Ai Ra / Rezensionen

dell'Arte Opera Ensemble has announced its 2022 summer festival: Finding Home. The repertory season will include IL RITORNO D'ULISSE IN PATRIA, by Claudio Monteverdi, PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE, by Claude Debussy, and the professional premiere of JUANA, by Carla Lucero and Alicia Gaspar de Alba. A series of 3 song recitals is included in the festival. The Finding Home festival will be performed in the Nagelberg Theatre at Baruch Performing Arts Center, on Lexington Avenue at 55 Lexington Avenue 25th St. between 3rd & Lexington Avenues in New York City, with 17 performances from August 6-28, 2022. RITORNO will be performed on August 13, 20, 24, 27m; PELLÉAS will be performed August 6, 7m, 12, 14m, 26, 28m, and JUANA will be performed on August 21m, 23, 25, 27. Three song recitals are to be performed August 10, 18, 20m. Artistic Director Chris Fecteau explains: "The theme of 'Finding Home' resonates through all three operas. Each protagonist, Ulisse, Mélisande, and Juana, is seeking safe haven among strangers and the freedom to live their own lives to the fullest. It is especially exciting to be presenting the premiere of Juana, a Spanish language opera which celebrates the life of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. Juana was Mexican nun famed for her intellect, her poetry and art. She challenged the Inquisition in defense of the women's rights to education and equality. LatinX audiences will find in her a familiar heroine represented on the Mexican 100 Peso note!" Acclaimed stage director Chuck Hudson, a member of the dell'Arte faculty since 2007, will lead PELLÉAS, with Eldred Marshall serving as the musical leader from the keyboard. The period orchestra for RITORNO will be led by Caitlyn Koester, with Jessica Harika serving as stage director. The conductor for JUANA will be Alfonso J. Piacentini, with Rod Gomez in the director's seat.