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Long Beach Opera to stage ‘Nixon in China’

June 30th, 2009, 10:37 am · 4 Comments · posted by TIMOTHY MANGAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Long Beach Opera will stage three American operas for its 2010 season, the company has announced, including a new production of John Adams’ “Nixon in China.” Roberk Kurka’s “The Good Soldier Schweik,” based on Jaroslav Hasek’s satirical novel, and a reprisal of Ricky Ian Gordon’s “Orpheus and Euridice,” staged in a municipal swimming pool, will also be produced as part of Long Beach Opera’s 31st season.

The company’s 30th season, a return to its roots for the scrappy organization, was a decided success.

“We had an outstanding 30th Anniversary season quadrupling our
subscriber base; selling out every performance; and balancing our budget.
We are ready to show that life after 30 just gets better,” said LBO artistic and general director Andreas Mitisek in a prepared statement.

The company’s 31st season opens with two performances, at the Center Theater in Long Beach on Jan. 23 and Barnum Hall in Santa Monica on Jan. 30, of Schweik’s1957 two-act opera. The anti-war opera was given its premiere by New York City Opera in 1958 shortly after the composer’s early death at 35. It is often compared in musical style and general spirit to Kurt Weill’s “The Threepenny Opera.”

A new production of “Nixon in China,” the first in Southern California since 1990, is staged on March 20 and 28 in the Terrace Theater, the Long Beach Convention Center’s 3,000-seat performing venue. It will be the first time in many years that the company has performed in a space anywhere near that large. Casting and production personnel have not yet been announced.

The season ends with a reprise of Gordon’s “Orpheus,” staged once again in the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool, standing in for the River Styx, on June 11-13. Met soprano Elizabeth Futral and Grammy nominated clarinetist Todd Palmer return to the production, first staged here in 2008.

Early subscribers are promised as much as a 50 percent discount. More information at longbeachopera.org or call 562-432-5934.

related links: is opera coming back to o.c.?

long beach opera has an orff night

a cunning vixen in long beach

san diego opera’s 2010 season is safe, shorter

los angeles opera’s 1009/10 season announcement

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 4 Comments

  • chris says:
    June 30, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    Don’t know Gordon’s piece but good for them programming both the Kurka and the Adams. I’ve always wanted to see the Adams and the excerpts I’ve heard from the Kurka were excellent.

  • Bill Keiser says:
    June 30, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    Rumor has it that the Gordon Orpheus is being revived to accomodate Opera America who will be having a major meeting in the area at that time and asked to see the production. Hope they bring their gas masks, bench cushions, ear plugs and a great deal of patience. But I agree with Chris. The Adams and the Kurka are great additions to the local opera menu.

  • Andreas Mitisek says:
    July 1, 2009 at 9:13 pm

    As the Artistic & General Director of Long Beach Opera I like to comment on “rumors” mentioned about LBO’s Orpheus & Euridice: LBO does produce for its audience and not for incoming conferences. That Opera America (the national service organization for all US Opera companies) holds its annual conference during our production next year is a great coincidence. Contrary to Bill Keiser’s individual disliking of this production, it has been one of the most successful in Long Beach Opera history, attracting over 25% in new audiences to the art form of opera, and we had countless requests from our audience to bring this production back. If you are open minded and ready explore the possibilities of opera you need to come and see it, leave your earplugs and gas masks, trust me if Elizabeth Futral can breath and sing there you can sit and enjoy. She returns to sing it because she is enthusiastic about this production, trust her. See you at the opera!

  • Duff Murphy says:
    July 6, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    “Nixon” is a stunning piece of musical theater and argueably with Heggie’s “Dead Man” one of two late 20th century American operas that might make it to 50 and still be listenable - like really, who’s going to remember Corigliano’s “Ghosts”, Glass’s “Satyagraha” and Tan’s “Emperor”. [I momentarily got very excited thinking "Nixon" was going to be staged in the more intimate Center Theater having missed LBO's performances in the Terrace Theater since the disaster of Szymanowski's "King Roger" [was it Christopher or David Alden?] many, many years ago. But “Nixon” deserves a big band so let’s hope the LBO troupe can pack’em in.] Good luck Andreas, another season worthy of the company’s well earned reputation for innovation and risk.