Wexford Festival Opera 2012 Friends’ Newsletter

61st season | 24 October – 4 November, 2012

News for Friends Priority booking for friends opens 8 May 2012

The Operas

L’ARLESIANA (1897)

Francesco Cilèa (1866–1950) 24, 27, 30 October, 2 November / 20:00

Le Roi malgré lui (1887) Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–1894)

25, 31 October, 3 November / 20:00 28 October / 17:00

A Village Romeo and Juliet (1907) Frederick Delius (1862–1934)

26, 29 October, 1, 4 November / 20:00

Front and back cover photographs © Clive Barda/ArenaPAL. Cover image from La Cour de Célimène (Wexford Festival Opera, 2011).

Back cover image from Maria (Wexford Festival Opera, 2011).

Dear Friends From the Artistic Director

It hardly seems possible that this autumn marks the fifth anniversary of the ‘new’ Opera House. For all the nostalgia that might remain about the ‘old’ Theatre Royal, I suspect that all of us prefer the comfort of the Opera House and appreciate what it is possible to present on this new stage.

My colleagues and I have realised that it has taken these five years to understand the technical attributes of our stage and to fully maximise the potential of the venue. About our (excellent) acoustics, who can complain!

Although it is disappointing to have to report that once again the Festival has lost the use of Whites Hotel where for the past two years we have presented the ShortWorks, I am very pleased that we shall be performing them in a new venue, the fine Auditorium at Presentation Secondary School in Grogan’s Road, not far from the Opera House.

I welcome this opportunity for a closer connection with a school community in the town and thank the School’s Board of Management and Principal for making it possible.

It seems as if the Festival has been on the move in one way or another since I became your Artistic Director in 2005.

I trust you will be pleased with the choice of operas for 2012. When we lost the possibility to present the earlierannounced premiere of Mercadante’s Francesca da Rimini it occurred to me that the Wexford public had not seen an opera from the Italian verismo tradition since Zandonai’s Concita in 2000. L’Arlesiana by Francesco Cilèa is certainly a rarely-performed work on stage, but the opera’s title is familiar to many because of the often performed tenor aria, the celebrated ‘Lamento di Federico’, È la solita storia del pastore.

Dear Friends 1

The second offering for 2012 will be Le Roi malgré lui (‘The Reluctant King’) by Chabrier. Not the rarest of operas, and certainly not in France, it is nevertheless a worthy addition to the Wexford repertory. Le Roi was admired by Stravinsky, Fauré was said to have loved it to the extent that he could play it from memory on the piano, and Ravel wrote ‘I would rather have written Le Roi malgré lui than Der Ring des Nibelungen’. Ravel also declared that the score was so original, the opening chords had changed forever the course of French music. As Le Roi was on the ‘wish list’ of my two immediate predecessors I am happy we have got around to it.

Lastly, A Village Romeo and Juliet, the masterwork of Frederick Delius, the 150th anniversary of whose birth is commemorated this year.

Excerpts from all three of our 2012 operas, as well as expert commentary from our long-time supporter and lecturer Ian Fox can be found on your Discover The Repertoire CD on the inside back cover of this newsletter.

Well, there is much more in store for 2012, which you will discover as you read this edition of the Friends’ Newsletter.

I look forward to greeting you all once again this autumn in Wexford.

David Agler, Artistic Director

2 Dear Friends

Wexford Festival Opera Dear Friends From the Artistic Director is proudly supported by

Grant-aided by the Arts Council

Festival supported by Fáilte Ireland

Lead Production Sponsor of L’Arlesiana

Print Media Sponsor & Production Sponsor of Le Roi malgré lui

Preferred Hotel Partner

Proudly Supporting Le Roi malgré lui

Official IT & Communications Partner

Proudly Supporting Le Roi malgré lui

Sponsors of the Festival Dress Rehearsals

National Broadcast Media Partner

Sponsors of the Lunchtime Recitals

Official Festival Partner

Italian Institute of Culture – Dublin Proudly Supporting L’Arlesiana

Sponsors of The Gala Concert

Youth Ticketing Sponsors

Official Airport Partner

Restaurant Partner

Restaurant Partner

Sponsors 3

Can one love too much?

How does love become obsession?

Does obsession always end in tragedy?

L’Arlesiana

Production Sponsor

Francesco Cilèa (1866-1950) 24, 27, 30 October, 2 November – 20:00 Lyric drama in three acts to a libretto by Leopoldo Marenco after Alphonse Daudet First performed on 27 November 1897 at the Teatro Lirico di Milano, Milan Sung in Italian Cilèa’s most popular opera is Adriana Lecouvreur (1902), but his best-known aria is È la solita storia (‘Federico’s Lament’) from L’Arlesiana (1897), which was sung

by Caruso in the opera’s well-received first performance. Like his fellow Italian composers known as the Giovane Scuola (‘Young School’) – Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Giordano and Puccini – Cilèa was attracted by operatic stories and themes described as ‘verismo’, which depicted the rawness of the everyday lives of contemporary ‘ordinary’ people, in the manner of Zola and Ibsen, rather than the historical or mythological stories associated with Romanticism. In L’Arlesiana he reveals an unusually close and perceptive emotional involvement with his characters, particularly with his mater dolorosa, Rosa Mamai, and her passionate motherly love.

6 L’Arlesiana

The libretto of Cilèa’s opera L’Arlesiana is based on the play by Alphonse Daudet from his own short story L’Arlésienne, for which Bizet wrote his well-known incidental music. L’Arlesiana – the woman from Arles – never appears on stage. She is only referred to in the opera, but her powerful personality is the dominant force that affects the lives of everyone else, including Rosa Mamai, worried about Federico, her son, and his obsession for this unknown woman; Federico and Metifio, who are in love with l’Arlesiana, and the demure Vivetta who loves Federico herself. When Federico learns that l’Arlesiana has deceived him with Metifio he decides to marry Vivetta, and tells her that now he thinks only of her.

But the old jealousy returns when he hears that Metifio plans to abduct l’Arlesiana, and so the powerful drama ends in tragedy – as often happens when a l’Arlesiana or a Carmen arouse such passion.

conductor david angus

director rosetta cucchi

L’Arlesiana – Production Notes

set designer sarah bacon

lighting designer simon corder costume designer claudia pernigotti

An insane passion for a mysterious woman who never appears in the opera, but Federico, the main character, wants her desperately. He dreams of her, he suffers for her, and suddenly his mind starts to waver. Useless are the efforts of people around him to keep his mind clear, and slowly his soul transforms a love story into a gloomy obsession. It is as if the image of the beloved, perpetually suspended in the conscious state, exercises an attraction he is powerless to defend himself against – a sort of mirage, a lure, an irresistible bait. As when, even in the absolute silence, the obsessive lover continues to hear the song of a siren and insanely continues to follow a shadow which gradually moves away, becoming a projection of his own follies. Lots of people orbit around this man: a powerful mother, a weak brother, a wise old man and others; all of them will be unable to help him. But are we absolutely sure that all is real?

