Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online! This week we will look at the Opera Company of Philadelphia's production of Hans Werner Henze's Phaedra. For our last webisode before the highly anticipated dress rehearsal, we will take a look at the performers and their careers.
Video Clips of the Week!
Our first video clip is of our Phaedra, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ms. Mumford is no stranger to the Academy of music stage. She debuted at The Opera Company of Philadelphia in the 2009 production of The Rape of Lucretia. This clip is from production of Claudio Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2008. In the aria "Disprezzata regina", Ottavia (Mumford) bemoans her husband's infidelity.
Our second clip is of tenor William Burden who will be playing Hippolyt. Mr. Burden has appeared at major opera houses throughout the United States including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. He has also sung on stages in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Mr. Burden has performed with the Opera Company of Philadelphia several times. This second video clip is from the 2004 OCP production of the Geroges Bizet's The Pearl Fishers. Mr. Burden is joined by baritone Nathan Gunn in the famous duet "Au fond du temple saint".
Our last clip is of countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo who will be playing the goddess Artemis in a "reverse trouser role". Mr. Costanzo continues to build his reputation as one of the rising stars of the next generation of singers. In 2009 he was named one of the Grand Finals Winners of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Although he is making his debut with The Opera Company of Philadelphia, Mr. Costanzo has performed in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music’s Opera Extravaganza and appeared with Luciano Pavarotti. The video clip is from the Seattle Young Artist Program's production of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. In the clip you will see Mr. Roth playing Oberon, King of the Fairies.
Tamora Mumford, as Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea
William Burden (man without cloak) and Nathan Gunn, "Au fond du temple saint"
Anthony Roth Costanzo in A Midsummer Night's Dream
Websites of the Week!!
Check out the websites of the other two other cast members of Phaedra. Curtis graduate student, Elizabeth Reiter will be playing the soprano role of the goddess Aphrodite and AVA alumni Jeremy Milner will be playing the bass role of the Minotaur.
Opera on the Air!
On Saturday, May 21 at 1 PM radio station WRTI will be broadcasting the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Giuseppe Verdi's Macbeth. Human and supernatural worlds collide as Macbeth and his Lady partner in horrific crimes to seize the Scottish throne! Conducted by Renato Palumbo, Macbeth stars baritone Thomas Hampson in the title role, soprano Nadja Michael as Lady Macbeth, tenor Leonardo Capalbo as Macduff and bass Stefan Kocan as Banquo.
On Sunday, May 29 at 12 PM PBS Channel 39 will be showing the Great Performances at the Met broadcast of Iphigénie en Tauride, by Christoph Willibald Gluck. The opera is based on a Greek myth in which a high priestess is reunited with her brother after a lengthy separation. Staring soprano Susan Graham and tenor Placido Domingo.
Until Next Week!!
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