Amanda Majeski, Lester Lynch & Rebecca Evans Highlight Welsh National Opera’s 2020-21 Season

By Francisco Salazar

The Welsh National Opera has announced its 2020-21 season featuring six productions on the main stage. Here is a look at what to expect.

Autumn 2020

The season opens with a revival of Janáček and Preissová’s “Jenůfa” starring Amanda Majeski in the title role. She is joined by a cast that includes Peter Berger, Helena Zubanovich, Ed Lyon and Rhodri Prys Jones. Tomáš Hanus conducts the production by Katie Mitchell.

Performance Dates: Sept. 12-Nov. 27, 2020

Rossini and Sterbini’s “The Barber of Seville” returns to the stage starring Matteo Macchioni, Julian Kim, Heather Lowe, and James Platt. Kerem Hasan conducts the production by Giles Havergal.

Performance Dates: June 10, 2020-Nov. 26, 2020

Will Todd and Edson Burton’s “Migrations” makes its world premiere in a production  by David Pountney. The opera stars Lester Lynch, Simon Bailey, Musa Ngqungwana, Tom Randle, Marion Newman, Meeta Raval, and Nardus Williams. Matthew Kofi conducts.

Performance Dates: Oct. 3-Nov. 28, 2020

Spring 2020

Gounod, Barbier, and Carré’s “Faust” gets a new production by Olivia Fuchs starring Jung Soo Yun, Wojtek Gierlach, Natalya Pavlova, Gareth Brynmor John, and Katie Bray. Alexander Joel conducts the new production.

Performance Dates: Feb. 26,  2021–May 12, 2021

Verdi and Cammarano’s “Il Trovatore” returns to the Welsh stage with Donald Thomson, David Kempster, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Linda Richardson, Michal Lehotský, and Monika-Evelin Liiv. Pietro Rizzo conducts the production by Peter Watson.

Performance Dates: Feb. 27, 2021–May 15, 2021

Rebecca Evans stars in R. Strauss and von Hofmannsthal’s “Der Rosenkavalier,” alongside Lucia Cervoni, Andrea Silvestrelli, Adrian Clarke, and Soraya Mafi. Tomas Hanus conducts the production by Olivia Fuchs.

Performance Dates: March 14, 2021–May 14, 2021

Summer 2020

The Summer Season will see a continuation of WNO’s commitment to take new and relevant work to more people in more places.

Director Caroline Clegg and librettist Emma Jenkins join forces once more at WNO with a new piece that highlights the vocal talents of the male members of the WNO Chorus. Set in the 1950s, “Blaze of Glory!” follows the fortunes of a group of miners in a small mining village who embark upon a musical odyssey by forming a male voice choir as a means of uniting the community after a mining disaster.

Composed by David Hackbridge Johnson, the score features close harmony singing traditionally associated with male voice choirs, as well as big band, jive, lindy hop and African gospel music.

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