— Rosetta Cucchi, Director L’Arlesiana 7

PHOTO: DARREN CHESHIRE

As they say, ‘It ain’t easy being King’, but it’s even harder when you’re a dissolute French aristocrat sent by your domineering mother to rule over an unwelcoming foreign populace!

Le Roi malgré lui

Production Sponsor

Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)

25, 31 October, 3 November – 20:00 28 October – 17:00 Produced in co-operation with Bard Summerscape Opéra comique in three acts to a libretto by Emile de Najac and Paul Burani, revised by Jean Richepin, after A. and M. Ancelot First performed on 18 May 1887 at the Opéra-Comique, Paris Sung in French

There is a strong historical basis for Chabrier’s famous comic opera, for when the future King Henri III of France was still just plain Henri de Valois, the third son of King Henri II and Catherine de’ Medici, he was elected King of Poland. His reign was short, from 1573 to 1574, as he was crowned King of France in 1575, but his time in Poland was marked by a clash of cultures which is amusingly treated by Chabrier.

Chabrier preferred writing serious operas, and was a passionate admirer of Wagner’s music, but the comparative lack of success of his works in this style persuaded him to try comedy, and his fortunes changed when in 1884 he wrote Le Roi malgré lui (‘The Reluctant King’). It had a difficult gestation, for its original format as an operetta had to be changed to that of an opéra comique. But the necessary rewriting gave Chabrier the opportunity to write music in a more serious style, which contributed to the high regard and 10 Le Roi malgré lui

affection in which the opera is held. Its stage history, by contrast, has been illstarred, ranging from the librettists being booed, to the Opéra-Comique burning down two days after the third performance.

Chabrier’s music for Le Roi was admired

by Debussy, Ravel, d’Indy, Poulenc, Fauré, Stravinsky and others. It is superbly crafted and well-structured, particularly in the balance between romantic and comic episodes, and the lively and melodic score is an eclectic mix that includes patter singing, Italianate confusion, show-stopping roulades and serious love music in a postWagnerian style.

conductor jean-luc tingaud

Le Roi malgré lui – Production Notes director thaddeus strassberger

lighting designer simon corder set designer kevin knight costume designer mattie ulrich

Feeling exiled in Poland, Henri, our reluctant King, is consumed by nostalgia for all things French. The frigid weather, the dreary fashion, the drab palace in Poland – none of it is to his liking. The production takes the audience on a rapturous ride through all things French, from Louis XVI’s glittering royal court at Versailles and the masterpiece-laden corridors of the Louvre, to the long sultry summers of St Tropez and the sophisticated nightlife of Monte Carlo in the 1960s. Marching bands, Polish pin-up girls, sultry chanteuse-artistes, Bohemian fortune tellers, grumpy gondoliers and shrewd private detectives all make strategic appearances, thwarting Henri’s valiant attempts to avoid becoming King.

Showcasing the vocal fireworks and comedic cunning of an international cast, this lightning-paced production captures the essence of Chabrier’s satirically witty comic opera.

Spectacular show-numbers featuring an exuberant chorus and a lively corps of dancers alternate with touchingly intimate portraits of the quirky characters, through stunning arias, ensembles and dialogue, all of which are supported by a clever, knowing orchestral score.

— Thaddeus Strassberger, Director Le Roi malgré lui 11

A love that is doomed by feuding families and moral constraints; music to die for…

A Village Romeo and Juliet Frederick Delius (1862-1934)

26, 29 October, 1, 4 November – 20:00

This production is made possible

by a generous grant from

the Delius Trust

Lyric drama in six scenes to a libretto in English by the composer and Jelka Delius, after Gottfried Keller’s short story Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe First performed as Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe (German translation by the composer) on 21 February 1907 at the Komische Oper, Berlin First performed in English as A Village Romeo and Juliet on 22 February 1910 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London Sung in English

In his short story Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe the Swiss writer Gottfried Keller (1819-1890) shows his contempt for the petitbourgeois morality that destroys the lives of his Romeo and Juliet figures, Sali and Vreli, a contempt shared by Delius. Sali and Vreli’s fathers have fought for years for ownership of an almost worthless piece of land, so when their son and daughter fall in love the family feud makes the lovers’ relationship, like that of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, impossible.

To emphasise the far-reaching effects of the petit-bourgeois morality, the disagreement over the land arose because the rightful owner, the Dark Fiddler, is illegitimate and so cannot claim his inheritance.

The Dark Fiddler tries to tempt Sali and Vreli to join him and his bohemian friends and to live in the mountains, where ‘your own will reigns supreme’. But Sali and 14 A Village Romeo and Juliet

Vreli can see the jealous and unhappy lives of those who follow the Dark Fiddler’s doctrines of free love, and Vreli concludes, ‘That life is not for us’. The guilt they feel at betraying their families intensifies, and unable to escape the moral constraints of their upbringing, they choose a brief, glorious, moment of love followed by death, which inspired Delius to compose an ecstatic liebestod.

Written between 1899 and 1901, A Village Romeo and Juliet was the fourth of Delius’s six operas and is generally regarded as his finest. His passionate engagement with the story contributed to his success in creating the libretto and in composing music of intense and rapturous beauty to depict the love of Sali and Vreli. The opera includes the celebrated orchestral interlude The Walk to the Paradise Garden.

conductor rory macdonald

director stephen medcalf associate director rodula gaitanou

set & costume designer jamie vartan

lighting designer simon corder

A Village Romeo and Juliet – Production Notes Strong sources of inspiration were Keller’s 1856 short story Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe and Edvard Munch’s paintings.

Munch’s repeated portrayal of isolated monochrome figures fused within an abstracted contoured landscape felt instinctively right as an interpretation of the two central characters, Sali and Vreli.

The costume and set designs clearly tell the narrative of feuding and tension, using clothes of contrasting colours that match the contrasting colours of the ploughed and unploughed land, in order to divide the young Sali and Vreli, and to divide the villagers into two distinctive groups. The aspect of the Keller story that is most thoroughly explored

by Delius is the relationship between Sali and Vreli who fear that their behaviour will be regarded as immoral because it goes against social convention. The irony and real tragedy of the opera is that by the time the lovers meet their fate, there is no-one left to stand in the way of their future together.

— Stephen Medcalf, Director and Jamie Vartan, Designer A Village Romeo and Juliet 15

ShortWorks The ShortWorks are daytime small-scale operatic productions (approximately one hour) that demonstrate opera’s unique ability to reflect and comment on every aspect of the human condition.

