Yale Opera: La Navarraise and the Bear

yale opera presents

A double bill of

La Navarraise { Jules Massenet }

and

The Bear { William Walton }

doris yarick-cross, artistic director 路 vera l煤cia cal谩bria, stage director william warfel, lighting designer 路 martha lehr, costume designer douglas dickson & timothy shaindlin Musical direction and accompaniment

Robert Blocker, Dean

Director’s Notes { by Vera Lúcia Calábria } La Navarraise (The Girl from Navarre) Libretto by Jules Claretie and Henri Cain

Fri & Sat | April 17 & 18 7:30 pm

A few years before La Navarraise premiered, sprague memorial hall famous soprano Emma Calvé stumbled over a striking verismo story, La Cigarette, by Jules Claretie, the manager of the Comédie Française.

Emma, recognizing its dramatic possibilities, asked Henri Cain to arrange it to fit her needs and Massenet’s music style. And indeed Massenet ended up writing his first and only verismo opera. The Bear Libretto by Paul Dehn and William Walton The story definitely needed some major rearran- after a vaudeville by Anton Chekhov ging: its protagonist is Araquil, a poor peasant, who kills Zuccaraga for the blood money to be The Bear is based on a delightful story by Anton able to marry his beloved and wealthy Anita. Chekhov, turned into a brilliant commedia dell’arte Yet he kills Zuccaraga in a cowardly way, by piece by the composer William Walton. Here, pouring poison into Zuccaraga’s wounds. Araquil too, a woman is struggling with the restraints of is paid for the deed, but when his cowardly act society. The widow Popova believes the only way is revealed he is executed, smoking the cigarette to show to the world that she is a good woman he asked for as his last wish. is by mourning her rampantly unfaithful husband for the rest of her life. In this case, though, To suit Emma, the protagonist had to be a fate has mercy and has a better solution walk woman, so it was Anita who now became poor, right through the door… and she offers to kill Zuccaraga to earn the dowry for her marriage with rich Araquil. Yet Each piece features a very strong woman. Also here she kills him in a heroic way: she goes in each piece money, or rather the lack thereof, alone into the enemy’s camp and stabs him to is the driving element of the story. Anita desdeath. But verismo not only gives us “veristic” perately tries to find the dowry for her marriage killings and love scenes, it also give us a true with Araquil, and Popova finds out from her picture of society and its prejudices: women in visitor that her husband owes a large sum of society are thought of as either saints or whores, money, which the visitor wants to have repaid so Araquil curses Anita for going into the enemy’s instantly. But whereas in Navarraise society is camp. He believes the only reason for this can be shown in its most dramatic, drastic and most an affair with Zuccaraga, and once he finds out destructive way, causing the senseless breaking what she really did, he curses her for having of a woman, in The Bear society and human killed somebody. Considering that this story nature (with all of its faults) is looked upon with plays in the middle of a war where soldiers are a smile and wisdom, allowing forgiveness. killing each other incessantly, it seems somewhat Perhaps this is a more constructive way to live? ironic: a woman is not allowed to be as strong or as courageous as a man.

Enjoy the performance!

La Navarraise { “The Girl from Navarre” - Music by Jules Massenet } an episode lyrique in two acts Libretto by Jules Claretie and Henri Cain after Claretie’s short story La cigarette Performed in French with projected English translations Musical preparation and accompaniment by Timothy Shaindlin Surtitle translation by Vera Lúcia Calábria Cast (in order of vocal appearance)

** Friday performance ** Saturday performance

Garrido, a general Anita, a girl from Navarre

tyler simpson, bass-baritone chrystal e. williams, mezzo-soprano* ana sinicki, mezzo-soprano** eric barry, tenor michael-paul krubitzer, tenor damien pass, bass-baritone vince vincent, baritone tadeusz szlenkier, tenor jeremy bowes, bass-baritone Michael Compitello

Ramon, a captain Araquil, a sergeant Remigio, father of Araquil Bustamente, a sergeant Ensemble Percussionist

General Garrido, fighting on Queen Isabella’s side, curses the Carlist leader Zuccaraga, who has recently captured Bilbao, and is fighting for the Infante Carlos. Anita, a poor lowly-born girl from Navarre, arrives in search of her lover Araquil. She meets Araquil and his father Remigio, who disapproves of his son being romantically involved with someone of a lower class. Remigio declares that he will consent to the marriage of Anita and Araquil only if Anita can produce a dowry of 2000 douros.

Garrido exclaims that he would pay a fortune to anyone who would assassinate the rebel leader, and Anita volunteers to kill Zuccaraga for 2000 douros. Araquil, her lover, hears that she has been asking after Zuccaraga and hurries away to find her. Anita returns, having completed the assassination, and is given her fee by Garrido. Araquil returns after being mortally wounded in his search for Anita.

