Great Performances | PBS » Patrick Summers

GP at The Met: Salome: Introduction

daniel ross — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:37:04 +0000

Finnish soprano Karita Mattila caused a sensation when she sang Salome at the Met for the first time in 2004, stunning the opera world with her interpretation of Richard Strauss’ fabled biblical princess. Wonderful news for fans – musical and TV – is her return to the role Saturday, January 17 at noon (ET) on Great Performances at the Met (check local listings). Patrick Summers leads the orchestra and strong supporting cast in Jürgen Flimm’s provocative modern-dress production.

Watch a preview:

Presented by THIRTEEN in 5.1 digital surround sound on PBS HD, Mattila’s portrayal proves both shattering and thrilling. “She is mesmerizing in her seductive Dance of the Seven Veils,” wrote The New York Times. “And her singing of the final scene is a tour de force of depraved eroticism and rapturous lyricism. A landmark for the Met.”

Based on Oscar Wilde’s notorious play about the wild-child royal who danced for Herod in return for the beheading of John the Baptist, Salome (1905) is the work that put its German composer on the operatic map. Strauss’ daring harmonic innovations, psychologically complex characters and shimmering orchestration set the tone for the stage masterworks to follow, including Elektra (1909), Der Rosenkavalier (1911), Die Frau Ohne Schatten (1919), and, to a degree, even his autumnal Capriccio (1942).

Joining Mattila in the telecast are fellow Finn, bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo, in the role of Jochanaan (John the Baptist), Hungarian mezzo-soprano Ildikó Komlósi as Salome’s treacherous mother, Herodias, and British tenor Kim Bagley as Herod, Salome’s step-father.

Great Performances at the Met: Salome, the second of 11 productions set for airing this season on the series, is sung in German with English surtitles. Hedwig Lachmann wrote the libretto, adapted from Wilde’s 1891 play. Barbara Willis Sweete directs for television; Jay Saks is audio producer.

Sets and costumes are by Santo Loquasto, with lighting by James F. Ingalls and choreography by Doug Varone. Salome was transmitted onstage as part of The Met: Live in HD series on October 11, 2008 and recorded for this telecast.

Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers, and PBS. Corporate support for Great Performances at the Met is provided by Toll Brothers.

GP at The Met: I Puritani: Production Credits

daniel ross — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:08:35 +0000

Web Credits

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Designer: Lenny Drozner
Graphic Art: Ying Zhou-Hudson
Technical Director: Brian Lee
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation: Brian Santalone

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

Television Credits

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: “I Puritani”

Directed by
Gary Halvorson

Conductor
Patrick Summers

Production
Sandro Sequi

Set Design
Ming Cho Lee

Costume Design
Peter J. Hall

Stage Director
Sharon Thomas

Special Guest Host
Beverly Sills

Special Guest Interviewer
Renée Fleming

Radio Host
Margaret Juntwait

Characters in Order of Vocal Appearance
Bruno
Eduardo Valdes

Riccardo
Franco Vassallo

Elvira
Anna Netrebko

Giorgio
John Relyea

Arturo
Eric Cutler

Gualtiero
Valerian Ruminski

Enrichetta
Maria Zifchak

Chorus Master
Raymond Hughes

Musical Preparation
Joan Dornemann
Steven Eldredge
Lucy Arner
Steven Crawford

Assistant Stage Directors
Stephen Pickover
Paula Williams

Prompter
Joan Dornemann

Met Titles
Sonya Haddad

Italian Diction Coach
Nico Castel

A Metropolitan Opera High-Definition Production
Supervising Producers
Mia Bongiovanni
Elena Park

Producers
Louisa Briccetti
Victoria Warivonchik

Audio Producer
Jay David Saks

Associate Director
Christine Clark Bradley

Engineer-in-Charge
Mark Schubin

Technical Supervisor
Ron Washburn

Technical Director
Emmett Loughran

Audio Supervisor
Bill King

Television Lighting
Wayne Chouinard

Writers
William Berger
Ellen Keel

Camera
Miguel Armstrong
Hank Geving
Manny Gutierrez
Charlie Huntley
John Kosmaczewski
John Meiklejohn
Jay Millard
Lyn Noland
Tim Quigley
David Smith
Ron Washburn
Mark Whitman