This year we have an exciting opportunity to perform two contrasting shortwork operas in a new venue, the auditorium at Presentation Secondary School, which is situated in Grogan’s Road, within a few minutes’ walking distance of the Opera House in High Street.

A Dinner Engagement

The Magic Flute

by Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)

by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

The Auditorium, Presentation Secondary School, Grogan’s Road 26, 31 October, 3 November – 15:30

The Auditorium, Presentation Secondary School, Grogan’s Road

28 October – 11:00

27, 29, 30 October, 1, 2 November – 15:30

Ticket €25

Ticket €25

Sung in English

Sung in English

Lennox Berkeley composed his one-act comedy A Dinner Engagement in 1954 and it received its first performance that year at the Aldeburgh Festival. It was his first and most successful opera, the sophisticated wit of the libretto being ideally suited to his style.

Mozart’s last opera Die Zauberflöte, ‘The Magic Flute’, was written out of desperate economic necessity during the final years of his tragically short life. His fellow Freemasons lent him money and suggested that he write the music for a Zauberoper (‘magic opera’) style of Singspiel. Such works, with their spectacular scenic effects, were enormously popular, and Mozart’s music for the pseudo-Oriental fairy tale, Lulu, or the Magic Flute, was an immediate success. The public was captivated by the opera, by the fantastical characters on stage and by Mozart’s ravishing music.

The story concerns an aristocratic English family who have fallen on hard times after the war and who plan a grand dinner party in the hope that their daughter Susan will become engaged to the wealthy Prince Philippe of Monteblanco. But what does Susan think about her parents’ plans?

16 ShortWorks

Concerts, Recitals & Lectures

photo: clive barda/arenapal

Lunchtime Recitals St Iberius Church 26, 27, 29, 30, 31 October – 13:05

William V Wallace Recital

Songs and Piano Music from the William Vincent Wallace Album

1, 2, 3 November – 13:05

Jerome Hynes Theatre

Ticket €15

Thursday 25 October – 15:30

Continuing a long-established Wexford tradition, the popular lunchtime recitals (approximately fifty minutes) will be given in St Iberius Church in the centre of Wexford. These recitals afford a unique opportunity to hear the Festival’s opera stars display their vocal talents in other types of repertoire on an intimate concert platform. The artists and their performance dates will be announced at the beginning of the Festival.

Friday 2 November – 11:00 Ticket €15 These recitals celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of William Vincent Wallace (1812-1865), the Waterford-born composer of Maritana (1845). Most of the music is taken from the William Vincent Wallace Album, a wonderfully ornate album of Wallace’s music published in New York in 1854, which is now in the collection of the National Library of Ireland. Contemporary reviewers said ‘the transcendent genius of Wallace has Concerts, Recitals & Lectures 17

never before been so fully developed’, and the illustrations were described as being ‘among the finest specimens of lithographic art ever done in America’.

Una Hunt is one of Ireland’s leading pianists. She has made a number of premiere CD recordings of Irish piano music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and is music consultant to the National Library of Ireland.

Máire Flavin represented Ireland at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2011 and reached the Song Prize final.

She is to give a recital under the auspices of Irish Heritage in St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street, London on 12 June 2012.

The programme includes Salon dances and Celtic fantasies for piano, and Canzonets on the four seasons for voice and piano.

Una Hunt (piano) and Máire Flavin (Mezzo-soprano)

Gala Concert Wexford Opera House Sunday 28 October – 22:00 Ticket €50-60 The Gala Concert is one of the highlights of Wexford Festival Opera and features a collection of favourite party pieces from members of the Festival company.

All proceeds go toward supporting the programmes of Wexford Festival Opera.

Early booking is advised.

18 Concerts, Recitals & Lectures

Piano Recital

by the winner of 2012 Dublin International Piano Competition Wexford opera house Saturday 3 November – 11:00 Ticket €25 In Dublin in May sixty pianists, aged between seventeen and thirty, will compete for the €15,000 first prize in the triennial Dublin International Piano Competition, now in its twenty-fifth year and recognised as one of the world’s most important piano competitions.

The Artistic Director and Chairman of the Jury is John O’Conor, the Dublin-born pianist who was a co-founder of the Piano Competition and who is regarded as one of the finest interpreters of the piano music of Beethoven.

The final of the competition takes place on 15 May and the name of the winner will be announced on our website, www.wexfordopera.com

photo: paddy donovan

Orchestra Concert

Dr Tom Walsh Lecture

Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rowe Street

Jerome Hynes Theatre Friday 26 October – 11:00

Sunday 4 November – 15:30

Ticket €10

Ticket €18 The Orchestra of Wexford Festival Opera comes out of the pit and takes centre stage for this afternoon’s concert. Their conductor is the Festival’s Artistic Director, David Agler. The programme will include Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra. Further details will be announced on our website, www.wexfordopera.com.

Dr Tom Walsh (1911-1988) was one of the founders of the Wexford Opera Festival (as it was then called) and its first Artistic Director, from 1951 to 1966. His skills as an impresario were developed during the late 1930s when he reformed the Wexford Operatic Society as the Wexford Musical Society, and then formed the Wexford Theatre Guild during the war years. In 1950 he set up the Wexford Opera Study Circle and invited Sir Compton Mackenzie to give the inaugural address.

Mackenzie suggested that they put on an opera themselves, and so an operatic legend was born. The Dr Tom Walsh Lecture is presented by Wexford Festival Opera to honour the memory of ‘Dr Tom’.

Concerts, Recitals & Lectures 19

This year’s lecture will be given by the conductor and Chairman of The Delius Trust, David Lloyd-Jones.

He was appointed Assistant Music Director at English National Opera in 1972 and in 1978 he was invited by the Arts Council of Great Britain to found a full-time opera company in Leeds, Opera North, with its new orchestra, the English Northern Philharmonia (later re-named the Orchestra of Opera North). He became Artistic Director of Opera North and spent twelve seasons with the company. He conducted operas at Wexford in 1967 (Roméo et Juliette), 1968 (La Jolie Fille de Perth), 1969 (L’Infedelta Delusa) and 1970 (Lakmé). He has conducted a number of highly-acclaimed CD recordings of music by Delius and other British composers.

We invite you to join us for a cup of tea or coffee in the foyer of the Jerome Hynes Theatre after the lecture.

Kindly supported by Victoria Walsh-Hamer

PHOTO: WEXFORD FESTIVAL OPERA ARCHIVE

20 Concerts, Recitals & Lectures

Film – Song of Summer Jerome Hynes Theatre 26, 29 October, 1, 4 November – 14:30 Free admission (booking essential) As part of the celebrations in 2012 of the 150th anniversary of Delius’s birth, Wexford Festival Opera is showing four screenings of Ken Russell’s 1968 biographical film Song of Summer at 14:30 on the days of the evening performances of Delius’s opera A Village Romeo and Juliet.

