Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Eric Owens resumes role as Alberich in 'Siegfried,' hosts 'Satyagraha' HD broadcast 11/19, tours nationally

[Eric Owens (Photo Credit: Ken Howard, Metropolitan Opera)]

Sergio Mims sends us the tour schedule of the bass-baritone Eric Owens for the 2011-2012 season:

2011-2012 Tour Schedule, in addition to Metropolitan Opera performances:

November 20 - Recital presented by Cal Performances; Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley; Berkeley, CA

November 29 - Recital presented by Friends of Chamber Music Portland; Lincoln Performance Hall; Portland, OR

December 6 - Bach Cantatas with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; Alice Tully Hall; New York, NY

February 15 - Recital presented by Friends of Chamber Music Denver; Newman Center; Denver, CO
February 21 - Recital; Carnegie Hall; New York, NY

February 23-25 - Beethoven's Missa solemnis, Op. 123; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Symphony Hall; Boston, MA

February 28 - Recital presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society; Kimmel Center; Philadelphia, PA

March 6 - Beethoven's Missa solemnis, Op. 123; Boston Symphony Orchestra; Carnegie Hall; New York, NY

May 19, 26 - Salome (Jochanaan) with The Cleveland Orchestra; Severance Hall; Cleveland, OH

May 24- Salome (Jochanaan) with The Cleveland Orchestra; Carnegie Hall; New York, NY

May 30, 31 - Verdi's Requiem presented by National Arts Centre Orchestra; NAC Southam Hall; Ottawa, Canada

June 7, 9 - John Adams's A Flowering Tree (The Storyteller); Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Atlanta Symphony Hall; Atlanta, GA

July/August - Artist-in-Residence at Glimmerglass Festival 2012


New York, NY – Eric Owens's work as Alberich in the Metropolitan Opera production of Das Rheingold last season was met with universal acclaim: The Philadelphia Inquirer lauded, "Owens alone is worth the ticket"; the New York Times noted his voice was filled with "stentorian vigor"; Manuela Hoelterhoff of Bloomberg cheered, "Eric Owens, now one of the greatest bass-baritones in the world, was sublime as crazy Alberich"; and Alex Ross of The New Yorker proclaimed, "Owens's portrayal is so richly layered that it may become part of the history of the work.” It is not without a great deal of excitement, then, that audiences anticipate Owens's appearance in The Met's first full cycle of Robert Lepage's new production. Owens also embarks on a busy recital tour of his own this season, and appears in concert with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Boston and Atlanta symphony orchestras.

The Metropolitan Opera's production of Siegfried opens on October 27 and will be performed on November 1 and November 5 (HD broadcast). Götterdämmerung will be performed on January 27, 31, February 3, 7, and 11. The first complete cycles of Der Ring des Nibelungen will take place in spring 2012. Owens will sing the role of Alberich in two complete cycles: Das Rheingold on April 7 and 26; Siegfried on April 21 and 30; and Götterdämmerung on April 24 and May 3.

In addition to his on-stage duties, Owens will host his first Metropolitan Opera's HD broadcast, of Philip Glass's Satyagraha on November 19 at 12:55 p.m. EST. This matinee performance will be transmitted worldwide as part of The Met: Live in HD series, which reaches 1600 movie theaters in 54 countries.

Opera News understands that for many just seeing their favorite performers on stage and in print is not enough for audiences to connect with great artists. To give fans more access to the world of opera, the magazine hosts "The Singers' Studios: Candid and Casual Conversations." In this intimate interview series, opera singers chat with Opera News editors and writers. Last season's series was held in front of a completely sold-out audience. On November 2 at 6 p.m., Eric Owens will sit down to talk with Adam Wasserman at the Opera Learning Center of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.

Also this season, Owens embarks on a significant recital tour with pianists Robert Spano and Craig Rutenberg. With engagements in Washington, D.C., Berkeley, Portland and Philadelphia, Owens will notably perform February 21 at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall. He will sing Bach Cantatas with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on December 6. Owens will perform Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Boston and at Carnegie Hall, one of three appearances at the New York cultural institution in 2011-2012. Appearing as Jochanaan in Strauss’ Salome with the Cleveland Orchestra, Owens assumes the role in both Cleveland and at Carnegie Hall in May. Summer 2012 begins with Owens reprising the role of The Storyteller in A Flowering Tree by John Adams with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Owens will continue his summer at Glimmerglass Festival 2012 as the Artist-in-Residence. There, he will appear in Aida and Lost in the Stars, and will perform a cabaret evening.

Eric Owens's 2011-2012 recital program is as follows:
WOLF Drei Gedichten von Michelangelo
SCHUMANN "Aus den hebräischen Gesängen," Op. 25, No. 15
SCHUMANN "Muttertraum," Op. 40, No. 2
SCHUMANN "Der Schatzgräber," Op. 45, No. 1
SCHUMANN "Melancholie," Op. 74, No. 6
SCHUBERT "Prometheus," D. 674
SCHUBERT "Fahrt zum Hades," D.526
SCHUBERT "Gruppe aus dem Tartarus," D.583
SCHUBERT "Amphiaraos," D.166
DEBUSSY "Beau soir"
DEBUSSY "Fleur des blés"
DEBUSSY "L'Âme évaporée" from Deux romances
DEBUSSY "Nuits d'étoiles"
DUPARC "L’invitation au voyage"
DUPARC "Le manoir de Rosemonde"
DUPARC "Elégie"
DUPARC "La vague et la cloche"
RAVEL Don Quichotte à Dulcinée
WAGNER "Les deux grenadiers"

Acclaimed for his commanding stage presence and inventive artistry, bass-baritone Eric Owens has carved a unique place in the opera world as both a champion of new music and a powerful interpreter of classic works. Called "consistently charismatic, theatrically and vocally" by New York Magazine and "absolutely remarkable" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Owens is equally at home in concert, recital and opera performances, bringing his powerful poise, expansive voice and instinctive acting faculties to stages around the globe. Owens received great critical acclaim for portraying the title role in the world premiere of Elliot Goldenthal’s Grendel with the Los Angeles Opera, and again at the Lincoln Center Festival, in a production directed and designed by Julie Taymor. Owens also enjoys a close association with John Adams, and was featured on the September 2008 Nonesuch Records release of Adams's A Flowering Tree. He also originated the role of Leslie Groves in Adams's Doctor Atomic.

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