The 2019-2020 season of Royal Opera House ballets and operas is almost here.
Starting Christmas Eve and running through early August, Court Square Theater will screen pre-recorded live performances of amazing shows: The Nutcracker, Labohème, Elektra, the world premiere of The Dante Project and more!
The Royal Opera, under the direction of Boris Gruzin, is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based in Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned both for its outstanding performances of traditional opera and for commissioning new works by today’s leading opera composers, such as Harrison Birtwistle, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès.
2019-20 season features
- The Nutcracker - Tuesday, Dec 24, 1 pm A Christmas treat for the whole family, this classic has a special place in the hearts of ballet fans around the world (recorded in 2016).
- Concerto/Enigma Variations/Raymonda Act III- Sunday, Jan 5, 1 pm Petipa’s “Raymonda Act III” is Russian classical ballet summarized in one act, full of sparkle and precise technique, while Ashton’s “Enigma Variations” is quintessentially British in every way – from its score by Elgar to period designs by Julia Trevelyan Oman.
- Coppelia – Sunday, Feb 2, 6 pm A classic returns to The Royal Ballet repertory with Ninette de Valois’ charming and funny Coppélia – a story of love, mischief and mechanical dolls. Osbert Lancaster’s designs bring a colorful storybook world to life in this treat for the whole family.
- La bohème – Friday, Mar 20, 6 pm Richard Jones’s character-led opera production perfectly captures La bohème’s mixture of comedy, romance and tragedy, with striking designs by Stewart Laing. The cast features some of the greatest interpreters of Puccini’s bohemian lovers performing today.
The Cellist/Dances at a Gathering – Monday, April 13, 6 pm This ballet, exercise in pure dance for five couples, set to music by Chopin, is a masterpiece of subtlety and invention.
- Fidelio – Tuesday, May 4, 6 pm Beethoven’s only opera is an uplifting story of risk and triumph. Set in strong counterpoint are the ingredients of domestic intrigue, determined love and the cruelty of an oppressive regime.
- The Dante Project (World Premiere) – Monday, July 13, 6 pm Dante’s Divine Comedy uses ballet to display an epic journey through the afterlife: it encompasses the horrifying drama of Inferno and its damned, the lyrical mysticism of pilgrims on mount Purgatorio, and the dazzling spheres of Paradiso with their endless configurations of light
- Elektra - Sunday, August 2, 1 pm This uncompromising opera, about a daughter intent on bloody revenge and a mother driven to madness, has provoked critics to lively debate, and both shocked and excited audiences since its 1909 premiere.
Tickets (Adult $14, Senior $12, Student $10) are available at valleyarts.org, or by calling 540.433.9189. Arts Council of the Valley’s Court Square Theater is located at 41-F Court Square in Downtown Harrisonburg
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