The Tempest (Adès; Lepage, 2012)

The Tempest

The Tempest

From Thomas ADÈS
Libretto from Meredith OAKES

Opera based on Shakespeare’s play The Tempest
Created in London in 2004

The new Robert LEPAGE production premiered in Québec and was co-produced by:

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA (NEW YORK)
FESTIVAL D’OPÉRA DE QUÉBEC and the
WIENER STAATSOPER
In collaboration with EX MACHINA

Performance dates: July 26, 28, 30 and August 1^st 2012, at 8 PM

Venue:
Salle Louis-Fréchette du Grand Théâtre de Québec
269, boulevard René-Lévesque Est

Le Festival d’opéra de Québec presented the world premiere of a new Robert Lepage production: The Tempest, a Thomas Adès opera built around a Meredith Oakes libretto based on Shakespeare’s play.
For the Festival Opéra de Québec, this partnership with New York’s METROPOLITAN OPERA carries exceptional and unique prestige. It is a rare occurrence to play a role on the international stage. In short, the MET and the Festival d’opéra work together to ensure the creation of a production prepared in collaboration with Ex Machina and staged by Robert Lepage. This same production will play at the MET on October 23, 27 and 31, and on November 3, 6, 10, 14 and 17, in 2012.

Thomas Adès, the composer and creator of this work (Covent Garden, 2004), is considered to be one of the world’s most popular contemporary opera composers.

The Tempest
The Tempest keeps its audience on tenterhooks throughout the full three acts. Prosper, the dethroned Duke of Milan and victim of a political conspiracy, is in exile on an island with his daughter Miranda. Using the power of magic, he causes his enemies’ ship to run aground and break up in order to submit them to a series of trials, from which they will all emerge transformed.

In this version of The Tempest, Robert Lepage transforms Prospero’s Island into a theatre where behind-the-scene activities are legion and where the deposed Duke wreaks vengeance.

Stage Director : Robert LEPAGE
Director : Thomas ADÈS

Cast

Prospero: Rod GILFRY, baritone
Ariel: Audrey LUNA, soprano
Caliban: Frédéric ANTOUN, tenor
Miranda: Julie BOULIANNE, mezzo-soprano
Ferdinand: Antonio FIGUEROA, tenor
Roi de Naples: Gregory SCHMIDT, tenor
Antonio: Roger HONEYWELL, tenor
Stefano: Kevin BURDETTE, bass
Trinculo: Daniel TAYLOR, countertenor
Sebastian: Gregory DAHL, baritone
Gonzalo: Joseph ROULEAU, bass

Le Chœur de l’Opéra de Québec
L’Orchestre symphonique de Québec

Original English version with surtitles in French

Ex Machina
Staging Assistant: Félix Dagenais
Scenographer: Jasmine Catudal
Costume, wig, and makeup design: Kym Barrett
Light design: Michel Beaulieu
Image design: David Leclerc
Artistic and musical advisor: Rebecca Blankenship
Development interpreters: Geneviève Bérubé, Marco Morin, Katryne Patry, Francis Roberge
Construction of stage sets and accessories: Scène Éthique (Varennes, Québec)
and ACMÉ décors (Beloeil, Québec)
Scenery painting: CADMIUM (Montréal)
Project manager, accessories: Francis Farley
Rigging and safety consultant: Guy St-Amour (Productions Artefact)
Project manager, video: Catherine Guay
Assistant – costume design: Mark De Coste
Assistant – scenographer: Marie-Ève Pageau
Technical manager: Michel Gosselin
Production manager: Pierre Phaneuf
Production assistant: Viviane Paradis
Producer: Michel Bernatchez
Assistant to the producer: Nadia Bellefeuille

Production information on Ex Machina website.

Event information on Festival d’Opéra de Québec website.

Jacquie Czernin’s Breakaway segment on The Tempest – “Robert Lepage to premiere Tempest opera,” July 18, 2012, CBC Radio Canada.

Interview with Robert Lepage – “Robert Lepage premieres Tempest opera in Quebec City,” July 22, 2012, CBC Radio Canada.

Wikipedia article for The Tempest (opera).