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Contents

The Minnesota Opera

President & CEO Kevin SmithArtistic Director Dale Johnson

Chair, Board of Directors J. A. Blanchard, III

The Minnesota Opera, 620 North First Street Minneapolis, MN 55401 (612) 333-2700

www.mnopera.org

The Minnesota Opera is a member of OPERA America.

The Minnesota Opera Programis published by

Corporate Administrator/Publisher Todd HydeAssoc. Publisher/Director of Production Marsha Kitchel

Account Executive Liesl Hyde, Amy NewtonCreative Designer Stacy Hawkins

Graphic Designers Sue Sentyrz Klapmeier, Robert OchsnerSusan Schwegman

This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State ArtsBoard through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature. This project is

supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

April 2007

Large-print and Braille programs are available at the Patron Services Office

The Minnesota Opera Staff and Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Notes from the Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Lakmé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Background Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Léo Delibes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

The Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The Minnesota Opera Chorus and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra . . . . . 20Coming up: The Marriage of Figaro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Education at the Opera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26The Minnesota Opera Annual Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Opera at the Ordway Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312007-2008 Season Announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Young Professionals Group Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 TBD

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MINNESOTA OPERA Staff

MINNESOTA OPERA Volunteers

Welcome to today’s production of Lakmé. Formore than four decades, The Minnesota Operahas enriched the cultural life of our communityby producing outstanding and innovative operasthat inspire and entertain.

U.S. Bank is honored to sponsor the 2006 –2007 season. We are proud of our 20+ yearrelationship with The Minnesota Opera and thespectacular Ordway in St. Paul.

At U.S. Bank, we support great dreams, great art and great arts organizations. They enrich thecommunity with vibrancy, creativity and excellence. As the sixth largest bank in Americatoday, U.S. Bank is the only major bank headquartered in Minnesota, and we’re deeplycommitted to giving back to this community.

Thank you for coming and enjoy the performance!

Rod Boren, Senior Vice President, Personal Trust Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group Jose Peris, Senior Vice President, Private Banking Regional Manager, U.S. Bank Private Client Group and Minnesota Opera Board Member

President & CEO Kevin SmithArtistic Director Dale Johnson

ArtisticArtistic Administrator . . . .Roxanne Stou∂er CruzArtistic Associate . . . . . . . . Floyd AndersonCommunity Education Director . . . . . . . . . . .

Jamie AndrewsDramaturg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David SanderConductor-in-residence . . . . . .Robert WoodResident Artists . . . . . . . . . .Kyle Albertson,

Alison Bates, Andrea Coleman, Jamie-RoseGuarrine, Joshua Kohl, Bryan Lemke,

Kelly Markgraf, Cortez Mitchell, Edward Mout, Bill Murray,

Nili Riemer, Eric Schnobrick, Hugo VeraRAP Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy Boler, Carlotta Dradi-Bower, Doug Scholz-Carlson,

Barbara Kierig, Peter Robinson Master Coach . . . . . . . . .Mary Jo GothmannLibrarian . . . . . . . . . . . .Griffin WoodworthTeaching Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lisa ButcherProject Opera Apprentices . . . . .Setara Barukzoy,

Celeste Johnson, Siri Jorstad, Kaitlin VeryProject Opera Music Director . . . Dale KruseProject Opera Accompanist . . .Kathy KraulikEducation Intern . . . . . . . . . . .Nick Nolte

ProductionProduction Director . . . . . . . Kevin RamachProduction Stage Manager . . . . . Alex FarinoAssistant Stage Managers . . . . .Casey Martin,

Angie SpencerProduction Admin Asst. . Katherine Cattrysse

CostumesCostume Shop Manager . . . .Erica M. BurdsAssistant Costume Shop Manager . .Beth SandersDrapers . . . . . . . . .Chris Bur, Yancey Thrift,

Angela Yarbrough Costume Technicians . . . .Helen Ammann,

Rebecca Ballas, Jennifer Dawson, Mary Farrell, Rose Ryan

Wig/Makeup Designer. . . . . . . Tom WatsonWig/Makeup Assistants . . . . . . . . Mary Farrell,

Sarah Opstad, Emily Rosenmeier, Ashley Ryan

SceneryTechnical Director . . . . . Mike McQuistonAsst. Technical Director. . . Marc D. JohnsonLighting Coordinator . . . . . . . . . Tom Rost

Scenery cont.Properties Master . . Stanley Dean HawthorneProperties Assistant . . . . . . . . . Mike LongProduction Carpenter . . . . . . . . . JC AmelScene Shop Foreman . . . . . . . . . . Rod AirdMaster Carpenter . . . . . . . . . .Steven RovieCarpenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eric VeldeyCharge Painter . . . . . . . . Kevin Noteboom

DesignersSet & Costume Designer . . Mark ThompsonLighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jane Cox

AdministrationFinance Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Je∂ CoutureOperations/Systems

Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve MittelholtzHR/Accounting Manager . . . . Jennifer ThillExecutive Assistant . . . . . . . Theresa MurrayFinance Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Libby JonesIT Applications Specialist . . . . . .Jessica Wright

Institutional AdvancementVice President of Institutional

Advancement . . . . . . . . . . .Patrick DewaneInstitutional Advancement

Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kelly Clemens

DevelopmentDirector of the Annual Fund . . . .Dawn LovenCorporate and Government

Gifts Manager . . . . . . . . . . . Linda JohnsonInstitutional Gifts Associate/Gala Coordinator

Emily SkoblikIndividual Gifts Associate . . . .Megan Stevenson

Marketing/CommunicationsMarketing and Communications Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lani WillisAudience Development Associate . . Jamie NiemanTicket O∑ce Manager . . . Katherine CastilleTicketing and Communications Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert SchmidtTicket O∑ce Assistants . . . . .Kendra Ramthun,

Brianne Whitcraft, Max Wirsing, Alexandrea Kouame,

Communications Intern . . . . . . . . . . Bomi Kim

The following volunteers contribute their time and talent in support of key activities of The Minnesota Opera.

