{"id":1631,"date":"2014-03-25T14:54:53","date_gmt":"2014-03-25T14:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.larkreviews.co.uk\/?p=1631"},"modified":"2014-03-25T14:54:53","modified_gmt":"2014-03-25T14:54:53","slug":"themed-seasons-continue-for-welsh-national-operas-2014-2015-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/?p=1631","title":{"rendered":"Themed Seasons Continue for Welsh National Opera\u2019s 2014 | 2015 Programme"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Liberty or Death!, Spellbound, and A Terrible Innocence to theme WNO\u2019s \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 mainscale programme in 2014 | 2015<\/li>\n<li>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Eight productions for 2014 | 2015, of which five are new productions<\/li>\n<li>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Continuation of Bel Canto series, British Firsts programme and Royal \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Opera House residency<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Welsh National Opera\u2019s programme for 2014 | 2015 continues Artistic Director and Chief Executive David Pountney\u2019s inspired approach to themed seasons.\u00a0 The programme sees the Company exploring themes as varied and as current as national liberation, magic and enchantment, and the power of destructive innocence.<\/p>\n<p>WNO\u2019s Autumn 2014 season, which comes under the theme of\u00a0<b>Liberty or Death!<\/b>, continues the Company\u2019s Bel Canto series with new productions of Rossini\u2019s\u00a0<i>William Tell<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>Moses in Egypt<\/i>\u00a0which will be staged within the same scenic environment.\u00a0 Directed by David Pountney, both operas also see a return to WNO for internationally acclaimed conductor Carlo Rizzi.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>An epic political and romantic work, and Rossini\u2019s last opera,\u00a0<i>William Tell<\/i>\u00a0is the story of the Swiss struggle for independence against the repression of Austria; a narrative which spans ages and shares themes and ideas with many worldwide battles for national liberation.\u00a0\u00a0 The role of William Tell will be sung by David Kempster.<\/p>\n<p>A grand biblical epic composed in Naples,\u00a0<i>Moses in Egypt<\/i>\u00a0was one of Rossini\u2019s early operas.\u00a0\u00a0 Mezzo Soprano and former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Christine Rice will take the role of Amaltea in\u00a0<i>Moses in Egypt<\/i>, returning to WNO following her performances as Rosina in\u00a0<i>The Barber of Seville<\/i>\u00a0in Autumn 2011.<\/p>\n<p>British tenor Barry Banks whose esteemed career has seen him become synonymous with Rossini\u2019s bel canto repertoire will perform with WNO in both Rossini operas, singing the role of Arnold in\u00a0<i>William Tell<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>Aronne\u00a0<\/i>in\u00a0<i>Moses in Egypt<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Completing the Autumn season will be a revival of Bizet\u2019s\u00a0<i>Carmen<\/i>, which tells the story of a free spirit who would rather die than surrender her liberty.\u00a0 In one of his first roles as WNO Associate Artist for 2014 | 2015, Aidan Smith will sing the role of Zuniga.\u00a0\u00a0<i>Carmen<\/i>\u00a0will be conducted by Erik Nielsen with Alessandra Volpe in the title role and Peter Wedd and Gwyn Hughes-Jones sharing the role of Don Jose.<\/p>\n<p><b>Spellbound<\/b>\u00a0is the theme for Spring 2015, which will highlight the natural affinity between music and magic with revivals of the enchanting operas\u00a0<i>Hansel &amp; Gretel<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>The Magic Flute<\/i>.\u00a0 Both operas transport the audience into a world of magic, make-believe and delight, but are also ultimately about the power of rationalism over magic.<\/p>\n<p>Both\u00a0<i>Hansel &amp; Gretel<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>The Magic Flute<\/i>\u00a0will be conducted by WNO Music Director, Lothar Koenigs.<\/p>\n<p>Completing the Spring 2015 Season will be a new production,\u00a0<i>Chorus!<\/i>\u00a0 Under the creative vision and direction of David Pountney,\u00a0<i>Chorus!<\/i>\u00a0will celebrate one of WNO\u2019s greatest assets, the Chorus, as well as the choral tradition.\u00a0\u00a0<i>Chorus!<\/i>\u00a0will feature soprano Lesley Garrett CBE performing alongside WNO Chorus, and will be an enchanting, witty and spectacularjourney through the rich repertoire of operatic choral music.<\/p>\n<p>Two new productions lead the Summer 2015 Season under the theme of\u00a0<b>A Terrible Innocence<\/b>.\u00a0 WNO will give the British premiere of Richard Ayres\u2019\u00a0<i>Peter Pan<\/i>\u00a0alongside a new production of Debussy\u2019s\u00a0<i>Pell\u00e9as et M\u00e9lisande<\/i>.\u00a0 Both new productions explore the ways in which apparent innocence can mask destructive and dangerous forces.<\/p>\n<p><i>Pell\u00e9as et M\u00e9lisande<\/i>\u00a0will bring together the creative team that worked on the much-celebrated WNO production of Berg\u2019s<i>Lulu<\/i>\u00a0in 2013,\u00a0and David Pountney draws a specific link between\u00a0<i>Lulu<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<i>Pell\u00e9as et M\u00e9lisande<\/i>\u00a0by setting it within a developed version of the\u00a0<i>Lulu<\/i>\u00a0design.\u00a0 The new production will be conducted by WNO Music Director Lothar Koenigs with set design by Johan Engels and costume design by Marie-Jeanne Lecca.<\/p>\n<p>As part of WNO\u2019s British Firsts series, and in his first collaboration with WNO, Keith Warner will direct<i>\u00a0Peter Pan<\/i>\u00a0which is a co-production with the Komische Oper Berlin (KOB).\u00a0 This new production sees the return of Marie Arnet to WNO in the role of Wendy following her critically-acclaimed performance in\u00a0<i>Lulu<\/i>\u00a0with WNO in 2013,\u00a0with Iestyn Morris taking the role of Peter.\u00a0 As well as performances in Cardiff and Birmingham,\u00a0<i>Peter Pan<\/i>\u00a0will be performed at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in Summer 2015 as part of WNO\u2019s 3-year residency there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Liberty or Death!, Spellbound, and A Terrible Innocence to theme WNO\u2019s \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 mainscale programme in 2014 | 2015 \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Eight productions for 2014 | 2015, of which five are new productions \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Continuation of Bel Canto series, &hellip; 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