Editor-in-Chief: Zlatica Hoke
Design: Rafael Prieto
To Our Dear Friends: I hope you will enjoy our articles in this, our first edition of our Magazine for 2020. We want to stay connected with you. During these times, all of us are struggling to find meaning and purpose in our lives. We know that the opera is a great escape which nourishes the soul and intellect.

We are pleased to welcome well-known scholars and friends of the Washington Opera Society as contributors. Our newly appointed Editor-in-Chief, Zlatica Hoke offers a timely article about opera in the times of the Coronavirus. Then, we present the writings of WOS Board Member, Cary Pollak, Esq., who contemplates about our 2021 operetta presentation: Franz Lehár’s The Count of Luxembourg. Third, Dr. Laura Kafka, Polish music scholar and Peabody Institute professor, writes about the relevance of Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko. Finally, Mr. Jerome Barry, Founder and Artistic Director of the Embassy Series, offers the musings of a young boy being introduced to opera.

All of these articles will entertain and enlighten you with their relevance.
Opera in the Time of Coronavirus
By: Zlatica Hoke

Arts organizations, especially opera houses, have put up a heroic fight to stay relevant during the pandemic, primarily by offering free streaming of their best videotaped stage productions, and sometimes by arranging special virtual concerts. Individual artists have done their part by posting highlights from their repertoire in the social media and participating in organized outreach programs. The excuse of not seeing opera because of its prohibitive ticket prices is no longer valid.

No other opera company has done more than New York’s Metropolitan with its nightly presentation of Live in HD series on its web site, that includes such rarities as Berlioz’s  Les Troyens  and popular works like  L’elisir d’amore,  interspersed with memorable historic productions of  La bohème, La sonnambula  and  Tosca.

In addition, the Met is offering a free 8-week Opera Global Summer Camp via Google and Zoom classrooms, from June 15 to August 7.

Even smaller educational outlets, such as the Castleton Festival in Virginia, have made their productions available free online. Puccini's  La fanciulla del West  stands out.

The end of the COVID-19 crisis, unfortunately does not mean the end of problems for the performing arts that depend on large audiences. 

Social distancing and other restrictions have forced the Metropolitan Opera to cancel all performances until the end of the year, including a new staging of the opening night  Aida  with Anna Netrebko. 

"The health and safety of our company members and our audience is our top priority, and it is simply not feasible to return to the opera house for a September opening while social distancing remains a requirement,” General Manager Peter Gelb said.

The company had earlier cancelled its planned premiere of Prokofiev’s T he Fiery Angel , while the new productions of  Don Giovanni  and  Die Zauberflöte  had been postponed to future seasons. All the performances of  Die Zauberflöte  will feature Julie Taymor's production, rather than the new production by Simon McBurney originally announced. The revival will be part of the December 31 opening night and social gala.

On the positive note, the Met still intends to go ahead with its premiere of Jake Heggie’s modern opera  Dead Man Walking.  Netrebko appears to be forging ahead with preparations for her debut as Abigaille in Nabucco. She posted a video of a rehearsal session for the role at her home in Vienna.  

The Washington National Opera is scheduled to open its 2020-2021 season with a new production of Beethoven's  Fidelio  on October 24, in celebration of the composer's 250th birthday. The season is to follow with a new production of John Adams’s  Nixon in China , as well as Musorgsky’s Boris Godunov and an “American opera initiative.” But at the time of writing this article, the company was still waiting for guidance from federal and local and health experts on when and in what manner it will be safe to resume. The Kennedy Center press office told the Washington Opera Society that “we do anticipate changes to our previously announced programming.”

The 2019-2020 WNO season was cut short just ahead of the Washington premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s Blue, a work that grapples with a contemporary tragedy — the killing of an unarmed black man at the hands of a police officer.

There could be no better time to show it than now, and one would hope the company will modify its fall season to include Blue.

Washington Concert Opera has confirmed plans to perform Rossini’s Maometto II on November 22 and Bellini’s I Puritani in May of next year at the Lisner Auditorium, and is adding Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, which was cancelled in the spring due to the health crisis.

