With new garments flowing, Mannes College at The New School for Music will present Rossini's opera Il Viaggio a Reims, featuring The Mannes Opera with members of The Mannes Orchestra, for two performances only in New York on December 19.
Performances will take place at Hunter College's Kaye Playhouse at 1:30 p.m. (semi-staged) and 7:30 p.m. (fully staged).
This production of Il Viaggio a Reims is conceived, supervised and conducted by artistic director Joseph Colaneri. Along with his position at Mannes, Mr. Colaneri serves concurrently as artistic director of the West Australian Opera and music director of the Glimmerglass Festival. Colaneri recently completed 15 seasons on the conducting roster of the Metropolitan Opera.
First performed in 1825, Il Viaggio a Reims has been called Rossini's "lost masterpiece," because the original manuscript was only recovered, in full, in the 1970s. Rossini composed Il Viaggio A Reims as an occasional work to mark the ascendancy of King Charles X to the French throne, and the piece concerns itself directly with that event--telling the story of noblemen and women traveling to witness the coronation.
The opera offers parts for 14 soloists.
"Viaggio is a terrific match for Mannes. We have so many wonderful singers, so with Rossini writing for 14 soloists, Colaneri made a wonderful choice allowing us to show off the depth of our opera and voice programs," said Richard Kessler, dean of Mannes College.
"Performing Rossini is a tremendously beneficial study for our young singers and instrumentalists," said Colaneri. "They gain immeasurably from a technical standpoint as this music requires careful consideration of every note, ensuring that each sound produced has the maximum beauty, character and shape...our singers and instrumentalists become better musicians through their encounter with this great master's music."
Both performances will include supertitles of an English translation of the opera.
Tickets are available at the Kaye box office: 212-772-4448.
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