Switzerland Geneva Opera’s 2013-14 Season Is Encircled By The RingThe Grand Théâtre De Genève Announces Its 2013-2014 Season
New productions, international opera stars and world première ballet performances will feature in an upcoming season marked by the sign of the Ring, with two complete cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen in May 2014.
The 2013- -2014 artistic season of the Grand Théâtre de Genève will begin on 9 September 2013 with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Among the notable productions of this new season is the ambitious project to present over the course of one opera season, the three Days of Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle, as well as two performances of the complete cycle, over two consecutive weeks. The new Grand Théâtre season attracts many well-known names from the international opera scene, such as Jonas Kaufmann, Petra Lang, Tom Fox, Russell Braun, Andrea Carè, Franco Vassallo, Barbara Frittoli, Soile Isokoski, Andrzej Dobber, Leo Nucci, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Gregory Kunde, Lawrence Brownlee and Anna Caterina Antonacci who will be performing in Geneva in one of our opera productions with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande or in recital.
WAGNER AND THE RING
The Grand Théâtre 2013-2014 season is undoubtedly placed under the sign of the Ring.
After a first production of Das Rheingold in March 2013, the 4-part prologue to Richard Wagner’s opera cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen enthusiastically received by audiences and critics alike, and before the performance of two complete Ring cycles in May 2014, the Grand Théâtre will successively present Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) in November 2013, Siegfried in February 2014 and finally Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) in Spring 2014; three new productions with Ingo Metzmacher as musical director, Dieter Dorn as stage director and sets and costumes by Jürgen Rose. Singing as Brünnhilde and Siegfried in complete cycles of the Ring for the first time will be one of world’s leading interpreters of Wagner roles, Petra Lang, and leading British tenor, John Daszak.
Wagner and his Ring cycle indeed have pride of place this season with a new production in March 2014, based on the second Day of the Ring cycle: Siegfried ou Qui deviendra le seigneur de l’anneau, a musical fantasy with music by Richard Wagner in an arrangement by Peter Larsen. This one-hour production in French is designed for young audiences, but could also prove interesting to adults intimidated by the length and alleged difficulty of Wagner operas.
Drawing its inspiration from the same mediaeval texts (The Song of the Nibelungs) as Wagner, French composer Ernest Reyer’s Sigurd will be presented in concert at the Victoria Hall in October 2013, with Andrea Carè singing the title part and Anna Caterina Antonacci that of Brunehilde.
OPERAS
If Richard Wagner’s masterpieces are at the heart of the Grand Théâtre’s 2013-2014 playbill, it also features other well-loved pieces such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), which will open the season with, notably, Malin Byström (Countess Almaviva), Ekaterina Siurina (Susanna) and Stéphanie d’Oustrac (Cherubino) or La Chauve-souris, French version of Die Fledermaus the famous operetta by Johann Strauss II for the holiday season. Originally designed for the Glyndebourne Festival, Stephen Lawless’ production was first performed at the Grand Théâtre in December 2008 and will now be given in French, with a cast featuring Swiss talents mezzo-soprano Marie-Claude Chappuis as Prince Orlovsky and Dimitri the clown in the spoken part of Frosch the jailer.
Another Swiss artist, Roland Aeschlimann, will provide stage direction, sets and costumes for Giuseppe Verdi’s grandiose masterpiece Nabucco in March 2014 with John Fiore conducting.
In June 2014, this exciting season will come to a close with a new production of Alfredo Catalani’s La Wally, co-produced with the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. This emblematic masterpiece of Italian opera became famous for being quoted in Jean-Jacques Beineix’s film Diva (1981) will be performed for the first time at the Grand Théâtre.
BALLETS
The Grand Théâtre de Genève Ballet Company and its manager Philippe Cohen will present two world premières this season: in October 2013, Le Songe d’une nuit d’été, based on the stage music by Felix Mendelssohn for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and choreographed by Michel Kelemenis (many still remember his delightful Cinderella for the Grand Théâtre in 2009) and in February 2014, Mémoire del’ombre a piece by Ken Ossola on works by Gustav Mahler at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (BFM).
In April 2014, during the festivities marking the bicentennial year of Geneva’s entry into the Swiss Confederation, the Grand Théâtre de Genève will host the Zurich Opera Ballet, Ballett Basel and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne for a five-day festival of Swiss dance at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices (BFM).
Helvetic Danse will open with a reprise of Andonis Foniadakis’ Glory with the Grand Théâtre de Genève Ballet Company.
One evening of February 2014 will be dedicated to the famous Ballets Russes with the Kremlin Ballett performing three celebrated pieces of this repertoire Shéhérazade (choregraphy by Andris Liepa based on Michel Fokine’s original choreography) as well as Les Sylphides and Danses polovtsiennes (choregraphy: Michel Fokine).
RECITALS
Among the international opera stars that will grace the Grand Théâtre’s stage in recital this upcoming season are Soile Isokoski, Leo Nucci, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Lawrence Brownlee, Anna Caterina Antonacci, young singers from the Mariinski Academy as well as Jonas Kaufmann who is invited as guest performer of the Cercle du Grand Théâtre in its annual event at the Grand Théâtre.
OTHER PERFORMANCES
For the first time, the Grand Théâtre joins forces with Festival Archipel to host a piece first performed in August 2013 at the Ruhrtriennale where it was directed by Heiner Goebbels: Delusion of the Fury by Harry Partch, one of the most original American composers of the 20th century.
FULL DETAILS OF THE 2013-14 SEASON CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE OF GENEVA OPERA http://www.geneveopera.ch/home
Grand Théâtre de Genève box office: 5, place Neuve, Genève, Switzerland
Telephone +41 22 322 50 50 or Fax +41 22 322 50 51
Email billetterie@genevaopera.ch
Box office opens for Le Nozze di Figaro, Monday 3 June at 10AM and for all other productions of the 13-14 season on Monday 2 September at 10AM.
2013-2014 season ticket sales begins on 2 April 2013 at 5:15 PM. Priority sales to 2012-2013 season ticket holders until May 31, at 6PM.
The Grand Théâtre de Genève box office is open from Monday to Saturday, from 10AM to 6PM non-stop until curtain time. On Sundays with performances at the Grand Théâtre, box office opens one and a half hours before curtain time.
Tickets for the Grand Théâtre de Genève are also on sale on the FNAC network in Switzerland and France.