The film, which is regarded as the finest of the biographical films Russell made for the BBC, is based on Eric Fenby’s 1936 memoir, Delius as I knew him, about the last years of Delius’s life, when the blind and paralysed composer was enabled to realise his compositions through the devoted dedication of his amanuensis Eric Fenby.

Max Adrian plays Delius, Maureen Pryor is his wife Jelka, and Christopher Gable is Eric Fenby. The title is from the 1931 tone poem A Song of Summer by Delius, who explained the context to Fenby: ‘I want you to imagine we are sitting on the cliffs of heather and looking out over the sea. The sustained chords in the high strings suggest the clear sky and stillness and calm of the scene…’

exclusive friends’ events

photo: GER LAWLOR

Friends’ Summer Concerts

Friends’ Lectures

Dublin Concert

London Friends’ Lecture

THE PAVILION THEATRE

THE EMBASSY OF IRELAND

Dun Laoghaire

17 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7HR

Tuesday 3 July – 19:30

Wednesday 30 May – 19:30

London Concert

Wexford Friends’ Lecture

THE PARISH AND WARD CHURCH OF ST BOTOLPH WITHOUT BISHOPSGATE

WEXFORD OPERA HOUSE

London EC2M 3TL Tuesday 19 June – 19:30 The annual Friends’ Concerts showcase the best of Wexford Festival Opera talent.

A reception will be held during the interval of each Concert. Please note that space is limited for Friends’ Concerts.

To attend, please contact Lucy Durack, Development Assistant; by e-mail at friends@wexfordopera.com or phone +353 53 912 2400 ext 583.

Thursday 20 September – 19:30 Dublin Friends’ Lecture THE RESIDENCE OF THE AMBASSADOR OF france in ireland 53 Ailesbury Road, Dublin 4 Thursday 27 September – 19:30 A reception will be held after each Lecture.

Please note that space is limited for Friends’ Lectures. To attend, please contact Lucy Durack, Development Assistant; by e-mail at friends@wexfordopera.com or phone +353 53 912 2400 ext 583.

Exclusive Friends’ Events 21

The Friends’ parties will include champagne, wine and canapés. The pre-opera buffet will include a delicious selection of food and complimentary wine. All Friends’ events will provide an opportunity to mingle with the artistic team and cast!

Each Friend is entitled to four complimentary tickets to one of the following events:

photo: PATRICK BROWNE

Friends’ Parties & Buffet – Important Updates All 2012 Friends and Patrons should note their increased allocation of four complimentary tickets to one Friends’ Party or Buffet.

Please remember to book your free tickets when you are making your overall ticket booking for Festival 2012. If you are booking online at www.wexfordopera.com please choose tickets for your preferred Friends’ event and they will automatically be discounted as part of your overall booking.

In addition to our Friends’ Parties we will have one pre-opera buffet exclusively for Friends, which will take place on Wednesday 31 October at the Talbot Hotel. This brings back a very popular Wexford tradition and provides an excellent opportunity for old Friends and new to enjoy an informal meal together before the opera.

Friends’ Party Wednesday 24 October – 22:30 Greenacres Friends’ Party Saturday 27 October – 22:30 Greenacres Friends’ Buffet Wednesday 31 October – 18:00 Talbot Hotel Friends’ Party Saturday 3 November – 23:00 Whites Hotel

Opening Night As in 2011 all Friends will be able to purchase up to six tickets for the Festival’s opening night performance on Wednesday 24 October. As there are only four performances of each main opera this is an important benefit for all Friends who wish to come to the Festival on the opening night.

Circle Patrons Our Circle Patrons should also note that they can purchase up to ten tickets for any main opera performance.

22 Exclusive Friends’ Events

photo: PATRICK BROWNE

Friends’ Lounge Exclusively for Friends of Wexford Festival Opera, the Friends’ Lounge will be open daily throughout the Festival from 11:00 to 16:00.

All Friends are invited to visit the Lounge on Level 3 at Wexford Opera House. A volunteer will be on hand to welcome you, provide you with your complimentary Festival Programme and your 2012 Friends’ lapel pin, and to answer any questions you may have. Relax! Enjoy a few quiet moments in between all the Festival activity to read the programme, meet other Friends and enjoy a complimentary cup of tea or coffee.

The Lounge will also be open for the exclusive use of Friends during all opera intervals. You can pre-order your interval drinks and they will be delivered to the Friends’ Lounge for you to enjoy during the interval.

photo: clive barda/arenapal

Pre-Opera Suppers at Wexford Opera House Once again Wexford Festival Opera is happy to be able to offer Friends of the Festival priority booking for pre-opera suppers in the Mackenzie Room of Wexford Opera House.

The three course candle-lit table service will again be provided by the Ferrycarrig Hotel, our preferred catering and hotel partner.

Pre-opera suppers, priced at €40 per person, will be served on each performance evening during the Festival, commencing at 18:00.

On 28 October the suppers will be served after the 17:00 performance. Our pre-opera suppers have been a huge success so early booking is particularly advisable.

Reservations may be made directly with Ferrycarrig Hotel by telephone – call +353 53 915 3664 and quote your Friends’ booking PIN. We regret that pre-opera bookings cannot be booked online or through the Wexford Festival Opera Box Office. Bookings may be made from 10:00 on Tuesday 8 May. Exclusive Friends’ Events 23

SPONSORSHIP AND development Become a Diamond Friend in 2012 Due to the great success of our Diamond Friends’ Membership in 2011 we are continuing to offer this membership option in 2012 for our 61st season.

Launch of the President’s Circle

photo: patrick browne

Wexford Festival Opera launched The President’s Circle campaign during Wexford Festival Opera 2011. This major gifts campaign will help to fund the development of the artistic vision for the Festival. An exclusive reception was held during the 2011 Festival to mark the leadership contribution of Lord and Lady Magan of Castletown.

Lord Magan is a member of the Festival’s UK Trust, and both he and Lady Magan are longtime supporters of the Festival.

Friends and supporters who care deeply about the Festival are invited to contact David McLoughlin or Eamonn Carroll at any time during the year and they will be provided with full information about exclusive membership of The President’s Circle. If you are from the UK or the USA you can avail of particularly advantageous tax benefits. David and Eamonn can be contacted on +353 53 912 2400, or by e-mail (dml@wexfordopera.com and eamonn@wexfordopera.com).

24 Sponsorship and Development

For the special price of €1,000 Diamond Friends can avail of the full Friends’ membership benefits, and in addition will be granted an individual seat in the main auditorium in Wexford Opera House which they can endow with a special plaque in either their own name or that of a loved one.

