THE MOST BELOVED OF COMIC OPERAS
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
May 4, 7, 10, 12* | 2019
The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at Denver Performing Arts Complex
Performed in Italian, with English and Spanish subtitles at every seat
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Premiered May 1, 1786, Burgtheater (Vienna, Austria)
*Note: May 12 is a 2 pm matinee performance, and will be audio described.
All other performances take place at 7:30 pm.
Estimated Length: Three hours and 15 minutes, including one 25-minute intermission
Opera Colorado closes the 2018-19 season with Mozart’s comedic genius, in a production set among the courtly opulence of 18th century Seville and featuring a brilliant ensemble cast. The wily Figaro and his love, Susanna, are set to marry, but Count Almaviva is intent on seducing the bride-to-be—stoking not only the couple’s ire, but the frustrations of the long-suffering Countess. What unfolds is hilarious chaos set to a sparkling score.
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO IS SPONSORED BY
Richard King Brown, PhD
with additional support provided by Ellie Caulkins
Cast
American soprano Ellie Dehn has been praised by critics as “a revelation” (Chicago Sun-Times), acclaimed for her “great stage presence and a voice combining metallic clarity and sensual richness” (Wall Street Journal). In the 2022-2023 Season, Ms. Dehn will perform Messiah with the New Jersey Symphony, Elijah with the Florida Orchestra, and return to the Metropolitan Opera in Falstaff (Alice Ford, cover). In the 2021-2022 Season, she made her debut at Seiji Ozawa Music Academy in Die Fledermaus (Rosalinde) and returned to the Metropolitan Opera in La bohème (Musetta, cover) and Le nozze di Figaro (Countess). On the concert stage, she sang Britten’s Spring Symphony with the Grant Park Music Festival. Pandemic highlights included Albert Herring (Lady Billows) in a filmed version with Minnesota Opera.
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.
Iranian pianist and conductor, Sahar Nouri, returns to Opera Colorado for a sixth season, serving as the company’s chorus master, assistant conductor, and pianist coach. Ms. Nouri is the newly appointed music director of the Lamont Opera Theatre at Denver University. While being based in Denver, she continues to serve as guest coach/faculty with various organizations including San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Opera North Carolina, Opera Steamboat and more.
Previously, Ms. Nouri has been a member of the music staff at Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Utah Opera, Aspen Opera Center, Opera Parallèle, and Opera in the Heights. Her repertoire includes numerous classic operas as well as many world premieres such as: Prince of Players (Carlisle Floyd), O Columbia! (Gregory Spears), Steal a Pencil for Me (Gerald Cohen), and Today It Rains (Laura Kaminsky). A multi-lingual, Nouri has done studies in the Czech Republic, Italy, and Austria, and is frequently in demand as a language coach and recitalist.