MButterfly, a brand-new work by talented Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo will not see its world premiere in Santa Fe this summer since its summer festival has been cancelled. The Wolf Trap, the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and many other summer opera groups also have cancelled all performances.

Seattle Opera has also reached a moment of reckoning, announcing this week the cancellation of its first opera of the 2020/2021 season: Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci. The cancellation represents a loss of work for more than 220 singers, crew, and musicians in addition to the almost 60 percent of its administrative staff that has been furloughed.

“It is a deeply painful moment for us as a company, region, and world,” said General Director Christina Scheppelmann, one-time Director of the WNO. Unarmed Theaters worldwide have been forced to reimagine their summer and fall seasons amid financial and other post-COVID restrictions.

Italy’s Teatro Alla Scala in Milan had planned a grand fall season with 15 opera titles. But instead of conducting  Tosca  on the opening night in September, Riccardo Chailly will deliver Verdi’s  Requiem  in honor of the victims of COVID-19, as Toscanini did in May of 1946 to reopen the theater after World War II. The company has announced a new lineup including revivals of  La bohème  and  La traviata , which had not been previously scheduled, but it is not clear what the whole season will look like.
The management of the Opera of Rome announced that it is cancelling its fall season due to the restrictions in closed venues.

The San Carlo Theater of Naples has announced a summer season featuring two concert opera performances at a central city square in July:  Tosca  with Anna Netrebko and husband Yusif Eyvazov and  Aida  with Jonas Kaufmann. Live streaming will make both available to audiences around the world. The Royal Opera House in London had planned Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Händel’s Ariodante and Janaček’s Věc Makropulos among its offerings for the fall season, but the company has yet to announce if and when it might reopen. And just this week ROH chief executive Alex Beard said the company will "not last beyond autumn with current reserves."

The Paris Opera was forced to cancel new productions even before the pandemic amid a series of strikes in the French capital. Between December and January, the company cancelled more than 70 performances and lost about 15 million euros. It expects to lose another 40 million euros as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company's two venues, Palais Garnier and Opera Bastille, are hoping to re-open in the fall, but the schedule could be heavily disrupted according to the company’s general director, Stéphane Lissner.

“It’s impossible to attract 2,700 people and respect distancing. It’s impossible to maintain distances in the orchestra, the chorus… It’s impossible. We are waiting on a vaccine, medication… Maybe the virus disappears. We have to be optimistic,” said Lissner.
Germany's legendary Bayreuth Festival has been cancelled for this summer and patrons are being reimbursed or can use the tickets for the 2021 festival.

The lockdown of concert halls and opera houses, cuts in air travel and other restrictions have devastated careers and livelihood of artists and cultural institutions worldwide. Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann started a petition in April, calling on European politicians to support the performing arts. “What is Germany, for example, other than language, culture, art, architecture, music and…well, also football? This is the essence of our society. If you destroy that, what is left?” said Kaufmann.

European arts organizations can actually count on some financial support from the state, since culture in Europe is generally considered essential to a personal well-being. Germany, for example, approved an initial relief package of $54 billion for freelance artists and businesses in the cultural, creative, and media sectors at the end of March. Cultural ministers of all 16 states are now asking Berlin for additional funds to keep culture alive and thriving. 

That idea is strange to the U.S. political establishment, which has been steadily cutting down funds for art institutions and education, making art dependable on rich donors. There is no doubt, however, that American arts organizations, especially opera companies large and small, will survive the pandemic thanks to determined performing art professionals and their passionate audiences.  
“Our mission is to draw our community together through opera, a unique blend of music and drama that speaks to the mind and spirit—especially in difficult times like these,” Seattle Opera's Scheppelmann said.
Washington Opera Society
to Present Lehár’s
The Count of Luxembourg
By: Cary Pollak