Catherine AhernAnn AlbertsonGerald BensonJim Brownback*Sue BrownbackSarah BurmanChristine BussJerry CassidyDiane ChoihJoann CierniakSusan CoggerCaroline CoopersmithBeverly Dailey*Denis DaileyJeanette DaunTimothy DavisLee DrawertJudith DuncanSally EconomonSvea ForsbergChristopher FosterHazel FrancoisLi-Jun FuJane FullerJoan Gacki*Alex Garay

Christine A. Garner*Juhi Gupta-GulatiMark GustinMary E. HagenMark HahnLucinda HalletMerle J. HansonJohn Harris*Cari Beth HeadAnne HesselrothHeather HuberAlisandra JohnsonKaren JohnsonNancy JohnsonSteve JohnsonJeannie JohnstonKristen JohnstonRobin KeckDawn KlassenShannon KloneckiEleanore KolarLucinda LamontShirley LarsonMathilda LienJerry LillquistJoyce Lillquist

Maura LoMonicoAbby MarierMargery MartinJoan MasuckYasuko MatsumotoMary McDiarmid*Beth McGuireVerne MelbergJeanette MiddletonIrma MonsonBarbara MooreDoug MyhraDenise NicholsPam NielsenDavid NifoussiCandyce OsterkampDan PanshinPat PanshinMegan PelkaHolly PetersonBill PhillipsSydney PhillipsJulia PorterCarol PurvisKathleen RileyShannon Robinson

Leigh RoethkeJohn RosseEmma RotilieEnrique RotsteinJohn SauerLynette SaucierMichael SilhavyWendy SilhavyAngie SolomonWendi SottNaomi St. GregoryKaren St. JohnKatie SteermanHarry SwepstonDave TerwilligerEmily ThompsonDoris UngerStacey VonderhearCarolyn WahteraMary WeitzBarbara Willis*Elizabeth Cutter WilsonKathie WojtkiewiczEve Yang

*Lead volunteer

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Welcome to TheGrapes of Wrath.

The opera indus-try, like any suc-cessful business,needs to invest inthe creation of new

product. This is one reason why TheMinnesota Opera regularly intro-duces new and unfamiliar works toour audience.

Yet commissioning an opera is nosmall feat, and the raising of thiscommission – with its 18 principals, acast of 50 and 60 musicians in the pit– has certainly taken a village. Thereare many generous sponsors to thank,and I invite you to read the acknowl-edgments on page 10 of this program.

Without the major support of nationalpresenting sponsor AmeripriseFinancial, The Grapes of Wrath would

simply not be possible. The MinnesotaOpera could not have initiated thisproject without the support of long-time friends Ruth and John Huss,who provided the “start-up capital” forthe commission. Nor could we havedone it alone, and we are grateful forthe forward vision of Anne Ewers andUtah Symphony & Opera for comingon as a co-commissioner from themoment we had secured the musicrights to The Grapes of Wrath. UtahSymphony & Opera, along withcoproducers Pittsburgh Opera andHouston Grand Opera, are essentiallythe venture capitalists. We’d also liketo salute The National Endowment forthe Arts and OPERA America fortheir support of this project and fortheir leadership role in creating athriving American opera industry.

Kevin Smith, President and CEO

Welcome to thislong-awaited world premiere.

More than a decadeago, after workingwith director EricSimonson on our

last commissioned opera, Bok ChoyVariations, I started to look for a topicfor a new commission. I felt we were inneed of operas that speak to us as apeople right now the way Mozart’s andVerdi’s operas spoke to the audiences oftheir times. I looked to Aida as amodel. Aida’s intimate story of threecentral characters is told in a broadersocial context. When I reread TheGrapes of Wrath, I knew it could be anopera. The Joad family story is told inan epic context – the mass migrationof tenant farmers from the ruined landsof the Dust Bowl to the harsh reality ofCalifornia’s corporate agriculture.

Steinbeck’s 75-year-old portrayal ofDust Bowl-era disenfranchisement,

homelessness and corporate indiffer-ence rings sadly true in today’s world.As in the 1930s, there is displace-ment of whole populations caused by natural, economic and political disasters. We only have to look atHurricane Katrina’s refugees to knowthis is still a relevant American story.

To tell this story, we assembled a talented creative team of Americanartists: Academy Award-winningdirector Eric Simonson, the distinctlyAmerican composer Ricky IanGordon and the talented wordsmithand theater man, Michael Korie.Together, they have created a power-ful opera that we think will resonatein the hearts of everyone who stillseeks the American Dream.

I hope you enjoy America’s newestopera, The Grapes of Wrath.