Even if you have already renewed your Friends’ membership for 2012 you can upgrade to Diamond Friend status for an additional €775. This represents a saving of €75 on the normal cost of a Seat Endowment and is the perfect way to highlight your special association with Wexford Festival Opera.

photo: patrick browne

Lucia Cirillo, right (Gianni di Parigi, 2011) sponsored by Mark and Esther Villamar

Sponsor a Singer Our new Cast Sponsorship Programme is going from strength to strength and we welcomed several new participants in 2011.

This is an initiative whereby individuals or corporate supporters can sponsor an individual cast member at the Festival.

Our 2011 sponsors were John Small Family, Sandra Mathews, Soroptimist International Wexford, Thomas Moore Tavern, Peter & Nancy Thompson and Mark & Esther Villamar, and to them we extend our grateful thanks.

If you would like to assist in this way our Artistic Director will discuss your choice of artist with you, and your generous gift will be acknowledged in the 2012 Festival Programme book. A lunch or dinner engagement with the cast member will also be arranged during your visit to the 2012 Festival.

photo: clive barda/arenapal

If you are interested in the Cast Sponsorship Programme for the 2012 Festival please call Eamonn Carroll on +353 53 916 3527 or email eamonn@wexfordopera.com.

Legacy Gifts We are honoured to have received a number of legacy gifts in 2011 and we would like to extend our most sincere thanks to the individuals involved and to their families for their generosity. If or when the time is right for you to include a gift in your will please remember us and contact David McLoughlin in confidence. If you have already remembered Wexford Festival Opera in your will we would be delighted to hear from you as we would like to show our gratitude during your lifetime.

Further information on making a legacy gift to the Festival is also available on our website www.wexfordopera.com Sponsorship and Development 25

News for Friends From David Lloyd-Jones, Chairman of the Delius Trust

Peter Scallan, President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina, and Brendan Howlin.

President Michael D. Higgins becomes Patron of Wexford Festival Opera Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D. Higgins, has graciously agreed to become Patron of Wexford Festival Opera, following his inauguration as the ninth President of Ireland on 11 November 2011. He has been a regular visitor to Wexford Festival Opera for many years. He served twenty-five years as a member of Parliament in Dáil Éireann and was Minister for the Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from 1993 to 1997. His ministerial achievements include the establishment of a network of local arts and cultural venues throughout the country and the re-invigoration of the Irish film industry.

He has written books and articles on Irish politics, sociology, history, art and culture, and is also a published poet, with four collections to his name.

26 News for Friends

The Delius Trust is delighted that Wexford Festival Opera is going to perform one of the composer’s six operas in the 150th anniversary year of his birth. Quite rightly, the Festival has selected what is undoubtedly the greatest of them, A Village Romeo and Juliet, which Delius composed in 1900-01, and which was first performed in Berlin in 1907. As Sir Thomas Beecham, his lifelong champion and greatest interpreter, once said, it is not an opera necessarily designed to appeal to those whose main idea of the medium is one in which the baritone pursues the soprano around a chaise longue ‘with dishonourable intentions’. Instead, it is largely understated dramatically, but it compensates with music and action of intense poetical beauty. Beecham cites a very distinguished British musician as stating ‘it is the most heartbreaking music in the world’. It is not only committed Delians who agree with this, once they have experienced the opera.

The Delius Trust was set up by the composer’s widow in 1935 in order to further the publication and performance of her late husband’s works. It is wonderful to think that the Trust did not have to exert any pressure on the Festival to bring

about this production because, with typical imagination, it decided of its own accord to stage it. So, after what promises to be a major event, just remember that there are another five operas waiting in the wings!

by Leonard Bernstein. After the Festival Martha sang in the ROH Covent Garden’s productions of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Les Troyens.

David Lloyd-Jones has conducted four operas at Wexford: Roméo et Juliette by Gounod in 1967, La Jolie Fille de Perth by Bizet in 1968, L’Infedelta Delusa by Haydn in 1969 and Lakmé by Delibes in 1970.

Martha Bredin, Gerard Arnhold Award winner in 2011 ShortWork Trouble in Tahiti. PHOTO: PAULA MALONE CARTY

Gerard Arnhold Award

(donated by Anthony Arnhold in memory of his father) Martha Bredin is the recipient of the inaugural Gerard Arnhold Award, generously donated by Anthony Arnhold in memory of his father. The award was announced by Artistic Director David Agler on the closing night of the 2011 Festival.

Gerard Arnhold, a long-time patron and supporter of Wexford Festival Opera, died in 2010 after a long and fulfilling life.

Wexford Festival Opera is most grateful to Anthony for providing this award in his father’s memory.

Irish-born Martha Bredin was a member of the Chorus of Wexford Festival Opera in 2011 and also sang the role of Dinah in the ShortWork opera Trouble in Tahiti

Martha writes, ‘The Gerard Arnhold Award means so much to me at this stage of my vocal development. As a young singer still in training an award like this is vital to me.

Not only for the recognition it gives, but the added bonus of the bursary enables me to further my vocal studies. After winning the award I decided that I was only going to use the money exclusively to further my career.

The first thing I did was to clear a debt I had built up to pay for vocal training. The award has also allowed me to receive lessons from the highest level of coaches and teachers on a consistent basis, both at home and abroad, which I have never been able to do before due to financial circumstances.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the people responsible for the award and the generous bursary they donated as it is enabling me to pursue my dream of being a successful opera singer. I hope someday to return to the Wexford Festival Opera and perform on the main stage once again.’

News for Friends 27

Liz is Head of the Green Room, one of the twelve Volunteer departments of Wexford Festival Opera. Peter Scallan paid tribute to the way that she has consistently developed her team and praised her ability to enthuse all those around her with her dedication and sense of hospitality.

David McLoughlin and Conor Brennan present Elizabeth Foley with her award. PHOTO: PATRICK BROWNE

Zurich / Wexford Festival Opera Volunteers Award for Outstanding Leadership and Development The inaugural Wexford Festival Opera Volunteers Award, an annual award sponsored by Zurich Insurance, was presented to Elizabeth Foley at a ceremony in Wexford Opera House on 3 November 2011. Zurich’s support of the Volunteers Award enables Wexford Festival Opera ‘to recognise our Volunteers in a new and exciting way’, said Peter Scallan, Chairman of Wexford Festival Trust.

The award recognises Liz’s significant leadership and her outstanding contribution to Wexford Festival Opera. She has been a Volunteer at the Festival since she was a young girl, joining her mother who was also a Festival Volunteer. Over the years Liz has involved her own daughters and her grandchildren in the Festival. Currently

28 News for Friends

Pictured in the presentation are David McLoughlin (Chief Executive, WFO), Liz Foley and Conor Brennan (Head of Broker Distribution, Zurich).

