Lyric Opera of Los Angeles at the George & Sakaye Aratani Japan America Theatre

Lyric Opera of Los Angeles announces it's 2006/7 Season at the George & Sakaye Aratani Japan America Theatre in downtown L.A. With 3 exciting operas by some of the most well-known operatic composers of all-time, LOLA ushers in a new era of excellence in keeping with their mission to present affordable lesser-known operatic gems to the general public.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) August 20, 2006 -- The Lyric Opera of Los Angles (LOLA) is proud to announce that they will be presenting two Rare Operas at the Acclaimed George & Sakaye Aratani Japan American Theatre in Los Angeles.

The 2006/2007 season is the largest to date, with scheduled performances of Giuseppe Verdi’s Un Giorno di Regno in October, W.A. Mozart’s charming one-act “Bastien und Bastienne” in December, and Wagner’s Das Lebisverbot in May. These three productions will set new standards for The Lyric Opera of Los Angeles and marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between LOLA and the Japan American Theatre.

Verdi’s 1840 comedy, Un Giorno di Regno, tells the tale of the Polish monarch, King Stanislaus who is in hiding because of a War of Succession. In order to return to his rightfull throne, he sends in a decoy in the person of a French officer to the castle of the Barone di Kelbar, the false ruler. The Baron recently has arranged political alliances by marrying off his daughter and nice. But, to their grief, the women have other loves. On the day the real king is maneuvering to regain his throne, the false king is maneuvering to block the arranged marriages and deliver the women to their true loves.

This is a 19th century comic opera replete with mix-ups and misunderstandings. It was so popular that Verdi was commissioned to make a new musical setting of this existing text. In only his second opera, we hear the young Verdi begin to emerge from contemporary musical models to forge the language that was to become his own.

Music is performed in Italian, and supertitles are provided to help your understanding of the story throughout the performance. This production includes a full-orchestra.
Wagner’s 1834 comedy, Das Liebesverbot, tells a tale of love, loss and deception 19th Century Sicilian style.

The king temporarily takes leave of the country and hands over authority to his puritanical Regent, Friedrich. Right away, the Regent decides to take on offences to morality by enacting laws making certain acts of love punishable by death. By various twists and turns of the plot, Friedrich is caught with his own pants down. At the early age of 21, Richard Wagner composed this opera based on Shakespeare’s comedy, Measure for Measure.

Wagner’s fascination with problems of love and death would be a common theme in all his subsequent works. In Das Liebesverbot (The Ban on Love), Wagner’s second work and the first to be performed, we hear the influence of Beethoven and Weber – but especially interesting is hearing the distinct Wagner sound at his earliest and most lyrical period.

Music is performed in German, and supertitles are provided to help your understanding of the story throughout the performance. This production includes a full-orchestra.

In addition to these two rarities, the Lyric Opera of Los Angeles is proud to bring the company westward, to Santa Monica for a special benefit presentation of Mozart’s opera Bastien und Bastienne at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in December. Written at the age of 12, Bastien und Bastienne tells the tale of two star struck, if not confused lovers. While each suspects the other of infidelity, they separately seek council in the great soothsayer Colas. After realizing that their worries are in vain, Bastien and Bastienne rejoice in their happiness, and live happily ever after.

Music is performed in German, dialogue in English, and supertitles are provided to help your understanding of the story throughout the performance. This production includes a small chamber orchestra.

For more information about these productions or the Lyric Opera of Los Angeles, please contact Laura Ruiz or visit www.LyricOperaLA.org.

About Lyric Opera of Los Angeles:

Lyric Opera of Los Angeles is a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible. Founded in 2002 by Executive Director Laura Ruiz, LOLA has established itself as one of the premiere community opera organizations in the Southern California area. LOLA specializes in performing rare, yet exciting, operatic works each season. In its short existence to date, they have performed such rarities as "Der Vampyr" by Heinrich Marschner, "Cendrillon" by Pauline Viardot, "Goyescas" by Granados, "Abu Hassan" by C.M.v Weber, "Rita" by Donizetti, and Auber’s 1856 masterpiece “Manon Lescaut” at the historic Los Angeles Theatre. Their 2006/7 season includes "Un Giorno di Regno" by Verdi, "Bastien und Bastienne" by Mozart, and “Das Liebesverbot” by Wagner.

Contact:

Laura Ruiz
Executive Director
Lyric Opera of Los Angeles
1-800-471-9515
www.LyricOperaLA.org

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