Dale Johnson, Artistic Director

NOTES FROM THE Leadership

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BOARD OF DirectorsFROM THE Artistic Director

FROM THE President

OfficersJ. A. Blanchard III, Chair

Jane M. Confer, Vice ChairRuth S. Huss, Secretary

Denver Gilliand, TreasurerKevin Smith, President & CEO

Directors

Directors EmeritiKaren BachmanBurton Cohen

Julia W. DaytonMary W. Vaughan

Honorary DirectorsDominick Argento

Philip BrunelleElizabeth CloseDolly Fiterman

Charles C. FullmerNorton M. Hintz

Liz KochirasPatricia H. Sheppard

Legal CounselJames A. Rubenstein, Moss & Barnett

Martha Goldberg AronsonSusan S. BorenKathleen CallahanNicky B. CarpenterRichard P. CarrollRachelle D. ChaseSusan J. CrockettMary A. DearingSara DonaldsonChip EmeryThomas FoleySteve FoxSharon HawkinsKaren L. HimleHeinz F. HutterPhilip Isaacson

Lucy Rosenberry JonesMichael F. Kelly, Jr.B. John LindahlLynne E. LooneyDiana E. MurphyBrian E. PalmerDebra PatersonJose PerisMary Ingebrand PohladStephanie J. PremElizabeth RedleafConnie RemeleStephanie SimonMitchell StoverVirginia StringerH. Bernt von Ohlen

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Presented by arrangement with Opera Australia and Opéra de Montréal. Sets and Costumes designed by Mr. Mark Thompson; Original

Lighting Designer, Mr. Gavin Swift; Original Director, Mr. Adam Cook; Original Choreographer, Ms. Elizabeth Hill.

The appearances of Youngok Shin, winner; Alison Bates and Joshua Kohl, regional finalists; and Kyle Albertson, Jamie-Rose Guarrine, Chad Johnson,

Edward Mout and Nili Riemer, district finalists of the Metropolitan Opera NationalCouncil Auditions, are made possible through a Minnesota Opera Endowment Fund

established for Artist Enhancement by Barbara White Bemis.

Performances of Lakmé are being taped for delayed broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio, KSJN 99.5 in the Twin Cities.

The 2006–2007 Season Preview Recording is madepossible, in part, with the assistance of Universal Music,featuring Lakmé on its London/Decca label (catalogueno. 425 485-2 conducted by Richard Bonynge).

The Minnesota Opera season is sponsored by FAF Advisors and U.S. Bank.

The appearances of the 2006–2007 season conductors are underwritten by SpencerStuart.

Opera Insights is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation.

Intermission reception sponsored byLowry Hill Private Wealth Management.

Much like the forgotten gems of the Bel Canto period,French opera is undergoing a renaissance withrenewed interest in the lesser-known works of Jules

Massenet and the one- or two-hit wonders Charles Gounod,Georges Bizet, Camille Saint-Saëns and Ambroise Thomas.

Even Léo Delibes’ Lakmé, after its resoundinglysuccessful premiere in 1883 and afterholding court at Paris’ Opéra-Comique for80 years thereafter, has gotten little play in North America in spite of itsfamiliar barcarole duet so commonly used in airplane commercials and motion

pictures. It is a unique opportunity to see this exquisite work of art in

its entirety.Part of Lakmé ’s

everlasting appeal is itsexotic nature. Exoticism

BACKGROUND Notesby David Sander

Lakmé is sponsored by

Music by Léo Delibes

Libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille

Inspired by Pierre Loti’s Rarahu (1880) and the stories of Théodore Pavie (1853)World premiere at the Opéra-Comique, ParisApril 14, 1883

March 31, April 1, 3, 5 and 7, 2007Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Sung in French with English translations

Conductor ..............................................Michael Güttler*

Conductor-in-residence ..............................Robert Wood**

Stage Director ............................................Alain GauthierChoreographer ..................................Heidi Spesard-NobleProduction ....................................................Adam CookSet and Costume Designer ..........................Mark ThompsonLighting Designer ..............................................Jane CoxWig Master and Makeup..................Tom Watson & AssociatesFrench Diction Coach ..................................Peter RobinsonProduction Stage Manager ........................Alexander FarinoEnglish Captions ..................................Christopher Bergen

THE CASTLakmé, a Brahmin priestess ..........................Youngok Shin*

................................................................Nili Riemer**

Gérald, a British army officer........................Shawn Mathey*

..............................................................Chad Johnson**

Nilakantha, Lakmé ’s father ..........................Kyle AlbertsonMallika, Lakmé ’s servant ..........................Andrea ColemanFrédéric, a British army officer ......................Kelly MarkgrafEllen, Gérald’s fiancée....................................Alison BatesRose, Ellen’s companion ......................Jamie-Rose GuarrineMistress Bentson, Ellen and Rose’s governess ..Kathleen HumphreyHadji, a Hindu servant ..................................Edward MoutDancers......................................Jason Jacobs, Julia Sutton

A fortune teller, a Chinese merchant, a sepoy, English officers and ladies, Hindus, Brahmins, merchants, musicians, sailors,

Chinese people, dervishes, dancing girls

Setting: India during the 19th century* performs March 31, April 3, 5, 7

** performs April 1

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was in full bloom in late 19th-century France – stories offoreign locales and faraway places were very attractive tothe escapist bourgeoisie, fatigued by the regimentation ofwar and the mechanization of industry, was still unlikelyto dare (in those days) an arduous journey beyond theprovinces – even the Occitan of southern France had adangerous sense of the untamed. Exoticism as a genrefinds its roots at the turn of the 19th century withNapoleon’s Egyptian campaigns. Besides raping thecountry of pyramids and obelisks, the future emperorgenerated new interest in the Orient, at that timeconsidered to be Northern Africa and the Middle East.By mid-century, periodicals such as the Revue des deuxmondes and Le Globe glamorized these locales during anera when the stories of The Arabian Nights also becamequite popular. Visualartists, such as EugèneDelacroix and HoraceVernet, used their ownexperiences (either realor imagined) to recreatethe color and vibrancyof foreign cultures asseen through Western

eyes. As more regular travel expanded to the Near andFar East, so did possibilities for new subjects, evidencedin part by the hyper-realism of Jean-Léon Gérôme, by theImpressionists’ interest in Japanese prints, and towardcentury’s turn, Paul Gauguin’s Tahitian scenes and HenriMatisse’s dazzling visions of Morocco. New themes andsubjects enticed an increasingly weathy and burgeoningmiddle class as eyes turned to ready-made works forpurchase at Parisian salons while royal commissions fell bythe wayside.

