Royal Opera House 2013- 2014 season revealed

« Parsifull-length | Main | Sir Tony slams "don't care" cancellers »

March 13, 2013

Royal Opera House 2013- 2014 season revealed

The ROH officially revealed full details of their 2013-14 season this morning. As most had slipped out one way or the other already, there are only one or two surprises - not all of them welcome.

There are seven new productions, and in celebration of Richard Strauss's 150th birthday there are three of his operas.

The most exciting new production, long-known, is Stefan Herheim's Les Vepres Siciliennes, conducted by Antonio Pappano and featuring Marina Poplavskaya, Erwin Schrott, Michael Volle and the inevitable Bryan Hymel.

Claus Guth's Die Frau Ohne Schatten comes fresh(ish) from La Scala with Johan Botha, Emily Magee, Michaela Schuster and Johan Reuter, and is conducted by Semyon Bychkov.

A new (to Covent Garden) Robert Carsen Carmelites conducted by Simon Rattle features Magdalena Kozena and Anna Prohaska.

Star-wise, Juan Diego Florez is back in La fille du régiment, this time with Patrizia Ciofi, Ewa Podles - and future Downton Abbey star Dame Kiri te Kanawa.

Manon Lescaut features Jonas Kaufmann, together with Kristine Opolais and Christopher Maltman. There's a Faust revival with Joseph Calleja, Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel and Simon Keenlyside. Joyce DiDonato reprises her Maria Stuarda in a new Leiser/Caurier production, with Carmen Giannattasio and Charles Castronovo. Karita Mattila makes her return to Covent Garden in Keith Warner's splendid Wozzeck, also featuring Simon Keenlyside, and Christof Loy's Ariadne auf Naxos, with Jane Archibald and Ruxandra Donose.

To compensate for his multiple London no-shows perhaps, Jonas Kaufmann also gives a main stage recital on 6 April.

Conductor wise, the major shock is that baritenor Placido Domingo will be let loose on Tosca.

Full details:

Turandot
Giacomo Puccini
Dir: Andrei Serban
Cond: Henrik Nánási (Sept) / Nicola Luisotti (Feb, Mar)

Cast:

Turandot – Lise Lindstrom (Sept) / Iréne Theorin (Feb; Mar)
Altoum – Alasdair Elliott
Timur – Raymond Aceto (Sept) / Matthew Rose (Feb; 4 Mar), Kurt Rydl (7, 10 Mar)
Calaf – Marco Berti (Sept) / Alfred Kim (Feb; Mar)
Liù – Eri Nakamura (Sept) / Ailyn Pérez (Feb; Mar)
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

9 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 24 September
14 | 21 (mat) | 28 September
17 | 20 | 25 | 28 February
4 | 7 | 10 March

Le nozze di Figaro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Dir: David McVicar
Cond: John Eliot Gardiner (Sept; Oct) / Colin Davis (May)

Cast:

Figaro – Luca Pisaroni (Sept; Oct) / Alex Esposito (May)
Susanna – Lucy Crowe (Sept; Oct) / Camilla Tilling (May)
Cherubino – Renata Pokupic (Sept; Oct) / Anna Bonitatibus (May)
Count Almaviva – Christopher Maltman (Sept; Oct) / Gerald Finley (May)
Countess Almaviva – Rebecca Evans (Sept; Oct) / Sally Matthews (May)
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

16 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 27 September
2 | 4 | 7 October
2 | 5 | 7 | 10 (mat) | 15 May

Elektra
Richard Strauss
Dir: Charles Edwards
Cond: Andris Nelsons

Cast:

Elektra – Christine Goerke
Chrysothemis – Adrianne Pieczonka
Klytämnestra – Michaela Schuster
Orest – Iain Paterson
Ägisth – John Daszak
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

23 | 26 September
1 | 6 | 9 | 12 October

The Wasp Factory (Linbury Studio Theatre) New
Ben Frost
Dir: Ben Frost / Lib: David Poutney based on The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

Cast: TBC

2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 October

Les Vêpres siciliennes New
Giuseppe Verdi
Dir: Stefan Herheim
Cond: Antonio Pappano

Cast:

Helene – Marina Poplavskaya
Henri – Bryan Hymel
Procida – Erwin Schrott
Guy de Montfort – Michael Volle
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

17 | 21 | 24 | 29 October
1 | 4† | 7 | 11 November
†Live cinema relay

Greek / The Killing Flower (Music Theatre Wales, Linbury Studio Theatre) New
Mark-Anthony Turnage / Salvatore Sciarrino
Dir: Michael McCarthy
Cond: Michael Rafferty

Greek Cast:

