Vancouver Opera

For me, it’s always an incredible pleasure to conduct Verdi’s music. As we all know, he is one of the pillars of the entire operatic repertoire along with Mozart, Wagner, and Puccini. But what I admire the most about him is the impressive evolution he pursued throughout his very long career. Listening back-to-back to one of his early operas such as Nabucco and his final masterpiece, Falstaff (an opera so fresh and filled by such an incredibility youthful energy by a 79 year old man) makes it hard to believe that the same composer wrote these works. Verdi’s large lyrical production is generally divided in three major periods: the early works (including operas such as Nabucco and Macbeth), the middle period (Rigoletto, Il Trovatore and La Traviata) and the late or mature period (with works such as Ballo in maschera, Aïda, Otello and Falstaff, just to name a few). In regards with his middle period, it’s amazing to realize that in a two-year period, Verdi managed to create three masterpieces (all premiered between 1851 and 1853) which count to this day among the most performed and appreciated operas in the entire repertoire! In many ways, Rigoletto was breaking grounds with a lot of traditions inherited from the Bel Canto style of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti. The choice of the subject was already quite an audacious one, made by Verdi and his librettist, Francesco Maria Piave who also wrote many librettos for Verdi, including Macbeth and La Traviata. It’s worth mentioning that the opera is based on a play written by Victor Hugo, Le roi s’amuse which received only one unique performance in Paris in 1832 before being banned by the political authorities. Verdi and Piave also had to face their fair share of problems during the preparation of this opera to be presented at La Fenice, in Venice. The censorship in place at the time showed a strong opposition to presenting such a story, which they considered immoral on stage; a story, which was presenting as the main figure a hunchback, a type of character that would usually be presented in a circus, in a comedy or as a subsidiary role, but never as the “hero” of the story. Featuring a king with immoral behaviours was also not an element to help their cause. Even the original title: “La Maledizione” (the curse) was a problem. As a result, the opera was named “Rigoletto”and as for the king, the character was changed to be an unnamed Duke of Mantua. Musically, Verdi showed also clearly his intentions to adapt his music to the needs of the drama instead of following the traditional structures in practice at the time from the Bel Canto style. As a result, as Verdi himself described it, Rigoletto is almost like a collection of “duets” and he was very proud of the result. Obviously, there are also quite a few beautiful “solo moments” such as the Duke’s songs “Questa o quella” and the famous “La donna è mobile,” not to forget Gilda’s “Caro nome” and Rigoletto’s “Cortigiani.” But one of the most admirable passages of the entire opera is the Act III quartet where Verdi manages to have four contrasting personalities singing at the same time, different emotions in an ensemble with a clarity that as rarely been achieved since Mozart, Gilda painfully understanding the real nature of the man she loved, Rigoletto suffering for his daughter’s loss of innocence, the Duke trying to charm with his high notes Maddalena, a prostitute who laughs at him but not without being attracted to him. It’s really a remarkable musical moment which impressed Victor Hugo himself when he heard the opera. Once asked what he thought was his best opera of the middle period, Verdi answered: “As an amateur, La Traviata, but as a professional, Rigoletto.” In any case, since its premiere, Rigoletto is an opera that has deeply moved generations of opera lovers, amateurs as well as professionals, and I hope that, watching our production of this masterpiece, you’ll agree with Verdi: Rigoletto is one of the best operas ever written.