Literature and music followed suit, exemplified byVictor Hugo’s Les Orientales, Gérard de Nerval’s Le voyage enOrient, Sir Walter Scott’s The Talisman, Gustave Flaubert’sSalammbô and Prosper Mérimée’s Carmen, first appearing inthe Revue des deux mondes in 1845 (Spain, with its Moorishhistory and geographic isolation, was grouped into theOccidental Mediterranean), just to name a few. In music,Félicien David composed Mélodies orientales in 1836 from hisnotebook of foreign tunes, followed by a highly influentialsymphonic poem, Le désert, and the operas La perle du Brésil,Lalla-Roukh and Herculanum. Generally considered theforerunner of the movement, his music drew high praisefrom the overly critical (and often jealous) Hector Berlioz,and inspired Giacomo Meyerbeer (L’Africaine, set on anameless island in theIndian Ocean), Gounod(La reine de Saba, set inthe Levant), Bizet (Lespêcheurs de perles, set inCeylon, Djamileh, set inCairo and Carmen, set insouthern Spain), JacquesOffenbach (Ba-ta-clan,set in China; also the Giulietta act of Les contes d’Hoffmann isset in Venice, traditionally considered part of Byzantium),Saint-Saëns (Samson et Dalila, set in the Middle East),Thomas’s Le caïd (set in Algeria) and Massenet [Le roi deLahore (among others), set in what is now Pakistan].Biblical subjects, traditionally taking place in Palestine andEgypt, attracted new significance as composers sought torecreate actual or artificial melodies from non-traditional scales, ancient modes and altered intervals,coloring both staged and orchestral works. Even Verdi’sAida (set in Egypt) draws its exotic moments from thisapproach – in fact, all of that composer’s operas in theFrench model fit into this category: Aida (though originallywritten for Cairo, had its eye toward a Paris premiere), DonCarlos (set in Spain, again features “Moorish” harmonies inEboli’s “Veil Song”), Les vêpres siciliennes (set in Sicily,another untamed, remote outpost) and Jérusalem. (Verdi isthought to be particularly inspired by Le désert andL’Africaine as well as these other trends.) Opportunities forsumptuous scenic design easily followed suit in an effort toprovide visual titillation with detailed pictorial accuracy.

Current events also played a role, as Britain andFrance scrambled to conquer the known world. Britishmight influenced the Mideast and Egypt as the Ottoman ➤

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

BACKGROUND Notes

The Orient is watched, since its almost(but never quite) offensive behaviorissues out of a reservoir of infinitepeculiarity; the European, whosesensibility tours the Orient, is a watcher,never involved, always detached, alwaysready for new examples of what theDescription de l’Égypte called “bizarrejouissance.” The Orient becomes a livingtableau of queerness.1

Pays merveilleux! Jardin fortuné! Templeradieux, salut! Oh paradis sorti del’onde! Ciel si bleu, ciel si pur dont mesyeux sont ravis![Wondrous country! Lush garden!Radiant temple, I greet you! Oh paradiserising out of the sea! So blue the sky, sopure the sky to my delighted eyes!]— Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine2

Photos courtesy ofOpera Australia.

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BACKGROUND Notes

Empire was eventually reduced to a fraction of its formerglory (the conflict of nations and of religions being keyfeatures of Orientalism). The Suez Canal opened in 1869 (anevent that eventually was to bring Verdi’s Aida intoexistence), making travel to foreign places all the moreconvenient. Indiarevolted against itsimperial overlords,only to beconfiscated by theBritish crown, thedeal sealed byQueen Victoria’selevation to empressin 1877. Japanbegrudginglyopened its doors toCommodore Perry,while the lessfortunate Frenchvied for supremacyaround theperimeter, on thecoasts of Africa andin the expansiveSouth Seas. In thisquest for acquiringland mass, the contrast of the Orient (“them”) helped definethe European West (“us”). The newly constrained world wascelebrated by the Industrial Age in a series of worldexhibitions hosted by London and Paris, giving composersand artists a high profile venue where one could experimentwith these new trends to their fullest potential.

Delibes was one of the most successful évocateurs offoreign lands, and Lakmé abounds with exotic melodiesand harmonies. The opera is drawn from a work by themost successful travel authors of the day. Julien Viaud(1850–1923), writing under the pseudonym of Pierre Loti,

gained his experiences as a sailor in the French navy,traveling to Africa, South America, India, Tahiti, Japan,Persia and Turkey [a family tradition – his grandfatherfought in the Battle of Trafalgar, his uncle died in the wreckof the Méduse (and perhaps was consumed by other sailors,the scandalous eventfamously captured in oilby French painterThéodore Géricault) andhis brother Gustave, 12years his senior, whopreceded him to theSouth Seas and whoseByronic demeanor is keyto the unfolding ofLakmé ’s principalsource]. Viaud’s fantastictravelogues were quitepopular, frequentlytranslated and widelyread around the world.He was elected to theFrench Academy in1891, and upon hisdeath, given a statefuneral. By the 1930s,Viaud was alsorecognized as one of themost overtly gay writersof the Victorian era,predating Oscar Wildeand his Portrait of DorianGray. Mon frère Yves isperhaps his mostrevealing work of thisgenre as is his fascinationwith the servant boy Samuel rather than the attractiveTurkish harem girl in Aziyadé, though gay subtext can be

