Wikipedia

Washington National Opera

For the earlier company of the same name, seeWashington National Opera (1919–1936).

Washington National Opera(WNO) is an American opera company inWashington, D.C.Formerly theOpera Society of Washingtonand theWashington Opera,the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performances are now given in theOpera Houseof theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Opera in Washington, DC had become established after World War I and it did flourish for a time as theWashington National Opera Association[1]until the Depression and World War Two years, and into the 1960s in various outdoor opera venues. However, with the establishment of the Opera Society of Washington in 1956–57, the way was laid for a company to function in the city, especially after the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971 and its move there in 1979.

After making initial appearances with the company from 1986 onwards, tenorPlácido Domingotook over as general director in 1996, a post which he held until June 2011, after which the company, which was undergoing financial problems, came under the auspices of the Kennedy Center administration.

The Opera Society of Washington

edit
Paul Callaway

Washington National Opera was established in 1957 as theOpera Society of Washingtonby Day Thorpe, the music critic of the now defunctWashington Star,but then the most influential Washington newspaper of its day.Paul Callaway,the choirmaster and organist of theWashington National Cathedral,was its first music director. Together, the two set out to seek funding and they found support from Gregory and Peggy Smith who provided $10,000 as seed money for a production ofMozart'sDie Entführung aus dem Serailwhich would be performed following the end of their summer season (which Calloway conducted) by the Washington Symphony Orchestra.

Characteristic of Thorpe and Callaway's early years was a rejection of cuts to the scores, a rejection of opera in English translation, and a rejection of expensive scenery as well as of "fat sopranos" and "self-centered tenors".[2]

The pair set out to seek a new public and, beginning with the first production ofDie Entführungon 31 January 1957, the company presented opera inGeorge Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, albeit a small venue with limited facilities.[3]However, as one critic noted: "There was no 'company' in the literal sense. Each production had to be conceived, planned, and arranged individually, and financial support had to be scraped up opera by opera. Improvisation was the order of the day".[4]

The early years, 1956 to 1966

edit

Four months later, the Society staged a double bill ofGian Carlo Menotti's operaThe Old Maid and the Thiefalong with his balletThe Unicorn, The Gorgon, and the Manticore.It was very successful with both the public and critics alike. Successful presentations followed from November 1957 onwards:Fidelio;Ariadne auf Naxos;Idomeneo;a double bill of Schoenberg'sErwartungand Stravinsky'sLe Rossignol(conducted by the composer); and a December 1961The Magic Flutewhich resulted in an invitation from PresidentJohn F. Kennedyat theWhite Housefor some excerpts from the opera.

Igor Stravinsky

By this time, the attention of the national press had been caught. A December 1958Newsweekfull-page article on the company was headlined "Sparkle on the Potomac", and Howard Taubman of theNew York Timesvisited regularly, followed by headlines reading "Capital Revival" and "Sparkle on the Potomac"[5]

However, there was not always such clear sailing, and the company was to experience a series of ups and downs in the first few years of the 1960s. Initially, there was further success: bringingIgor Stravinskyto Washington was the work of Bliss Herbert, then the Artistic Administrator of theSanta Fe Operawho had been involved in that company's early years when the composer regularly visited Santa Fe. However, the first Stravinsky production –The Rake's Progress– was "the most" ill-starred "opera in the Society's history",[6]largely the result of singers' illnesses. But a later double bill of Stravinsky conductingLe Rossignol(along with Schoenberg'sErwartung) was a triumph.

However, as the 1960s progressed, further disasters were to follow. These included "a fiasco of unforgivable proportions",[7]an English-languageThe Magic Flutewhich caused Paul Callaway's resignation. Some drastic measures were called for.

Changes in direction, 1966 to 1977

edit

Three new faces were to bring "imagination and flair to the company"[8]during the period up to 1977 and, by that date, another new face made a short but dramatic appearance in the company's history: bass-baritoneGeorge Londonbecame general manager.

Taking over as general manager in 1967 wasRichard Pearlman,under whose tenure were staged well-received productions ofThe Turn of the Screw,La bohème,and the first production of Barber'sVanessa.By 1972 Ian Strasfogel, with considerable experience from working at theMetropolitan Opera,took over the helm with the aim of giving it a "businesslike foundation"[9]"it never had in its sixteen years, in spite of the excellent productions it has often achieved".[10]

Kennedy Center

One early success was a production ofKurt Weill'sRise and Fall of the City of Mahagonnywith the composer's widow,Lotte Lenya,in attendance. She described it as "the best production she has ever seen".[9]Other significant productions followed, but, in summing up Strasfogel's success, authorMary Jane Phillips-Matzconcludes that "his main achievement, though, was his artistic oversight, for by the mid-1970s critics were regularly covering the Opera Society's extraordinary programming and grants were coming in from important foundations."[9]

During this period of the 1970s another person was to enter the scene, stage director Frank Rizzo. There followed a stunningMadama Butterflyand other important productions and his association with the company continued into the 1980s with his introduction in 1984 of theCanadian Opera Company'ssurtitlessystem, whereby an English translation appeared above the proscenium arch.[9]

Also while under Strasfogel's tenure, the Opera Society made its move into the newly openedKennedy Center for the Performing Artsin 1972. This was to have a profound impact on the company, especially since George London, after retirement from the stage, became Artistic Administrator at the Kennedy Center until its 1971 opening and then Executive Director of the Nation Opera Institute. He directed a production ofDie Walkürefor the opera company in 1974 and was courted to become General Director for the 1977 season.

