; Removable Parts (winner of “Outstanding Performance Art Production,” NY Innovative Theater Awards), The Cunning Little Vixen, Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Juilliard; Wozzeck, Opera Philadelphia/Curtis Opera Theater; Artistic Director of the OBIE Awardwinning Salt Theater: Stage Door (FringeNYC Excellence Award as Best Director), The Cherry Orchard Upcoming: Three Decembers, Atlanta Opera; Professor of Opera Stage Direction, College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati Recent Highlights: The Cunning Little Vixen, Juilliard; Owen Wingrave, The Magic Flute, Idomeneo, Wozzeck, The Rake’s Progress, Ainadamar, Postcard from Morocco, La Voix Humaine, L’Ormindo, Albert Herring, Curtis Opera Theater; Broadway: The Real Thing, Violet, The Realistic Joneses; Off-Broadway: Roundabout; Playwrights Horizons; Public Theater; Elevator Repair Service; Signature; Soho Rep; Theater for a New Audience; Young Jean Lee; MCC; Target Margin; New Georges; Clubbed Thumb; P.S. 122. Other NYC: Encores! Off-Center. Regional: Guthrie; A.R.T.; Actor’s Theater of Louisville; La Jolla Playhouse; Yale Rep; Perseverance; Long Wharf; South Coast Rep; Berkeley Rep; Syracuse Stage. Obie Award for Sustained Excellence. Upcoming: Encores! Off-Center 2015, New York City Center; John, Signature Theater; Fondly, Colette Richland, Elevator Repair Service; L’Occasione Fa il Ladro, Gotham Chamber Opera Laura Jellinek Set Designer BLO: Debut Andrew Kenneth Moss Fight Director Recent Highlights: Dialogues of the Carmelites, Owen Wingrave, Opera Philadelphia; The Cunning Little Vixen, Opera Philadelphia; Romeo et Juliette, Palm Beach Opera; Messiah (staged), Pittsburgh Symphony; The Cunning Little Vixen, Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Juilliard; Ghosts, San Francisco Ballet; Buzzer, The Public Theater; The Nether, MCC (Lortel Nomination); Small Mouth Sounds, Ars Nova; multiple projects with Daniel Fish, The Debate Society, and The Mad Ones. Adjunct Faculty at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, Graduate Department in Design for Stage and Film; 2013 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Design. BLO: I Puritani Upcoming: Three Decembers, Atlanta Opera; Oklahoma!, Bard Summerscape; Marjorie Prime, Playwrights Horizons Recent Highlights: Armida, Metropolitan Opera; Dead Man Walking, West Side Story, Carmen, Seven Deadly Sins, Rinaldo, Oklahoma!, Show Boat, Central City Opera; Forever Dusty, New World Stages; SAFE, 59E59, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Porgy and Bess 75th Anniversary International Tour, Dicapo Opera Theatre; West Side Story, Adger Teater Kilden, Norway JASON ALLEN Wig and Makeup Designer BLO: Resident Designer since 2003 Recent Highlights: The Colored Museum, Huntington Theatre Company; The Manchurian Candidate, Minnesota Opera; Sense and Sensibility, The Dallas Theatre Center; La Fancuilla del West, Minnesota Opera; Tosca, Mill City Summer Opera; Swan Lake, Boston Ballet; Awake and Sing!, Huntington Theatre Company Upcoming: The Marriage of Figaro, The Princeton Festival; Carmen, Minnesota Opera; Kiss Me, Kate, Hartford Stage 10 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 Artists KEVIN BURDETTE Bass Leporello STEVEN HUMES Bass Commendatore BLO: Death and The Loudspeaker, The Emperor of Atlantis BLO: First Soldier, Salomé; Second Man in Armor, Die Zauberflöte Recent Highlights: Stefano, The Tempest, Metropolitan Opera (DVD by Deutsche Grammophon won 2014 Grammy Award, “Best Opera Recording”); Beck Weathers, Everest (world premiere), Dallas Opera; Herr Puff, The Impresario, Chamberlain, Le Rossigno, Santa Fe Opera; Respectable Lady’s Son, The Nose, Metropolitan Opera; Soloist, Messiah, Seattle Symphony; Dulcamara, L’Elisir d’Amore, San Diego Opera; Doktor, Wozzeck, The Philharmonia Orchestra; Henry B. Isaacson, Oscar (world premiere), Santa Fe Opera; Leporello, Don Giovanni, Los Angeles Philharmonic Recent Highlights: Alaska-Wolf Joe, double Grammywinning Mahagonny, Los Angeles Opera; Vodník, Rusalka, Teatro Roma; Oroveso, Norma, Ramfis, Aïda, Wurm, Luisa Miller, Bayerische Staatsoper; Rocco, Fidelio, Daland, Flying Dutchman, Torino; König Heinrich, Lohengrin, Beijing Opera; Fafner, Reingold, Siegfried, Bayerishe Staatsoper, Grand Théâtre de Genève; Commendatore, Don Giovanni, Théatre des Champs Élysées; Teatro Real, Madrid; The Bolshoi Theatre; Salzburg Festival Upcoming: Sulpice, La Fille du Régiment, Stobrod/Blind Man, Cold Mountain (world premiere), Santa Fe Opera; Eric Gold/The Ghost of Vittorio Bazzetti, Great Scott (world premiere), Dallas Opera; Pirate King, The Pirates of Penzance, Atlanta Opera MEREDITH HANSEN Soprano Donna AnnA BLO: First Lady, The Magic Flute; Beatrice, The Inspector; Frasquita, Carmen Recent