The revered tenor Placido Domingo
has now assumed the mantle of Artistic Director of the Washington
Opera. Our Kennedy Center Tours have been completely sold
out during the past few years, because Mr. Domingo has significantly
raised the level of the company’s productions. He has been
largely responsible for a brilliant string of sold-out stagings
running the gamut from Massenet’s ‘Le Cid’ and
Handel’s ‘Julius Caesar’ to José Cura
in ‘Otello’, Jennifer Larmore in ‘Carmen’,
Kiri Te Kanawa in last fall’s ‘Vanessa’, and
Domingo himself in ‘Pique Dame’, ‘Parsifal’
and ‘Die Walkuere’. In fact, the Washington Opera
has become the hottest ticket of our nation’s capital, consistently
garnering critical and popular acclaim for its imaginative repertory
and strong casts.
Following major renovation of the Opera House, the company will
return to the Kennedy Center this winter. Our weekend in early
April will again offer Prime Orchestra tickets
for two major operas with exciting
international casts. First, we look forward to a new production
of Giacomo Puccini’s passionate Manon
Lescaut, perhaps the most neglected of his major operas,
with an international cast of Puccini specialists including Chile’s
Veronica Villarroel and Italy’s
Franco Farina as the doomed lovers
of Abbé Prevost’s classic French novel. A second
Italian opera will offer the contrast of sparkling ‘bel
canto’ style, as the exuberant coloratura mezzo-soprano
Sonia Ganassi brings her signature
por trayal of Cinderella to Gioacchino Rossini’s La
Cenerentola in Covent Garden’s
brilliantly conceived production.
We will also enjoy a per formance of Gustav Mahler’s emotional
Symphony No. 2, ‘Resurrection’, in the Kennedy Center’s
Concert Hall. The National Symphony
has been galvanized by its dynamic Music Director, Leonard
Slatkin, and will be led on this occasion by the Mahler
devoté and expert, Gilbert Kaplan.
The Placido Domingo, Artistic Director, Washington Opera unforgettable
final movement will feature soloists and the esteemed Cathedral
Choral Society.
The nation’s capital boasts glorious spring weather in early
April and offers a wealth of artistic and historic museums. Our
holiday will include a visit to the private Kreeger
Museum on Foxhall Road, which proved a revelation when
we first discovered it in 1999. The priceless art collection ranges
from French Impressionists to sculptures by Maillol and Rodin
A Saturday night stay-over is included to assure optimum air
fares, and East-coast travelers will be thrilled with the efficient
and comfortable service of Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains.
