METRMAG Spotlight On: "Iphigénie en Tauride" - Christoph Willibald Gluck - Boston Baroque (Brighton, MA.)
Boston Baroque
Presents
Christoph Willibald Gluck’s
"IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE"
Starring Soula Parassidis, William Burden, Jesse Blumberg, and David McFerrin
Written by Christoph Willibald Gluck
Directed by Mo Zhou
The opera comes to life in the hands of conductor and Founding Music Director Martin Pearlman and stage director Mo Zhou, and stars Greek-Canadian soprano and Living Opera CEO Soula Parassidis in the role of "IPHIGÉNIE," opera star tenor William Burden as "Pylade," baritone Jesse Blumberg as "Oreste," baritone David McFerrin as "Thoas," Soprano Angela Yam (making her Boston Baroque debut in this performance) as "Diana."
Soula Parassidis will be making her debut appearance with Boston Baroque. She last performed the role in March 2023 at the Pallas Theatre in Athens, Greece as part of the centennial celebrations of the late Maria Callas.
The opera will be sung in French with English supertitles.
GBH Calderwood Studio in Brighton, MA.
Performances:
April 20 & 21, 2023 at 8:00pm
April 23, 2023 at 3:00pm
The Friday evening performance will also be livestreamed on the global streaming platform IDAGIO, welcoming virtual audiences around the world alongside live studio audiences on site.
TICKETS:
Both in-person and livestream tickets are available for purchase online at baroque.boston or by calling the Box Office at # 617-987-8600.
Livestream tickets begin at $9.00, and in-person tickets range from $50-$175.
The virtual performance will become available to stream on-demand 30 days after the live air date, with on-demand rentals beginning at $9.00.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), a composer esteemed in his time, is sadly neglected today in modern concert halls.
However, his influence is still felt today within opera, as he is credited with breaking down formal conventions to make opera dynamic and truly dramatic—qualities seen clearly in his opera "IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE."
Widely considered Gluck’s greatest achievement, the story is derived from the Ancient Greek play by "Euripedes," but with some creative twists.
It tells a story which forgoes the traditional pair of operatic lovers, focusing instead on the relationship between sister and brother, Iphigénie and Oreste, and on the love between two close friends, Oreste and Pylade.
The seemingly simple, continuous music carries forward the drama with fluidity, upending many of the traditional operatic musical conventions.
“I believe the story of 'IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE' will be especially relevant to audiences,” says stage director Mo Zhou, “and I believe many will relate to the character of Iphigénie. She is a loner trapped in a foreign land, facing the loss of family and trying very hard to reconcile with the trauma of the past. This story—her story—is about how to move on and reconcile with the wounds of the past through humanity.”
Ms. Zhou has brought together a world-renowned crew for the new production, including projection designer Camilla Tassi (Carnegie Hall), and costume designer Neil Fortin (Opera Omaha, Boston Baroque).
They are joined by GBH Production Group’s incredible in-house crew, including Lighting Designer Fred Young. Livestream Director Matthew Principe (Metropolitan Opera, Detroit Opera) will bring the story to life for virtual audiences joining from near and far.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
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ABOUT BOSTON BAROQUE
The six-time GRAMMY®-nominated Boston Baroque is the first permanent Baroque orchestra established in North America and, according to Fanfare Magazine, is widely regarded as “one of the world’s premier period instrument bands."
The ensemble produces lively, emotionally charged, groundbreaking performances of Baroque and Classical works for today’s audiences performed on instruments and using performance techniques that reflect the eras in which the music was composed.
617-987-8600