Highlights: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (cover), Metropolitan Opera; Soloist, A Child of Our Time, Choral Society of Durham; Polovtsian Maiden (cover), Prince Igor, Woglinde (cover), Götterdämmerung, Das Rheingold, Metropolitan Opera; Musetta, La Bohème, Cedar Rapids Opera; Soloist, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Boston Symphony Orchestra Upcoming: Trainbearer, Elektra, Boston Symphony Orchestra Upcoming: König Marke, Tristan, Théatre des Champs Élysées; Banco, Macbeth, St. Gallen Switzerland; König Heinrich, Lohengrin, Royal Opera of Copenhagen; Soloist, Joan of Arc (Honnegger), New York Philharmonic; Dvořák, Stabat Mater, Herrenchimsee Festival, Germany JOHN BELLEMER Tenor Don Ottavio BLO: Sandy/Officer, The Lighthouse; Don José, Carmen and Carmen on the Common Recent Highlights: Toni, Elegy for Young Lovers, Teatro la Fenice, Teatro Arriaga; Gabriele, Cristina, Regina di Svezia, Wexford Festival Opera; Male Chorus, The Rape of Lucretia, Maggio Musicale; Sali, A Village Romeo and Juliet, Wexford Festival Opera; Alfredo, La Traviata, Florida Grand Opera; Riccardo, Maria di Rohan, Buxton Festival; Ferrando, Così Fan Tutte, Opéra de Rouen, Opéra National de Bordeaux; Don José, Carmen, Opera Grand Rapids Upcoming: Evangelist, Saint Matthew Passion (James Newton’s world premiere), Turin Jazz Festival; Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hawaii Opera Theater; Carmina Burana, Teatro Regio di Torino DUNCAN ROCK Baritone Don Giovanni BLO: Debut Recent Highlights: Tarquinius, The Rape of Lucretia, Deutsche Oper, Berlin, Glyndebourne Festival; Marullo, Rigoletto, Royal Opera, Covent Garden; English Clerk and Guide, Death in Venice, Teatro Réal; Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni, Welsh National Opera; Papageno, The Magic Flute, English National Opera; Billy Bigelow, Carousel, Théâtre du Châtelet; Soloist, BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms with Sir Andrew Davis; Winner of the 2012 Chilcott Award Upcoming: Demetrius, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Glyndebourne Festival; Marcello, La Bohème, Royal Opera, English National Opera; Mountjoy, Gloriana, Teatro Réal; Billy Bigelow, Carousel, Houston Grand Opera; Billy Budd, Billy Budd, The Bolshoi Theatre Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 11 Boston lyric opera Orchestra Artists JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO Mezzo-Soprano Donna Elvira BLO: Debut Recent Highlights: Finalist in 2015 International Opera Awards; Mércedès, Carmen, Emilia, Otello, Wellgunde, Waltraute, The Ring Cycle, Hansel, Hansel and Gretel, Nicklausse, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Meg Page, Falstaff, Bersi, Andrea Chénier, Metropolitan Opera; The Sharp Eared Fox, The Cunning Little Vixen, Cleveland Orchestra; Diana, La Calisto, Cincinnati Opera; Soloist, Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s; 2012 Richard Tucker Career Grant and George London Winner; member of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program since 2008 Upcoming: Dido, Dido & Aeneas, Opera Saratoga; Emilia, Otello, Metropolitan Opera; Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni, Arizona Opera CHELSEA BASLER Soprano ZERLINA BLO: Glasha, Kátya Kabanová; Isolt the Fair, The Love Potion; Flora Bervoix, La Traviata; Margret Borden, Lizzie Borden; Countess Ceprano, Rigoletto; Papagena, The Magic Flute Recent Highlights: Soloist, Exultate Jubilate, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra; Recital at the National Opera Center, New York; Josephine, HMS Pinafore, Opera Saratoga; Curley’s Wife, Of Mice and Men, Sarasota Opera Upcoming: Valencienne, The Merry Widow, BLO; Sara, Cold Mountain (world premiere), Santa Fe Opera DAVID CUSHING Bass-Baritone MASETTO BLO: Duke Hoël, The Love Potion; Doctor Grenville, La Traviata; Count Monterone, Rigoletto; Sarastro, The Magic Flute; The Bonze, Madama Butterfly; Adolfo, The Inspector; Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville Recent Highlights: Tom, Un Ballo in Maschera, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra; The Speaker, The Magic Flute, Opera Tampa; Dulcamara, L’Elisir d’Amore, Opera North; The Great Gatsby, Emmanuel Music; Tom, Un Ballo in Maschera, Sparafucile, Rigoletto, Opera Tampa VIOLIN I Sandra Kott, Concertmaster Colin Davis Heidi Braun-Hill Natalie Favaloro Gerald Mordis Pattison Story Stacey Alden Cynthia Cummings VIOLIN II Annie Rabbat, Principal Jodi Hagen Peter Hanly Robert Curtis Rohan Gregory Tera Gorsett VIOLA Kenneth Stalberg, Principal David Feltner Donna Jerome Abigail Cross Don Krishnaswami CELLO Loewi Lin, Principal Jan Pfeiffer-Rios Melanie Dyball Jolene Kessler BASS Robert Lynam, Principal Barry Boettger OBOE Nancy Dimock, Principal