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Pocket Opera In Tchaikovsky's The Queen Of Spades
Napa, CA- Pocket Opera premieres Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, The Queen Of Spades, at the Napa Valley Opera House, Sunday, May 20 at 2 p.m. The plot involves a tale of wildly romantic passion thwarted by a sinister obsession in which playfulness and horror, intoxicated rapture and suicidal despair are capped off by a touch of the supernatural. Tickets are $35 and $30.
Pocket Opera founder Donald Pippin's approach to opera is to tell the story in the clearest manner possible. He once said that there is "a whole category of operas where, if you don't know the story on the way to the theatre, you won't know it on the way home, either." With Pocket Opera presentations it is really possible to know the plot of the opera on the way home. Pippin brings the story to life via his nationally recognized English versions of opera libretti, in which he translates the spirit of the work rather than word by word, with complete fidelity to the composer's musical intentions.
For some operas, Pippin provides a personal spoken introduction to the opera or its individual acts and scenes that offers a setting for and some explanation of the story. For others his English version of the libretto carries the entire story and drama, no narrative or introduction is needed. Pocket Opera performances are accompanied by the Pocket Philharmonic, a chamber orchestra of eight to fifteen musicians, led by Donald Pippin from the piano.
Pocket Opera is a theatre of the mind and of the heart. Productions are staged with minimal costuming and without sets, using only the few practical props (a bench, a desk, a door, etc.) that are essential to convey the story. A few operas, for which staging would add little or nothing to the interpretation of the story, are performed concert style. Through the use of Pippin's singable translations and narration, through accomplished vocalists and small chamber orchestra, Pocket Opera presents the essence of opera -- affordable, accessible opera of the highest musicality for contemporary audiences.
WHO: Pocket Opera Premiere
WHAT: The Queen of Spades (Pique Dame) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
WHEN: Sunday, May 20, 2 pm
COST: $35/$30
WHERE: Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main Street, Napa, CA 94559
PUBLIC INFO: (707)-226-7372, www.NVOH.ORG
CONTACT: Teri Stevens, teri@nvoh.org, 707-603-2338
WHAT: The Queen of Spades (Pique Dame) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
WHEN: Sunday, May 20, 2 pm
COST: $35/$30
WHERE: Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main Street, Napa, CA 94559
PUBLIC INFO: (707)-226-7372, www.NVOH.ORG
CONTACT: Teri Stevens, teri@nvoh.org, 707-603-2338
More than 30 years in the making, The Napa Valley Opera House, a national historic landmark, restored the Margrit Biever Mondavi Theatre in June 2003, a second-floor theatre that was originally constructed in 1879. The NVOH 2007 Fall Season marks the fifth year of programming in the intimate 500-seat theatre, the “Jewel of Napa Valley” located in the heart of downtown Napa. Patrons experience an eclectic array of performing arts including theatre, dance, comedy, jazz, blues, world music, and family programming in a world class setting.
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