The 1891 Fredonia Opera House continues the 2012-13 season of Live at the Met high definition opera broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera with Giuseppe Verdi's classic drama of political intrigue and thwarted romance, Un Ballo in Maschera, on Saturday at 1 p.m.
"To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Verdi, this year's Met season features several of the master composer's operas," says Opera House Executive Director Rick Davis. "This week's offering, Un Ballo in Maschera, is a unique new Met production staged by acclaimed opera director David Alden, with a charismatic cast of stars."
Led by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi, Un Ballo in Maschera features some of the Met's leading Verdi stars in the central roles of the opera's love triangle: Marcelo Alvarez as the ill-fated King Gustavo III; Dmitri Hvorostovsky as his best friend and eventual rival, Count Anckarstrom; and Sondra Radvanovsky as Amelia, Anckarstrom's wife and the object of the king's secret passion.
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Giuseppe Verdi’s classic drama of political intrigue and thwarted romance, Un Ballo in Maschera, will be screened live in high definition at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
Kathleen Kim sings the coloratura role of Oscar, Gustavo's page, and Stephanie Blythe is Mme. Ulrica Arvidsson, a fortune-teller with ominous news for the king. Superstar soprano Deborah Voigt hosts the transmission and conducts backstage interviews with the stars.
The Associated Press calls the production "an intriguing, fresh look at one of the essential works of the repertory."
The production lasts three hours, 24 minutes, notes Davis. "There are two intermissions," he adds, "during which the Opera House will have snacks and beverages available for purchase in the trustee room on the second floor of Village Hall. (No food or beverage is allowed inside the theatre.)"
Live at the Met opera broadcasts are made possible by Dr. James M. and Marcia Merrins, who funded the purchase of the satellite transmission and projection equipment used in the series.
Additional support comes from Bob and Shirley Coon, Bob and Susan Dilks, Steve and Mary Rees and DFT Communications.
Tickets to Un Ballo in Maschera are $20 ($18 for Opera House and Met members, $15 for students) and are available in advance by calling or visiting the Box Office at 679-1891 Tuesday Friday, 1-5 p.m.
They also may be purchased online anytime at www.fredopera.org. The Opera House also is offering a new flexible opera subscription consisting of nine tickets that can be used however the patron wants one at a time to nine different operas, all at once for nine people, or anything in between. The flexible opera subscription is $161.
Chautauqua County's only performing arts center presenting its own programming year-round, the 1891 Fredonia Opera House is a member-supported not-for-profit organization located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.
