'Salome' to Open Met Opera Simulcasts
at the Music Academy's Hahn Hall
For Immediate Release September 29, 2008
Contact:
Tim Dougherty
805.695.7908
Santa Barbara, CA – Four years after her bravura performance in Richard Strauss' Salome rocked the Metropolitan Opera, soprano Karita Mattila will reprise her stunning interpretation of the title role in the Met's first "Live in HD" simulcast of the 2008-09 season at the Music Academy of the West on Saturday, October 11. The Music Academy's Hahn Hall will air the live simulcast at 10 am as well as an encore screening at 2 pm on Sunday, October 12. Tickets cost $22. Free parking is available on the Music Academy campus.
According to The New York Times' Anthony Tommasini, Ms. Mattila's 2004 turn as Salome was "vocally blazing and dramatically shattering." The New Yorker called it "a dream performance ... as if [the role] had been written for her." Commenting on the new production, which includes the unforgettable "Dance of the Seven Veils," choreographed by Doug Varone, Mr. Tommasini writes: "Vocally Ms. Mattila is born to this daunting role, singing with an eerie combination of cool Nordic colorings and raw power. She can spin a Straussian melodic line with sumptuous lyricism. But when Salome erupts in a spasm of twisted desire or childish petulance, Ms. Mattila unleashes chilling, hard-edged top notes that slice through Strauss' king-size orchestra." The production also features baritone Juha Uusitalo as Jochanaan. Patrick Summers conducts.
The 2008-09 "Live in HD" season at the Music Academy kicked off September 22 with a live simulcast of the Met's opening night gala featuring soprano Renée Fleming in fully staged scenes from three operas. The series will continue on Saturday, November 8, with a live simulcast of John Adams' contemporary masterpiece Doctor Atomic, starring Music Academy alumna Sasah Cooke, among others. The Met has announced that its "Live in HD" series will feature 11 transmissions for 2008-09, including the opening night gala. Season highlights include the December 20 performance of Massenet's Thaïs, conducted by Jesús López-Cobos and with Ms. Fleming in the title role and Music Academy Distinguished Alumnus Thomas Hampson appearing as the monk Athanaël, and the March 21 performance of Bellini's La Sonnambula, starring Natalie Dessay and Music Academy alumnus Juan Diego Flórez. Most Met performances will be simulcast on Saturdays at 10 am local time, with encore screenings on Sundays at 2 pm.
Under an agreement announced in the spring, the Music Academy became one of about 70 nonprofit organizations to participate in the Met's groundbreaking "Live in HD" series. Launched in December 2006, the series features live transmissions of Met Opera performances to select venues in 17 countries throughout the world. Most participating venues are movie theaters. The transmissions are in high definition, and performances are captured using robotic cameras and other advanced technologies. As a result, simulcast viewers can see the onstage action from striking angles and enjoy a heightened awareness of the narrative elements of both the performance and the production. Simulcasts also include behind-the-scenes features, live interviews with cast and crew, and insightful short documentaries.
The series has met with impressive commercial and critical success, prompting the Met to increase the number of transmissions from eight last season and to rapidly expand its pool of participating venues. Music Academy benefactors Leatrice Luria and Leslie Ridley-Tree funded the technology necessary to simulcast the Met transmissions in Hahn Hall.
For more information, call 969-8787.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation's preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, as well as guest conductors and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, including performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; masterclasses; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.
