OPERADELAWARE 824 North Market St. Suite 200, Wilmington, DE 19801-3024 Julie W. Van Blarcom, Executive Director Leland P. Kimball III, General Director Telephone: (302) 658-8063 Fax: (302) 658-4991 Box Office: The Grand Opera House, 1-800-37-GRAND www.operadel.org For Immediate Release - November 14, 2001 Contact: Cindy Frankey or Amy Watson OPERADELAWARE Announces: OperaDelaware Presents Two Internationally-Renowned Guest Touring Companies This Season. Wilmington, DE: OperaDelaware will present two internationally renowned guest touring companies at the Grand Opera House this winter. On Saturday, January 27th, 2002, the London City Opera will present a 2 p.m. matinee performance of The Merry Widow in English with music by Franz Lehar. On Sunday, February 3, 2002, Teatro Lirico D'Europa will present two performances of Il Trovatore in Italian with English supertitles with libretto by Salvatore Cammarano. There will be a 2 p.m. matinee and an evening performance at 7 p.m. for Il Trovatore. Both operas will be performed at the Grand Opera House, 818 North Market St., Wilmington, DE. Tickets are $19 to $64, and can be purchased online at www.operadel.org or by calling The Grand Box Office at 1-800-37-GRAND. The Merry Widow SUMMARY It is Paris around 1900, and the Pontivedrian Ambassador, Baron Zeta, must find a way to save his country from bankruptcy. His best solution is to prevent the rich and beautiful heiress Anna Gelavari from marrying a foreigner, and so he schemes to bring her together with embassy attaché Count Danilo. So immersed is Baron Zeta in the matchmaking that he nearly fails to notice that his wife, Valencienne, has fallen in love with another man. The four would-be lovers flit from party to party and misconception to misconception. Often called "The Queen of Operettas," The Merry Widow is one of the most celebrated and successful shows of its kind ever written. The melodies and songs - "Villa," "The Merry Widow Waltz," and "You'll Find Me at Maxim's" are played and sung the whole world over, making it one of the most loved operettas of all time. Il Trovatore SUMMARY Years before the opera ever begins, a gypsy stole into a Count's home and touched one of two baby boys. The baby became sick. Was it a curse? The Count thought so and ordered the gypsy burned at the stake. As the gypsy stood dying in the bonfire, the gypsy's daughter kidnapped the sick baby, planning to throw him into the fire as well. By mistake, she threw her own baby into the fire, so she raised the Count's baby as her own, calling him Manrico the Troubador (Il Trovatore). The following four acts tell the tragic story of Manrico and his brother, Count di Luna. The two brothers, now men, do not know they are brothers. Worse, they are both in love with the same woman, the beautiful Leonora. What follows is an intricate story of passion and revenge that will engage your heart and mind. Newcomers to opera will recognize many of the songs from Il Trovatore, and opera buffs will want to see Teatro Lirico D'Europa's engaging production. INSIDE OPERA LIVE Subscribers are invited to OperaDelaware's pre-opera INSIDE OPERA LIVE, a pre-opera talk providing an inside perspective on The Merry Widow and Il Trovatore, the composers and the social climate of the era in which the operas were created. INSIDE OPERA LIVE is one hour before each performance at The Grand Opera House. OPERADELAWARE WEBSITE The OperaDelaware website, at www.operadel.org, contains a synopses of the production and OperaDelaware's season brochure in download format. In"Discology", are recommended recordings for The Merry Widow and Il Trovatore by OperaDelaware chorus master and music coordinator Jeffrey Miller. OperaDelaware's mission is to enrich the cultural life of people in the Delaware Valley by producing opera, educational and outreach programs. The company presents new and traditional operas performed in an innovative way, using a unique blend of nationally-known stars and rising talent. OperaDelaware programs are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mellon Foundation, Meet The Composer, Inc., and the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency committed to enhancing and supporting the arts in Delaware. Funding for lead singers generously provided by First USA. ###