New Year's Eve is when I have a little look at the past year of COT activity. Of course what matters for us in the end is what we do - the three productions of the season are the justification for our existence. So I have to remind you of what we did!
We began our season with La clemenza di Tito in a wonderful production by the remarkable American director Christopher Alden. He is hugely revered all over the world - and maybe now again in Chicago. Our finely balanced cast had Dominic Armstrong in the title role and the spectacular Croation mezzo Renata Pokupic as Sesto. You see them here in repose.......Jane Glover conducted, another fine example of Jane's extraordinary wide musical sympathies and her ability to inspire and lead this wonderful cast in an absurdly underperformed opera. So yes, this was another COT revelation for our small but curious audience.
We then went on to the Peter Brook adaptation of Bizet's Carmen - a splendid distillation of the essence of the piece by one of the great minds of 20th century theater. I believe we did it justice though we were criticized for not doing the real thing - whatever that is. I think that were all pretty happy with a sexy cast that convinced in their roles and sang rather well too. What is there not to like about that? And hey there - please find me better bods than these!
And so we ended our short season wit a truly revelatory production of Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave. This penultimate opera of the great master from Suffolk was at last given the recognition it merits with a fabulous production by Ken Cazan in inspired mode, and conducted by the greatest living authority on Britten's operas, Steuart Bedford. I am pretty proud of our record with Britten. We have now done Noyes Fludde, The Rape of Lucretia, The Turn of the Screw, Death in Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream and now Owen Wingrave. I think that we have done Britten proud over the years, but for me this Owen Wingrave is a particularly satisfying moment. It is not so often that one has the occasion to rescue a masterpiece. For that is what it is......and that is what we did. And below you have just one scene that will remind those that saw this production of the special atmosphere that was created and maintained for this most satisfying evening in the theater.
Mary Jane Johnson (Miss Wingrave) Rebecca Caine (Mrs Coyle) Matthew Worth (Owen Wingrave) Jennifer Johnson (Kate Julien)
We have lots of good new stuff next season. So sign up now! And a very happy new year to you all!
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