“The Merry Widow” brought to you by Musica Viva in December
Performed by an internationally renowned cast, this universally acclaimed operetta will be produced and directed by Prof Lo Kingman, in collaboration with musical director and conductor Lio Kuokman.
[Sponsored Article]
Since its 1905 premiere in Vienna, The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe in German), a three-act operreta masterpiece by Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár, has mesmerised and delighted audiences around the world.
In the timeless romantic story of how true love prevails, though with many amusing twists and turns, the libretto, based on a French comedy, revolves around a rich widow, Anna Glawari. Her immense wealth inherited from her late husband has triggered the passionate courtship by the Frenchmen at a party in Paris hosted by the state’s envoy of Pontevedro, a small Balkan state. The envoy’s primary concern is to preserve her wealth in the poverty-stricken state by ensuring that she will marry one of her compatriots. Among the suitors is the envoy’s first secretary, Count Danilo Danilovitsch, who turns out to be Anna’s first love. Their romance was opposed by the Count’s family because of Anna’s peasant background. It’s a test of true love between the honourable Count, who refuses to marry Anna for her wealth, and the love-struck Anna, who wants to know if Danilo’s feelings for her are genuine. This operetta, masterfully blending the lavish exoticism of the Balkan with the romantic vibrancy of Paris, delights the captivated audiences with a happy ending.
Throughout the past 115 years, The Merry Widow has enjoyed extraordinary international success and continued to be frequently revived around the world. Well-known music from the score includes the “Vilja Song”, “You’ll Find Me at Maxim’s”, and the “Merry Widow Waltz”.
For the upcoming Musica Viva’s production of the operetta, from December 6 to 8, the “Father of Western Opera in Hong Kong” Lo Kingman, who has wrote, directed and produced more than 180 Western operas, theatre and musicals, including The Merry Widow in 1998, will collaborate with maestro Lio Kuokman. A world-class conductor trained in Hong Kong, Lio has been regarded a ‘startling conducting talent’ by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lio has served as assistant conductor to music director Yannick Nézet-Seguin at the Philadelphia Orchestra, the first Chinese conductor to be appointed in this position in the history of the orchestra. Lio has conducted in many opera productions including: L’elisir d’amore, Pagliacci, Turandot, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, Carmen, La Bohème, and Madama Butterfly.
The leading roles in this much-loved operetta will be delivered by several celebrated opera singers. Anna will be sung by sopranos Caroline Worra (evening performances) and Jessica Sandidge (matinée). Worra has been hailed by Opera News in the United States as “one of the finest singing actresses around.” She has sung over 90 roles from over 70 operas including 20 world, American, and regional premieres. She was internationally acclaimed for her performances of Jenny in The Mines of Sulphur and as the title role for The Greater Good or the Passion of Boule de Suif.
Sandidge’s soprano voice has been described as “plush” by The New York Times. Of her recent New York City Opera debut in Donizetti’s Il Pigmalione, The New York Times wrote: "Jessica Sandidge’s belated entrance as Galatea came as something of a relief, all the more so for the loveliness of her singing."
The role of Count Danilo will be played by tenor Richard Troxell (evening performances) and baritone Jonathan Beyer (matinée). Troxell played Dan Leno in Elizabeth Cree in February 2018 and won the commendation from Chicago Opera Theater, which said, “Troxell’s Dan Leno is worth the price of admission alone, one of the finest performances you’ll ever see on an opera stage.”
Beyer has performed with many operas, including the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera and Opera Frankfurt. A review in The New York Times said “… Beyer made every word a living presence.”
The operetta’s spectacular choreography is delivered by choreographer Hu Song Wei Ricky and the principal dancers are Wei Wei and Liu Yuyao, with kind permission from the Hong Kong Ballet.
The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár
Operetta in 3 acts, performed in English with Chinese & English subtitles
Date & Time:
6-7 December, 2019 (Friday and Saturday) | 7:45pm
7-8 December, 2019 (Saturday and Sunday) | 2:30pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall