Eastman Opera Theatre (EOT) is delighted to present another Double Bill this winter, featuring two prominent works by Richard Strauss and Henry Purcell. Beginning Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m. (with additional performances to follow), talented vocal students from the Eastman School of Music will present the Prologue from Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos and Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas under the guidance of Directors Timothy Long and Octavio Cardenas.
With music by Richard Strauss and a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, the Prologue to Ariadne auf Naxos will be sung in German with English supertitles. This comic romance takes place in the home of the richest man in Vienna, who has just thrown a dinner party and ordered entertainment for his guests. Hijinks ensue when a composer and his serious opera company arrive at the same time as a troop of improvisational comedians—and all are told that they must find a way to perform simultaneously.
Conversely, Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, libretto by Nahum Tate, realized and edited by Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst, is a romantic tragedy. The opera opens with Dido, the lovelorn queen of Carthage, aching for Aeneas, a Trojan hero, to return to her. Upon their eventual reunion, all seems to be going well for the couple, but unbeknownst to them a coven of witches is plotting the downfall of Carthage and its queen. Deception and misunderstandings ensue, triggering an irreversible anger in Dido that ultimately leads to her demise.
Director Timothy Long shares, “our winter double-bill is a combination of two great works in the operatic canon. The stories from the Ariadne auf Naxos Prologue and Dido and Aeneas bring together stories of extravagance and abandonment from over two hundred years apart. They show the timeless resilience of the human condition.” He continues, “Benjamin Britten’s 20th century edition of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas ties the two pieces together with a modern aesthetic.”
We recently spoke to EOT cast members Joelle LaChance, Emily Kondrat, and Catherine Reed to learn more about this upcoming performance.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
JL: My name is Joelle Lachance. I am a Second Year DMA Vocal Performance and Pedagogy candidate in the studio of Katherine Ciesinski. I am a zwischenfach but I call myself a mezzo-soprano. I am from Cooperstown, NY but I fell in love with Rochester during my undergrad at Nazareth University, so I moved back during the pandemic.
EK: My name is Emily Kondrat. I am a junior at Eastman now, pursuing bachelor’s degrees in both Vocal Performance and Music Education. This will be my third opera with EOT.
CC: My name is Catherine Creed, and I am a fourth-year undergraduate singer studying with Nicole Cabell. I am originally from New Jersey, and I have been singing for my whole life.
Describe the character that you’re playing and what you enjoy most about stepping into this role.
JL: I am portraying Der Komponist (The Composer) in the Prologue to Ariadne auf Naxos. He has been a dream role of mine since his aria was recommended to me in 2016. The Composer is passionate about his work and his process, almost to the detriment of everything else that is happening around him. I read somewhere that Strauss had based The Composer off of what he thought Mozart was like and I have delved into that idea in my own portrayal.
EK: I am performing as Dido in Dido and Aeneas. This is my first title role ever! To me, Dido is the epitome of a strong, independent woman. She is the Queen of Carthage and serves as a fair and just leader—she is entirely dedicated to Carthage and its people. She has a complex emotional profile; feeling things very deeply and dealing with these emotions almost strategically. She is resilient and fiery, yet also sensitive and loving. Dido has always been a dream role of mine—after each run of the opera, I find myself marveling at the opportunity to sing this magnificent music and to delve into this character.
CC: I am playing Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, who is an actress, singer, dancer and leader of her theatre troupe. She is the star of her act and is admired for it. She is often described as being coquettish which means she is very flirty, but insincere. The fun thing about the vocal fach system is that often the same voice type plays similar characters. This is my third out of four roles I have played throughout undergrad that are very similar in their characterization. They are all very girlish, flirty, and a little sneaky.
Why should people come to this show?
JL: People should come to this show because the two operas are both staples of the operatic canon. The Prologue of Ariadne auf Naxos has a crazy cast of characters, each with their own ambitions and larger-than-life personalities. The audience will find themselves laughing through the piece. Contrastingly, they’d better bring their tissues for Dido and Aeneas. Besides that, the singing is phenomenal, and the staging is unique and beautiful—definitely worth a watch.
CC: This show is a testament to the skill we have at Eastman. Not just in the musicians, but through the direction, lighting, set, costumes, production, and community here, as well. It takes a big talented team to create an amazing intimate experience in the black box!
How does it feel to be performing in a black box, as opposed to a concert hall?
CC: I have been preparing my performance in the black box to feel more like a movie than theatre. On stage, everything must be big, and in a movie, everything is subtle. The black box is somewhere in the middle. I have never been in a movie, and I don’t plan on it, but I have been preparing my role so the audience can share a very human experience, not a spectacle.
EK: The black box is an intriguing experience as a performer. It is so exposed, visually and aurally. With staging a full-blown production, the audience sits quite literally a foot or two away from the performers. This creates a unique and intimate theatrical experience. The connection between the performer and the audience is heightened by this proximity, which is fun to play with.
What can people expect from attending this double bill?
JL: This double bill is a great combination. The Prologue of Ariadne auf Naxos is, essentially, what happens backstage right before a performance (with a few exaggerations). There are characters who have jobs in the theatre (Dance Master, Diva, Wig-Maker, etc.) and those that are theatre-adjacent (Composer, Music Teacher) and it reveals what happens when a last-minute problem occurs. Dido and Aeneas is an opera from a much earlier musical period, but it fits into the same period as the tale of Ariadne auf Naxos, the opera that would traditionally follow the prologue. There is some continuity in the costuming and there are a few people who appear in both shows, but none of the characters cross over. People attending this double bill should expect beautiful and contrasting music and musical styles, innovative and engaging staging, fun costumes, a rich set, and two really amazing operas!
Performance Dates and Times (all performances will take place in Annex 804)
Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 2, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 4, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.
To purchase tickets to any of the above performances, visit the Eastman Theatre Box Office website or call 585-274-3000.