2019 – 2020 Season
Mefistofele
BY ARRIGO BOITO
Mefistofele is Arrigo Boito’s take on Goethe’s tale of Faust, the aging scholar who bargains his soul to the Devil to regain youth and passion. Boito is known mostly for the brilliant libretti he wrote for Verdi’s final two operas, Otello and Falstaff, but this, his only opera, was the one that launched superstar bass Samuel Ramey. Evan Boyer will make his PNO debut as Mefistofele. The cast includes PNO stars Corinna Quilliam, previously seen as Brunnhilde, Turandot and Aida, and Stephen Rumph who was Hoffmann in Tales of Hoffmann. James Brown, who has conducted PNO’s La Boheme, Carmen and Tales of Hoffmann, returns to the podium for Mefistofele.
In Italian with English supertitles.
Four Performances:
Friday, November 1, 2019, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 3, 2019, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, November 8, 2019, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 10, 2019, 3:00 p.m.
Don Pasquale
BY GAETANO DONIZETTI
Don Pasquale, Donizetti’s timeless and witty comedy, features a spectacular cast of returning PNO favorites and brings some new voices to our stage. Norina, a young widow, will be played by Serena Eduljee. Eduljee’s performance of the doll in Tales of Hoffmann brought down the house and has been viewed more than 15,000 times on Facebook. Norina’s suitor, Ernesto (tenor Issac Frishman, making his PNO debut) is about to be disinherited by his miserly uncle, Don Pasquale. This title role is to be played by Andy Papas (returning after his most recent PNO appearance, a spectacular performance as the dwarf, Alberich, in PNO’s Ring of the Nibelung). It takes the clever scheming of Dr. Malatesta, performed by Mark Davies (Schaunard in PNO Boheme and Pong in Turandot) to set things right and to teach the old curmudgeon a lesson. Because it is a Donzetti work, resolution requires mistaken identities and all kinds of comic confusion. The conductor will be Metropolitan Opera conductor Gregory Buchalter, making his PNO debut.
In Italian with English supertitles.
Three Performances:
Sunday, May 3, 2020, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, May 8, 2020, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 10, 2020, 3:00 p.m.