Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Mar. 22--Chicago Opera Theater has announced castings and other artistic details of its 2007 season at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance at Millennium Park.
The company will open its season with Monteverdi's "The Return of Ulysses" ("Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria"), conducted by Jane Glover and staged by Diane Paulus. The designs will be by the famed architect Rafael Vinoly, who designed the University of Chicago Graduate Business School and Philadelphia's Kimmel Performing Arts Center.
Singing the title role will be tenor Mark LeBrocq, with mezzo-soprano Catherine Carby as his faithful wife, Penelope. "Ulysses" -- running March 28 to April 7, 2007 -- will mark the conclusion of COT's Monteverdi opera cycle under the stewardship of Glover and Paulus.
The celebrated bass (and Chicago resident) Samuel Ramey will take the title role in Bartok's "Duke Bluebeard's Castle" when COT stages the psychological thriller May 9 to 19. Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabo takes the part of Bluebeard's inquisitive bride, Judith.
The Bartok one-acter will be paired with another 20th Century masterpiece, Schoenberg's monodrama "Erwartung," with soprano Nancy Gustafson as the Woman. Conducting the double bill will be Alexander Platt. Andrei Serban is the stage director, Leiko Fuseya the designer.
COT's third and final opera of 2007 will be Berlioz's "Beatrice and Benedict," running May 23 to June 2. Jan Latham-Koenig is the conductor, and the staging will be by Nicola Raab. The title roles will be sung by tenor Joseph Kaiser and mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy.
"What we are doing is providing local audiences with fresh repertory in fresh productions at the very highest international level," says COT general director Brian Dickie. "We trust the public will find our season a class act."
Subscriptions can be purchased by calling 312-704-8414 or online at chicagooperatheater.org. Individual tickets go on sale in the fall.
jvonrhein@tribune.com
-----
Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
