SPOTLIGHT ON TRAGEDY
Pagliacci
Music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Premiered May 21, 1892, Teatro Dal Verme (Milan, Italy)
The public adores Canio’s clowning—but they’re about to witness the shocking consequences of his rage. Art imitates life (and vice versa) in this opera about the turbulent relationships within a traveling theater troupe. This production of Pagliacci marks Opera Colorado’s expansion from two to three fully staged productions at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House!
February 27, 29, March 1 | 2020
The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at Denver Performing Arts Complex
Performed in Italian, with English and Spanish subtitles at every seat
Estimated Length: 100 minutes, including one 25-minute intermission
*Join us one hour prior to each performance at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House of a free and insightful pre-performance discussion led by opera historian Betsy Schwarm.
Sets and costumes from Utah Opera
Cast
Creative Team
Appointed in 2015 as Opera Colorado’s first-ever music director, Ari Pelto’s “breathtaking wizardry in the pit” (The Denver Post) has been widely celebrated, with Pelto in demand at opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. At the age of 24, Pelto was appointed Assistant Conductor at the Spoleto Festival and he has since gone on to conduct worldwide. International engagements include performances with Bochumer Philharmoniker and opera productions at New National Theatre of Tokyo and the Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador. In 2004 he made his highly-praised debut with New York City Opera, conducting La Traviata, after which he became a regular, returning for productions of Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, and Carmen. Recent successes include Eugene Onegin at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Lucia di Lammermoor at Virginia Opera, and La Voix Humaine at Chicago Opera Theater. Here in Denver, he has led many acclaimed performances, including this season’s La Traviata. Opera Colorado is pleased to announce an extension of Pelto’s contract through the 2023-24 season.