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 masterpiece, Aida, 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, Aida, is a magnificent production of one of the most popular and beloved operas of all time."
In a spectacular staging that captures the grandeur of Ancient Egypt, this production features more than 200 artists. Verdi's tragedy, which sets a heartbreaking love triangle against the backdrop of an empire at war, features Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska in a stunning Met debut as Aida, the enslaved Ethiopian princess. Opposite Monastyrska are two major Met stars: tenor Roberto Alagna as the war hero Radamis and Olga Borodina as the pharaoh's daughter Amneris, Aida's formidable rival. George Gagnidze sings Amonasro, Aida's cunning father, and Stefan Koc'n is the imposing Egyptian priest Ramfis. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi conducts his first company performances of the opera. The New York Times calls it "an electrically charged and energetic performance." Star soprano Renee Fleming hosts the transmission and conducts backstage interviews with the cast.
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Liudmyla Monastyrska sings the title role and Olga Borodina is Amneris in Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece, Aida.
The production lasts three hours, 36 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 Aida 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.
