Plàcido Domingo and I in 2000, during our first project together for Washington Opera, Handel’s Giulio Cesare, for which I directed and designed the sets.
Before I leave behind this 2013/14 season, I want to say a huge thank you to the great Plàcido Domingo who has commissioned and conducted so many of my recent successes. As it happened, they were all presented in one form or another during this last season and thankfully were greeted with universal applause. He was the inspiration behind all of them, and through him and his Artistic Director Christine Scheppelmann, I was blessed with the opportunity of working with some of the very greatest artists on the planet.
First, my Don Giovanni (originally created in 2007) featuring Ildar Abdrazakov and Barbara Frittoli (below) was presented in the beginning of the 2013 season in September 2012.
Then my Manon Lescaut (originally created in 2004) featuring Patricia Racette (below) was presented in March of 2013. Both productions were for Washington National Opera.
Thirdly, the DVD and BluRay of my Lucrezia Borgia (below) featuring the great Renée Fleming which was originally created in Washington in 2008 were released in November of 2013 by Euro Arts from the 2011 San Francisco Opera revival conducted by Riccardo Frizza.
All these productions were created for, and originally conducted by, Plàcido Domingo for Washington National Opera during the time when he headed the company. BRAVO PLÀCIDO!
Renée Fleming in Act II, sc ii of Lucrezia Borgia (costume design: John Pascoe)
Following these successes, I was flattered to be invited by William Burnett to create a ‘conversation’ with him on his prestigious website, Opera Warhorses.
This dealt with the creation/rehearsal process of the Lucrezia Borgia with Plàcido at the helm. The success of the first conversation has since led to my being invited by William to offer a regular series dedicated to discussing different aspects of my work and various opera-related subjects. To read the latest, click here . Comments are closed.