Allez loin de Papeete, là où la civilisationn’est pas venue, là où se retrouvent sousles minces cocotiers; au bord des plagesde corail, devant l’immense Océan désert,les districts tahitiens, les villages aux toitsde pendanus. Voyez ces peupladesimmobiles et rêveuses; voyez au pied desgrands arbres ces groupes silencieux,indolents et oisifs, qui semblent ne vivreque part le sentiment de la contemplation.Écoutez le grand calme de cette nature, lebruissement monotone et éternal desbrisants de corail; regardez ces sitesgrandioses, ces mornes de basalte, cesforêts suspendues aux montagnessombres – et tout cela, perdu au milieu decette solitude majestueuse et san bornes –Le Pacifique …[Go far away from Papeete, wherecivilization has not penetrated; where,under the slender coco-palms, the nativeTahitian villages are strewn, huts thatchedwith pandanus leaves, on the very edge ofthe coral reef and the immense andsolitary ocean. See the tranquil, dreaminghamlets, the groups of natives lounging atthe feet of the great trees – silent, passiveand idle, feeding, as it would seem, on thecud of speechless contemplation. Listen tothe utter calm of nature, the monotonous,eternal murmur of the breakers on thebarrier reef; look at the stupendousscenery, the tors of basalt, the darkforests clinging to the mountain’s flank –and all this lost in the midst of a vast,immeasurable solitude – the Pacific]3

— Le mariage de Loti

William Carpenter, A Street Scene Sunrise –Bombay (mid-19th century); Courtesy of V&AImages/Victoria and Albert Museum

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Most famous for his late operaLakmé, Léo Delibes is alsoknown for his many operas,

operettas and ballets. The grandsonand son of two singers, Delibes wasnaturally drawn to the theater andmade his own debut in 1849 at theParis Opéra as a chorister inGiacomo Meyerbeer’s monumentalopus La prophète. A veteran ofAdolphe Adam’s composition classat the Conservatoire, Delibes firstworked as an accompanist andchorusmaster at Léon Carvalho’savant-garde Théâtre Lyrique. Manyof his operettas dating from thisperiod were performed at JacquesOffenbach’s Bouffes-Parisiens, andwhen Delibes became master of thechorus at the more prestigiousOpéra, he was selected to writeballets, of which Coppélia and Sylviahave become his most popular.

In 1867, Delibes contributed oneact to Malbrough s’en va-t-en guerre,an operetta to which composersGeorges Bizet, Édouard Legouix andÉmile Jonas also contributed. It wasa huge success. Delibes’ comedy Leroi l’a dit, which premiered at theOpéra-Comique in 1873, showedhis maturing ability to move beyondOffenbachian buffoonery, and hisJean de Nivelle was composed withMeyerbeerian proportions (Le roi l’adit later traveled to Vienna inGerman translation, where it is saidDelibes also had a hand in thepremiere of Johann Strauss’ DieFledermaus in 1874). The composeralso wrote a set of six dance scenesbased on Victor Hugo’s Le rois’amuse (the same work that hadinspired Verdi’s Rigoletto) andcompleted and producedOffenbach’s posthumous comedyBelle Lurette. Delibes’ own finalwork, Kassya, was left incompleteupon the composer’s death in 1891,and was finished by Jules Massenet,to be unveiled two years afterDelibes’ demise.

Delibes’ style is considered to becaught between the past and the

future. Much esteemed for his lushorchestrations and advancedharmonies, he set the stage for theImpressionist composers, as well asdabbling in melodic codificationthat was described by some critics asedging on Wagnerism. Animpressive orchestrator in his ownright, Pyotr ll’yich Tchaikovskygreatly admired Delibes’ works,placing his ballets (in particularCoppélia) ahead of his own Swan Lakein esteem.

BACKGROUND NOTES CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

LÉO Delibesb St. Germain du Val, February 21, 1836;

d Paris, January 16, 1891

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Portrait of Léo Delibes © Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis

found in most of his novels in thesubtle language used with regard tohis male companions.

Often Viaud, as Loti, is thecentral character, as is the case inLakmé ’s foundation, Le mariage deLoti, ou Rarahu (which the authordedicated to actress Sarah Bernhardt)and also Madame Chrysanthème, firstset to music by André Messager, andlater, the ultimate source ofPuccini’s Madame Butterfly (theItalian giovane scuola would pick upon this trend for foreign subjects;that particular opera abounds withauthentic Japanese music). Bothworks involve a temporary,indulgent marriage with anintoxicating foreign woman, andeach has a subsidiary male characterwith a suggestive connection to theauthor [John to become Frédéric inLakmé and Yves to become Sharplessin Madame Butterfly – though Lotiwould marry in both of these stories(albeit temporarily) and in real life(unhappily), he later confessed in hisdiaries that he only did this in orderto have children to care for him inhis old age]. The sense of Othernessconveyed by the exotic heroine andher environs is extended throughthese unusually close and uncommonmale relationships.

Delibes became familiar with therecently published Le mariage de Lotiin 1880 at Edmond Gondinet’sbidding, yet as a source the story ➤

Photo courtesy of Opera Australia

ACT I

A shady garden Lakmé, her fatherNilakantha and other Indianssecretly pray in the sacred forest,hoping soon to be rid of their hatedEnglish overlords. Nilakanthadeparts for the city’s temple,promising to return before nightfall,as Lakmé and Mallika preparethemselves for the holy river.

