The 1891 Fredonia Opera House continues the 2011-12 season of Live at the Met high definition opera broadcasts with Richard Wagner's Siegfried on Saturday at 12 p.m.
"We're very excited to be presenting our first full season of live opera transmissions," says Opera House Executive Director Rick Davis. "We enjoyed a successful summer of encore presentations; but there's something very exhilarating about presenting the live broadcasts as they are being performed at the Met."
In Siegfried, the third installment of Robert Lepage's visually stunning new staging of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelunge, the story follows the adventures of opera's ultimate hero, a valiant warrior who literally does not know the meaning of the word "fear." Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads an all-star cast featuring Jay Hunter Morris in his first Met performances of the title role, one of the most challenging in the entire operatic canon. Deborah Voigt returns as the warrior maiden Brunnhilde, Bryn Terfel is the mysterious Wanderer, Patricia Bardon is the ancient earth goddess Erda, and Gerhard Siegel and Eric Owens are the nefarious brothers Mime and Alberich.
The story of Siegfried, in which the hero fights a dragon and awakens his true love with a kiss, is a classic hero's tale. It will be Conductor Luisi's first time conducting Siegfried at the Met. With its epic length, stirring orchestral passages, and complex structure of leitmotifs, the opera is a challenging and rewarding one for conductors.
The broadcast lasts five hours 29 minutes, notes Davis. "There are two intermissions," he adds, "and during the first one, the Opera House will have snacks, beverages and box lunches available for purchase in the trustees 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 Siegfried 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 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. They also may be purchased online anytime at www.fredopera.org.
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.