Eddy – Marcus Farnsworth
Eddy’s Dad/Café Manager/Chief of Police – Gwion Thomas
Eddy’s Mum/Waitress/Sphinx – Sally Silver
Eddy’s Sister/Waitress and Eddy’s Wife/Sphinx – Louise Winter

The Killing Flower Cast:

Duchess – Amanda Forbes
Visitor – William Towers
Servant – Michael Bennett
Duke – George Humphreys

Greek 21 | 22 | 25 | 26 October
The Killing Flower 24 October

Wozzeck
Alban Berg
Dir: Keith Warner
Cond: Mark Elder

Cast:

Wozzeck – Simon Keenlyside
Marie – Karita Mattila
Captain – Gerhard Siegel
Doctor – John Tomlinson
Drum Major – Endrik Wottrich
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

31 October
5 | 8 | 12 | 15 November

Parsifal New
Richard Wagner
Dir: Stephen Langridge
Cond: Antonio Pappano

Cast:

Parsifal – Simon O’Neill
Kundry – Angela Denoke
Gurnemanz – René Pape
Amfortas – Gerald Finley
Klingsor – Willard White
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

30 November
2 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 18† December
†Live cinema relay

How the Whale Became (Linbury Studio Theatre) New
Julian Philips
Dir: Natalie Abrahami / Lib: Edward Kemp based on Ted Hughes’s How the Whale Became/Tales of the Early World/The Dreamfighter

Cast: TBC

10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 31 December
2 | 3 | 4 January

Carmen
Georges Bizet
Dir: Francesca Zambello
Cond: Daniel Oren

Cast:

Carmen – Elina Garanča (16, 19, 22 mat Dec; 3, 6, 9 Jan) / Christine Rice (21, 23 Dec; 1, 4 Jan)
Don José – Roberto Alagna (16, 19, 22 mat Dec; 3, 6, 9 Jan) / Younghon Lee (21, 23 Dec; 1, 4 Jan)
Escamillo – Vito Priante (16, 19, 22 mat Dec; 3, 6, 9 Jan) / Kostas Smoriginas (21, 23 Dec; 1, 4 Jan)
Micaëla – Veronica Cangemi (16, 19, 22 mat Dec; 3, 6, 9 Jan) / Sarah Fox (21, 23 Dec; 1, 4 Jan)
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

16 | 19 | 21 | 22 (mat) | 23 December
1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 January

Manon
Jules Massenet
Dir: Laurent Pelly
Cond: Emmanuel Villaume

Cast:

Manon Lescaut – Ermonela Jaho (14, 17, 21, 24, 28 Jan) / Ailyn Pérez (31 Jan; 4 Feb)
Lescaut – Audun Iversen
Chevalier des Grieux – Matthew Polenzani
Le Comte des Grieux – Alastair Miles
Guillot de Morfontaine – Christophe Mortagne
De Brétigny – William Shimell
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

14 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 31 January
4 February

Don Giovanni New

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Dir: Kasper Holten
Cond: Nicola Luisotti

Cast:

Don Giovanni – Mariusz Kwiecien
Leporello – Alex Esposito
Donna Anna – Malin Byström
Donna Elvira – Véronique Gens
Don Ottavio – Antonio Poli
Zerlina – Elizabeth Watts
Masetto – Dawid Kimberg
Commendatore – Alexander Tsymbalyuk
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

1 | 3 | 12† | 14 | 18 | 21 | 24 February
†Live cinema relay

La fille du régiment
Gaetano Donizetti
Dir: Laurent Pelly
Cond: Yves Abel

Cast:

Marie – Patrizia Ciofi
Tonio – Juan Diego Flórez (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 Mar), Frédéric Antoun (18 Mar)
Suplice Pingot – Pietro Spagnoli
La Marquise de Berkenfield – Ewa Podles
La Duchess de Crackentorp – Kiri Te Kanawa
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

3 | 6 | 9 (mat) | 12 | 15 | 18 March

King Priam and Paul Bunyan (English Touring Opera, Linbury Studio Theatre)
Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten
Dir: James Conway and Liam Steel
Cond: Michael Rosewell and Philip Sutherland

Cast: TBC

February

Jonas Kaufmann Main Stage recital

6 April

Die Frau ohne Schatten New
Richard Strauss
Dir: Claus Guth
Cond: Semyon Bychkov

Cast:

The Emperor – Johan Botha
The Empress – Emily Magee
The Nurse – Michaela Schuster
Barak – Johan Reuter
Barak’s Wife – Elena Pankratova
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

14 | 17 | 20 | 23 (mat) | 26 | 29 March
2 April

New Brooke and New Coll (Linbury Studio Theatre) New
Elspeth Brooke and Francisco Coll
Lib: Jack Underwood and Meredith Oakes