Those of you who recognize the name Franz Lehár probably know of him as a great composer of operettas in the late 19 th century and early 20 th century, and in particular as the author of Die Lustige Witwe ( The Merry Widow ). The “Merry Widow Waltz” from that charming work is perhaps the most memorable waltz written by anyone who is not named Strauss. If you are a supporter of the Washington Opera Society you likely know Lehár also as the composer of Das Land des Lächelns ( The Land of Smiles), which we presented at the Austrian embassy last November. That production was in keeping with our desire to produce great but lesser-known works that we believe would still appeal to today’s audiences. Judging by the smiles on our audience members at the end of the show, we made a good choice. Some of them left the Embassy humming the tune of the show’s great love song, “Dein ist Mein Ganzes Herz” (literally “Yours is My Entire Heart,” but often known by the English title “You are My Heart’s Delight”).
Lehár’s three act German operetta, Der Graf von Luxembourg premiered in Vienna in 1909. Its success spawned openings in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and elsewhere usually translated into the local language. The best-known translation is the two act English adaptation, The Count of Luxembourg , that opened in London in 1911 with Lehár, himself conducting. In attendance were their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary. The work enjoyed a year-long run that was followed by a tour of the UK. The New York premier at the New Amsterdam Theater in 1912 proved popular with American audiences and the operetta was made into an American silent film in 1926.

The first act introduces the Grand Duke Rutzinov who wishes to marry the opera singer Angela but cannot because she is not a member of the nobility. He bribes Count Rene, who needs the money, to marry a woman he does not know and will not even see at the ceremony, and then to get a divorce three months later. This simple plan ensures that Angela will have a title and soon will be free to marry the Grand Duke. What could go wrong?

A few weeks later Angela gives a party at which she meets the Count and they are instantly attracted to each other. Both think that it would be impossible to pursue their budding romance because each has recently gotten married. The jealous Grand Duke sees what is going on and publicly announces his engagement to Angela. 

Another guest who sees what is going on is the artist Brissard, who hosted the secret wedding. He reveals that Angela and the Count already are married to each other. Angela is thrilled but denounces the Count for marrying her for money and he storms out in anger. The path to a happy ending for all is paved when the Grand Duke marries a Russian Countess, and the Count comes into more than enough money to pay back the Grand Duke, and then realizing how miserable he is without Angela, declares his love for her.

Lehár was born into a musical family in Komárom, Hungary (then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire) and spoke only his native language until he was 12. At that age he enrolled in the Prague Conservatory studying violin under Antonin Benewitz. Another faculty member with the same first name thought that the talented young artist should focus on the study of composition. That faculty member was Antonin Dvořák (composer of The New World Symphony among other famous works). The rules of the conservatory did not allow students to focus on both performance and composition and Lehár’s father convinced him to stick with the violin. As a result, Lehár missed the opportunity to have formal training in composition but managed to learn on his own the skills necessary to be a world-class composer.

By all accounts, Lehár was apolitical but he had the misfortune of being favored by Adolf Hitler, who even bestowed an award on him despite the fact that Lehár married a Jewish woman and collaborated with several Austrian Jews during his career. Lehár died shortly after the war and in the minds of almost all who are familiar with the story, his legacy was not tarnished by that association. Lehár’s music lives on and likely will be enjoyed by generations to come despite the political climates of the times. We look forward to sharing that legacy with all of you when we present Lehár’s The Count of Luxembourg for our holiday presentation in 2021 under the patronage of the Embassy of Luxembourg.
Moniuszko: His Life and Times
By: Dr. Laura Kafka-Price
(Reprinted with permission of the Polish-American Arts Association, Celia Larkin, President)

Last year we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Stanisław Moniuszko, one of Poland's leading composers of the 19th century. He is well-known for his art songs and operas beloved for their delightful melodies and patriotic folk themes. He is credited with successfully developing a Polish national opera. Halka and Straszny dwór ( The Haunted Manor ) continue to be beloved and performed today.

Moniuszko was born on May 5, 1819 into the Polish szlachta noble family of land owners in Ubiel, in the province of Minsk (present day Belarus) that was formerly part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The area was annexed by Russia as the Minsk Region during the second partition of Polish territory in 1793. His father Czesław, who had served as an officer in Napoleon's army, was a celebrated poet and painter and his mother Elżbieta, was a talented amateur pianist who gave Stanisław his first piano lessons at the age of four. In 1827, the family moved to Warsaw where young Stanisław began lessons with August Freyer who studied with Józef Elsner at the Warsaw Conservatory along with Fryderyk Chopin.