Video
Billy Steinberg
Matty Randazzo
Paul Ranieri

Audio
Mel Becker
Paul Cohen
Blake Norton
Michael Shoskes
Shawn Marie Walsh

Videotape
Alan Buchner
Steven Joyce

Television Stage Managers
Terence Benson
Molly McBride
Hank Neimark

English Subtitles Adapted by
Sonya Friedman

Broadcast Graphics
Deborah Cavanaugh

Score Reader
John Geller

Makeup for Anna Netrebko
Matiki Anoff

Opening Title Sequence
Editor
Sakae Ishikawa

Live Intermission Segments
Director
Tony Marshall

Associate Director
Karen McLaughlin

Field Producer
Barry Goodman

Lighting
Mitchell Bogard

Senior Radio Producer
Mary Jo Heath

Camera
Robert Long
Jeff Muhlstock
Alain Onesto
Larry Solomon

Camera Assists
Tom Carroll
Eric Swanek

Audio
Chris Callus
Skip Kent
Bryan Leskowicz

Intermission Features
Associate Producer
Vanessa Palo

“Anna Netrebko: A Brief Portrait”
Producer
Pat Jaffe

Editor
Ernie Fritz

“Opera Madness”
Producer
Molly McBride

Director of Photography
Tom Hurwitz

Editors
Jason Tschantre
Ernie Fritz

Audio Recording
John Zecca

Utility
Huttemburg Nasar

Post Production
Video Editor
Gary Bradley

Additional Video Editing
Eric Singer
Laura Young

Audio Editor
John Bowen

Post-Production Audio Mix
Ken Hahn

Production Associate
Yolanda S. Williams

Production Assistants
Michael Griebel
Alyse Horn
Peter Kunin
Allegra Lucas
Enzo E. Martinez
Harriet Snyder

Metropolitan Opera Association
General Manager
Peter Gelb

Music Director
James Levine

Assistant Managers
Artistic
Sarah Billinghurst

Technical
Joseph Clark

Editorial & Creative Content
Elena Park

Operations
Stewart Pearce

Business Affairs
Bill Thomas

Development
Coralie Toevs

Director of Media & Presentations
Mia Bongiovanni

Marketing Director
Julie Borchard-Young

Artistic Administrator
Jonathan Friend

General Counsel
Sharon E. Grubin

Senior Artistic Advisor
Eva Wagner-Pasquier

Director Of Human Resources & Labor Relations
Ann Marie Hackett

Director of Music Administration
Craig Rutenberg

House Manager
James Naples

Chief Financial Officer
Marvin Suchoff

Press Director
Sommer Hixson

Director, New Business Development
Laura Mitgang

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Orchestra Manager
Robert Sirinek

Concertmaster
David Chan

Librarian
Robert Sutherland

Metropolitan Opera Chorus

Metropolitan Opera Ballet
Ballet Mistress
Diana Levy

Stage Managers
Thomas H. Connell, III
Raymond Menard
Scott Moon
Theresa Ganley
Margo Maier

Local 1 1ATSE

Stage Operations
Master Carpenter
Stephen A. Diaz

Master Electrician
Paul Donahue

Properties Master
James R. Blumenfeld

Wig and Hair Stylist
Tom Watson

Makeup Artist
Victor Callegari

Wardrobe Supervisor
William Malloy

Costume Shop Head
Lesley Weston

Resident Costume Designer
Sylvia Nolan

Media Counsel
Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo, P.C.

Production Facilities
All Mobile Video Inc.
Dolby Laboratories
Remote Recording
Tandberg Television

The original stage production of “I Puritani” was made possible by generous gifts from the
Metropolitan Opera Board of Directors
Members of the Association and Patrons
with Special Support from
Subscribers
The Metropolitan Opera Guild
National Council Opera Club
and
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Crawford

The revival of this stage production is made possible by a generous gift from
Siemens Corporation.

