The 2018 season will consist of four brand new productions, kicking off with Verdi’s La traviata, followed by Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, and the season’s rarity Mascagni’s Isabeau.
After the success of our co-production with Danish National Opera with La Cenerentola we’re happy to announce our second co-production, Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos with Scottish Opera. Performances will be held in Scotland in February and March 2018 before the production moves to OHP in July 2018.
The conductor for both houses will be Brad Cohen, who last appeared at OHP in 2015 in Flight. OHP favourite Jennifer France returns as Zerbinetta, the Prima Donna/Ariadne will be sung by Mardi Byers and the Tenor/Bacchus by Kor-Jan Dusseljee. Stephen Gadd will sing the role of Music Master at OHP and the director and designer Antony McDonald makes his OHP debut.
Mozart’s Così fan tutte follows with the return to OHP of Sarah Tynan in the role of Despina, Kitty Whately as Dorabella and Nicholas Lester as Guglielmo.
La traviata marks the return of Director Rodula Gaitanou and International Opera Awards Best Designer nominee Cordelia Chisholm, they last worked together at OHP on The Queen of Spades in 2016. Making her role debut as Violetta will be Lauren Fagan (Donna Anna at OHP in Don Giovanni, 2017). This production will also host a special Schools Matinee performance through which 1,000 young people from across London will have the chance to discover opera.
OHP has a long tradition of exploring rare operas from the late Italian period and in 2018 adds Mascagni’s Isabeau to its repertoire. Known almost solely for Cavalleria rusticana, OHP dispelled the myth that Mascagni is a one-hit wonder with the sell-out production of Iris in 2016. The principal tenor role of Folco will be performed by David Butt Philip. Isabeau’s librettist was Luigi Illica, Mascagni’s collaborator on Iris, and it draws upon similar richly scored Wagnerian musical influences as that opera. The work – a take on the Lady Godiva story – premiered in 1911 and was Mascagni’s attempt to revive the romanticism of Italian opera.
OHP is delighted to be welcoming back The Royal Ballet School for their end-of-year, Summer Performances in 2018. These four performances offer a rare opportunity to glimpse the next generation of aspiring young ballet dancers.