When he sees the money Anita has made, he accuses her of selling herself to Zuccaraga as his mistress. However, he hears the death bells sound confirming Zuccaraga’s death and only learns the truth as he dies. intermission

The Bear { Music by William Walton } an extravaganza in one act Libretto by Paul Dehn and William Walton after a vaudeville by Anton Chekhov Performed in English with projected text Musical preparation, accompaniment, and surtitles by Douglas Dickson

Cast (in order of vocal appearance)

** Friday performance ** Saturday performance

Luka, Madame Popova’s servant Madame Yeliena Ivanovna Popova, the young widow of a landowner Grigory Stephanovitch Smirnov, a middle-aged landowner

jeremy bowes, bass-baritone emily righter, mezzo-soprano* gala el hadidi, mezzo-soprano** david pershall, baritone

Madame Popova sits in her drawing room mourning her dead husband. Her servant Luka reproaches her for not taking more interest in life. She declares her intention of staying in mourning for the rest of her life even though her husband was brutal and unfaithful. Smirnov arrives asking for immediate repayment of a sizable debt owed to him by Mme. Popova’s late husband. She promises to settle the debt by the end of the week. As she leaves the room, Smirnov rages about the evils of his debtors and the illogical nature of women.

Popova reappears and attacks Smirnov for his lack of manners. She refers to him as a Bear – an insult so great that he challenges her to a duel. She accepts, but he has to show her how to use the pistols. By this time he is so overcome by her beauty and spirit that he cannot fire and declares his love for her. She threatens to shoot him; he begs her instead to marry him. She orders him to leave, and then orders him to stay…

Yale Opera { Production Staff }

vera lĂşcia calĂĄbria Stage Director

grant meachum Yale Opera Managing Director

Lighting Designer

meryn daly Yale Opera Production Coordinator

martha lehr Costume Designer

bill collins Properties Master

laura lynne knowles

janie flowers Master Electrician

william b. warfel

Stage Manager

larry lehew Lighting Board Operator

{ Special Thanks } janna baty samuel cardoso lili chookasian tara deming barbara dolney rosaria frumento joel furmanek christopher melillo jessica osborne john roach the estate of anna moffo-sarnoff daniel schlosberg kyle swann lucas wong mark young

peter balsam donald claxon thomas delgado esi hutchful john mccullough john roberts donny uhlmann Electrics Crew roberta senatore Surtitle Operator mireille asselin vince vincent Student Assistants

Production Biographies

vera lúcia calábria

william b. warfel

Vera Lúcia Calábria (Stage Director) returns to Yale Opera, where she recently directed L’Heure Espagnole, Bluebeard’s Castle, and Fall Scenes productions in 2005, 2006, and 2008. Born in Brazil, she began at the Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich) in 1977, and at San Francisco Opera in 1979 as assistant to Jean-Pierre Ponnelle.

Productions staged for San Francisco Opera from 1983 to 2001 include Carmen, Cavalleria rusticana / I Pagliacci, La forza del destino, Der fliegende Holländer, and Falstaff. Other credits include Madama Butterfly in Strasbourg and Cologne, Manon in Vienna, Munich, and at the Metropolitan Opera, Parsifal in Barcelona, Falstaff in Chicago, Tosca in Montpellier, Tannhäuser in Honolulu, and Carmen in Zurich, Cologne, Chicago, and Tel Aviv.

William B. Warfel (lighting designer) has done lighting design and production management for over 30 Yale Opera productions since 1978.

He was Co-chair of Design and Professor of Lighting at the Yale School of Drama from 1967 to 1993 and is currently in private practice as a lighting designer and theater consultant in Hamden, CT. A graduate of both Yale College and the School of Drama, Mr. Warfel taught at Dartmouth College and Long Island University and worked in the lighting profession in New York City prior to returning to the New Haven area. He has lectured and taught in Finland, China, Egypt, Iceland and Sweden and has worked on consulting projects in Scotland, Nigeria, and Ecuador. Mr. Warfel is a founding member of the International Association of Lighting Designers.

Her other recent productions include La finta giardinera and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges / L’Heure Espagnole for UCLA, Der fliegende Holländer for Los Angeles Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia for San Francisco Opera Center, Cavalleria rusticana / I Pagliacci for San Francisco Opera, The Queen of Spades at the Teatro Real, Madrid (Spain), Idomeneo and Aïda for Los Angeles Opera, Il barbiere di Siviglia for Indianapolis Opera, Der Rosenkavalier for Israeli Opera, and Don Giovanni at Rice University.

martha lehr

Martha Lehr (costume designer) returns for her ninth production with Yale Opera. Most recently she was the costume designer for the Fall 2008 Scenes production and Wardrobe Supervisor for Die Zauberflöte. A designer for more than 25 years, her designs include productions of Inherit the Wind, Hamlet, and Dracula.

