Grange Park Opera
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Opera Synopses
Cio-Cio-San falls in love with and marries a dashing American naval officer, Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton. In his eyes the arrangement is a "local convenience" but she believes she has found true love. He leaves for America. For three years Cio-Cio-San waits patiently. Pinkerton's ship docks in Nagasaki harbour and he has brought with him his American wife. Nobody dares tell Pinkerton that Cio-Cio-San has remained faithful and has had his child. Puccini's sensual score edges towards the heartrending devastating finale. Claire Rutter plays tragic Butterfly.
Mozart's first mature opera takes place against the backdrop of the Trojan Wars. The King of Crete, Idomeneo, is fighting for the Greeks against the Trojans and has left his son, Idamante, to rule in his absence. Elettra, a Greek princess, falls for Idamante, but his heart belongs to Ilia, a Trojan princess held prisoner on the island. Idomeneo, on his triumphant return, is caught in a storm at sea and pledges to Neptune a sacrifice - of the first living thing he encounters on shore. Alas, it is his son. Danish tenor David Danholt is the King of Crete.
A tale of obsession and deceit, Tchaikovsky's penultimate opera is recognised as one of his greatest works. Hermann, a young officer, falls in love with Lisa, a girl he's never spoken to, and who is engaged to the Prince Yeletsky. Hermann uses Lisa to gain access to her grandmother, a Countess, who won a fortune in the casino with the secret of "the three cards".
Hermann is determined to discover that secret, but the Countess dies before revealing it. In his obsession to find the winning combination, Hermann loses Lisa, his mind and ultimately his own life.
Tatyana, a dreamer, falls in love with the glamorous Onegin whose arrogance conceals an inability to love. The peaceful household is destroyed when Onegin kills his friend Lensky in a duel. Years pass and Onegin once again meets Tatyana, now married to an elderly prince. Her poise and elegance entrance Onegin. But he has missed his moment. Onegin's turbulence reflects Tchaikovsky's own state of mind in the months of his short marriage and the resulting mental breakdown.