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Speight Jenkins was appointed General Director in 1983, and immediately set about creating a new Ring production. The performances were well attended and received good press.īy 1982, the cycle was drawing opera lovers from all over the United States, as well as many other countries of the world, and Seattle appeared to be a serious rival to Bayreuth. Originally directed by George London with designer John Naccarato, later presentations were directed by Lincoln Clark between 19, and by the tenor, Ragnar Ulfung in 1984. Andrew Porter's English adaptation which was prepared for the English National Opera and which was priced below the German language cycle, introduced many new listeners to Wagner.
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Two back-to-back cycles of the Ring, one each in German and English, were presented annually between 19. In spite of the modernization of the opera productions which Ross found at the Bayreuth Festival, Seattle's were to be traditional productions and appeal to the lovers of the traditional. "Ring 1," 1975–1984 īeginning with a production of Die Walküre one year, and following successively each year with Siegfried and, finally, Götterdämmerung, Ross announced in 1975 that Das Rheingold would precede the others to make up the first consecutive Ring Cycle over six days in July. The Seattle Opera's last Ring was in August 2013, and they have stated that they have no plans to produce the Ring in the future. In 1975, it was the first American company to perform the cycle in its entirety over the space of a week since the Metropolitan Opera in 1939. There are even auto bumper stickers about opera." Further, Schonberg remarked favorably on the "air of freshness and experimentation that contrasts vividly with the dull, tried and true, tired professionalism in other opera houses one could mention." Richard Wagner at Seattle Opera įor many years, the company was noted for its performances of the works of Richard Wagner, including the Ring cycle. It is in Seattle where you can look at the sky and find an airplane skywriting the virtues of Seattle Opera. Schonberg of the New York Times contrasted Seattle Opera's approach to marketing to the then still staid marketing of New York's Metropolitan Opera: "Out there, you see campaign buttons with the legend Opera Lives. You have to be able to communicate, and you have to deliver your message with the best possible product you can manage." In 1970, H. "To sell opera…you have to get their attention with a little razzle-dazzle. Amneris encounters him and asks why he appears in such rapture.From the outset, Ross saw opera as something that had to be sold using similar techniques to those used to sell popular entertainment. Alone, Radames dreams of being selected and returning to Egypt as a glorious conqueror, dedicating his victory to the woman he loves, the Ethiopian slave, Aida. Ramfis leaves to deliver to the King the name of the general whom the goddess Isis has chosen to lead the Egyptians. In a hall of the King's palace, the high priest Ramfis and the warrior Radames discuss Ethiopia's imminent invasion of Egypt. Learn about ways to give and get involved.Įverything you need to know about attending a Seattle Opera performance.ĭiscover the many ways for people of all ages to connect with opera. Pull back the curtain and explore the inner workings of Seattle Opera.ĭonors make Seattle Opera possible. Learn more about upcoming performances in our 2022/23 season. Subscriptions, individual opera tickets, ways to save, and more.