Opera Lafayette Celebrates New York Opening of Leonore

Will Crutchfield and Ryan Brown

Opera Lafayette celebrated the New York opening of Leonore with a champagne toast on stage for both donors and the cast at The Kaye Playhouse on March 2nd.  Board co-chairs Dorsey C. Dunn and Nizam P. Kettaneh raised a glass to toast the remarkable production which the NY Times called “Fresh and sweet".

Guests included Janet Desforges (Opera Lafayette’s New York Committee member), Oriol Tomas (Stage Director), Dominique Brown, Myron Magnet, and Leonard and Annemarie Ralston.

Beethoven wrote only one opera, known today as Fidelio; Leonore is its earliest version.  Opera Lafayette’s orchestra played period instruments and, as is typical of their efforts, offered Beethoven’s music as it was performed in his day.   Musicologist Will Crutchfield, who was charged with reimaging a never-before-heard aria based on surviving texts from Beethoven, was given much deserved praise for his work reconstructing the lost music.  The orchestra was conducted by Ryan Brown, the company’s Artistic Director.  Soprano Nathalie Paulin, tenor Jean-Michele Richer and soprano Pascale Beaudin received a standing ovation for their performances.

Opera Lafayette will present the first-ever English translation of François-André Danican Philidor's French opera, The Blacksmith on April 4th at Carousel of Languages. This modern premiere will adapt the story to the late 19th-century American West and integrating American folk songs into the plot where French folk songs were originally sung. Audience participation encouraged.

Photo courtesy of PR