The Washington Opera

edit

Under George London, 1977

edit
George London in 1952

In addition to running a fiscally sound company with packed houses, its deficit reduced by two-thirds, and exciting productions such as the city's firstThaïsin 1976,[11]another ofGeorge London's major achievements was the renaming of the company, first announced inThe Washington Poston 13 May 1977. As described by Phillips-Matz, "at this point in the company's history, the programming was smart, varied, and exciting"[11]but progress was suddenly brought to a halt by the July 1977 heart attack suffered by George London. He was never able to return to the company, but his legacy was that "by giving it a new name, a fresh image, and a lot of heft, he brought the company into the national and international opera scene and put it on the road to top rank of producing organizations."[11]

Under Martin Feinstein, 1980 to 1996

edit

Martin Feinstein succeeded London as General Director from 1980 to 1995 and "spent the next 16 years luring artists of the stature ofGian Carlo Menotti(who directedLa Boheme),Daniel Barenboim(who conductedCosì fan tutte) and Plácido Domingo (who debuted in Washington in 1986 with Menotti'sGoya"[12]Feinstein brought in many young singers long before their first appearances at theMetropolitan Opera.His initiative began a Washington Opera tradition of cultivating young talent. Singers nurtured through the program includeVyacheslav Polozov,Jerry HadleyandDenyce Graves,while in 1992, he brought recently retired Berlin State Opera maestroHeinz Fricketo the Washington Opera as music director.[12]

1984-1996 Patricia Fleischer Mossel become Director of Development, Marketing, and P.R., a new position in charge of all income, both earned and contributed. In 1996 to 2000 she became Executive Director until she retired in 2000.

From 1987 to 2001, working under both Feinstein and Domingo, Edward Purrington became Artistic Administrator "at the time..(when the company).. was in the midst of a dramatic expansion. By 1995,The (Washington) Postreported, seats at the Kennedy Center were "almost as scarce" as football tickets, and "usually cost more." [13]This expansion took place during the period of Feinstein's tenure when he greatly increased the number of performances per season, which had a phenomenal effect on ticket sales (the audience reportedly grew from 32,000 to more than 100,000).[12] Washington National Opera = The Tenure of Patricia L. Mossel== Executive Director 1996-2000,Placido Domingo= Artistic Director

Washington National Opera

edit

The tenure of Plácido Domingo, 2000 to 2011

edit
Plácido Domingo in 2008

Plácido Domingo, general director of the company from 2000 until 2011, began an affiliation with the opera company in 1986, when he appeared in its world premiere production of Menotti'sGoya,followed by performances in a production ofToscain the 1988/89 season. After ten years, his contract was extended through the 2010-2011 season.

During Domingo's tenure, because of "the company's solid reputation in the United States" and with the help of the opera's then-president, (Michael Sonnenreich), a bill was sponsored and passed in 2000 in theUS Congress"designating the company as America's 'National Opera'".[14]The change of name to Washington National Opera was announced in February 2004.[15]

"The American Ring"

edit

Washington National Opera originally announced plans to performDer Ring des Nibelungen,a cycle of four operas byRichard Wagner,entitledThe American Ring,in November 2009. However, in early November 2008 in view of the Great Recession, the company announced that the full cycle had been postponed.[16]While the first three operas of thetetralogyhave already been produced during the previous WNO seasons (Das Rheingoldin 2006,Die Walkürein 2007, andSiegfriedin 2009), the fourth opera,Götterdämmerung,was given in a concert performance in November 2009.

Seasons which have included important new or unusual operas

edit

During the 2007/08 season, WNO produced three rarely staged operas:William Bolcom'sA View from the Bridge,G.F. Handel'sTamerlano,andRichard Strauss'Elektra.During the following seasonGaetano Donizetti'sLucrezia BorgiaandBenjamin Britten'sPeter Grimeswere given, while the 2009-2010 season featured Richard Strauss'Ariadne auf NaxosandAmbroise Thomas'Hamlet.In May 2012 the Washington premiere ofVerdi'sNabuccotook place, directed by the rising starThaddeus Strassberger.He placed the action at the time of the opera's premiere, 1842 in Milan. The 2014/15 includes a series of three 20-minute operas as part of its American Opera Initiative:The Investmentby John Liberatore,Daughters of the Bloody DukebyJake Runestad,andAn American Manby Rene Orth. The American Opera Initiative continues and has produced works such asPennyby Douglas Pew andProving UpbyMissy Mazzoli.[17]Beginning in 2013, the American Opera Initiative also commissions emerging composers to write new operas and in recent years has commissioned works byCarlos Simon,Nicolas Lell Benavides,Gity Razaz,and Frances Pollock.[18]

