The Cleveland Orchestra presents two highly expressionistic thrillers by Bela Bartók, masterfully staged in partnership with The Joffrey Ballet. Both pieces focus on the tragic, dark passions between men and women.
The Miraculous Mandarin is a sumptuous, erotic ballet telling a fantastical tale of a girl forced to act as a decoy by thugs, luring a wealthy mandarin to his tragic fate. Bartók’s ballet is equally as gripping and powerful — and as controversial — as when it first premiered.
Bluebeard's Castle is based on folk legends and infused with folk melodies. Bartók’s only opera depicts Duke Bluebeard and his young bride Judith entering a vast dark hall of his castle. Vowing to bring sunlight and joy into the castle, Judith insists on opening seven locked doors, but instead makes a series of terrifying discoveries that seals her own fate.
Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 8 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m.
Severance Hall
The Cleveland Orchestra
conducted by Franz Welser-Möst
and
The Joffrey Ballet
Ashley Wheater, artistic director
with
choreography and stage direction by Yuri Possokhov
set, lighting, and projection design by Alexander V. Nichols
costume design by Mark Zappone
and featuring
Mikhail Petrenko, bass
Katarina Dalayman, soprano
Members of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Born in Bratislava, Slovakia and raised in France and Canada, pianist/conductor Miloš Repický is on the music staff of the Metropolitan Opera, where he was recently heard playing the harpsichord continuo for Le Nozze di Figaro. At the Met, Mr Repický has been responsible for musical preparation for many operas including Patrice Chéreau's production of Janaček's From the House of the Dead, the 100th anniversary production of La Fanciulla del West, Rusalka, The Queen of Spades, Otello, Macbeth, War and Peace, Hansel and Gretel, Die Zauberflöte and has served as Czech coach for Jenúfa. His duties this season include La Bohème with Louis Langree and The Makropoulos Case, conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek.
Other operatic engagements include a co-production with the Curtis Institute and the Opera Company of Philadelphia of Janaček's Cunning Little Vixen. At the Castleton Festival, Mr Repický prepared La Bohème for Maestro Lorin Maazel. Recently, Mr Repický also prepared the Metropolitan Opera and Juilliard School landmark joint production of The Bartered Bride, conducted by James Levine.
As a pianist Mr Repický has collaborated with outstanding artists such as Michèle Losier, Katherine Whyte, Elizabeth Zharoff and Joshua Bloom at many of North America's premiere concert venues. In recital, he performed for Regina Resnik Presents, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Montreal's Jeunesses-Musicales de Canada and the Banff Centre for the Arts. In addition to the Met's radio and SIRIUS satellite broadcasts, Mr Repicky's performances have been heard on National Public Radio, Performance Today, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, New York's WQXR radio and CUNY TV. He was a featured performer on a multimedia DVD release of Pierrot Lunaire by Sundailtech Pictures. His work as conductor of the world premiere of Tobin Stokes' opera The Vinedressers was highlighted in a television documentary for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Miloš Repický studied in Victoria, British Columbia, with Robin Wood, Winifred Scott Wood, at the Manhattan School of Music with Warren Jones and is an alumnus of the Music Academy of the West, San Francisco Opera Center's Merola Programme and the Banff Centre. He has worked as a guest coach with singers at the Curtis Institute, Juilliard School, Yale University's Opera Program and the Manhattan School of Music. This spring Mr Repicky has been invited by the Juilliard School to programme and present a Liederabend of Czech songs. He collaborates regularly with Sing for Hope, a charitable arts organization and with ArtsLEAF, a web-based mentoring program.