Bergen County Opera Event: Verismo Opera, the Bergen Performing Arts Center’s (bergenPAC) house opera company will present Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot, a dramatic opera set in ancient China, on Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 3:00 pm. This Bergen County opera event will takes place at the Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, New Jersey.
This 18th century dramatic fairy tale by Venetian playwright Carlo Gozzi will be performed in three acts, with the libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. In Puccini’s extravagant portrayal of both ancient China and the opera’s namesake Princess, Turandot, the musical genius masterly shows how true love can conquer sacrifice, hate, and vengeance and ultimately, melt an ice cold heart.
Under Principal Conductor/Music Director Lucy Arner, a live orchestra accompanies the performance, with Chorus Director/Associate Conductor Michael Wittenburg leading the Verismo Opera Chorus. General Manager/Stage Director Evelyn La Quaif directs the fully staged opera. The cast appears in period costumes and performs in Italian. English supertitles are projected on a screen for the audience to follow.
“Verismo Opera’s spectacular production will thrill the audience,” says Verismo Opera’s Artistic Director, opera luminary Lucine Amara. “This great but difficult opera is the most audacious opera the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera has attempted. Musically and visually, we have pulled out all the stops on this one! Be prepared to be amazed!”
Cast
Amara announced the cast of artists performing in this dramatic production. Soprano Zhanna Alkhazova debuts with the company as the ice princess Turandot. Recent engagements include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Geneva Opera, Leonora in Il Trovatore with Roman Borgman Opera and Tamara in Rubinstein’s The Demon with Commonwealth Lyric Opera. Her operatic credits include the title roles in Tosca and Aida, Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Micaela in Carmen, and Nedda in Pagliacci, among others. Alkhazova was the first place winner in the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera’s 2016 Annual International Vocal Competition and the cover of Aida in its 2017 production.
Tenor Philip Alongi performs the role of Prince Calaf, Turandot’s suitor, who must solve her riddles or die. Opera lovers and newcomers will recognize and respond to Alongi’s moving performance of Calaf’s famous aria “Nessum dorma”. Notably, this New Jersey native received praise from the Miami Herald for his “clarion top notes and striking physicality.” Alongi performed throughout the United States in leading roles, including Cavalleria Rusticana’s Turiddu, Carmen’s Don Jose, and others. Previously, he performed with Verismo Opera in Tosca (Cavardossi) and Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton). Alongi sang at Tim Russert’s funeral and the televised memorial service at the Kennedy Center. His credits include six live televised performances, with two on the TODAY show.
Korean-Chinese soprano Yulan Piao debuts with Verismo Opera to perform the love torn, tortured Liu. She received first prize in the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera’s 2017 Annual International Vocal Competition and the Vienna Summer Music Festival Competition. Piao made her professional debut singing Rigoletto’s Gilda in South Korea.
The stellar cast includes a range of singers debuting and returning to Verismo Opera’s stage. Singers making their first appearance with the company are tenors Tai Collins (Pang) and Hao Hu (Pong). Bass-baritone Roland Burks (Timur), baritone Fredrick Redd (Ping), baritone Jonathan Green (Mandarin), and tenor Giovanni Simone (Emperor) join the company again to perform in this stunning production.
To purchase tickets for this Bergen County opera event, visit bergenPAC’s box office, call 201-227-1030 or toll-free at 1-888-PACSHOW, or visit www.bergenpac.org. bergenPAC is handicapped accessible.
The season is made possible, in part, with funds provided by the New Jersey Council on the Arts/Department of State, through grant funds administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.
For information, visit www.verismopera.org.
Visit the mybergen.com Events Calendar for more Bergen County events.