One of the most rewarding aspects of directing a truly great work like Verdi’s Rigoletto is the challenge of exploring, both musically and narratively, the complexity of human behavior when exposed to situations of extreme psychological duress. Verdi, especially as he reached his creative maturity, was a passionate and astute storyteller capable of providing operas rich in staggering spectacle. But like his great model Shakespeare, his genius ultimately lies in his fearless, and intensely intimate, examination of the human heart. And in his Rigoletto, that exploration leads to a heartbreaking exploration of damaged humanity and the darkness that all too often lies at the heart of human behavior … especially when that behavior is driven by societal structures that demand subservience to the corrupt and often capricious will of an absolute leader. Rigoletto reveals the dark corruption that power exerts over the lives of all struggling for survival in a Darwinian jungle–from an entitled elite and to the poorest of the poor. A golden ‘Duke’ carelessly flaunts his authority over a world that struggles to accommodate his every whim. And Verdi brilliantly reveals to us the human cost of this struggle in the unforgettable figure of Rigoletto. A lowly servant, he struggles to survive in a world where his humanity is relentlessly ridiculed and his only weapon is his rapier sharp wit and his ability to ‘amuse.’ Capable of a passionate and tender love for his beloved daughter Gilda, Rigoletto’s tragedy is that in trying to protect her from a cruel world, he ultimately leads to her destruction. This production places the action in London in 1875 at the height of Queen Victoria’s reign, only a few decades removed from the work’s creation. We have strived to provide our magnificent cast with a setting that firmly sets Verdi’s tragedy at the very epicenter of imperial power and absolutism. We have evoked a world where the elite gather in secrecy to flaunt societal norms … where the dark contrast between rich and poor inherent in the opera are embodied in the stylized world of medieval streets and flickering gaslights. Not a glittering world of glorious excess, but rather a stark and spare world that ruthlessly exposes Rigoletto’s timeless story.

FLUTES Brenda Fedoruk, Principal Anne-Elise Keefer PICCOLO Anne-Elise Keefer OBOES Emma Ringrose, Principal Kristen Cooke ENGLISH HORN Emma Ringrose CLARINETS Christopher Lee, Principal AK Coope BASSOONS Ingrid Chiang, Principal Allan Thorpe HORNS Laurel Spencer, Principal Nick Anderson Nicole Ma Ray Wu TRUMPETS Katherine Evans, Principal Nikolaj Hansen TROMBONES Jeremy Berkman, Principal Jim Tranquilla BASS TROMBONE Graham Middleton CIMBASSO Drew Dumas, Acting Principal TIMPANI Phillip Crewe, Principal PERCUSSION Julia Chien, Principal VIOLIN I Angela Cavadas, Acting Concertmaster Heilwig von Koenigsloew, Acting Associate Concertmaster Rick Dorfer, Acting Assistant Concertmaster Ellen Farrugia Ken Lin Toni Stanick Jiten Beairsto Adrianne Stride Sandra Fiddes Paule Préfontaine VIOLIN II Rebecca Ruthven, Principal 2nd Andrea Siradze, Assistant Principal 2nd Lawrie Hill Ji In Kim Evelyn Creaser-Rumley Julia Lim Sarah Westwick Sufan Yiu VIOLAS Tawnya Popoff, Principal Isabelle Roland, Assistant Principal Roxi Dykstra Marie-Claude Brunet Reginald Quiring Mila Tymoshenko CELLOS Rebecca Wenham, Principal Heather Hay, Assistant Principal Yu Yu Liu Susan Round Jake Klinkenborg BASSES Maggie Hasspacher, Principal Michael Vaughan, Assistant Principal Meaghan Williams Jeff White Orchestra Manager Nick Anderson Orchestra Stage Manager Jim Tranquilla Orchestra Librarian Meaghan Williams

TENOR DJ Calhoun  William Grossman  Adam Kozak  Brent MacKenzie  Wade Nott  Mark Pepe  Zainen Suzuki  Don Wright  BARITONE/BASS Angus Bell  Henry Chen  Jason Cook  Genn deVerteuil  Jonathon Dick  Dean Giustini  Willy Miles-Grenzberg Andrew Stewart 

Director of Artistic & Production Nicole Lamb Company Manager Kewen Huang Technical Director Milk Chan Production Assistant Jimena Pacheco Head of Wardrobe Florence Barrett Head of Properties Stephen Field Elgar Assistant Wardrobe Lily Yuen Assistant Properties Jesse Orr Cutter Victoria Klippenstein Stitchers Stephanie Kong Audrey Nishi Pachiel Smith SHOW CREW Production Carpenter Dale Baratelli Assistant Carpenter Bob Bancroft Production Electrician Mike Bowen Assistant Electrician Darin McVay Followspots Martin Argus Kelly Everson Head of Props Mike Phelan Assistant Props Mark Ransom Head Scenic Paint Omanie Elias Head of Wardrobe Lily Yuen Wardrobe Assistant Carolyn Reemeyer Dressers Therese Hartwig Production Hair & Wigs Donnie Tejani Head Hair & Wigs Oriana Camporese Production Makeup Michael Croteau Head Makeup Saghar Bazargan Makeup Attendant Crystal MacDonald Civic Crew Scott Ellis Elizabeth Campbell Vaughn Pease Dave Page Derall Dunlop THANK YOUS IATSE 118 Vancouver Civic Theatres Jon Mottram

