Amore Opera opens its 2010-2011 Season With TOSCA 10/15-31

Amore Opera opens its 2010-2011 season with Giacomo Puccini's classic story of love and loss, Tosca, on October 15-31 at the Connelly Theatre (220 East 4 th Street). Tickets are $40 for general admission and $35 for students and seniors. Amore will also be offering family friendly "Opera in Brief" matinee performances of Mozart's "The Magic Flute."

Tickets for this production are $15. To purchase advancetickets, visit the Amore Opera website at http://www.amoreopera.org/tickets or call the toll-free hotline at1-888-811-4111.

Patrons are able to purchase three tickets to Amore Opera's three main stage productions for$100 plus a $10 processing fee. The same three-ticket arrangement applies to senior and student tickets at $75plus a $10 processing fee. This offer is only available by calling 347-9484-588.About Amore OperaNew York Times critic, Steve Smith, wrote, "Patrons of the Amato Opera, the scrappy, beloved company thatmounted homegrown opera in New York for six decades before closing in June, surely feel right at home at theinaugural presentation by the Amore Opera, a new company established by Amato veterans." After a successful first season, Amore Opera is back to offer its Patrons an exciting second season featuringworks by Puccini, Strauss and Bizet. Last Year marked the company's debut on the New York City OperaScene.

With the on-going strength in the number of volunteer singers and orchestra musicians, who besidesperforming several nights a week, lend a hand on everything from sewing costumes and building and painting set pieces, Amore Opera is proud to continue the legacy of Anthony Amato's now extinct, Amato Opera.Equipped with a generous donation of $10,000 from Mr. Amato and the donation of costume pieces and propsfrom Mr. Ira Siff's Opera Company, La Gran Scena, Amore Opera is thrilled to continue its season at theestablished performance venue, the Connelly Theatre and under the direction of president, Nathan Hull.ToscaAngelotti, an escaped political prisoner, takes refuge in a side chapel of the historic church of Sant'Andrea dellaValle in Rome. Angelotti, believing no one to be in the church, comes out of his hiding place and heencounters, Cavaradossi, a painter, who is painting a picture of Mary Magdalene.

His lover, Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer, interrupts their meeting. She immediately becomes jealous of the woman in the painting but iscalmed by Cavaradossi and leaves. A cannon signals that the police have announced Angelotti's escape andScarpia, the sinister chief of the secret police, search the chapel. Scarpia finds a women's fan and uses it to makeTosca jealous with claims of Cavardossi's infidelity. Tosca leaves to confront Cavaradossi in his villa, where heis hiding with Angelotti; meanwhile Scarpia is savoring catching the two conspirators, Angelotti andCavaradossi, and conquering Tosca for himself. Scarpia's men arrest Cavaradossi and begin to interrogate andtorture him to find out where Angelotti is hiding. Tosca can't bear to hear the screams and reveals that Angelotti is hidden in Cavaradossi's villas.

Cavaradossi is carried in; realizing what has happened, he turns on Tosca forexposing Angelotti's location. He is taken away and Scarpia blackmails Tosca offering Cavaradossi's freedom ifshe stays with him for the evening. At first she refuses but gives in to the proposition when she learns that Angelotti has killed himself. Scarpia promises the execution will be a mock one but she kills Scarpia instead. AsCavaradossi awaits his execution, Tosca enters and coaches him on how to feign death. The death squad comesand shoots him with real bullets and when Tosca realizes this, she kills herself. 

The Magic FluteWicked women, plucky bird-catchers and mythical creatures are just some of the characters in The Magic Flute, a well-known story of love conquering all despite confounding and magical trials and tribulations for the two main characters, Tamino and Pamina. The story opens with Prince Tamino who awakens from sleep to discoverthat he has stumbled into the land of the Queen of the Night. Upon waking, he sees a strange man covered infeathers, Papageno, a bird-catcher, who boasts that it was he that killed the snake that threatened Tamino. The truth comes out when the Queen's three ladies-in-waiting reveal that it was they who killed the snake. Theypunish Papageno for his lie.

The Queen appears and shows Tamino a picture of her daughter, Pamina, who hasbeen taken from her by the wicked sorcerer, Sarastro. She promises that, if Tamino rescues Pamina, he willreceive her hand in marriage. Papageno is commanded to help Tamino in his quest. Aided by a set of magic chimes and a golden flute, the two men embark on the long journey to Sarastro's palace. The Sorcerer, Sarastro,is actually a wise priest who instructs Tamino and Papageno on how to navigate through the rituals required toenter the Temple of Light and rescue Pamina. Triumphing over hardship, the lovers finally unite and, and the magic flute has the finale melody.Performances of ToscaBy Giacomo PucciniLibretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

First performance: Rome, January 14, 1900

Amore Opera Production

Approximate running time: 3 hours

October 15 (7:30 p.m.)

October 16 (7:30 p.m.)

October 17 (2:30 p.m.)

October 21 (7:30 p.m.)

October 22 (7:30 p.m.)

October 23 (7:30 p.m.)

October 24 (2:30 p.m.)

October 27 (7:30 p.m.)

October 28 (7:30 p.m.)

October 29 (7:30 p.m.)

October 30 (7:30 p.m.)

October 31 (2:30 p.m.)

Performances of The Magic Flute By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto by Emanuel SchikanederFirst performance: Vienna, September 30, 1791

Amore Opera Production

Approximate running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

October 23 (11:00 a.m.)

October 23 (3:00 p.m.)

October 30 (11:00 a.m.)

October 30 (3:00 p.m.)

AdmissionTickets for Tosca are priced from $30-$45 and tickets for The Magic Flute are $15.00. Tickets may bepurchased online at www.amoreopera.org, or by calling their toll-free hotline at 1-888-811-4111 or directly atthe box office the day of the performance.

The Connelly Theater is located on the South Side of East 4 th Street between Avenues A & B. The closest subway is the F train at 2nd Avenue-Houston Street. Exit 1st Avenue. Walk north on 1st Avenue to East 4thStreet, then east to the theatre. You can also take the M9 bus from East 14th Street and 3rd Avenue to AvenueB and East 4th Street Stop

To post a comment, you must register and login.