Lynda Jacquin CLARINET Jan Halloran, Principal Steven Jackson Bassoon Donald Bravo, Principal Elah Grandel Horn Kevin Owen, Principal Dirk Hillyer Trumpet Paul Perfetti, Acting Principal Greg Whitaker Trombone Robert Couture, Principal Hans Bohn David Hagee Timpani Jeffrey Fischer, Principal FortePiano Brett Hodgdon Mandolin Gerald Mordis FLUTE Linda Toote, Principal Iva Milch Boston lyric opera Chorus Michelle Alexander, Chorusmaster Soprano Maggie Finnegan Eunhee Kang Dana Lynne Varga ALTO Heather Gallagher Lee Sullivan Vera Savage Upcoming: Sir Tristram, Martha, Boston Midsummer Opera; Leporello, Don Giovanni, Opera Tampa TENOR Stefan Barner Frank Levar Chris Maher Thomas Oesterling Brad Raymond BASS Ryne Cherry Jeremy Collier Carlton Doctor Ian Pomerantz Ron Williams SUPERNUMERARIES Sean Paul Cormier, Kathryn DePaola, Paulo Lapa 12 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 BLO’s Version of Mozart’s Don Giovanni by Magda Romanska, Ph.D., Boston Lyric Opera Dramaturg D uring preparations for the Prague premiere of Don Giovanni in October of 1787, Mozart was, as ever, heavily involved with all aspects of the production, from the music and the staging to writing the libretto. In fact, he continued writing and rewriting until the opening and even after. The second production, in Vienna, which opened in May of 1788, included many changes in the libretto and score. First, Mozart added two new arias; second, but more importantly, he made a number of cuts in the Finale, eliminating repetitive lines by the Commendatore and Don Giovanni and cutting the final epilogue, in which the couples discuss their postDon Giovanni plans for the future. Thus, the Viennese version ended with the grand scene of condemnation — Don Giovanni disappearing into the pit of fire, carried away by demons. Mozart believed such an ending was more powerful because it culminated with the terrifying vision of Hell and condemnation, leaving the audience in a state of awe and horror. As Don Giovanni’s story concluded, there was no need to bring back the couples for the epilogue. In BLO’s version, we are honoring Mozart’s revisions of the opera by cutting the final epilogue and tightening the libretto for more intense dramatic effect. Thanks to these cuts, we are able to execute the classic (and neo-classical) vision of the opera’s dramatic structure, ascribing to the Greek rule of the three unities: time, space, and action. Our version of the opera takes place within 24 hours, in Don Giovanni’s home, following all of the characters in one continuous swoop, part cinéma verité and part ensemble piece. Our Don Giovanni is a man of means, and his house parties, as claustrophobic as they can get, serve as a way for high society to interact, entertain, and destroy each other. With his wealth and charisma, the Don wields the power of the house master, moving his guests, both men and women, like chess pieces on the board. This fishbowl setting emphasizes the divide between the public world of social and moral rules that govern men and women’s sexuality and the private world of bedrooms, where official boundaries are tested and transgressed. Dramatically, the opera follows Thomas Hobbes’ vision of the boudoir as a battlefield, with man (the rake, the libertine) pursuing woman (the fortress of virtue and temptation) until she’s conquered. By tightening the libretto (as Mozart intended with his Vienna revisions) and staging the opera within the neo-classical model of the three unities (as was customary in Mozart’s Age of Enlightenment), we are able to solve a number of structural problems, while heightening the dramatic tensions and emotional impact of the opera. And by focusing on the ensemble, we create a world of power and sexuality that is as alluring and seductive as it is dangerous and destructive. Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 13 Production staff ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Chelsea Antrim Production Stage Manager Rachel S. Arditi Assistant Stage Manager Lauren Wong Assistant Stage Manager Anderson Nunnelley Production Assistant Jeremy Smith Head Production Carpenter Bryan Salmon First Assistant Production Carpenter Joseph St. Croix Second Assistant Production Carpenter B. Alix Lopes Head Production Electrician Jenny Ciaffone First Assistant Production Electrician Mike Condon First Assistant Production Electrician Justin Brady Second Assistant Production Electrician Patrick Glynn Head of Production Properties Emily Picot Second Assistant of Production Properties James R. McCartney Head of Production Audio Dianna Reardon Wardrobe Supervisor Gail Astrid Buckley Costume Supervisor Lynn Jeffery Costume Supervisor Patricia Torpey Properties Supervisor Bailey Costa Assistant Lighting Designer Aja