Martha Lou Henley, C.M. * Yoshiko Karasawa Michael & Inna O'Brian Alan & Gwendoline Pyatt * Denotes Lifetime Opera Round Table Member

Elizabeth-Anne Armstrong, in memory of Frank and Jill Allder Ms. Regina Boxer Patricia Charles The Langara Foundation Jacques Lacombe Paul McEwen and Gwynneth Jones The McGrane-Pearson Endowment Fund, held at the Vancouver Foundation Dr. Linda Siegel Gillian Smith, in memory of Russell Smith Pascal & Isabelle Spothelfer Dr. Ian & Mrs. Jane Strang

Anonymous (3) Mr. Hans Alwart Ms. Wendy G. Baker Shirley Barnett Valeriya Berezina Jill Bodkin Jamie & Cindy Bruce Amanda Burrows Mr. Michael & Mrs. Eunice Chan Ms. Johanne Vincent & Dr. David Chercover Ms. Gillian E. Chetty Miss Bernadette Cheung Mr. Edward & Mrs. Dorothy Chiasson Dr. Heather F. Clarke Lorna Court & John Mancini Leslie Dala William and Emmanuelle Davis Ms. Vivian Eliopoulos Mark Emanuel, P. Eng. Mr. & Mrs. Allen Fowlis Frank and Joan Lew Charitable Trust Mrs. Pamela Friedrich Ms. Judy Garner Mrs. Elaine Godwin Ms. Isabel Gordon Brigitte & Henning Freybe Roland and Catherine Haebler Penelope B.M. Hedges Jens & Linda Lee Henriksen Diana and Tom Herbst Dr. Lionel & Mrs. Beryl Herscovitch John Horning and Lorraine Larkin Dr. Martin Hosking Ms. Krista Johanson Ms. Mary Jordan Ms. Lynn Kagan Mr. Kevin Kelly and Mrs. Landon Steele Dr. Marla Kiess Sandra Kovacs Mike & Jean Kovich Mr. & Mrs. R. Michael LePage Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Lindsay* Mr. & Mrs. Harold & Jenny Locke Mr. Harvey Loen & Mrs. Lois Binder Aaden, Brennan, Connor and Ivor Luk Doris Luking in memory of Hans Luking Jane Macdonald Mr. Bruce MacFarlane and Ms. Anne Mackintosh Marlene Mackenzie Jana and Bill Maclagan Genny MacLean Ms. Elaine Mah Kevin Mah Mrs. Ellen Mahon Miriam Maisonville and David Sauder Vladimir Marquez Mr. Ian Michaud Mr. Robert Milne Dr. Paul Mitchell-Banks Catherine Morgan and Michael Jonker Dr. Peter & Mrs. Eve Munns Dr. & Mrs. David R. Neima Bryan and Susan Nethery Micki & Michael Partridge* Ms. M. Poggemiller Ms. Lorraine Portier Mollie Massie & Hein Poulus Alan & Gwendoline Pyatt Robert E. Radke Richard and Elise Rees Mrs. Margot & Mr. Klaus Richter Ms. Susan Ronalds and Mr. Ken Ronalds Ms. Chloe Sauder Bob Sewell and Susan Van der Flier Dr. Cecil Sigal Peter Singer and Heather Gilley Mathew and Masumi Smith Mr. Stanis Smith Mr. Ross & Ms. Ursula Southam Ms. Kim Stevens Andrew & Yasmeen Strang Dr. Peter Suedfeld & Dr. Phyllis J. Johnson Mary Tait & Bill Sirett Ms. Anona Thorne and Mr. Takao Tanabe Fred and Minnie Toft Foundation Dr. Carol Tsuyuki & Mr. Craig Tomlinson Ms. Jony Van Den Bos & Mr. Thomas Lightburn Dr. Sandra Vestvik Ms. Alexandra Volkoff Dr. Eugene Wang Yang Wang Mrs. Carolyn Webster Mr. Paul Westwick Mr. Daniel R. Worsley Mr. Bruce Munro Wright Tom and Denise Wright Ms. Nancy Wu * Denotes Lifetime Opera Round Table Member

