A supersized show with two interviews from the Philadelphia Feb 9th premier of George Benjamin and Martin Crimp’s “Written on Skin” which is running through February 18. First Chuck interviews the Director William Kerley followed by an interview with Kristina Szabo who is performing the roles of 2nd Angel and Marie.

NOTES

William Kerley, Director, interview 1

• Academy of Music, Philadelphia
  • Opera Philadelphia
    • Written On Skin, an opera
      • Sir George Benjamin, composer
      • Martin Crimp, librettist
• Castleton Festival
• David Devan, General Director, Opera Philadelphia
• Lorin Maazel, Founder and Artistic Director of Castleton Festival
  • The Rape of Lucretia, an opera
  • Powder Her Face
    • The Perelman Center
• Yves Klein Blue
• Illuminated manuscripts
• Into the Little Hill, an opera based on the Pied Piper story
  • 1st collaboration of Benjamin/Crimp
  • Katie Mitchell, Director
• International opera productions in collaboration with Maestro Lorin Maazel
  • The Barber of Seville, Chinese premiere
    • National Centre for the Performing Arts – Beijing, China
  • La Boheme, Oman premiere
    • Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman
  • The Rape of Lucretia
    • CAL Performances in Berkeley, CA, USA
• Young Artist Program run by Maazel at his country seat in Rappahannock County
  • Benjamin Britten
  • The Castleton Festival Theater
    • L’enfant et les sortileges
    • La Boheme
    • The Barber of Seville
      • Toured this production to Bari in Puglia, Italy
• Gloriana, 50th Anniversary Production in 2003
  • Coronation Opera written in honor of Queen Elizabeth II
    • Aldeburgh Festival at the Snape Maltings
  • Let’s Make an Opera, children’s opera
    • Aldeburgh JubileeHall
• Basil Coleman, director of many world premiere productions of Britten operas
  • Billy Budd, Gloriana, Turn of the Screw, Let’s Make an Opera
    • William Kerley is one of the Trustees of Coleman’s work
  • Basil Coleman Opera Award was created by Aldeburgh Productions
  • and the Royal College of Music, London through funds gained after
  • the sale of Coleman’s house
• William Shakespeare
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream, an opera by Britten & Peter Pears
• Michael Tippett
• The Operas that could have been if Britten hadn’t died in his 60’s
  • King Lear
    • Starring Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Pears
  • Anna Karenina
• The Mad Axeman, a to be released feature film based on a true story
  • based on the play Jump to Cow Heaven by Gill Adams
    • Infamous gangsters, the Kray Twins spring Frank Mitchell from Dartmoor Nothing goes to plan and within ten days, the Krays have him                      murdered
  • Play premiered at the Edinburgh Festival and moved to London
    • Martin Freeman, lead actor
      • The Hobbit
      • The Lord of the Rings
      • The Office, original British TV sitcom
    • Rebecca Long, Film Producer
    • William Kerley, Director
    • Gill Adams, Screenwriter

Krisztina Szabo, mezzo-soprano, interview 2

• Svadba/Wedding
  • an opera by Sokolovic was her Opera Philadelphia debut
• Written On Skin
  • she sings Angel 2 & Marie, the sister of Agnes for Opera Philadelphia
    • Anthony Roth Costanzo plays Angel 1/Boy
  • Toronto Symphony Orchestra semi-stage production
    • Conducted by Sir George Benjamin
  • Lincoln Center Festival
    • Written On Skin original production was presented
      • Katie Mitchell, Director
    • Holland Festival
      • Written On Skin, another semi-stage concert production
• Lessons in Love and Violence, opera in development by Benjamin & Crimp
  • Barbara Hannigan and Krisztina Szabo are engaged for premiere
    • Barbara was the role originator of Agnes
• Contemporary Opera development in Canada
  • Canadian Opera Company
  • Tapestry Opera
    • Oksana Gervais, a new opera
    • Aaron Gervais, Composer
• The advent of chamber opera programs in traditional major production companies is growing.
  • Opera Philadelphia, San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, etc.
    • Canadian Opera Company has joined with Against the Grain Theatre
• Ewartung (The Woman), one-act opera
  • Arnold Schonberg, Composer
  • Marie Pappenheim, Librettist
    • Canadian Opera Company
    • Alexander Neef, Director
      • This production uses a number of Supernumeraries to represent
      • people in her life.
    • Bluebeard’s Castle
      • Bela Bartok, Composer
        • There is a longstanding touring production that pairs this opera with Ewartung.
• A Dido double-bill at Toronto Masque Theatre
  • Dido in Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell
  • Dido in Aeneas and Dido by James Rolfe
    • Purcell’s version focuses mostly on Dido’s experiences
    • Rolfe’s version focusses on the Aeneas’s point of view
      • They compliment each other in terms of emotional scope
    • “When I am Laid in Earth”, aria from Purcell’s version
      • East Village Opera Company recorded a world-beat fusion version
• What’s next on Krisztina’s schedule
  • Finish her teaching session as faculty member, University of Toronto
  • Two concerts:
    • Le Marteau sans maitre
      • Boulez, Composer
        • gamUT: Contemporary Music Ensemble
      • Miss Carr in Seven Scenes, world premiere song cycle
        • Jeffrey Ryan, Composer
          • Canadian Art Song Project
    • Lessons of Love and Violence, a world premiere opera
      • Benjamin/Crimp, creators
        • Royal Opera House – London, England

 

 

Credits: Peter Szep producer/editor, Chuck Sachs reviewer