Jackson Lighting Intern Dane Palmer Technical Assistant Rachel Padula-Shufelt Wig-Makeup Artist Susie Moncousky Wig-Makeup Artist Kelley Rourke Surtitle Designer Allison Voth Surtitle Operator Kate Ellingson Music Librarian Maynard Goldman Orchestra Personnel Manager Boston Lyric Opera extends its gratitude to the following individuals and organizations for their extraordinary courtesy in making our productions possible: The Artists and Stage Managers employed on this production are members of the American Guild of Musical Artists. All musicians are members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. The scenic, costume, and lighting designers are members of United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE. Stagehands are represented by Local #11 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Boston Lyric Opera is a member of OPERA America, the national service organization for opera in the U.S. and Canada. Acentech, Inc. | Carl Rosenberg Advanced Lighting and Production Services | Jim DeVeer AKA Alexander Aronson Finning Susan Bennett, M.D., Company Physician Consultant Associate Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston Business Printing Boston Center for Adult Education Beacon Hill Seminars Boston Public Library Catherine Truman Architects | Catherine Truman Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP | Andrew Eisenberg and Will Krasnow Costume Works, Inc. | Liz Perlman Denka Trucking | Dick Butler Lance A. Douglas Elderhostel, Inc./Road Scholar Eric Antoniou Photography Four Seasons, Boston Goodman Media International, Inc. Mark Howard IATSE Local #11 JACET | Colleen Glynn IRN Internet Services | Jay Williston Leapfrog Arts | Melissa Wagner-O’Malley Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Myles Standish Business Condominiums NEPS Primary Freight Production Advantage ProPrint Boston Quality Graphics, Inc. The Revere Hotal Ryder Transportation | Scott Berry Robert Silman Associates | Robert Silman and Michael Auren Santander Starburst Printing Somerville Theatre Mia Tavan Tessitura United Staging & Rigging | Eric Frishman WGBH/WCRB Wheelock Family Theatre Winston Flowers Scenery constructed by American Repertory Theatre and BLO Lighting Equipment provided by Advanced Lighting & Production Services, Inc. Costumes supervised by Costume Works, Inc., Somerville, MA 14 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 PERFORMANCE & VENUE INFORMATION Boston lyric opera Staff Esther Nelson Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director David Angus Music Director John Conklin Artistic Advisor Artistic Nicholas G. Russell Director of Artistic Operations Jennifer Feldman Artistic Coordinator Nancy McDonald Artistic Associate Production Bradley Vernatter Director of Production Anna B. Labykina Technical Director Jessica Johnson Production Administrator Julia Noulin-Mérat Associate Producer Magda Romanska Dramaturg FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Karen Frost Director of Finance and Administration Kristin Dwyer Executive Assistant to the General & Artistic Director David J. Cullen Accounting Manager Reingard Heller Finance Manager Juan Rodriguez Office Associate PATRON RELATIONS Eileen Nugent Williston Director of Institutional Advancement Riley Cameron Institutional Advancement Assistant Sarah B. Blume Director of Major Gifts Cathy Emmons Director of Institutional Gifts Danielle Schmidt Special Events Manager Annalise Baird Patron Services Coordinator Erica Leung Audience Services Manager Rebecca Kittredge Audience Services Coordinator Goodman Media International, Inc. Public Relations Elizabeth Mullins Manager of Education Programs Lacey Upton Manager of Community Programs Brendan Buckley Resident Teaching Artist Heather Gallagher Resident Teaching Artist Andrew J. Moreau Analytics and Project Manager Robin Schweikart Database Administrator Vanessa Wheeler Research and Database Coordinator INTERNS Queenie Fang Océanne Fry Paige Revens Michael Szeto VOLUNTEER CORPS Sharon Barry Lynn Bregman Jane Cammack Stephen Chan Ashley Chang Jeannie Ackerman Curhan Ann D’Angelo Karla De Greef Jaclyn Dentino Marsha de Poo Mary DePoto Frances Driscoll Marian Ead Susan Eastman Hugh Fitzgerald Audley Fuller Ralph Gioncardi Mencken Graham Bruce Houston Eva Karger Milling Kinard Jo Anna Klein Nicholas Kopp Esther Lable Melissa Lanouette Nancy Lynn Domenico Mastrototaro Terri Mazzulli Diane McGary Patti McGovern Anne McGuire Amy Molloy Meg Morton Katherine Nash Kameel Nasr Gail Neff Amy O’Connell Meghan O’Connor Cosmo Papa Jane Papa Barbara Papesch Elizabeth Sarafian Jutta Scott Alexandra Sherman Barbara Trachtenberg Jessica Tybursky Amy Walba Gerry Weisenberg Debbie Wiess Beverly Wiggins Alfred Williams Joe Williams Lynn Williams Sybil Williams