The Welsh National Opera has announced its 2018-19 season featuring a number of classic operas and new productions. It will also mark David Pountney’s final year as WNO Artistic Director.

Autumn 2018

The season opens on Sept. 15 with a new production of Prokofiev’s masterpiece “War and Peace.” The opera which will be conducted by Tomáš Hanus and directed by Pountney is set to star Lauren Michelle in the role of Natasha. The cast will also include Mark Le Brocq as Pierre and Jonathan McGovern as Andrei, Jurgita Adamonyté, Leah-Marian Jones, Simon Bailey, David Stout, Adrian Dwyer, James Platt, Clive Bayley, and members of the WNO Chorus taking multiple roles to emphasize the idea of a ‘collective narrative’.

Performance Dates: Sept. 15-Nov. 24, 2018

Rossini’s “La Cenerentola” will follow with Tara Erraught making her WNO debut. Matteo Macchioni will sing the role of Don Ramiro while Fabio Capitanucci will be Don Magnifico and Giorgio Caoduro will take on the role of Dandini. Wojtek Gierlach, Aoife Miskelly and Heather Lowe will round out the cast with Hanus conducting.

Performance Dates: Oct. 5-Nov. 22, 2018

David McVicar’s “La Traviata” will be revived with James Southall conducting a rising star cast that includes Anush Hovhannisyan and Linda Richardson sharing the role of Violetta, Kang Wang as Alfredo and Roland Wood as Germont.

Performance Dates: Sept. 21-Nov. 23, 2018

Janáček Brno Festival 2018

Following WNO’s autumn tour, the Company will be taking its critically-acclaimed production of Janáček’s “From the House of the Dead” to the Janáček Brno Festival on Dec. 2. Tomáš Hanus will conduct the performance.

Performance Date: Dec. 2, 2018

Spring 2019

The spring season will open Feb. 9 in a new production of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera.” The new production will mark the second installment in WNO’s Verdi trilogy, directed by David Pountney and conducted by WNO Conductor Laureate Carlo Rizzi. The opera will star tenor Gwyn Hughes-Jones as Riccardo and Sara Fulgoni in the role of  Ulrica. Roland Wood will sing the role of Renato while Julie Martin Du Theil will be the page, Oscar.

Performance Dates: Feb. 9-April 24, 2019

The company will then revive Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, sung in English.  The cast will include Mark Stone as Papageno and Anita Watson as Pamina as well as Ben Johnson as Tamino.

Performance Dates: Feb. 15-May 11, 2019

The final opera of the season will be a revival of Donizetti’s “Roberto Devereux” starring the Justina Gringyté as Sara,  Joyce El-Khoury as Queen Elizabeth and Gary Griffiths as the Duke of Nottingham. Rizzi conducts.

Performance Dates: Feb. 28-May 10, 2019