Kennedy Center's Michael Kaiser, 2009

Kennedy Center takes over Washington National Opera

edit

Following the departure of Plácido Domingo as General Director at the end of the 2010-2011 season, theKennedy Centertook control of the opera company effective on 1 July 2011.[19]In the announcement, then-Kennedy Center PresidentMichael Kaisersaw cost and personnel savings, plus other advantages in the takeover:

In addition to using the Kennedy Center's opera house, Kaiser said he envisions using some of the facility's other performance spaces for smaller or newer operas that might not sell as many tickets. And he wants to expand the Kennedy Center's curatorial role by presenting the work of other companies, domestic and international. "I would like to bring in some really good avant-garde opera from abroad," Kaiser said in an interview this week. He expects that the company will increase its productions, back to seven or eight a year. "I am optimistic that at least by the end of my tenure, four years from now, you'll see a season that's more robust," he said.[19]

In May 2011, the company announced the appointment ofFrancesca Zambelloas artistic advisor, and of the then-administrator of the company, Michael Mael, as executive director.[20]In June 2017, Mael concluded his tenure with the company.[21]The company's most recent music director,Philippe Auguin,served in the post from 2010 to 2018.[22]In September 2017, the company announced the appointment of Timothy O'Leary as its next general director, effective 1 July 2018.[21]

In September 2018, the company announced the extension of Zambello's contract as artistic director for an additional 3 years, and the appointment ofEvan Rogisteras its new principal conductor, with immediate effect, with an initial contract through the 2021-2022 season.[23]Rogister is scheduled to stand down as principal conductor of the company at the close of the 2024-2025 season.[24]

In 2021,Robert Spanofirst guest-conducted at Washington National Opera. In February 2024, the company announced the appointment of Spano as its next music director, effective with the 2025-2026 season, with an initial contract of three seasons.[24]

References

edit

Notes

  1. ^Phillips-Matz, pp. 13/15
  2. ^Phillips-Matz, p. 19
  3. ^Phillips-Matz, p.21
  4. ^Herbert KupferberginParade Magazine,quoted in Phillips-Matz, p. 21
  5. ^Phillips-Matz, p. 27
  6. ^Phillips-Matz, quoting critic Howard Taubman, p. 27
  7. ^Phillips-Matz quotingPaul Hume,theWashington Post's music critic, p. 33
  8. ^Phillips-Matz, p. 33
  9. ^abcdPhillips-Matz, p. 37
  10. ^Paul Home,The Washington Postin Phillips-Matz, p. 37)
  11. ^abcPhillips-Matz, p. 41
  12. ^abcAdam Bernstein, "Obituaries: Impresario Introduced D.C. To World's Stars",The Washington Post,February 6, 2006Retrieved 30 July 2010
  13. ^Emily Langer, "Ed Purrington, who helped transform the Washington National Opera, is dead at 82",The Washington Post,23 April 2012, on washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 5 May 2012
  14. ^"How DC Made" National "Mean Nothing".Jun 2, 2016.RetrievedFeb 18,2020.
  15. ^Page, Tim (2004-02-26)."Washington Opera Goes 'National' In Name and Vision".The Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved2018-05-16.
  16. ^"Washington National Opera – Performances – The American Ring".Apr 12, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon April 12, 2009.RetrievedFeb 18,2020.
  17. ^"Past Commissions".www.kennedy-center.org.Retrieved2019-12-02.
  18. ^"American Opera Initiative".www.kennedy-center.org.Retrieved2021-04-10.
  19. ^abAnne Midgette (2011-01-20)."Kennedy Center to take over Washington National Opera".The Washington Post.Retrieved2011-01-21.
  20. ^Administration "News: Francesca Zambello Appointed Artistic Advisor for Washington National Opera; Michael L. Mael Named Company's Executive Director" on blogs.kennedy-center.orgRetrieved 11 January 2012
  21. ^ab"Timothy O'Leary, General Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Named as Next General Director of Washington National Opera".Opera News.2017-09-22.Retrieved2017-09-23.
  22. ^Anne Midgette (2017-06-21)."Opera parts ways with its music director".Washington Post.Retrieved2017-09-23.
  23. ^"WNO Announces Renewal Of Francesca Zambello, Names Evan Rogister As Principal Conductor"(Press release). Toronto Symphony Orchestra. 28 September 2018.Retrieved2018-10-01.
  24. ^ab"Robert Spano To Become Music Director of Washington National Opera"(Press release). Washington National Opera. 2024-02-06.Retrieved2024-02-10.

Sources

  • Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane.Washington National Opera 1956 – 2006.Washington, D.C.: Washington National Opera, 2006.ISBN0-9777037-0-3.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Washington_National_Opera&oldid=1255743238"