Former Wexford Festival Opera Artistic Director Elaine Padmore with Sir Peter Moores. PHOTO: PATRICK BROWNE

Sir Peter Moores Wexford Festival Opera would like to record its deep gratitude to the Trustees of The Peter Moores Foundation for their magnificent grant support over the past twenty-one years. The Foundation’s first gift to the Festival was in support of the production of L’Assedio di Calais (1991) and it has since provided production funding for Maria di Rohan (2005), Don Gregorio (2006), Virginia (2010) and La Cour de Célimène

(2011). The Trustees have demonstrated wonderful commitment to the Festival and we salute their important contribution.

Established by British philanthropist Sir Peter Moores in 1964, the Foundation has provided major financial support in the fields of opera, the visual arts and education. As a student Peter Moores worked at Glyndebourne, studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and worked at the Vienna State Opera before joining his father’s business, Littlewoods. Now, as he approaches his eightieth birthday, he has decided to close down his Foundation after many years of critical support to a wide range of beneficiaries.

Since its inception The Peter Moores Foundation has enabled Chandos Records to issue the world’s largest catalogue of operas recorded in English. It has supported Opera Rara’s recording of rare bel canto repertoire, the recording of a number of important new works, the staging of many opera performances at Wexford and elsewhere, and the provision of scholarships to many talented young singers.

Irish Heritage Concert in London on 24 April 2012 Irish Heritage, the organisation in Britain dedicated to promoting the best of Irish and Anglo-Irish literature, music and young performers, is celebrating Wexford Festival Opera in a concert in the Princess Alexandra

Hall of the Royal Over-Seas League, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR on Tuesday 24 April 2012 at 19:30. The concert, called 60 Glorious Years – the Story of Wexford Festival Opera, will feature outstanding young Irish performers who have already distinguished themselves at the Festival: Fiona Murphy (Soprano), John Molloy (Bass-baritone and Narrator) and Ciara Moroney (Piano). John Molloy will tell the story of Wexford Festival Opera and the programme will include excerpts from Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Roméo et Juliette (Gounod), La Traviata (Verdi) and many more operas associated with the Festival.

The ticket price for this event for members of Irish Heritage is being extended to UK Friends of Wexford Festival Opera.

Tickets are available from Kathy O’Regan on +44 20 7226 4578, or e-mail Kathy.oregan@hotmail.co.uk or irish.heritage1@gmail.com.

In its Newsletter Irish Heritage describes the world renown that Wexford Festival Opera has achieved for ‘the quality of its performances, its innovation and its worldclass performers. It has also captured the imagination of the international opera community…Wexford (and Ireland) can be well proud of this achievement, along with its reputation for excellence and the warmth of its hospitality’.

News for Friends 29

Champagne and Canapés Treat yourself to a Champagne and Canapés interval reception in the Mackenzie Room at Wexford Opera House on any night during the Festival. Tickets may be booked from 8 May online at www.wexfordopera.com and by telephone (+353 53 912 2144).

Ticket €20

Special Lunchtime Recital Menu After each recital in St Iberius Church a special lunchtime recital menu is available in the Terrace Restaurant at Whites of Wexford from 14:00 to 15:30.

A selection of main courses costs €9.95 with complimentary tea or coffee.

Sky View Café Located on the third floor at Wexford Opera House, the Sky View Café is open throughout the year and boasts panoramic views of Wexford Harbour. It offers a delicious menu for morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea brought to you by Ferrycarrig Hotel. Our helpful and friendly staff look forward to welcoming you during your visit to Wexford.

For further information, menus and booking details please visit www.wexfordoperahouse.ie.

30 News for Friends

Waterford Airport – A Fantastic Travel Partnership Continuing the huge success of our partnership with Waterford Airport over the last two years, we are delighted to announce that our UK visitors can now book their flights to Waterford from London Southend, London Luton and Manchester with Aer Lingus Regional on www.aerlingus.com. Visitors from Birmingham can book their flights to Waterford through www.flybe.com.

Waterford Airport is located just 70 km from Wexford Town and a complimentary Wexford Festival Opera bus transfer will make the rest of your journey as easy as possible. Once you step off the plane at Waterford Airport our courtesy bus will be waiting for you outside the terminal.

The driver will transfer you directly to your accommodation and will also make arrangements for your return journey.

in memoriam about everything: the new theatre, the performances. She confided that she was visiting a few places which had special meaning for her.’

Elizabeth Connell (1946-2012) News of the death from lung cancer on 18 February of the great dramatic soprano Elizabeth Connell was met with shock and sadness throughout the world of opera. The South African-born soprano was particularly admired for her Wagnerian roles and was an outstanding operatic character actor. Antiapartheid sanctions against South Africa prevented her from working in Britain, but as her mother had been born in Ulster Elizabeth was able to obtain her Irish passport. Thus she was able to perform at Wexford in 1972 as Varvara in Kát’a Kabanová by Janáček.

Her last visit to Wexford was during the 2011 Festival. Artistic Director David Agler writes, ‘It was my great pleasure to have known Elizabeth during my days as Chief Conductor of The Australian Opera. She visited Wexford last autumn. I was so surprised to see her and did not know she was ill. She was enthusiastic

Lucio Dalla (1943-2012) Lucio Dalla, one of Italy’s most prolific singer-songwriters, died from a heart attack on 1 March, three days before his sixty-ninth birthday. He was on a European concert tour and had performed in Montreux the evening before. He was known as one of the fathers of contemporary Italian popular music; one of his most famous songs is the hauntingly atmospheric Caruso. His first musical passion was opera, a passion ignited when at the age of seven he played a role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. In June 2007, the year that Wexford Festival Opera was held at Johnstown Castle, Lucio Dalla directed the operatic double bill of Busoni’s Arlecchino and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.

News for Friends 31

FESTIVAL CALENDAR 61st Wexford Festival Opera

Wednesday 24 October – Sunday 4 November 2012

Schedule correct at the time of going to print, but may be subject to subsequent change.

Wednesday 24 October

Saturday 27 October

Opening Ceremony 20:00 L’ARLESIANA 22:30 Friends’ Party

13:05 15:30 19:00 20:00 22:30

Lunchtime Recital The Magic Flute Pre-Opera Talk

L’ARLESIANA Friends’ Party

Thursday 25 October

Sunday 28 October

15:30 19:00

William V Wallace Recital Pre-Opera Talk

20:00

LE ROI MALGRÉ LUI

11:00 11:15

16:00

A Dinner Engagement Festival Mass, Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rowe Street Pre-Opera Talk

17:00 22:00

LE ROI MALGRÉ LUI Gala Concert

Friday 26 October

Monday 29 October (bank holiday)

11:00 13:05 14:30 15:30 19:00

13:05 14:30 15:30 19:00

Dr Tom Walsh Lecture Lunchtime Recital Film – Song of Summer A Dinner Engagement Pre-Opera Talk

20:00 A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET 32 Festival Calendar