For GREAT PERFORMANCES
David Horn
Series Producer

Bill O’Donnell
Director, Program Development

Barry Schulman
Executive Producer

A Metropolitan Opera Production in association with PBS/Thirteen WNET New York

Executive Producer
Peter Gelb

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

GP at The Met: I Puritani: Introduction

daniel ross — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:08:34 +0000

Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Composer: Vincenzo Bellini

Librettist: Carlo Pepoli, after a play by François Ancelot and Xavier Boniface Saintine

Production: Sandro Sequi

Conductor: Patrick Summers

Performers: Anna Netrebko (Elvira Walton), Eric Cutler (Lord Arturo Talbot), Franco Vassallo (Sir Riccardo Forth), John Relyea (Sir Giorgio Walton), Maria Zifchak (Queen Enrichetta), Eduardo Valdes (Sir Bruno Robertson), and Valerian Ruminski (Lord Gualtiero Walton)

Synopsis:
The English civil war in the 1640s has divided the land between the supporters of Parliament under Oliver Cromwell (the Roundheads) and the Royalists who are faithful to the Stuart monarchy (the Cavaliers). King Charles I has been beheaded.

Act I
Scene 1: Plymouth, a Puritan stronghold, is threatened by siege from the Royalist troops. Distant voices herald the wedding day of Elvira, daughter of Gualtiero (Lord Walton), the fortress’ commander. Riccardo (Sir Richard Forth) enters lamenting that his promised bride, Elvira, loves another man — a Stuart partisan (”Ah, per sempre, io ti perdei”). Her father will not force her to marry against her will, it seems, so Riccardo’s friend Sir Bruno urges him to devote his life to leading the Parliamentary forces.

Scene 2: Elvira tells her uncle, Giorgio (Sir George Walton), that she would rather die than marry Riccardo (”Sai come arde”). Her uncle reassures her that he has persuaded her father to let her marry her lover, Arturo (Lord Arthur Talbot). Although Arturo is a Royalist, he is heralded as he approaches the castle (”A quel suono”).

Scene 3: Everyone gathers for the wedding celebration and Arturo greets his bride (”A te, o cara”). He learns that the widow of King Charles, Queen Enrichetta, is a prisoner in the castle and soon to be taken to trial in London. Alone with the queen, Arturo offers to save her even if it means his death. Elvira returns with the bridal veil (”Son vergin vezzosa”); she capriciously places the veil over Enrichetta’s head. When he is alone again with the queen, Arturo explains that the veil will provide the perfect disguise for escape from the castle. As they are about to leave, Riccardo stops them, determined to kill his rival. Enrichetta separates them and reveals her identity. Riccardo lets them flee, knowing this will ruin Arturo. The others return for the wedding, and Riccardo tells of Arturo’s escape with Enrichetta. Soldiers rush off in pursuit. Elvira, believing herself betrayed, is beset by madness.

Act II
The townsfolk mourn Elvira’s mental breakdown. Her uncle, Giorgio, explains that she still longs for Arturo. Riccardo arrives to announce that Arturo has been condemned to death by Parliament. The Puritans depart.

Elvira wanders in, reliving her happy past (”Qui la voce”). In her madness, she mistakes Riccardo for Arturo and dreams of her wedding (”Vien, diletto”). When she leaves, Giorgio tries to convince Riccardo to save Arturo. At first indignant, Riccardo is finally moved to help Elvira, and the two men unite in patriotism: if Arturo returns as a friend, he shall live — if as an armed enemy, he shall die (”Suoni la tromba”).

Act III
In Elvira’s garden, Arturo reveals that love for her has brought him back to Plymouth. He overhears her sing their old love song (”A una fonte afflitto”) and is torn between his love and his loyalty to the Stuarts. Elvira herself appears, and Arturo reassures her that she is his only love (”Vieni fra questa braccia”). Soldiers rush in to arrest Arturo. Just then, a diplomat arrives with the news of the Royalists’ final defeat and a general amnesty for all the offenders. The shock of this news restores Elvira’s senses (”Sento, o mio bell’angelo”), and all rejoice in the peace as Elvira and Arturo embrace in their new happiness.

Opera synopsis courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

Funding for GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET: “I Puritani” has been provided by Toll Brothers, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation, Miami, Florida, and PBS.

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