Ms. Calábria has served on the faculty of She has also worked as a handbag designer California State University-Los Angeles, teaches with Judith Lieber in New York and a custom Commedia dell’Arte in workshops at CSULA, hat designer in her own millinery business. A UC Santa Barbara, and UCLA, and is co-director graduate of both Upsala College and the Fashion of Israeli Opera’s Young Artist Program.

Institute of Technology, Ms. Lehr has managed

the Costume Collection at the Yale School of timothy shaindlin Drama and has worked in the costume shops of Joseph Papp’s “Shakespeare in the Park”, Goodspeed Opera, Hartford Stage, and the Timothy Shaindlin (musical preparation and Yale School of Drama. accompaniment, La Navarraise), a native of New York City, joined the Yale School of Music faculty in September 2008. After studies at douglas dickson Indiana University, he worked for New York City Opera, Washington National Opera, San Diego Opera, Wolf Trap Opera and Pittsburgh Douglas Dickson (musical preparation and Opera, and recently completed a 15-year stint accompaniment, The Bear) received his B.A. with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he also degree from Princeton University and his coached for the Ryan Opera Center for American M.M.A. from the Yale School of Music. He has Artists. He has also coached for Glimmerglass performed in Europe, Asia, South America, Opera, Sarasota Opera and Hawaii Opera and throughout the United States. His Theatre, where he recently conducted Sondheim’s performances have been heard on NPR stations A Little Night Music. In Europe, he worked for in many states, Colombian National Radio, and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu and played ABC-T. As a vocal accompanist he has played five summers of master classes for Tito Gobbi. for the master classes and studios of Sherrill He has also played classes and coachings for Milnes, Renata Scotto, Régine Crespin, Carlo such artists as Joan Sutherland, Birgit Nilsson, Bergonzi, and Licia Albanese. Mr. Dickson has Beverly Sills, Marilyn Horne, Natalie Dessay, been accompanist or music director for Ben Heppner, Luciano Pavarotti, Zinka Milanov, productions at Quinnipiac College, the Yale Eleanor Steber, Samuel Ramey, Regina Resnik, School of Drama, Opera Theater of Connecticut, Regine Crespin and Frederica von Stade. In Connecticut Experimental Theater, and Shubert 2007 he prepared War and Peace for the Opera. He was music director and conductor Metropolitan Opera. for Yale Opera’s spring 2000 production of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. In 1997 and 1998 he performed and taught at the Itu Festival of Arts in Brazil, and has served for nine years on the faculty of Quinnipiac College. Mr. Dickson joined the Yale faculty in 1998.

Upcoming { visit music.yale.edu for full listings } yale school of music Robert Blocker, Dean 203 432 4158 Box Office concerts@yale.edu E-mail Us

concerts & media Vincent Oneppo Director

Liederabend monday, april 27, 8 pm Morse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall The students of Yale Opera perform an evening of the finest Italian songs from three centuries, including selections by Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Mascagni, Pizzetti, and many others. Timothy Shaindlin is the musical director and accompanist for this concert event.

Student Recitals

Dana Astmann Assistant Director

Sudler Hall in William H. Harkness Hall

Monica Ong Design Manager

monday, april 20, 4:00 pm Amanda Hall, soprano

Tara Deming Operations Manager

monday, april 20, 5:30 pm Mireille Asselin, soprano

Christopher Melillo Operations Assistant Manager

thursday, april 30, 4:00 pm Eric Barry, tenor

Danielle Heller Box Office Coordinator Kelly Yamaguchi-Scanlon Accomodations & Travel Brian Daley Piano Curator William Harold Piano Curator

thursday, april 30, 5:30 pm Tyler Simpson, bass-baritone saturday, may 2, 1:00 pm Chrystal E. Williams, mezzo-soprano saturday, may 2, 2:30 pm Gala El Hadidi, mezzo-soprano

recording studio

monday may 4, 4:00 pm David Pershall, baritone

Eugene Kimball Director / Recording Engineer

monday, may 4, 5:30 pm Michael-Paul Krubitzer, tenor

Jason Robins Assistant Recording Engineer

thursday, may 7, 6:00 pm Jeremy Bowes, bass-baritone thursday, may 7, 7:30 pm Vince Vincent, baritone