May 3 – New Britain Trinity-On-Main Arts Center
May 10 – New London The Garde
May 11 – Middletown MHS Arts Center
May 18 – Waterbury NVCC Arts Center
CAST:
Don Giovanni – Luke Scott
Leporello – Nathan Resika
Don Ottavio – Christoper Lucier
Donna Anna – Jurate Svedaite
Commendatore – Steven Fredericks
Donna Elvira – Heather o’Connor
Zerlina – Emily Hughes
Mazetto – Ryan Burns
Connecticut Lyric Opera (CLO) is pleased to announce the third and final production of its 2012-2013 performance season – the organization’s 10th Anniversary Season – W. A. Mozart’s “perfect” opera, Don Giovanni. Expertly weaving humor, melodrama and supernatural elements into a powerful musical masterpiece, this fully staged production will be performed in New Britain (May 3), New London (May 10), Middletown (May 11) and Waterbury (May 18).
Mozart’s brilliant score paired with Lorenzo da Ponte’s witty libretto recounts the adventures of a callous libertine nobleman as reflected in the lives of the people he impacts – from the loyal, wise-cracking servant, to a jilted obsessed former lover, to the violated woman on a quest to identify and punish the murderer of her father. And in one of the most terrifying finales in all of opera, he refuses even in the face of death to repent for his many wrongdoings. It’s this perfect blend of comedy and drama, cherished arias and ensembles with stirring orchestral music that has been thrilling audiences for more than 225 years – in Mozart’s other operas, we experience a wide range of human emotion, but in Don Giovanni, we experience the supernatural in a way that no composer has matched all within the limited means of a classical orchestra.
Starring as the devil-may-care Don is a CLO favorite, baritone Luke Scott, who starred recently as Guglielmo in Cosi fan Tutte and Scarpia in Tosca. The three ladies left in his wake are prima donna soprano Jurate Svedaite as Donna Anna, soprano Heather O’Connor who recently triumphed as Maria de Bueno Aires as Donna Elivra and soprano Emily Hughes making her CLO debut as Zerlina. Rounding out this fine cast are CLO veterans bass baritone Nathan Resika as the Don’s man servant Leporello, tenor Chris Lucier as the nobleman Don Ottavio and bass Stephen Fredericks as the Commendatore. Also making their CLO debuts are baritone Ryan Burns as Masetto and the talented young stage director, Chris Browner. Finally, maestro Adrian Sylveen conducts the outstanding Connecticut Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra (CVCO) and leads this production that is fully staged with chorus and English supertitle translations.
Don Giovanni is co-produced with CLO’s resident orchestra, the CVCO, and will be premiered at Trinity-on-Main Arts Center, New Britain on May 3 at 7:30pm and repeated on May 10 at 7:30pm at the Garde Arts Center, New London, on May 11 at 7:30pm at Middletown High School Arts Center, and on May 18 at 7:30 pm at Naugatuck Valley Community College Arts Center in Waterbury.