In the summer of 1830, the Moniuszko family returned to Minsk due to growing financial pressures. Stanisław continued his studies with Dominik Stefanowicz, conductor of the local theater orchestra, and composed his first operetta, which was not ever performed. In 1834, Moniuszko's went to Berlin where he enrolled in the Berlin Singakademie in 1837 studying with Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen. It is quite likely that his parents sent him to Berlin instead of Moscow or St. Petersburg to further his musical studies to avoid the growing Russian influence on formal education. His studies included choral conducting and staging theatrical works. The young composer widened his knowledge of opera hearing new works by Carl Maria von Weber, Heinrich Marschner and Albert Lortzing at the court opera. He also had an early and unexpected success with three songs he composed to poems by the great Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz launching his compositional career in 1838 at the age of nineteen. It was during this time that he composed his first notable stage work, the operetta, Nocleg w Apeninach ( A Night in the Apennines) and two string quartets. 

In 1839, at the age of twenty, he returned to Vilnius to marry Aleksandra Müller. There Moniuszko was an organist, private piano teacher, and occasional conductor of the theater orchestra. Stanisław and Aleksandra had ten children. The composer was an integral part of life in Vilnius and the surrounding area where he staged large choral works and conducted orchestral performances. He became acquainted with the novelist Józef Ignacy Kraszewski and playwright-satirist Aleksander Fredro, which led to the composition of several operettas, including his most notable one, Loteria ( The Lottery ) in 1843 for the Amateur Opera Society in Vilnius that was also performed in Warsaw three years later. He also composed the first six volumes of 267 songs in his Śpiewnik domowy ( Home Song Book ) in Vilnius between 1843-59. The second set of six volumes was published in Warsaw posthumously for a total of 360 songs in all.

Moniuszko's visit to Warsaw in 1846 was significant. There he met music ethnographer Oskar Kolberg and the poet Włodzimierz Wolski, the future librettist of Halka and Hrabina ( The Countess ). The visit ignited the fire within him to compose a larger stage work, and he set out to work on Halka almost immediately. A two-act concert version of Halka was presented in Vilnius in 1848 and a fully staged production, augmented to four acts, was offered in Warsaw six years later and became an overnight sensation. Although the composer was already enjoying recognition in St Petersburg, Halka made him a national celebrity. He departed on European tour meeting Bedřich Smetana in Prague and Franz Liszt in Weimar before arriving in Paris where he composed Flis ( The Raftsman ), a one-act opera. Upon his return to Poland he accepted the post of director of Polish productions at the Teatr Wielki (Polish National Opera ) and began to compose Hrabina . He again enjoyed great success with the premiers of these two works in 1858 and 1860. He collaborated with Chęciński on Verbum nobile and began working with him on Straszny dwór in 1861. The political climate took a decidedly unfortunate turn with the 1863 insurrection and Moniuszko lost his post. His only source of income was as professor of choral conducting at the newly founded Music Institute (later to become a reconstituted Warsaw Conservatory). Nevertheless, Moniuszko persevered and completed Straszny dwór in 1864. The censorship in Warsaw in the aftermath of the insurrection was exceedingly high which led to the withdrawal of the opera after only three performances at the Teatr Wielki in 1865.

Moniuszko died of a heart attack in Warsaw on June 4, 1872. Despite his many other compositions such as the seven masses, cantatas, some orchestral works, chamber music, and a substantial body of piano music, Stanisław Moniuszko will first and foremost be remembered as a Polish composer of beloved, national songs and operas. He employed the rhythms of Polish national dances in his works: the polonaise , mazurka , and krakowiak and was able to stir in the hearts of his fellow Poles a deeply resonating connection to the homeland; a connection at a time during Poland's history that deeply needed to be expressed and felt. His music continues to resonate in our hearts today with its engaging melodies, choice of texts, and the quality of composition. His musical endeavors were clear when he stated in an issue of Tygodnik Petersburski on September 12, 1842 that: "I tried to select verses from our best poets...being of the conviction that these poetic works show the greatest national character and colour...and that which is national or local, that which is an echo of our childhood memories, will never cease to please the inhabitants of the land on which they were born and raised."
Rossini and Donizetti:
Comic Opera at its Best
By: Jerome Barry