Lunchtime Recital Film – Song of Summer The Magic Flute Pre-Opera Talk

20:00 A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET

PHOTO © clive barda / arenapal

Tuesday 30 October

Friday 2 November

13:05 15:30 19:00 20:00

11:00 13:05 15:30 19:00 20:00

Lunchtime Recital The Magic Flute Pre-Opera Talk

L’ARLESIANA

William V Wallace Recital Lunchtime Recital The Magic Flute Pre-Opera Talk

L’ARLESIANA

Wednesday 31 October

Saturday 3 November

13:05 15:30 18:00 19:00

Lunchtime Recital A Dinner Engagement Friends’ Buffet Pre-Opera Talk

11:00 13:05 15:30 19:00

Piano Recital Lunchtime Recital A Dinner Engagement Pre-Opera Talk

20:00

LE ROI MALGRÉ LUI

20:00 23:00

LE ROI MALGRÉ LUI Friends’ Party

Thursday 1 November

Sunday 4 November

13:05 14:30 15:30 19:00

11:00 Festival Service, St Iberius Church 14:30 Film – Song of Summer 15:30 Orchestra Concert 19:00 Pre-Opera Talk

Lunchtime Recital Film – Song of Summer The Magic Flute Pre-Opera Talk

20:00 A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET

20:00 A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET

Festival Calendar 33

Accommodation Wexford Festival Opera recommends the following accommodation options to our valued Friends. To avail of an ‘Early Bird’ 10% discount offer exclusive to Friends of Wexford Festival Opera, for the duration of the Festival period, book with any of the hotels below by Friday 1 June 2012, quoting ‘Wexford Friends’. This offer is limited to one booking per Friend.

PHOTO: PAT KENNY

Other accommodation listings are also available at www.visitwexford.ie

The Ferrycarrig Hotel

For more information call reservations directly on +353 53 915 3623 E: reservations@ ferrycarrighotel.com W: www.ferrycarrighotel.ie

Whites of Wexford

For more information: T: +353 53 912 2311 E: info@whitesofwexford.ie W: www.whitesofwexford.ie

The Talbot Hotel

For more information: Tel: +353 53 912 2566 E: sales@talbothotel.ie W: www.talbothotel.ie

Kelly’s Resort Hotel

For more information: T: +353 53 913 2114 E: info@kellys.ie W: www.kellys.ie

The nationally and internationally renowned 4-star Ferrycarrig Hotel boasts one of the most inspiring locations of any hotel in Wexford or Ireland, with sweeping views across the river Slaney. The hotel is the perfect location for your visit to the 2012 Festival.

Our preferred hotel partner is the Ferrycarrig Hotel.

Whites of Wexford is one of the leading 4-star Wexford hotels, conveniently located in the centre of Wexford Town. Large parking facilities available.

The Talbot Hotel, Wexford is ideally located in the heart of Wexford Town. This is one of the finest hotels in Wexford boasting panoramic views of Wexford’s quay front.

The 4-star Kelly’s Resort Hotel is uniquely situated along five miles of safe sandy beach in Rosslare, Co. Wexford.

34 Accommodation

How to Book Booking Dates – Priority Booking from 10:00 on Tuesday 8 May 2012 – General Booking from 10:00 on Tuesday 5 June 2012

Tickets may be booked using the following methods – Online: www.wexfordopera.com – E-mail: boxoffice@wexfordopera.com – Telephone: +353 53 912 2144 / 1850 4 OPERA – Post: fill out and post attached booking form PHOTO: ROSS KAVANAGH

Book Your Tickets Online Friends have the first opportunity to book their Festival tickets online via the Festival website:

We recommend that you book your tickets online as this is the best way to secure your preferred tickets.

www.wexfordopera.com

If you prefer the personal touch, our helpful Box Office staff will be pleased to take your bookings by phone (+353 53 912 2144 / 1850 4 OPERA), by e-mail (boxoffice@wexfordopera.com) or in person (Wexford Opera House, High Street, Wexford). Postal bookings may be made, using the attached booking form, but this is a slower method and your requested tickets might not be available.

which contains a step-by-step guide to booking your tickets online (no booking fee). From the opening of priority booking you will be able to browse and search our programme of events 24 hours a day and choose your own seats from the seating plan.

How to Book 35

Opera Tickets Booking Dates

Please note

Tickets are available in three price bands over the Festival.

Prices are based on the most requested Festival dates.

Information on our Refund/ Return Policy may be found on page 38.

Price Band A Wednesday 24 October – Sunday 28 October Friday 2 November – Sunday 4 November Price Band B Monday 29 October – Thursday 1 November Price Band C Gala Concert – Sunday 28 October

Pricing Floor Level

Seating Area

Dates & Prices Price Band A 24–28 Oct 2–4 Nov

Price Band B 29–1 Nov

Price Band C Gala 28 Oct

Circle

Rows A–B

€120

€90

€60

Circle

Rows C–G

€110

€80

€50

Circle

Row H*

€35

€35

€50

Circle

Side Stalls

€100

€70

€50

Circle

Boxes** (4 seats)

€75

€25

€50

Founders’ Circle

Centre

€130

€120

€60

Founders’ Circle

Side Stalls

€125

€110

€60

Founders’ Circle

Boxes** (6 seats)

€110

€80

€50

Stalls

Main Stalls

€120

€90

€50

Stalls

Side Stalls

€110

€85

€50

*Reserved during all opera performances exclusively for the Young Friends of Wexford Festival Opera **Restricted view 36 Opera Tickets

Seating Plan

O’Reilly Theatre, Wexford Opera House

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 3 4 2 20 1 21 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 8 7 17 6 18 19 5 4 3 20 2 21 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1 22 9 8 17 7 18 19 6 5 20 4 21 3 22 12 13 14 15 16 17 2 9 10 11 23 8 18 19 1 7 6 20 21 5 4 22 3 12 13 14 15 16 23 2 17 18 9 10 11 8 24 7 19 1 6 20 5 21 4 22 3 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 23 2 21 10 11 24 22 9 1 23 8 25 24 7 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 25 6 10 11 20 5 26 9 21 4 8 27 22 7 3 23 28 6 24 5 25 4 26 3 27