Under the watchful eye of theirgoverness, Mistress Bentson, Roseand Ellen approach the garden withtheir companions Gérald andFrédéric. Though the spinster urgescaution, the other four breach theconsecrated grounds, knowing theybelong to the fearsome Nilakanthaand his alluring daughter. No onehas ever seen Lakmé, but herlegendary beauty stirs theirimaginations, particularly that ofGérald. As Rose and Ellen examinethe temple jewels, Géraldrhapsodizes over the woman whomust wear them, and after the othersleave, spots her in the flesh. Lakmé isstartled to find the ardent youngman in the garden, knowing hewould be killed for such an outrage,yet feels new and strange emotions inher heart. Suddenly catching sight ofher father, she urges Gérald to makea fast retreat. Nilakantha plans toavenge this sacrilege.

– INTERMISSION –

ACT II

The town marketplace Merchants ofvarious types sell their wares in abustling open market. MistressBentson expresses disdain as she isapproached several times, and fearsshe will be robbed. As the marketcloses for a noontime repast, thefestival begins with dance. Rose andFrédéric observe an old man andyoung girl, who are reallyNilakantha and Lakmé in disguise.The father’s plan for revenge is inplace – to attract Gérald’s attention,Lakmé is to sing, and in theadmiring dense crowd, theEnglishman will be stabbed byNilakantha and his conspirators.While she tells the legend of thePariah’s daughter, Gérald indeedcomes forward. They share a briefreunion, and Lakmé tries to warnhim of the imminent peril. As theBrahmins begin their prayers, Géraldrefuses to leave her side and isviciously knifed. Lakmé’s loyalservant Hadji quickly takes theunconscious man away.

– INTERMISSION –

ACT III

A hut in the forest The woundedGérald has been brought to Lakmé’srefuge in the forest where she hasnursed him back to health. She singshim a lullaby as he wakes, and thetwo revel in their mutual affection asthey are finally together. Passingcouples visit the sacred spring todrink the water that binds themtogether forever, and Lakmé isinspired to draw the mysteriouspotion to celebrate their union. Inher absence, Frédéric drops by withsome dark news – their regiment hasbeen called to duty, and they mustleave at once.

Lakmé returns and noticesGérald’s changed demeanor. Sherealizes something is wrong, yetmakes him swear his fidelity to her.As he sips the sacred water, Lakméinstead ingests the poisonous daturaflower and dies in his arms.

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Synopsis

Act I – quintet

Act II – market scene

Act I – duetPhotos courtesy of Opera Australia

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THE Artists

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For more biographical information about these artists,visit our website at www.mnopera.org

Kyle AlbertsonNilakantha

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecently

The Tales of Hoffmann; La donna del lago, Minn. OperaIl matrimonio segreto, Merola Opera Program

Nixon in China; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Le nozze di Figaro; Finding Yolanda, Chicago Opera Theater

Giasone; The Cunning Little Vixen; Rigoletto, Aspen Opera Theater Center

Carmen; Albert Herring; Candide, DePaul UniversityUpcoming

Le nozze di Figaro; Un ballo in maschera, Minnesota Opera

Edward MoutHadji

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistSanta Fe Opera Apprentice Artist Program

La donna del lago; Tosca; Don Giovanni; The Tales of Hoffmann, The Minnesota Opera

Falstaff; Eugene Onegin, Indiana University Opera TheaterNorma; Fidelio; Rigoletto; Aida; Faust; Lohengrin;

Macbeth; Verdi Requiem (ensemble), San Diego OperaApprentice Artist – Opera Theatre of St. Louis

UpcomingLe nozze di Figaro, Ryan Opera Center

Il barbiere di Siviglia, Lyric Opera of Chicago

Alison BatesEllenMinnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecentlyGianni Schicchi; The Gondoliers; Tosca, Chautauqua OperaThe Tales of Hoffmann; La donna del lago; Don Giovanni;Joseph Merrick dit Elephant Man, The Minnesota OperaA View from the Bridge; Abduction from the Seraglio; Little

Women; Giulio Cesare, Indiana University Opera TheaterSymphony No. 2; Israel in Egypt, Columbus Indiana Phil.Gianni Schicchi, MasterWorks Festival (Young Artist)UpcomingLe nozze di Figaro; L’italiana in Algeri, Minnesota Opera

Andrea ColemanMallika

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecently

The Tales of Hoffmann, The Minnesota OperaGlimmerglass Opera Young American Artist

Così fan tutte; Little Women; Cendrillon; The Turn of theScrew; The Magic Flute, New England Conservatory

The Gondoliers, Harvard-Radcliffe G & S PlayersThe Magic Flute; The Mikado; The Pirates of Penzance,

University of KansasUpcoming

Le nozze di Figaro; L’italiana in Algeri, Minnesota Opera

Nili RiemerLakméMinnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecentlyThe Tales of Hoffmann, The Minnesota OperaSuor Angelica; Le nozze di Figaro, Chautauqua OperaDie Zauberflöte; Lucia di Lammermoor; The Medium; Hansel

and Gretel; La fille du régiment, Tri-Cities OperaThe Tales of Hoffmann, Des Moines Metro OperaL’enfant et les sortilèges, Lowell House OperaThe Impresario, International Vocal Arts Institute (Israel)UpcomingLe nozze di Figaro; Un ballo in maschera, Minnesota Opera

Kelly MarkgrafFrédéric

Minnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecently

Street Scene, Opera Theatre of St. LouisCarmen; Il barbiere di Siviglia; Madama Butterfly,

Pensacola OperaDie Fledermaus, Rimrock Opera

Così fan tutte; The Memory Game; The Village Singer,Univ. of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music

Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice ArtistUpcoming

Le nozze di Figaro; Roméo et Juliette, Minnesota Opera

Chad JohnsonGéraldMinnesota Opera DebutRecentlyCosì fan tutte, Connecticut OperaThe Merry Widow, Lyric Opera San DiegoDeath in Venice; Lucie de Lammermoor, NPR World of OperaThe Pirates of Penzance, Glimmerglass OperaUpcomingH.M.S. Pinafore, Opera East TexasCosì fan tutte, Tanglewood Music FestivalLa rondine, Lyric Opera San DiegoThe Blizzard Voices, Opera Omaha

Shawn MatheyGéraldMinnesota Opera DebutRecentlyDon Giovanni, L’Opéra National de Paris – BastilleCosì fan tutte, Theater an der Wien; Salzburg Festival;

Aix-en-Provence Festival; L’Opéra National de ParisLa finta semplice, Opernhaus ZurichLulu; Ariodante; Fierrabras; others, Frankfurt OperaUpcomingDon Giovanni, Washington; Così fan tutte, Cincinnati Op.The Abduction from the Seraglio, Michigan Opera TheatreIl barbiere di Siviglia, L’Opéra National de Paris

Kathleen HumphreyMistress Bentson

Minnesota Opera DebutMy Fair Lady, 1990

RecentlyMozart Requiem, Minnesota Orchestra

Beauty and the Beast; The Sound of Music, Chanhassen TheatersA Christmas Carol, Guthrie; La belle Hélène, North Star OperaElephant Man; Madame Butterfly; Passion; The Handmaid’sTale; Little Women; Street Scene; Le nozze di Figaro; Faust;

Cinderella; Carmen; others, The Minnesota OperaUpcoming

Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony

Jamie-Rose GuarrineRoseMinnesota Opera Resident ArtistRecentlySan Francisco Opera Merola ProgramThe Elephant Man; Don Giovanni, The Minnesota OperaPaul Bunyan; Face on the Barroom Floor;

Madame Butterfly, Central City OperaHansel and Gretel, Opera for the YoungCarmen, Madison Opera; Dr. Miracle, Florentine OperaUpcomingLe nozze di Figaro; Croesus, The Minnesota OperaHotel Casablanca, San Francisco Opera Merola Program

Youngok ShinLakmé

Minnesota Opera DebutRecently

Un ballo in maschera; Rigoletto; Lucia di Lammermoor; Don Giovanni; I puritani; others, Metropolitan Opera

Die Vogel, Spoleto Festival (USA)I Capuleti ed i Montecchi, Tenerife Festival (Spain)

Un ballo in maschera, Washington OperaPerela, l’homme de fumé; La sonnambula, Paris Opéra

Lakmé, Baltimore Opera CompanyUpcoming

Roméo et Juliette, Baltimore Opera Company

Adam CookProductionMinnesota Opera DebutRecentlyLakmé; Midrite, Opera AustraliaLa bohème; Carmen; The Ghost Wife, OzOperastage director – Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and

Adelaide Festivals; MTC; Company B Belvoir; STC; StateTheatre Company of South Australia; Ensemble Theatre; Sydney Opera House Trust; Playbox; Griffin; Bell Shakespeare Company; Festival of the Dreaming;Marian Street; NIDA; Queensland Performing Arts Centre; La Boite; Q Theatre; Edinburgh Fringe Fest.

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THE Artists For more biographical information about these artists,visit our website at www.mnopera.org

Mark ThompsonSet and Costume Designer

Minnesota Opera DebutRecently

Lakmé; Orpheus in the Underworld, Opera AustraliaMidrite, OzOpera

Uncle Vanya, State Theatre Co. of South AustraliaTwo Weeks with the Queen, Windmill Theatre Company

Rain – Times of India, Delhi and Mumbaidesigner – The Adelaide Festival; State Opera of South

Australia; National Institute of Circus Arts; The Holein the Wall Theatre; Sydney Theatre Co.; Ensemble

Theatre; Bell Shakespeare; Spare Parts Theatre

Robert WoodConductor-in-ResidenceMinnesota Opera DebutLa donna del lago, 2006RecentlyThe Nutcracker, San Francisco BalletLe Comte Ory, Wolf Trap Opera CompanyL’italiana in Algeri; La traviata, San Francisco OperaTosca; Faust; Manon; Carmen; others, Opera San JoséUpcomingThe Marriage of Figaro, The Minnesota OperaL’italiana in Algeri, Vancouver OperaThe Magic Flute, Wolf Trap Opera Company

Jane CoxLighting Designer

Minnesota Opera DebutJoseph Merrick dit Elephant Man, 2006

RecentlyGlass Menagerie, Guthrie Theater

Dame Edna – Back with a Vengeance, (Broadway)Brooklyn Academy of Music; Playwrights Horizons;

Signature Theatre; NYSF/Public Theater, (New York)Arena Stage; McCarter; Long Wharf; CTC Minneapolis;

CenterStage; Denver Center, (Regional/International)

photo not available

Alain GauthierStage DirectorMinnesota Opera DebutRecentlyLakmé; Il tabarro/Suor Angelica; L’étoile; La bohème;

Opéra de MontréalL’étoile, Cincinnati Opera FestivalThe Medium, Opera Atelier of l’Université de MontréalLa bohème, L’Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de MontréalUpcomingCosì fan tutte, Cincinnati Opera FestivalCarmen, Edmonton Opera

Michael GüttlerConductor

Minnesota Opera DebutRecently

Le sacre du printemps, Göteborg Opera (Sweden)Don Giovanni, L’Opéra National de Paris – BastilleTosca, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe (Germany)

Eugene Onegin; La traviata; Mozart Requiem, Ekaterinburg OperaThe Ring; Tristan und Isolde; Falstaff; Le nozze di Figaro;

La traviata, Mariinsky Theater (St. Petersburg, Russia)Upcoming

Lohengrin, Paris Opéra; Torvaldo e Dorliska, Teatro San CarloTosca; Chovanshtshina; Traviata; Zauberflöte, Ekaterinburg

Heidi Spesard-NobleChoreographerMinnesota Opera DebutThe Merry Widow, 2002RecentlyOrazi e Curiazi*; Carmen*; La traviata*,

The Minnesota Opera (* choreographer)

Midlife: the Crisis Musical*, Brigadoon*; The Christmas Show*; Big Bang*; Music Man; My Fair Lady; others, Chanhassen Theatres

Runaways*, Macalaster CollegeRite of Spring; Beauty and the Beast; Swan Lake, Mystical

Hunter; Allegro Brilliant, Minnesota Dance Theatre

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bears little resemblance to Lakmé. The locale has beenswitched from Tahiti to India. Rarahu, who would becomeLakmé, is fully aware ofthe fleeting nature of herunion with Loti, aBritish sailor who willundoubtedly leave herwhen his ship sails. Shedoes not die frompoisoning herself, but ofconsumption (probablybrought by theEuropeans) two yearsafter his departure,during which she takeson other lovers. For hispart, Loti does not marryher out of desire, butmerely to satisfy theprodding of TahitianQueen Pomaré, against whom Loti commits notransgression – in fact he is welcomed and fêted by herpeople as an honored guest (very much in the musical vogue,Loti entertains the natives with excerpts from the newlypenned L’Africaine). Hardly impassioned with one another,

he and Rarahu are described as sleeping “like brothers” (oneof Viaud’s double entendres, as he would frequently refer to

his male companions asfrères adorés). Little elsedevelops in the narrative,other than providing anopportunity for endlessevocative descriptions ofthe exotic surroundings.Recent scholarship2

indicates another, morederivative source forLakmé exists in thestories of Viaud’scompatriot ThéodorePavie, a linguist andfellow world travelerwhose adventures tookhim to the New Worldas well as the Far East.

Pavie spent two years in India and set three of his tales there,belonging to a larger collection entitled Scènes et récits des paysd’outre-mer (1853). From these fictional accounts come thenames Mallika and Nilakantha, as well as themes of culturalinsensitivity, conspiracy and poison – two Englishmen ➤

Act III – final scene, photo courtesy of Opera Australia.

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spot Nilakantha’s beautiful, yet ellusive, daughterRoukminie bejeweled within the sacred pagoda and mockthe Brahmin priest’s ritual of prayer. In turn, Nilakanthadisguises himself as a beggar and stalks the unsuspectingEdward (a good Victorian name), whose fiancée Augustaeventually expires from the scent of a deadly flower, plantedby the angry father in a bouquet presented by her beau. Inanother tale, Sougandhie is raised solely by her father, as hermother (a lakshmi, fromwhich the opera adaptsthe name of its titlecharacter) has sincepassed. The heroine fallsfor a European soldierand is known to sing inthe streets whilesoliciting alms.

The transformation of these snippets into stagecraftdemonstrates another convention of Exoticism – theimprint of a generic plot structure. An attractive youngwoman of modest disposition and differing ethics is easilyconquered by a misogynistic foreign invader in derelictionof duty, then abandoned by him and destroyed as a result –a reverse femme fatale syndrome, though Orientalist opera ispregnant with bewitching sirens as well. Chaste and proper

white women (Ellen, Augusta, Micaëla) are shown in sharpcontrast to wild darker-toned beauties, and sexual mores areabandoned in favor of eroticism as the male protagonistssojourn in an anonymous milieu far from Europe’s starchyconventions. Cultures collide in a public forum withmurder and mayhem as the only possible outcome, thegeographical gulf too great to bridge. A cookie-cutterstrategy likely responsible for Lakmé ’s initial success – thepublic got exactly what it wanted – which may explain onereason for its infrequency today. As with many opera plots,one must look past some of the greater flaws akin to Frenchlibretti of the era and enjoy the fantastic, dreamlike visualand aural sensations that the genre provides – Lakmé is arare treat to be savored. ❚

1 Edward W. Said, Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1978.

2 Charles P. D. Cronin and Betje Black Klier, “Théodore Pavie’s ‘Lababouches du Brahmane’ and the Story of Delibes’ Lakmé,” OperaQuarterly, 12/4 (1996), 19–33.

3 Pierre Loti (translated by Clara Bell), Tahiti: The Marriage of Loti.New York: F. A. Stokes, 1926.

4 Ralph P. Locke, “Constructing the Oriental ‘Other’: Saint-SaënsSamson et Dalila,” Cambridge Opera Journal, iii/3 (1991), 261–302.

The paradigmatic plot for Orientalistoperas: young, tolerant, brave, possiblynaive, white-European tenor-herointrudes, at risk of disloyalty to his ownpeople and colonialist ethic, intomysterious, dark-skinned, colonisedterritory, incurring wrath of brutal,intransigent tribal chieftain (bass orbass-baritone) and blindly obedientchorus of male savages.4

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