Late Seating At the request of our patrons, Boston Lyric Opera observes the national opera standard of a no-late seating policy. While we understand that traffic conditions, public transportation, weather, and other factors can have unexpected effects on your arrival, we wish to minimize disruptions for our seated patrons and for our artists on stage. Latecomers will be asked to wait in the lobby until the earliest possible break in the performance, which in some cases may be intermission. Should you arrive late, the Company provides a video monitor in the lobby where you may view the performance until you are seated. As a courtesy to the artists and for the comfort of those around you, please turn off all mobile phones, pagers, watch alarms, and any other device with audible signals prior to the start of the performance. Patrons who leave the theatre during the performance may not be seated again until intermission. The use of cameras or recording devices in the theatre is strictly prohibited. In consideration of Boston Lyric Opera patrons, children under six will not be admitted. Citi Performing Arts Center℠ Shubert Theatre is not entirely wheelchair-accessible. For patrons with disabilities, wheelchair-accessible and companion seating, as well as removable-arm chairs, are available in a variety of locations and prices on the Orchestra level. There is no elevator in the Shubert Theatre; staircases are available for access to the Mezzanine and Balcony level seating areas. A wheelchair-accessible restroom and concession station are located off the main lobby. A wheelchair-accessible telephone is located in the box office lobby. The Shubert Theatre is equipped with an FM assistive listening device for patrons with hearing impairments; headsets are available free of charge at the Head Usher’s desk. A pay-TTY device for deaf patrons is located in the box office lobby. Patrons requiring assistance should contact Citi Performing Arts Center℠ in advance of their visit. Please call 617.482.9393 or (TTY) 617.482.5757. Patrons who are deaf are encouraged to use the Massachusetts Relay Service at 800.439.2370 for purchasing tickets to BLO productions. Please direct inquiries and requests for ADA guidelines to: Access Services Administrator, Citi Performing Arts Center℠, 270 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116. TICKET INFORMATION For information on Boston Lyric Opera productions, subscriptions and tickets, visit blo.org, call BLO Audience Services at 617.542.6772, or visit the Shubert Theatre box office, open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6:00 p.m., also available by telephone at 866.348.9738 or (TTY) 888.889.8587. CROSSING A NEW AMERICAN OPERA MAY 26–JUNE 6 SHUBERT THEATRE IN THE MOOD A 1940S MUSICAL REVUE MAY 12–24 EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE ZOLTÁN MÁGA FROM BUDAPEST WITH LOVE OCTOBER 26 SHUBERT THEATRE ELF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL NOVEMBER 17–DECEMBER 6 WANG THEATRE RUDOLPH THE REDNOSED REINDEER THE MUSICAL DECEMBER 1–6 SHUBERT THEATRE ONCE DECEMBER 8–27 SHUBERT THEATRE LOVE LETTERS STARRING ALI MACGRAW AND RYAN O’NEAL From the creative mind of artistic producer DEKE SHARON ( Pitch Perfect, The Sing-Off ) comes the all-new live concert event that takes a cappella to a whole new level! FEBRUARY 2–7 SHUBERT THEATRE VOCALOSITY THE ACA-PERFECT CONCERT EXPERIENCE FEBRUARY 16 SHUBERT THEATRE CAN’T DECIDE? Wang Theatre • Shubert Theatre • Emerson Colonial Theatre Your gift card. Your choice. CITI CENTER GIFT CARDS ARE THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ANY OCCASITON EMERGENCY EXIT LOCATIONS For your own safety, please take a moment to view the emergency exit locations on each floor. Orchestra BUY TICKETS AT CITICENTER.ORG WANG & EMERSON COLONIAL: 800.982.2787 / SHUBERT: 866.348.9738 CITI CENTER BOX OFFICE: 270 TREMONT STREET, BOSTON GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE SAVE! CALL 617.532.1116 TO BOOK AN OUTING 16 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 Mezzanine Balcony PHOTO BY FRANK OCKENFELS | ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST You need talent to be good. And passion to be great. Citibank is proud to support the arts. We honor the performers for their commitment to their craft and their dedication to enriching lives everywhere. Visit one of our 17 branches in the Boston area and speak with a personal banker. DECEMBER 8–27 AT CITI SHUBERT THEATRE BUY TICKETS AT CITICENTER.ORG © 2015 Citi and Citi Arc Design are registered service marks of Citigroup Inc. Citi Performing Arts Center is a service mark of Citigroup Inc. © 2015 Citigroup Inc. Citibank, N.A. Member FDIC. Citi with Arc Design is a registered service mark of Citigroup Inc. CITI PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IS MORE THAN THE WORLD-CLASS CONCERTS AND THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES ON STAGE In addition to the performance you are about to see, we provide arts education to our city’s youth, present the bi-annual ArtWeek Boston for the community at large, and preserve the majesty of our historic theatres! But we cannot do it without your support. Become a member of our Entourage and enjoy a 100% tax-deduction and some special benefits to enhance your experience with us. MAKE A GIFT TODAY! Contact us at 617.532.1222 or [email protected]. You can also make a gift through citicenter.org! Citi opera Performing Arts Center is a 501(c) (3) institution. Boston lyric DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 17 Individual donors We are honored to recognize our donors who generously support the mission of Boston Lyric Opera to build curiosity, enthusiasm, and support for opera by creating musically and theatrically compelling productions, events, and educational resources for our community and beyond. We are deeply grateful for the following contributions made to Boston Lyric Opera between April 1, 2014 and April 1, 2015. Crescendo ($100,000 and above) Anonymous (2) Jane and Steven Akin*† Barr Foundation Linda Cabot Black*†§ Willa and Taylor Bodman*† Miguel and Suki de Bragança*† The Calderwood Charitable Foundation Jody and Tom Gill*† Horace H. Irvine II*†§ The Klarman Family Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Marshall*† Ms. Abigail Mason*†§ Paul and Sandra Montrone Mr. and Mrs. E. Lee Perry*† David and Marie Louise Scudder*†§ Wendy Shattuck and Samuel Plimpton* Wallace Minot Leonard Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Ray Stata*† Lynn Dale and Frank Wisneski* Fioritura ($66,666 to $99,999) Fay Chandler†‡ Wayne Davis and Ann Merrifield*† Alan and Lisa Dynner*†§ Mattina R. Proctor Foundation Susan and Dennis Shapiro* Vivace ($33,333 to $66,665) Anonymous Ms. Ann Beha and Mr. Robert A. Radloff*† Nonnie and Rick Burnes*§ Gerard and Sherryl Cohen Mr. John Conklin Alicia Cooney*†§ Robert and Susan Eastman*†§ Susan W. Jacobs* Maria Krokidas and Bruce Bullen*† Pamela S. Kunkemueller*§ Massachusetts Cultural Council National Endowment for the Arts Mr. and Mrs. Neil Pappalardo* William and Helen Pounds* Mr. and Mrs. Michael Puzo*† Springstep Inc. Dr. Christopher Tadgell and Lady Juliet Tadgell* Faith and Joseph W. Tiberio Foundation Presto ($25,000 to $33,332) Anonymous Dorothy and David Arnold§ Timothy and Rebecca Blodgett Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Blumenthal Katie and Paul Buttenwieser Ted Cutler Karen Johansen and Gardner Hendrie Mimi and Roger Hewlett*§ Mr. and Mrs. Amos B. Hostetter, Jr. Cerise Lim Jacobs, for Charles Ellen and Robert Kaplan*†§ Butler and Lois Lampson* Mr. David Shukis*† Larry and Beverly St. Clair*† Ms. Tania Zouikin* Dr. Joseph and Mrs. Anita Loscalzo*† Dr. Maura McGrane Esther Nelson and Bernd Ulken Mr. and Mrs. George Sakellaris Susan A. Babson Opera Fund for Emerging Artists The Orfeo Society and Friends of BLO make up BLO’s core community of supporters. Members share a passion for opera and receive exclusive access to a range of benefits that enrich the operatic experience. BLO gratefully acknowledges their generous support. This list includes gifts and pledges made to the Annual Fund, restricted funds, and event sponsorships through April 1, 2015. For more information or to become a member of the Orfeo Society or Friends of BLO, please call Sarah Blume at 617.542.4912 x228. Con Brio ($15,000 to $24,999) BPS Arts Expansion Fund at EdVestors Dr. and Mrs. Eric and Elaine Bucher† Mr. and Mrs. John Cabot Mr. and Mrs. Timothy and Jessica Donohue* Harold Alfond Foundation, in honor of Steve Akin Tom and Anneliese Henderson* Ms. Amelia Katzen*† MEDITECH Anne M. Morgan Mr. and Mrs. Richard Olney III† Janet and Irv Plotkin*† John and Susanne Potts*† Rona and Arthur Rosenbaum Allison K. Ryder and David B. Jones*† Gregory E. Moore and Wynne W. Szeto* Mr. and Mrs. Wat Tyler* Sandra A. Urie and Frank F. Herron* Allegro ($10,000 to $14,999) Anonymous Sam and Nancy Altschuler Boston Private Bank & Trust Company Ms. Ellen Cabot* Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Cabot, Jr. Cabot Family Charitable Trust The Catered Affair Dr. Charles Dickinson and Ms. JoAnne Dickinson* Mr. Len Davenport Esther B. Kahn Charitable Foundation Frank Reed & Margaret Jane Peters Memorial Fund I, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee Mr. Kenneth Freed* Catherine and Frederick Grein*§ Nick and Marjorie Greville Emily C. Hood Mr. and Mrs. William T. Kennedy Stephen and Lois Kunian* Karen Levy Joe and Pam LoDato*†§ 18 | Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 Adagio ($5,000 to $9,999) Anonymous (5) Advanced Lighting & Production Services, Inc. Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Bank of New York - Mellon Be Our Guest Dr. Peggy and Edward Bell* Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation, Inc. Ms. Deb Taylor Blair* Mrs. Edmund Cabot Judge and Mrs. Levin H. Campbell Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Ms. Elizabeth Coleman Mr. David Cole-Rous and Ms. Norma Greenberg§ Corning Incorporated Foundation Dr. and Mrs. Richard J. de Asla* Mr. Edwin Firestone Firestone and Parson Jewelers William C. and Joyce K. Fletcher Mr. and Mrs. Don and Pat Hillman Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hood Amy Hunter and Steven Maguire*§ Mr. William Hunter* Ms. Louise Johnson* Ms. Christine Letts Andrew Sherman and Russ Lopez* Ms. M. Lynne Markus*§ Judith K. Marquis and Keith F. Nelson Mr. and Mrs. Tom and Elena Matlack Ms. Faith Moore Ms. Sandra Moose Mary and Sherif Nada†§ Shari and Christopher Noe* Mr. and Mrs. John O'Brien Dr. Kurt D. Gress and Mr. Samuel Y. Parkinson* William and Lia Poorvu Robert and Elizabeth Pozen Suzanne and Peter Read Mr. and Mrs. John Remondi Rusty Rolland & The Schick Foundation† Santander Mr. Jonathan F. Saxton* John H. Deknatel and Carol M. Taylor Dr. Robert Walsh and Lydia Kenton Walsh* Peter Wender*§ Drs. Bertram and Laima Zarins* Grazioso ($3,000 to $4,999) Anonymous Mr. Frederic Alper and Donna Mager Charles and Christina Bascom Mr. Martin S. Berman Annabelle and Benjamin Bierbaum Carolyn Bitetti and Chris Donnelly Ronald and Ellen Brown Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Cabot Ms. Jane Carr and Mr. Andrew Hertig Mr. and Mrs. Linzee Coolidge Dr. Nicholas J. DiMauro Ms. Winifred F. Ewing Mr. and Mrs. Ron Feinstein Mr. and Mrs. Tim and Lisa Fulham Dr. Alfred Goldberg and Dr. Joan Goldberg Ron and Kathy Groves Mr. Joseph Hammer Mr. and Mrs. Morton Hoffman† Dr. Maydee G. Lande, in memory of her father Mr. Edward J. Leary† Mr. and Mrs. David S. McCue D. Cosmo and Jane P. Papa* Dr. Douglas Reeves and Amy Feind Reeves Stephen and Geraldine Ricci Elizabeth Ross and William O'Reilly Dr. Jordan S. Ruboy Charitable Fund §‡ Tee Taggart and Jack Turner Takeda Employee Giving Program Mr. Richard Trant Jeannie Ackerman Curhan and Joseph C. Williams Winston Flowers Inc. 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Lawrence III† Richard and Mary Jane Lewontin Ms. Amy Merrill Mr. Benedict Miceli Mr. Clint Moon Bill Nigreen and Kathleen McDermott§ The Netherland-America Foundation Paul and Elaine O'Connell Barbara Goodwin Papesch, in honor of Sarah Blume The Honorable and Mrs. Lawrence Perera Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Perkins, Jr. Finley and Patricia Perry Pamela E. Pinsky Memorial at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation‡ Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Ute Prevost Melinda and James Rabb Mr. Malcolm Rogers Mr. Carl Rosenberg* Donald and Abby Rosenfeld Ms. Diane Rotenberg Robert and Dianne Rottenberg Nicholas G. Russell John and Ruth Schey Dr. and Mrs. R. Michael Scott Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Shafir Mr. John Spooner Mr. and Mrs. Peter Stanton Edward H. Tate II The Donald Taylor Family Foundation Mike and Susie Thonis Ms. Antra Thrasher Leonce Welt and Michele Buchbauer Mr. Mark White Temple Gill and Christopher Yens Ensemble ($500 to $999) Anonymous Shoma Aditya and Constantin von Wentzel Mr. Mark Alcaide Elizabeth Barker* Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Benjamin Leonard and Jane Bernstein Ms. Sarah Biller Ms. Sophie Cabot Black Ms. Joan Bok Mr. and Mrs. Kenyon C. Bolton III Ms. Sally T. Brewster Pam and Lee Bromberg Mr. Thomas Burger John and Kathleen Cabot Timothy and Sara Cabot Mr. and Mrs. John Conley Mr. Eugene Cox Rita and George Cuker Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Wendy Czarnecki Gene and Lloyd Dahmen Dr. Amos Deinard Mr. James DeVeer Soren and Carlyn Marcus Ekstrom Mr. Daniel Ford Mr. Lee Forker Mr. Edward N. Gadsby Ms. Sonchu Gavell GE Foundation Mr. Joseph Glenmullen* Dr. David Golan and Dr. Laura Green Luba Greenwood Mr. Stephen Grubaugh and Ms. Carol McGeehan Anne and Neil Harper Bette Ann Harris Mr. Joseph M. 