H

8

H

9

8

7

6

5

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

G

G

F

F

E

E

D

D

C

B

I

A

12

BOX

D

2

1

2

1

30

29

B

J

A

1

18 19 20

B

21

A

22

E

BOX

F

Boxes D, E & F seat 6 each

ls

16

3

1

2

O

1

N

2

1

2

M

1

5

3

4

4

3

7

6

5

6

5

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

7 8

7

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

8

N

3 4

24

L 1 2 3 4 K 1 2 3 4 J 1 2 3 4 I 1 2 3

C

B A

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

8

7

6

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

C

21

22

23

24

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Boxes A, B & C seat 4 each

BOX

8

7

5

4

3

2

1

8

7

6

5

4

J

A

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 5 22 23 24 L 6 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 18 1 13 5 6 22 23 24 25 K 7 19 2 12 13 11 14 10 14 9 16 8 15 7 17 18 6 19 5 20 21 22 23 24 J 8 20 3 15 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 22 23 24 25 I 4 16 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 8 9 7 6 21 5 4 22 23 24 H 5 17 H 1 2 3 10 22 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 4 5 6 7 8 22 23 24 6 18 G 1 2 3 25 G 11 23 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 8 7 6 5 7 19 4 22 23 12 24 F F 1 2 3 24 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 8 20 7 6 5 4 22 3 23 24 25 AA AA E 1 2 E 9 21 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 8 7 6 5 4 21 3 22 23 10 24 D 22 D 1 2 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 8 7 6 5 4 22 11 3 23 24 23 2 1 25

17

C

10

BOX

2

M

BOX

9

11

1

P

O

9

8

7

6

5 4

3

2

8

7

6

4

B

6

alls

BOX

15

Side Stal

D

P

14

Side St

Boxes D, E & F seat 4 each

BOX

5

A

13

BOX

4

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 2 3 17 18 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 C 1 C 10 9 21 8 22 7 23 6 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 24 10 20 21 5 25 8 9 4 22 7 26 6 23 3 27 5 24 25 4 2 28 3 26 1 29 27 2 28 1 B 8

7

6

5

4

17

I

A

3

16

E

BOX

2

14

BOX

F

29

28

13

15

BOX

C

B

12

A

B BOX

C

Boxes A, B & C seat 6 each

STAGE

Circle

Circle

Rows A–B

Rows A–B

Founders’ Circle Founders’ Circle

Centre

Centre

Rows C–G Rows C–G

Side SideStalls Stalls

Row HRow H

Boxes Boxes

Side Stalls Side Stalls

Stalls

Stalls

Main Stalls

Main Stalls

Side Stalls Side Stalls WheelchairWheelchairSeat Seat accessible accessible

Boxes Boxes Seating Plan 37

Event Tickets Tickets – Friends’ Entitlements Priority booking for Friends opens on Tuesday 8 May 2012 at 10 a.m. and early booking is advised during this four-week advance booking period. Bookings can be made online at www.wexfordopera.com, 24 hours a day (see ‘How to Book’). As we cannot always guarantee your first choice of events, we would ask that Friends who are making a postal booking indicate an alternative date on their booking form. Please remember to book before 5 June, when general booking opens.

Friends are entitled to a maximum of six tickets per event and Circle Patrons ten tickets per event, including the Opening Night. Each Friend is also entitled to four complimentary tickets to attend one Friends’ Party or Buffet; extra tickets may be purchased at €50 each.

Refund / Return Policy Subject to availability, tickets may be exchanged for the same opera on an alternative date. The original ticket(s) must be with the Box Office at least 72 hours prior to the performance to qualify for an exchange. Tickets can only be accepted for resale if the performance is sold out. The original ticket(s) must be with the Box Office before we can begin the resale process. If your ticket(s) is resold, you will be refunded, less 15% administration fee.

Special Needs Wexford Opera House is fully accessible for persons with restricted movement, both ambulant and wheelchair bound. There is convenient lift access to all public spaces.

Provision has been made to accommodate up to 15 wheelchair users and their companions in a variety of locations, each with sightlines as good as any on their respective levels. The wheelchair-accessible seating areas are indicated

38 Event Tickets

on the seating plan. To book these tickets you must contact the Box Office directly by telephone (+353 53 912 2144 / 1850 4 OPERA) or e-mail (boxoffice@wexfordopera.com). If you are a wheelchair user and wish to attend Festival events outside Wexford Opera House, please advise the Box Office at the time of booking so that we can ensure your visit is as enjoyable as possible.

Pricing Operas €25 – €130 (depending on date and seat selection) ShortWorks €25 Lunchtime Recitals

€15

Orchestra Concert

€18

Gala Concert

€50 – €60

William V Wallace Recital

€15

Piano Recital

€25

Dr Tom Walsh Lecture

€10

Friends’ Parties / Buffet (in addition to Friends’ complimentary ticket allocation)

€50

Please note The Management reserves the right to refuse admission and to change or cancel the advertised programme. Latecomers cannot be admitted once the performance has commenced. Please allow sufficient time for traffic and parking delays.

In keeping with Wexford Festival Opera tradition, evening dress is preferred.

Booking Form Name: Address:

Tel (day):

Tel (evening):

Mobile:

Booking PIN:

E-mail:

The Operas

Date 1st Choice

Seat Date Preference* 2nd Choice

Number of Tickets

Total Payable

L’Arlesiana Le Roi malgré lui A Village Romeo and Juliet Alternative dates – tickets are subject to availability If your first choice date is unavailable, your second choice date will be used.

Subtotal

*Seat Preference Comments:

Other Events

Performance Dates

Time

Number of Tickets

Total Payable

ShortWorks Lunchtime Recitals Orchestra Concert Gala Concert William V Wallace Recital Piano Recital Dr Tom Walsh Lecture Film Friends’ Parties / Buffet Subtotal

Booking Form 39

Booking Form Voluntary Donation Any donations to the Festival will be gratefully accepted and acknowledged

TOTAL Total from the Operas, the Events and Donation

Payment Method Cheque enclosed

Credit Card – Please fill in card details below

Account Number

Master Card

(Laser)

Visa

Expiry Date

Laser

The CVV is the 3 digit credit card security number on the signature strip on the back of your credit card.

*please note we do not accept American Express

Name on card (BLOCK CAPITALS)

Signature on card Tick here if you do not wish to join our mailing list BOX OFFICE USE ONLY Date Received

Order Number

Signed

Date Processed

40 Booking Form

CCV

Discover the Repertoire CD

24 October – 4 November, 2012

1 L’Arlesiana

by kind permission of Cetra (Warner Fonit).

3 Le Roi malgré lui

by kind permission of Erato.

2 A Village Romeo and Juliet

by kind permission of EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

The Discover the Repertoire CD includes an introduction to the Wexford Festival Opera programme and incorporates background information on the composers and operas in the 2012 season.

This introductory CD includes commentary

by Ian Fox and excerpts from this year’s three main operas. We hope that it will enhance your enjoyment of this year’s Festival.

Wexford Opera House | High Street, Wexford, Ireland

Priority booking for friends opens 8 May 2012 Tel: +353 53 912 2400 | Box Office: +353 53 912 2144 Callsave: 1850 4 OPERA boxoffice@wexfordopera.com www.wexfordopera.com p atron Michael D Higgins, President of Ireland president Sir Anthony O’Reilly chairman Peter Scallan artistic director David Agler chief executive David McLoughlin

Editor: Sarah Burn | Design: 24pt Helvetica