2008/09 SEASON

 Join us for a season of

 LIFE ON THE EDGE

LA TRAVIATA, FIDELIO, THE TURN OF THE SCREW, LA CALISTO, RIGOLETTO

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What a season it is!

FIVE powerful operas.
FIVE unbelievably emotional experiences.

All lives at one time or another pivot on the very edge.  
Those moments—exhilarating and electrifying—
when we stare life straight in the face.
And we find out what we’re really made of.
This season, five characters are poised in those very moments,
when every nerve comes alive
and when there’s a lot on the line.

LA TRAVIATA

Giuseppe Verdi
September 26, 28m, October 2, 4, 2008

“Music and drama so intensely emotional, there won’t be a dry eye in the house.”

The beautiful courtesan thought she knew what her life was about.  

For as long as Violetta can remember, she has lived for fashion, for fame, and yes, for money.  Then—for the very first time—she finds someone who loves her.  Not for her glamour.  Not for her body.  For herself.

But when she gives up her former life and follows her heart, the past comes back to haunt her, threatening the man she so desperately loves.

For her, the edge cuts sharply in opera’s most heart-wrenching drama.

Verdi’s intense, emotional music puts La Traviata in the top ten of all-time opera favorites!

Sung in Italian with projected English translations. Performances held at the Keller Auditorium.

Cast

FIDELIO

Ludwig van Beethoven
November 7, 9m, 13, 15, 2008

“The triumph of fidelity, freedom, and the human spirit.”

Beethoven’s only opera is a towering tour de force.

When her husband is thrown into prison for his passionate stand against tyranny, Leonore faces her life’s pivotal moment.  Does she wait and risk his death or do whatever it takes to save his life? For her, the edge is a place to jump heroically into action.  

Her courage and fidelity drive a harrowing rescue that will have you cheering in one of opera’s most uplifting endings.

Beethoven’s triumphant score—as symphonic as it is vocal—is a magnificent tribute to fidelity, freedom, and the indomitable human spirit.

Sung in German with projected English translations. Performances held at the Keller Auditorium.

Cast

THE TURN OF THE SCREW

Benjamin Britten
February 6, 8m, 12, 14, 2009

“A tale as taut as a violin string.”

This haunting ghost story will have you on the edge of your seat.  

Based on a Henry James story, it starts simply enough.  A governess accepts the charge of caring for two young children in the country.  But when the ghosts begin to appear, that simplicity is shattered.  

Scene by chilling scene, we’re drawn deeper…until the tale tightens into a struggle for the very lives of the children.

Step by step, it winds tighter, notch by notch . . . until the final snap!

No one does this better than Britten.  Intense, evocative music draws you in, and then drives you right to the edge.

Sung in English with projected lyrics. Performances held at the Keller Auditorium.

Cast

LA CALISTO

Francesco Cavalli
March 13, 15m, 19, 21, 2009
Featuring the Portland Opera Studio Artists

“The studio production comes of age.”

When gods mix it up with mortals, the edge is sometimes very hard to find.

Jove’s head over heels for Calisto.  But she’s sworn to follow the goddess Diana and a life of virginity—a fact that doesn’t slow Jove down one little bit! Needless to say, Jove’s wife is none too pleased with the whole affair. But egads! Turning Calisto into a bear is just a bit harsh, wouldn’t you say?

Baroque opera continues its conquest of the 21st century with this heady brew of humor and sincerity.

Featuring some of the best young singers in the country- members of the Portland Opera Studio.  And now, for the very first time, in the beautiful intimacy of the Newmark Theatre.

Sung in Italian with projected English translations.

All performances are held at the Newmark Theatre located at 1111 SW Broadway (at Main Street)—the perfect setting for this special work.

Chamber operas offer riches to composers, performers and audiences alike.  Things not possible on the Keller Auditorium mainstage become magical in this intimate theater setting.

RIGOLETTO

Giuseppe Verdi
May 8, 10m, 14, 16, 2009

“Verdi at his white-hot best.”

The edge is a tightrope for Rigoletto.  And he treads it very carefully.

In court, the famous hunchback does the lecherous Duke’s dirty work, helping him seduce one innocent woman after another.  A monster, some might say.  But at home, his love for his daughter—and his desire to protect her from all danger—distinguish him as something else entirely.  

You can imagine, then, his horror . . . as he holds that daughter, dying in his arms.  All because of that same Duke.  

Verdi at his white-hot best, with music that is muscular and emotional.

Sung in Italian with projected English translations. Performances held at the Keller Auditorium.

Cast