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Mrs. David Vogler Tarlton Watkins and Janet Atkins Ms. Mary Wolfson Aria ($250 to $499) Anonymous (6) Susan Alexander and Jim Gammill, in honor of Susan Howe Mr. Peter Ambler and Ms. Lindsay Miller Mr. Mark Anderson Ms. Alison Arshad Mr. Bernard Aserkoff Ms. Kim Barba Marc and Carol Bard Mr. and Mrs. Paul Barringer Ms. Enid Beal John and Molly Beard Dr. and Mrs. Martin Becker Elaine Beilin and Robert Brown John Belchers Mr. Clark Bernard Mr. Andrew Binns Ms. Elizabeth Bjorkman Dr. Paul Bleicher and Dr. Julia Greenstein Dr. Roger Boshes Ms. Christine Bradt Mr. Rich Calame Ms. Sarah Carleton Mr. and Mrs. Chris Carrigan Ms. Mary Chamberlain Ms. Mei Po Cheung Patricia Comeau and John Adams The Commonwealth Fund Paul Cravedi James F. Crowley, Jr. Mr. Paul Curtis Deborah L. Cushing Mr. Terry O. Decima Ms. Margaret DePopolo Ms. Pauline Dessertine Mr. Mark Donohoe Willis and Zach Durant-Emmons eBay Inc. Foundation Marie-Pierre and Michael Ellman Bill and Susan Elsbree Louis Esposito Jack Fabiano and Noel McCoy Ms. Sally Fay Cottingham Mr. Fabien Fieschi Michael S. Flier and David E. Trueblood Katherine and Richard Floyd Mr. Julio Frenk Mr. David Friend and Ms. Margaret Shepherd Robert and Kathleen Garner Mr. Tim Garrison Mr. Clayton Geiger Mr. David Glen Mr. John B. Glore Dr. Philip L. Goldsmith and Melissa Boshco Mr. Eric Green Ms. Sandra Steele and Mr. Paul Greenfield Ms. Ghislaine Grenier Ms. Joan P. Gulovsen Mr. Kurt Hakansson Mr. and Mrs. James J. Harper Ms. Sue Harrington Dr. and Mrs. Peyton R. Harris Boston lyric opera DON GIOVANNI 2015 | 19 Mr. Harvey Hayashi Ms. Jasjit Heckathorn Dr. and Mrs. Bernhard Heersink Mr. and Mrs. John Henn Richard Hermon-Taylor and Southie Bundy Pauline Ho Bynum Fred and Caroline Hoppin Mr. Thomas Hotaling Ms. Maisie Houghton Ms. Janet Isenberg Dr. and Mrs. Steven E. Janko Ms. Ann Johnson Ms. Elizabeth Karpati Khaled Khalil Mr. Robert Kiely Mr. Richard Kimball Dr. Lester Kobzik Jonathan and Deborah Kolb Dr. David Korn Mary Jane Kornacki Mr. and Mrs. Brian Lyson Mr. Jackson Madnick Mr. and Mrs. Stuart E. Madnick Mr. Domenico Mastrototaro§ Mr. James M. McCloy Mary and Michael McConnell Mr. and Mrs. Kilmer McCully Ms. Carol McKeen and Mr. John Dunton Mr. and Mrs. Don McLagan Kate Meany Ms. Karen Metcalf Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Moore Toni and Jeff Musser Mr. Kameel Nasr Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Nunes Mr. Justin O'Connell and Ms. Danielle Sheer Ms. Suzanne Ogden and Mr. Peter Rogers Mr. Richard Ortner Mr. and Mrs. David Parker David and Beth Pendery Ms. Anne Peretz Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan and Lois Pond Gerald Powers Ms. Florence Poy David and Joan Preston Mr. Jack Reynolds Mr. Evan Ricker and Ms. Mara Bonde Mr. Allan Rodgers Donald and Nancy Rosenfield Mark and Lori Roux David and Jocelyn Sand Aviva Sapers and Judith Sydney Ms. Diane Savarese Michael Schwartz, in honor of Amelia Katzen Mr. and Mrs. John Sculley Mr. Javier Segovia Stephen and Peg Senturia Varda and Dr. Israel Shaked Robert V. Sillars and Mildred G. Worthington Mr. Richard W. Smith Mr. Paul Snider Diane Young-Spitzer and Adelbert Spitzer Mr. Harold Stahler Ms. Joan Suit Marcos and Faith Szydlo John and Mary Tarvin Abigail Ostow and Arthur Telegen Diane C. Tillotson Mr. Konstantin Tyurin and Ms. Kirstin Ilse Eric Ulken Mr. Anton Vrame Mr. Joe Weber Linda and Harvey Weiner Ms. Ruth Wells The Whitley-Singer Family, in memory of Kevin Gustavson Ms. Ashley Wisneski and William Heward Mr. Stephen Wohler Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wulff Mr. Evan Xenakis Joan and Michael Yogg Albert and Judith Zabin Norma and Gunars Zagars Cheryl and Mark Zarrillo Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Zilberfarb Board Member * Lyric Circle Member † Goldovsky Society Member § Deceased‡ Institutional partners Boston Lyric Opera’s programs are funded, in part, by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. A SEASON OPENING CELEBRATION Friday, October 2, 2015 Boston Lyric Opera recognizes with gratitude those donors committed to supporting our Emerging Artists throughout the Season. Willa and Taylor Bodman Robert and Susan Eastman Rona and Arthur Rosenbaum Save the Date! Join BLO as we launch our Season of high passion with the premiere of an electrifying new production of Puccini’s poetic masterpiece, La Bohème, reimagined against the backdrop of the 1968 Paris student revolution. Inspired by the films of the French New Wave, particularly those of Jean-Luc Godard, this theatrically and musically-vivid new production transforms Puccini’s classic characters from bohemians to “The Children of Marx and Coca Cola,” and transports them to an adrenaline-driven Paris, fueled by sexual liberation, intense passion, and burning idealism. The performance is preceded by a grand, pre-opera dinner celebration at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Wang Theatre and followed by a sparkling after-party with the cast. The Opera Gala supports Boston Lyric Opera and its work with Emerging Artists. For additional details visit blo.org/gala or facebook.com/bostonlyricopera or contact Danielle Schmidt, Events Manager, at 617.542.4912 x229 or [email protected] Season ad to come
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