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Hartman Elizabeth Hasselgren Ms. Carolyn Hateley Ms. Sandra Havard In Memory of Ronald Hawkes Ms. Rupa Heer Mrs. E Henderson In Memory of Nik Radosevic Ms. Jessica Hiebert Lawrence R. Higa Denise Hignell Mr. Ford Hill Iris Hill Mr. Aaron Hillier John N. Hilton Mr. Gordon Hinkson Kjell Hinz Ernest Ho George Ho Sabrina Ho Ms. Shelley Hockett Mr. & Mrs. Allan Hoegg Lore Hoffmann John R. Holdstock John Hollands Mrs. Maureen Hollins Ron Holton John Hooge Sarah Horn Dr. Bennett Horner Mr. Fritz Hornung Dr. Adam O. Horvath Mr. Robert Howell Mrs. Mariya H. Hristova Dr. Scott F. Hughes Mr. Brent Hunter Gregg Hurst Mr. Joshua Hutchinson Roumi Ilieva Heather Ireland Imogen Iselhardt Ms. Naima Iversen Ms. Ana Ivkov Ms. and Mr. Joyce Jackson Stephen and Susan Jackson Mr. Christopher Jacques Mrs. Susan N. Jakobsen Ms. Karen James Ms. Eileen M. Jang Katalin Janko Ms. Diana L. Jankowiak Ja Young Jeon Ying Jiang Ian Johnston Linda M Johnston Margaret I. 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Chair Krista Johanson Vice Chair Stanis Smith Treasurer Roger Flowerdew Secretary Jennifer Choi Past Chair Susan Van der Flier Amanda Burrows Shaun Dolman Joshua Hutchinson Sameer Jamal Kevin Kelly Kirk LaPointe Pierre Lebel Ivor Luk Emily MacKinnon Allie Meeres Richard Rees Chloe Sauder Isabelle Spothelfer Carol Tsuyuki Wilson Williams Yang Wang

Chair Richard Rees Treasurer and Secretary Jim MacCallum Geoff Dodds Roger Flowerdew Yuri Fulmer Emily MacKinnon Kevin Mah Jennifer Muench Susan Van der Flier

General Director Tom Wright Music Director Jacques Lacombe Music Director Emeritus Jonathan Darlington Director of Marketing Jonathan Harrison Director of Development Kayleigh Harrison (On Leave) Director of Artistic & Production Nicole Lamb Director of Finance and Administration William Murgatroyd Director of Engagement and Civic Practice Ashley Daniel Foot ARTISTIC PLANNING Company Manager Kewen Huang Head of Music Leslie Dala Coach/Répétiteur Tina Chang Preparatory Librarian Connie Goetz PRODUCTION Technical Director Milk Chan Production Assistant Jimena Pacheco Head of Properties Stephen Field Elgar Head of Wardrobe Florence Barrett DEVELOPMENT Interim Director of Development Bella Best Executive Associate, Development Nainy Sharma FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Accounting and Payroll Manager Sonny Sohn Facilities Manager Mack McGillivray MARKETING Creative Director Annie Mack Associate Director of Marketing Keltie Laidlaw Database and Ticket Centre Manager Tracey Flattes Ticket Centre Associate Charlene Hibbard Social Media Specialist Lucas Bertoli Senior Communications Advisor Stephen Lyons Publicist Cynnamon Schreinert Program Ad Sales Jennifer Lee Graphic Designer Yvonne Olivotto ENGAGEMENT AND CIVIC PRACTICE Engagement Strategist Tabitha Brasso-Ernst Engagement/Musicology Curator Nicholas Burns Coordination Vincent Huynh Writing/Research Jane Potter Multimedia Producer Mack McGillivray YULANDA M. FARIS YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM Program Director Leslie Dala Coach Tina Chang Julia LoRusso, Soprano Marianne Bertrand, Mezzo-Soprano Lyndon Ladeur, Tenor Mihnea Nitu, Baritone Tayte Mitchell, Stage Director Derek Stanyer, Pianist