Opera at UCA
A new production of Puccini’s Tosca will open the 2009-10
season of Captured Live from the Met @ UCA at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, in
Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
Tosca will be the first of nine high definition transmissions of
Metropolitan Opera performances in the series sponsored by UCA’s
College of Fine Arts and Communication.
“The 2009-10 Met HD season is filled with nine of the world's
greatest operas,” said Dr. Rollin Potter, dean of the College of Fine
Arts and Communication. “And they will be available in our Reynolds
Performance Hall at very accessible prices. Opera lovers and those who
are new to the world of Met opera will definitely enjoy these
performances.”
The series also includes Verdi’s Aida on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m.
and Monday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Puccini’s Turandot on Sunday, Nov. 8
at 2 and Monday, Nov. 9 at 7:30; Offenbach’s Les Contes D’Hoffmann
on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 2; Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier on
Sunday, Jan. 10 at 2; Bizet’s Carmen on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 2 and
Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7:30; Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra on Sunday, Feb. 7
at 2; Thomas’ Hamlet on Sunday, March 28 at 2 and Monday, March 29 at
7:30; and Rossini’s Armida on Sunday, May 2 at 2.
This is the fourth season of the Met’s series, which came to UCA last
year. The transmissions are now shown in more than 900 theaters in 42
countries. According to a release from the Met, a record number of more
than 1.8 million tickets were sold last season.
Swiss director Luc Bondy makes his house debut with the new production
of Tosca, starring Karita Mattila in her first performance of the title
role outside her native Finland, and Marcelo Álvarez as Cavaradossi.
George Gagnidze sings the role of Scarpia. James Levine conducts.
Reviews have referred to this production, which replaced the Franco
Zeffirelli version that had been a favorite of Met audiences since 1985,
as “stark” and “spare.” The New York Times reported that the
opening-night gala crowd gave ovations to the singers but loudly booed
Bondy.
Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, was quoted in the Times as
saying: “There are people in that audience who came there expecting
not to like anything. They were perhaps rooted in the past. But I think
a lot of the audience enjoyed it and saw it for what it was meant to be,
which was a modern theatrical presentation of a classic in which musical
standards were fulfilled.
He reiterated that the sold-out production would return next season.
“It certainly is the Tosca of the immediate future,” he said.
“We’re proud of it.”
Approximately 200 seats are available for each performance at UCA.
Season tickets are $105 for the general public and $35 for students with
valid I.D. Individual tickets are $15 for the public and $5 for students
with valid I.D.
To order, call UCA Ticket Central at (501) 450-3265 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Monday through Friday or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.
The series is made possible by UCA’s arts fee.
For more information, call the Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts
and Communication, at (501) 450-3293, e-mail smaiden@uca.edu or visit
www.uca.edu/cfac or www.metopera.org.
