Get ready for passion, lust, adultery, betrayal, infidelity and more as the new season of Opera Carolina brings it all to Charlotte again this year. Two of the Opera Carolina performances this year should be familiar ~ as both the tale of Madame Butterfly and Samson and Delilah are stories we know and love. And this season will introduce us to the unique experience of dual Operas in October, showcasing two for the price of one with their performance of Pagliacci with Cavalleria Rusticana 🙂
Before we detail the three upcoming performances, we can answer a few of the most common questions scoop girls usually have about attending the Opera, including, of course, What to Wear.
~ What to Wear? You will see it all. From Black Tie & Gowns to business casual to downright casual. We like to wear “Dressy Dinner Out, Jacket & Tie” ~ sometimes with a maxi or floor-length skirt for added flavor.
~ What Are They Saying … or Actually, Singing? Not to worry. Yes the performances are in Italian (or French), but English translations are projected on a screen above the stage as they are sung.
~ Where to Park? Blumenthal Performing Arts offers a special $10 parking rate at the Bank of America parking garage for Opera performances. To take advantage of this offer, you should purchase a pre-paid parking pass when you are buying your tickets.
~ When Do I Shout Bravo? At the end of big arias and, of course, at the final curtain calls. Feel free to shout out “Bravo!” (for a male performer), “Brava!” (for a female performer) or “Bravi!” (for an ensemble).
~ Please do NOT Be Late. Opera Carolina has a late-seating policy and latecomers will not be admitted to the theater until intermission or on rare occasions when the conductor has designated an appropriate interval for seating.
~ What is the deal with an Opera Carolina Subscription? You may save with the Three-Opera Subscription to receive up to a 29% discount on your tickets and have the opportunity to retain your seats year-to-year, or the Two-Opera Subscription to save 19%. And ages 17 and younger receive 50% off the adult subscription price.
The 2023/24 Season of Opera Carolina
Ruggero Leoncavallo – Pietro Mascagni
PAGLIACCI WITH CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
October 28 & 29, November 2, 2023
Even though Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci weren’t originally intended to be performed together, they have been pretty much an inseparable duo since the Metropolitan Opera first presented the pair as a double bill in 1893.
Why? Per WQXR, NY Public Radio, “taken together, Cavalleria and Pagliacci are a masterclass in verismo. In opera, verismo works focus on emotionally intense and violent stories, often emphasizing the lives of common people, in order to be more realistic. Cavalleria tells the story of Tirridu, a soldier who, after learning his love Lola has married another while he was away, seduces Santuzza in order to spite his ex-fiancée. Lola and Turridu eventually begin their own adulterous tango, pushing Lola’s husband, Alfio, to take violent retribution. Pagliacci, on the other hand, is a quintessential play-within-a-play. It concerns a traveling theater troupe that includes the clown Canio, his wife Nedda and her lover Silvio. Canio suspects Nedda of carrying on an affair, and those suspicions lead him to erupt into violence during the troupe’s performance of a comedy, which, coincidentally, closely mirrors the tangled affairs of its cast members’ lives.”
Taken from newspaper headlines, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci [Cav/Pag] are two tragic tales of love, infidelity, and betrayal juxtaposing in the lives of ordinary people — emotionally intense, passionate, and dramatic.
Giacomo Puccini
MADAME BUTTERFLY
January 25, 27, 28, 2024
One of opera’s most enduring stories of love and cultural bias, Puccini’s moving score follows the true, tragic story of Cio-cio san, a young Japanese girl who falls in love with an American naval officer with devastating consequences. In turn-of-the-century Nagasaki a dashing American naval officer choses delicate Cio-Cio-san (means butterfly in Japanese) to be his bride. A naïve young geisha on the verge of womanhood, the smitten and loyal Butterfly dismisses warnings of the lieutenant’s ulterior motives. When betrayal inevitably strikes, and Butterfly must endure both shame and sorrow, she decides to take destiny into her own hands–leading to one of the most devastating and legendary final scenes in all of opera.
Camille Saint-Saëns
SAMSON AND DELILAH
April 18, 20, 21, 2024
Obsession. Lust. Revenge. Old Testament politics and a timeless power struggle. This ancient tale of strength, vengeance, lust, and seduction is one of the most popular operas in French repertoire. Famous for its sensual “Bacchanale” and the aria “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix.” From Chapter 16 of the Book of Judges, this Biblical drama of seduction and betrayal comes to life in this lavish grand opera. Samson, the leader of the Israelites, can be conquered by none – except the Philistine beauty Delilah. The opera is a dazzling virtuoso and expressive vehicle for the two leads, and is admired for its combination of brilliant sound and dramatic emotion.
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