Irina Lungu, Lawrence Brownlee, Daichi Fujiki, Stéphanie d’Oustrac Headline New National Theatre, Tokyo’s 2020-21 Season

By David Salazar

The New National Theatre, Tokyo has announced its 2020-21 season.

The season will open with Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in a production by Sir David McVicar. Per the company’s official website, the production will be modified into “A New Normal” style which will include social distancing protocols for artists.

The opera will star Daichi Fujiki as Oberon, Kerstin Avemo as Tytiana, David Greeves as Puck, Hiroaki Otsuska as Theseus, Yuka Kobayashi as Hyppolita, David Webb as Lysander, Daniel Okulitch as Demetrius, Tamara Gura as Hermia, Valda Wilson as Helena, Henry Waddington as Bottom, Hidekazu Tsumaya as Quince, Kota Murakami as Flute, Fumihiko Shimura as Snug, Hideyuki Aochi as Snout, and Kenichi Yoshikawa as Starveling.

Norichika Iimori will conduct the production.

Performance Dates: Oct. 5-12, 2020

The second production of the year will be the world premiere of composer Dai Fujikura and librettist Harry Ross’ “A Dream of Armageddon,” an opera in nine scenes sung in English and Japanese. The opera will star Peter Tantsits, Seth Carico, Jessica Aszodi, Etsuko Kanoh, and Tetsuya Mochizuki. Kazushi Ono conducts. Lydia Steier directs.

“All of the dramatic scenes move in and out of a dreamscape. You’re never sure what is fact and what is imagined. There’s a futuristic moving corridor, and future music in a dance hall which is, according to HG Wells, indescribable. Dynamic characters inhabit this future dream world, and their emotional, political views are sung out over a lyrical storyline,” said Fujikara in the company’s official release. “It had to be an opera It had to be a dream, one from which I hope we wake up.”

Performance Dates: Nov. 15-23, 2020 

Daniel Schmutzhard, Astrid Kessler, Piotr Micinski, Aigul Akhmetshina, and Kota Murakami will headline J. Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus.” Christopher Franklin conducts the production by Henzi Zednik.

Performance Dates: Nov. 29-Dec. 6, 2020

Chiara Isotton, Francesco Meli, and Dario Solari headline Puccini’s “Tosca” in a production by Antonello Madau-Diaz. Daniele Callegari conducts.

Performance Dates: Jan. 23-Feb. 3, 2021

Vito Priante, Serena Gamberoni, Filippo Morace, Ai Usuki, Aya Wakizono, Hidekazu Tsumaya, Hideyuki Aochi, Mitsuya Okubo, and Keiko Yoshihara headline Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” Evelino Pidò conducts the production by Andreas Homoki.

Performance Dates: Feb. 6-13, 2021

Daniel Kirch, Ain Anger, Elisabet Strid, Iréne Theorin, and Mihoko Fujimara headline Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” Götz Friedrich directs a production conducted by Taijiro Iimori.

Performance Dates: March 11-23, 2021

Stravinsky’s “Le Rossignol” will be presented in a double bill alongside Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta.” Hasmik Torosyan, Michiko Hariu, Tatsundo Ito, Nikoloz Lagvilava, and Fumihiko Shimura headline the Stravinsky opera while Hidekazu Tsumaya, Yuriy Yurchuk, Ekaterina Siurina, and Viktor Antipenko headline the Tchaikovsky work.

Andriy Yurkevych conducts the production by Yannis Kokkos.

Performance Dates: April 4-11, 2021

Irina Lungu, Lawrence Brownlee, Mattia Oliveri, and Takayuki Ito headline Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” Speranza Scappucini conducts a production by Jean-Louis Grinda.

Performance Dates: April 18-25, 2021

Paolo Carignani conducts a production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” starring Luciano Ganci, Michele Pertusi, Tomohiro Takada, Marina Costa-Jackson, Anna Maria Chiuri, and Marco Spotti.

Performance Dates: May 20-29, 2021

Stéphanie d’Oustrac will headline “Carmen” alongside Migran Agadzhanyan, Alexandre Duhamel, and Ryoko Sunakawa. Kazushi Ono conducts.

Performance Dates: July 3-19, 2021

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