Lyric Opera House Presents WNO Performing TURANDOT In Concert 6/2

The Lyric Opera House is proud to present Washington National Opera (WNO) performing Giacomo Puccini's Turandot in concert, Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is adapted from WNO's production of Turandot, running at Washington's Kennedy Center Opera House, May 16 to June 4. The concert features all leading and supporting cast from WNO's production, including internationally renowned Russian soprano Maria Guleghina as Princess Turandot, Argentine tenor Dario Volonté as Calaf and Slovenian soprano Sabina Cvilak as Liù. Conductor Giovanni Reggioli leads the WNO Orchestra and Chorus. Turandot is performed in Italian with English supertitles. Artist biographies and complete concert and casting information are below. High-resolution images and select audio clips are available here; additional materials are available upon request.

The announcement comes one month after financial hardships forced the 51 year-old Baltimore Opera Company to permanently close its doors, leaving Baltimore without a major opera company.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Plácido Domingo's world-class Washington National Opera to Baltimore," stated Sandy Richmond, Executive Director of the Lyric. "Opera is integral to the region's cultural life; the audience for opera is strong, sophisticated and growing. The Lyric has a long history of hosting opera of the highest quality, and we're proud to continue that tradition with WNO. "

"Washington National Opera wants to do everything within our power to keep the tradition of world-class opera alive for our neighbors in Baltimore," stated WNO Executive Director Mark Weinstein.

"On behalf of the WNO family, I thank the Lyric Opera House board for the gracious invitation to perform a concert version of Turandot," commented WNO's General Director, Plácido Domingo. "With international talent like Maria Guleghina in the role of Turandot and Dario Volonté as Calaf and Sabina Cvilak as Liù, as well as Puccini's stunningly beautiful score, this concert will be a celebration of great opera in Baltimore."

Based on a Persian fable set in ancient China, Turandot tells the story of the coldhearted Mandarin princess who declares the she will marry the man who can answer three riddles. Drawn to Princess Turandot's incomparable beauty, countless suitors vie for her hand, despite the fact that those who fail are mercilessly beheaded. Appearing before a crowd of peasants, proclaiming that she will never be possessed by a man, Turandot is horrified when a mysterious stranger -the exiled Prince Calaf in disguise - answers each riddle correctly. The stranger offers a compromise: he will give up his life if Turandot can discover his name before dawn. The kingdom is kept awake all night as the people try to discover the stranger's name. In the end, Calaf kisses the Princess, whose icy heart is melted, and she announces that she at last knows the stranger's name - "Love."

Turandot was the last opera of the great composer Giacomo Puccini, who died in 1924, leaving his score incomplete. It was completed by Franco Alfano, and readied for its premiere on April 25, 1926 at La Scala in Milan. Along with Madame Butterfly (another Asian-inspired Puccini opera), Tosca and La Bohème, Turandot is also one of Puccini's most popular and widely performed operas, thanks to its grand fairytale, majestic locale, and unforgettable music including one of the most famous arias of all time. Famously sung at the 1990 World Cup and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, "Nessun Dorma" has achieved pop status, even becoming the highest ranking classical recording ever on the UK Singles Chart, thanks in part to performances by The Three Tenors, including WNO General Director Plácido Domingo.

Puccini's Turandot-In Concert

A Lyric Opera House presentation of Washington National Opera

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. Baltimore, 21201

Conductor Giovanni Reggioli

Princess Turandot Maria Guleghina
Calaf Darío Volonté
Liù Sabina Cvilak
Timur Morris Robinson

Ping Nathan Herfindahl

Pang Norman Shankle

Pong Yingxi Zhang

A Mandarin Oleksandr Pushniak

The Emperor Altoum Robert Baker

Prince of Persia Seong Won Nam

Tickets for Turandot range $40.00 to $100.00. Tickets are currently available in person at the Lyric Box Office (Monday - Friday, 10a.m.-5p.m.) , through the Lyric's Audience Services, 410-900-1150, charge by phone at 410-547-SEAT(7328), and online at ticketmaster.com.

For more information about Washington National Opera, visit www.dc-opera.org. For more information about Lyric Opera House, visit www.lyricoperahouse.com.

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