It would seem appropriate to write about 2 of the great bel canto composers of the era: Rossini and Donizetti since the Washington Opera Society will present their works to highlight the 2021 season. We will begin with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle to celebrate the Easter, Passover, and Ramadan holy seasons of the 3 great world religions. Our hosts will be the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. Though both composers are well-known for their comic operas and buffoon characters, the Petite Messe , is formal and religious in nature but is said to be neither petite nor solemn. We will also present La fille du régiment by Donizetti, conducted by Mexican Maestro Enrique Barrios, patronized by the Embassy of Mexico at the Organization of American States.

Having started voice lessons as the ripe old age of 12, the two composers that literally titillated me then and now are Rossini and Donizetti. In my studies with my old Maestro in Rome during the 3 ½ years with him, I learned to appreciate their creativity and downright humor. Lots of characters who are taken down and shamed, of course, all in fun, defy the stereotype that many non-opera lovers think of as what opera really is. Nobody is killed and all ends well with the “well-adjusted” people gaining ascendancy over the goofy characters they are mocking.

My love and admiration for these 2 composers was soon reinforced by the Maestro, who conducted many years at La Scala, and who understood that young boys would be entertained by comedic characters. I remember being vastly entertained in my studies of Gaetano Donizetti’s comedic opera Don Pasquale.  Here I was introduced to the concept of a “scapegoat”. The lead character is paunchy, morbidly obese and an old man desirous of a beautiful damsel to marry. Unfortunately, the Don has only one redeeming quality: He’s got money and lots of it! The protagonists are more than happy to relieve him of his fortune. This scenario presents itself with lots of comedic underpinnings.  Aside from the raucous libretto, the music is sumptuous, the arias enthrall, and thus make the ingredients of great opera. The heroine, Norina, who tricks the old Don into marrying her in a fake marriage so she can marry his nephew, eventually marries her true love and we have the makings of a great farce. 

Rossini’s comedic opera, The Barber of Seville is a more sophisticated comedy, but there are a host of characters this time, led by the lead baritone singer, Figaro, who has an amazing ability to concoct plots against his antagonists. 

Suffice it to say that each opera exposes the ridiculous aspect of the characters and will give each patron a great memory of what funny really is! For a young boy of only 12, and now a slightly older grown-up boy, these were lasting memories. Our 2 great composers—Rossini and Donizetti—will be well represented next year when the Washington Opera Society presents two great bel canto works. 
And Finally
…….
Comings & Goings
By: Michael J. Reilly

Congratulations are in order for our young tenor, Michael Butler for winning first prize in the Classical Singer Magazine’s 2020 National Convention Online competition! The first-place prize was awarded personally by the great Frederica von Stade. This prestigious competition recognizes young talent in the different stages of their development and Michael Butler was recognized in the category of classical university performers. Those of you who attended our November, 2019 production of Lehár’s Das land des Lächelens heard and saw Michael deliver an outstanding performance to a sold-out audience as he reprised the role of Chinese prince Sou- Chong at the Embassy of Austria. We will be happy to offer Michael another great role in 2021!
We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Hon. Danny Glaser to the Board of Directors which became effective in January of this year. Danny comes to us as a former Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the United States Department of the Treasury. He served under Adam Szubin, the Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence in the Obama Administration. Danny will lend a huge helping hand to the Washington Opera Society as he bridges our relationships with the Middle East embassies, including the United Arab Emirates which has pledged to sponsor our opening performance in 2021. Welcome Danny!

We are also very honored to appoint Croatian-born, Zlatica Hoke as Editor-in-Chief of our “HighNotes” online magazine. Zlatica comes to us as a reporter/journalist for the Voice of America where she has spent the last 30 years. We offer a huge welcome to “Zee” who will write about and promote classical music and opera. Her outstanding knowledge of opera will thrust the Magazine and the WOS into an ever-expanding spotlight.

And finally….we regrettably must say goodbye to our dear friend, Rebekah Tosado, who leaves the Editor post for greener pastures. Rebekah is credited with having started the Magazine and developed our outstanding content and format. Good luck to Rebekah!


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