Cast: TBC

March

New Bedford (Faust Festival, Linbury Studio Theatre) New
Luke Bedford
Lib: David Harrower

Cast: TBC

April

F4u5t (Faust Festival, Linbury Studio Theatre) New
Matthew Herbert

Cast: TBC

April

Faust
Charles-François Gounod
Dir: David McVicar
Cond: Maurizio Benini

Cast:

Faust – Joseph Calleja
Marguerite – Anna Netrebko
Méphistophélès – Bryn Terfel
Valentin – Simon Keenlyside
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

4 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 22 | 25 April

La traviata
Giuseppe Verdi
Dir: Richard Eyre
Cond: Dan Ettinger

Cast:

Violetta Valéry – Diana Damrau (19, 21, 24, 26, 30 April; 3, 9 May) / Ailyn Pérez (6, 12, 17, 20 May)
Alfredo Germont – Francesco Demuro (19, 21, 24, 26, 30 April; 3, 9 May) / Stephen Costello (6, 12, 17, 20 May)
Giorgio Germont – Dimitri Hvorostovsky (19, 21, 24, 26, 30 April; 3 May) / Simon Keenlyside (6, 9, 12, 17, 20 May)
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

19 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 30 April
3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 20 May

Tosca
Giacomo Puccini
Dir: Jonathan Kent
Cond: Teodor Currentzis (10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 27, 30 May; 3 June) / Plácido Domingo (16, 19, 21, 26 June)

Cast:

Floria Tosca – Oksana Dyka (10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 27,30 May; 3 June) / Sondra Radvanovsky (16, 19, 21, 26 June)
Mario Cavaradossi – Roberto Alagna (10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 27,30 May; 3 June) / Riccardo Massi (16, 19, 21, 26 June)
Baron Scarpia – Thomas Hampson (10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 27,30 May; 3 June) / Sebastian Catana (16, 19, 21, 26 June)
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 27 | 30 May
3 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 26 June

Les Dialogues des Carmelites New to The Royal Opera
Francis Poulenc
Dir: Robert Carsen
Cond: Simon Rattle

Cast:

Blanche – Magdalena Kožená
Constance – Anna Prohaska
Madame Lidoine – Emma Bell
Mère Marie – Sophie Koch
Madame de Croissy – Deborah Polaski
Marquis de la Force – Thomas Allen
Chevalier de la Force – Yann Beuron
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

29 May
2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 June

Manon Lescaut New
Giacomo Puccini
Dir: Jonathan Kent
Cond: Antonio Pappano

Cast:

Manon Lescaut – Kristine Opolais
Lescaut – Christopher Maltman
Chevalier des Grieux – Jonas Kaufmann
Geronte de Ravoir – Maurizio Muraro
Edmondo – Benjamin Hulett
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

17 | 20 | 24† | 28 June
1 | 4 | 7 July
†Live cinema relay

Quartett New (Linbury Studio Theatre)
Luca Francesconi

June

Ariadne auf Naxos
Richard Strauss
Dir: Christof Loy
Cond: Antonio Pappano

Cast:

Ariadne/The Prima Donna – Karita Mattila
Bacchus/The Tenor – Roberto Saccà
Zerbinetta – Jane Archibald
The Composer – Ruxandra Donose
Harlequin – Markus Werba
A Music Master – Thomas Allen
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

25 | 30 June
3 | 10 | 13 July

Maria Stuarda New
Gaetano Donizetti
Dir: Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier
Cond: Maurizio Benini

Cast:

Maria – Joyce DiDonato
Elisabetta – Carmen Giannattasio
Roberto – Charles Castronovo
Lord Cecil – Jeremy Carpenter
Giorgio – Matthew Rose
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

5 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 July

La bohème
Giacomo Puccini
Dir: John Copley
Cond: Cornelius Meister

Cast:

Mimì – Ermonela Jaho (9, 13 mat, 17, 19 mat July) / Angela Gheorghiu (12, 15, 19 eve July)
Rodolfo – Giuseppe Filianoti (9, 13 mat, 17, 19 mat July) / Vittorio Grigolo (12, 15, 19 eve July)
Marcello – Markus Werba (9, 13 mat, 19 mat July) / Massimo Cavalletti (12, 15, 17, 19 eve July)
Musetta – Simona Mihai (9, 13 mat, 19 mat July) / Irina Lungu (12, 15, 17, 19 eve July)
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

9 | 12 | 13 (mat) | 15 | 17 | 19 (mat) | 19 July (eve)

Gloria – a pigtale (The Opera Group, Linbury Studio Theatre)
H.K. Gruber
Cast TBC

July

Moses und Aron (Welsh National Opera)
Arnold Schoenberg
Dir: Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito
Cond: Lothar Koenigs

Cast: