HOUSTON GRAND OPERA
510 Preston Street, Houston, Texas 77002-1594
www.houstongrandopera.org

David Gockley
General Director

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA

INVITES YOU TO EXPERIENCE

IMPERIAL RUSSIA'S GREAT OPERATIC TREASURE

PRINCE IGOR

Lavish new production by Francesca Zambello featuring Sergei Leiferkus and a stellar Slavic cast!

Houston, Tx - Houston Grand Opera presents the first performance of Borodin's Russian epic Prince Igor in the company's 46 - year history. The opera follows the fortunes of Prince Igor Sviatoslavich and his people following his capture by the exotic Polovtsian tribe led by Khan Konchak. Featuring a rich oriental flavor, powerful choruses and riveting dance sequences, Prince Igor promises to provide an unforgettable experience of Russian opera at its grandest. Much of the music in Borodin's splendid score will already be familiar to audience members, either through its popularization in the musical Kismet (the melody of "Stranger in Paradise") or through its performance as symphonic excerpts (the famous "Polovtsian Dances").

The mostly-Russian cast, steeped in the tradition of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky (Kirov) Theaters, promises authentic and idiomatic performances of this Russian masterpiece. Acclaimed Russian baritone Sergei Leiferkus (HGO's Nabucco last season) takes the title role, and Bulgarian soprano Zvetelina Vassileva makes her HGO debut as his wife Yaroslavna. Russian tenor Vsevolod Grivnov returns to Houston to sing Igor's son Vladimir Igorevich. Rounding out the principal roles are Russian bass Vladimir Ognovenko as Prince Galitsky, Russian bass-baritone Vladimir Vaneev as the Polovtsian leader Khan Konchak and Georgian mezzo - soprano Mzia Nioradze as his daughter Konchakovna. These last three artists are making their HGO debuts.

Russian conductor Alexander Anissimov also makes his HGO debut, conducting the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. The Houston Grand Opera Chorus, prepared by Chorus Master Richard Bado, will be featured prominently in Prince Igor's spectacular choral sections. Award - winning American director Francesca Zambello stages the production, featuring sets and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane Schuler. Choreographer Alphonse Poulin interprets the famous Polovtsian Dances with authentic Georgian dancers.

PRINCE IGOR opens on Friday January 26, 2001 at 7:30pm. Further performances are on January 28m, 31, February 3, 6, 9 and 11m at 7:30pm and 2:00pm. Single tickets are now on sale.


ABOUT THE OPERA:
One of Russia's best - known operas, Prince Igor is a musical epic on a historical subject. The twelfth - century Russian Prince Igor, while battling the heathen Polovtsi tribe, is captured by the Polovtsian leader Khan Konchak. The Khan attempts to turn Igor into an ally by showering him with lavish entertainment, but Igor stands firm in his Christian convictions and is eventually able to escape. Prince Igor contains some of the finest music Borodin wrote, but the full score was left incomplete at the time of his death. The great Russian composers Rimsky - Korsakov and Glazunov completed the score, and the work was first performed in 1890.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

A leading artist with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden in London, Russian baritone Sergei Leiferkus (Prince Igor Sviatoslavich) appears regularly in the world's premiere opera houses - the Mariinsky (Kirov), Opera Bastille, Vienna Staatsoper, Berlin Staatsoper, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera - and is a frequent guest at the festivals of Edinburgh, Salzburg, Glyndebourne, Tanglewood and Ravinia. He is also a regular soloist with the world's leading orchestras and has appeared in recital at the most prestigious international concert venues. His voice and acting ability have made it possible for him to be active in an amazingly diverse operatic repertoire encompassing more than forty roles. He sings Verdi's Iago (Otello) and Wagner's Telramund (Lohengrin), but he is also Mozart's Don Giovanni, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Bizet's Escamillo (Carmen) and Puccini's Scarpia (Tosca). Mr. Leiferkus has previously appeared at Houston Grand Opera in the title roles of Macbeth and Nabucco.

The young Bulgarian soprano Zvetlina Vassileva (Yaroslavna) is gaining prominence as one of the most sought after dramatic sopranos on the international stage today. Specializing in portrayals of Verdi heroines, Ms. Vassileva's unique repertoire also includes works by Slavic composers such as Borodin, Fibich, Glinka, Smetana and Tchaikovsky. She made her U.S. opera debut with San Francisco Opera in 1994 as Leonora in Il Trovatore and has returned to sing Gorislava in Ruslan and Lyudmila and Drusilla in Monteverdi's L 'Incoronazione di Poppea. She has appeared in leading roles with London's Royal Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Baltimore Opera, the Monnaie in Brussels, Sofia Opera, Cincinnati Opera and the festivals at Wexford and Edinburgh. Ms. Vassileva has recorded the role of Yaroslavna in Prince Igor and also a disc of arias and duets with Bulgarian tenor Klaudi Kaludov.

Russian tenor Vsevolod Grivnov (Vladimir Igorevich) made his American debut as Dmitri in Boris Godunov at Houston Grand Opera in 1997. A principal soloist with the Bolshoi, his recent performances there have included the Fool in Boris Godunov, Vladimir in Prince Igor and Alfredo in La Traviata. Mr. Grivnov came to international attention in 1995 when critics hailed him as the outstanding new voice of the Wexford Festival following performances of Levko in Rimsky - Korsakov's May Night. Since then, he has performed at the Bastille (Stravinsky's Le Rossignol and Le Renard, Chekalinsky in Pique Dame), Nice Opera (Dmitri in Boris Godunov, Pong in Turnadot, Fernando in La Favorita, Prince Guidon in The Golden Cockeral), Royal Danish Opera and New Israeli Opera (Fenton in Falstaff). Future engagements include appearances at the Bastille, Grand Theatre de Geneve, Poland's Teatro Weikl, and Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Russian bass Vladimir Ognovenko (Prince Galitsky) became a principal artist with the Mariinsky Theater (Kirov) in 1989 and became the leading bass of Moscow's Bolshoi's Theater in 1997. He was awarded the title of "Artist of Merit of the Russian Federation" and recently garnered the highest mark of achievement - the title of "People's Artist of Russia." Mr. Ognovenko made his United States opera debut in San Francisco Opera's production of War and Peace, and has subsequently appeared there in Boris Godunov (1992) and Ruslan and Lyudmila (1995). In recent seasons, he has made debuts at the Metropolitan Opera (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Eugene Onegin, Don Carlo, and Boris Godunov) and Lyric Opera of Chicago (Boris Godunov). His recordings include Boris Godunov (Varlaam), The Maiden of Pskov (Ivan the Terrible), Ruslan and Lyudmila (Ruslan), Prince Igor (Galitsky) and The Fiery Angel (Inquisitor). This is Mr. Ognovenko's Houston Grand Opera debut.

Russian bass - baritone Vladimir Vaneev (Khan Konchak) has been a company member of the Mariinsky Theater (Kirov) since 1996, where he has worked extensively under conductor Valery Gergiev. His international career was launched at the 1997 Salzburg Festival, in which his interpretation of the title role of Boris Godunov brought him triumphal acclaim of public and critics for his vocal as well as dramatic interpretation. In 1998, Mr. Vaneev debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Boris Godunov and recorded the same role for Philips Classics. He is also featured in video recordings of Prince Igor as Khan Konchak and the title role of The Flying Dutchman. His repertoire consists of Verdi roles (Philip II, Fiesco, Zaccaria, Silva), three Wagner roles (including Wotan), and all the important bass - baritone roles of the Russian repertory. This is Mr. Vaneev's Houston Grand Opera debut.

A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, the young mezzo - soprano Mzia Nioradze (Konchakovna) joined the Mariinsky Theater (Kirov) in 1996. Prior to then she was a soloist of the Paliashvili Opera and Ballet Theater in her native Tbilisi. Ms. Nioradze has been a prize winner of the Julio Gayari International Vocal Competition (Spain, 1994) and the Elena Obraztsova International Vocal Competition (St. Petersburg, 1999), as well as receiving a special award at the Rimsky - Korsakov International Vocal Competition (St. Petersburg, 1995). Her wide repertoire includes Lyubov (Mazeppa), Prince Eboli (Don Carlo), Azucena (Il trovatore), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Carmen, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Teresa (La sonnambula), Preziosilla (La forza del destino), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Konchakovna (Prince Igor), and Flosshilde (Das Rheingold). This is Ms. Nioradze's Houston Grand Opera debut.

Russian conductor Alexander Anissimov's creative achievements over the 20 years of his professional career include 18 premieres, and his repertoire comprises 36 operas and ballets. In 1980, he was invited to take up the position of chief conductor of the Byelorussian Opera and Ballet Theatre and serve as a professor at the Byelorussian Conservatory. In 1984, he made his debut as Chief Conductor of the Perm Opera with the first ever production in the Soviet Union of Prokofiev's Fiery Angel and subsequently took part in staging ten new productions. Maestro Anissimov has appeared regularly as guest conductor at the Mariinsky Theater (Kirov), the Bolshoi Theater, and the opera houses in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Moldova. Internationally, his operatic ventures have included the Bastille (Eugene Onegin), Fenice (Boris Godunov), Wexford Festival (The Demon), San Francisco Opera (Prince Igor), Teatro Comunale in Florence (The Legend of Tsar Saltan), and Opera Ireland (Macbeth). Maestro Anissimov records for Naxos / Marco Polo, which recently issued CD sets of his Raymonda and The Demon. He is making his HGO debut.

Director Francesca Zambello made her professional directing debut with Houston Grand Opera in 1984 with Fidelio. Zambello has staged a wide range of works for the leading opera companies and festivals in Europe and North America, including the Olivier Award - winning productions of Khovanschina at English National Opera and Billy Budd and Paul Bunyan at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Her Paul Bunyan also received the Evening Standard Award for Best Opera Production, and when Billy Budd was produced at the Opera Bastille, it won the Grand Prix palmares de le critique. Recent projects have taken her to the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan, Paris Opera, Opera Bastille, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera and English National Opera. Productions she has directed for Houston Grand Opera, in addition to Fidelio, include Faust (1985, 1990, 1997), Salome (1987), Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci (1990), Street Scene (1994), Florencia en el Amazonas (1996), Madame Butterfly (1998) and Billy Budd (1998).



Costume Sketch for YAROSLAVNA in The Houston Grand Opera's Production of BORODIN'S PRINCE IGOR. All performances are held in the Wortham Center's Brown Theater, Texas at Smith, Houston, TX. PRINCE IGOR is Sung in Russian with English surtitles.




Set and Costume Designer Zack Brown is one of the most versatile theatrical designers in the United States, with a career that has included Broadway, opera, ballet and television. Since graduating from the Yale School of Drama in 1976, he has designed scenery and costumes for well over one hundred productions, from the Metropolitan Opera to American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Opera, Hamburg Staatsopera and Ballet, the Spoleto Festivals (in South Carolina, Italy and Australia), Maly Theatre in Moscow, and Circle in the Square in New York. As Washington Opera's Principal Designer for 15 years, he designed over 40 productions and has also created more than a dozen productions of musicals and plays at Washington's Arena Stage. His drawings have been included in numerous exhibitions and he is the recipient of two Emmy Awards. At Houston Grand Opera, Mr. Brown has previously designed productions of Die Fledermaus (1981) and A Masked Ball (1981, 1988).

Duane Schuler's career as a lighting designer encompasses opera, ballet and theater. At the Metropolitan Opera his productions include Otello, Pelleas et Melisande, Cosi fan tutte, Andrea Chenier, Carmen, Capriccio and Samson et Dalila. He has been Resident Lighting Designer for the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 1977, where he has designed lighting for over 130 productions. He has created lighting for Der Rosenkavalier at Deutsche Opera Berlin, for Norma at Seattle Opera and for a number of productions at Los Angeles Opera. In addition, his work has been seen at Chicago's Goodman Theater, the Guthrie Theater, and in productions for Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, American Ballet Theater, Houston Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. For Houston Grand Opera, he has served as lighting designer for some two dozen productions, including last season's Tristan and Isolde, Cold Sassy Tree and Nabucco. He is a founding partner in Schuler & Shook, Inc., a theater consulting firm and architectural lighting design firm with offices in Minneapolis and Chicago.

As Houston Grand Opera's Head of Music Staff and Chorus Master, Richard Bado has prepared choruses for approximately 90 productions. He made his professional conducting debut in 1989, leading HGO's acclaimed production of Show Boat at the newly restored Cairo Opera House, and has conducted for several HGO mainstage productions since then. He has conducted at La Scala, the Opera National de Paris, the New York City Opera, the Edinburgh Festival, and in Tokyo. An accomplished pianist, he has appeared in recital with Renee Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Ramon Vargas and Marcello Giordani. Mr. Bado also serves as music director for the HGO Studio and is Assistant Director of the Aspen Opera Theater Center.

J. Alphonse Poulin (Choreographer) has been a professional dancer, a choreographer and a ballet master. He danced for Boston Ballet, Municipal Theater of Sao Paulo, Brazil and Lisbon's National Ballet, among others. While directing the dance department at Geneva's Conservatory of Music, he choreographed numerous operas, including Italian Girl in Algiers, Love of Three Oranges and The Merry Widow. He has also choreographed Mefistofele for Houston Grand Opera (1992, 1999), Prince Igor for San Francisco Opera and Opera de Marseille, Tristan and Isolde for Seattle Opera, La Rondine for Opera North, Faust for Vienna Staatsoper, and Turandot for Opera Bastille. Currently, he is guest ballet master for Nederlands Dans Theater, National Ballet of Madrid, Batsheva Dance Company and Boston Ballet, among others. In the fall of 2000, Mr. Poulin joined the faculty of the Juilliard School of Music dance division.

All performances of Prince Igor are held in the Wortham Center's Brown Theater, Texas at Smith. Prince Igor is sung in Russian with English surtitles - English translations projected over the stage.

The Southwestern Bell Pre - Curtain Lecture Series takes place thirty minutes before each performance. Guest speakers present a twenty - minute informal lecture on the sixth floor of the Grand Foyer. These lectures, free and open to all ticket holders, are intended to enhance the audience's enjoyment by preparing them for the production they are about to attend.

The Wortham Theater Center features easy wheelchair access to both theaters, with a choice of seating locations and ticket prices. An infrared listening system, generously underwritten by Pennzoil - Quaker State Company, is available and free of charge at all performances. Please call HGO Subscriptions at 713-546-0246 or 1-800-346-4462 for details. Descriptive services for persons with vision loss are available with 48 - hour advance reservations. Please call HGO Education and Outreach at 713-546-0708 for details.

Single tickets for Prince Igor, priced from $22 to $200, are now on sale. Tickets are available by telephone at 713-227-ARTS, out of town at 1-800-828-ARTS, in person at the Wortham Ticket Center located in the lobby of the Wortham Theater Center, or on the website at www.houstongrandopera.org. Ticket prices include all city surcharges.

Student and senior citizen rush tickets are $25.00 and $10.00 (depending on seat location - one ticket per ID) and go on sale 90 minutes before curtain time on the day of performance, subject to availability. To check availability, please call 713-227-ARTS or 1-800-828-ARTS the day of the performance. For weekend performances call the Friday before the performance to check availability.

Call Houston Grand Opera at 713-546-0200, during business hours, for general information.

The Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation is a Grand Guarantor for PRINCE IGOR.

Lyondell Chemical Company is a Guarantor for PRINCE IGOR.


PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

All performances of Houston Grand Opera's production of Borodin's Prince Igor are held in the Wortham Center's Brown Theater, Texas at Smith, Houston, TX.

Sung in Russian with English surtitles.

PERFORMANCE DATES: JANUARY 26, 2001 THROUGH FEBRUARY 11, 2001