The Royal Opera has announced details of the 2007-8 season, which lasts from 10 September 2007 to 19 July 2008 and encompasses composers as diverse as Gluck, Birtwistle, Donizetti, Wagner, Verdi, Mozart, Rossini, Strauss and Tchaikovsky.
The season is inevitably dominated by Wagner's Ring Cycle in October 2007. Antonio Pappano conducts the first full cycles of Keith Warner's insightful production, with casts including Bryn Terfel (singing the Wanderer for the first time), John Tomlinson and Plàcido Domingo.
The same composer's Parsifal is revived in December 2007, in a revival that also marks the welcome first return of former Music Director Bernard Haitink since his departure in 2002. John Tomlinson is Gurnemanz to Christopher Ventris' Parsifal; Willard White and Petra Lang complete an exciting cast.
For a lighter Christmas treat, how about Rossini's La Cenerentola? It's back in December in the charming Caurier-Leiser 1950s production and stars Magdalena Kozena and Toby Spence in the leads, with Alessandro Corbelli taking the part of Don Magnifico for the first time.
The big new production of the autumn is Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, conducted by Ivor Bolton and starring the American mezzo-soprano Susan Graham. Robert Carson directs a cast that also includes Simon Keenlyside.
Verdians will be delighted by the prospect of the new season. First, a hotly-anticipated new production of Don Carlo in June 2008 brings together the talents of Simon Keenlyside (Posa), Rolando Villazon (Carlo) and Marina Poplavskaya (Elisabetta) with Music Director Antonio Pappano.
In February 2008, Anna Netrebko sings her acclaimed interpretation of Violetta in a revival of Richard Eyre's production of La traviata; Jonas Kaufmann and Dmitri Hvorostovsky co-star. A second cast will bring together soprano Norah Amsellem and Maurizio Benini, who proved to be a winning combination in the opera a couple of seasons ago.
The third Verdi offering of the year is a newly revised revival of Ian Judge's 1997 production of Simon Boccanegra, given this time in the 1881 version. Excitingly, Nina Stemme is singing Amelia, while Lucio Gallo takes the title role. The most intriguing aspect of the revival, however, is the fact that John Eliot Gardiner is conducting the piece for the first time (a rare venture into Verdi for him).
In November 2007, Rolando Villazon also stars in a new production by Laurent Pelly of Donizetti's witty comedy L'elisir d'amore; Paolo Gavanelli co-stars as Dulcamara, while the conductor is Mikko Franck.
Two Mozart revivals will bring back the directing skills of David McVicar. First, Die Zauberflöte makes a welcome return, with Antonio Pappano in the pit and Kate Royal sharing the role of Pamina with Genia Kuhmeier (January-March 2008). Simon Keenlyside returns as Papageno, sharing the role with Christopher Maltman. Later, McVicar's gorgeous production of Le nozze di Figaro will be seen with some luxurious casting in the form of Peter Mattei (Count Almaviva) and Barbara Frittoli (Countess Almaviva), as well as stalwarts Ann Murray (Marcellina), Robert Lloyd (Bartolo), and Donald Maxwell (Antonio). The best news about the revival is the fact that Charles Mackerras is back to conduct most of the performances (June-July 2008).
McVicar's relationship with Covent Garden continues with a new production of Strauss' Salome in February 2008. Philippe Jordan is conducting Nadja Michael, Thomas Moser and Michael Volle in the lead roles.
Francesca Zambello's critically-acclaimed new production of Bizet's Carmen returns for a first revival in March 2008. With Marcelo Alvarez, Spanish mezzo Nancy Fabiola-Herrera and Kyle Ketelsen in the lead roles, this could be a revival to remember. Daniel Oren conducts. Earlier in the same month, Jiri Belohlavek makes his Royal Opera debut in a piece that should suit him down to the ground, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. Gerald Finley takes the title role, while Piotr Beczala returns as Lensky. Tosca will return in May, but apart from the fact that Antonio Pappano is in charge, we know nothing of the casting details yet.
Continuing a tradition of world premieres at Covent Garden, the Royal Opera presents Harrison Birtwistle's The Minotaur with a cast including John Tomlinson, Christine Rice and Philip Langridge. Antonio Pappano conducts (April 2008).
Christof Loy's production of Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos returns in June 2008 with a cast including Deborah Voigt (Prima Donna/Ariadne) and Elina Garanca (Komponist). It will be a pleasure finally to see the mighty Voigt in the role, and we are assured that she will return as Tosca in a future season. The starry co-stars include Thomas Allen, Jeremy White, Christopher Maltman and Richard Margison. Strauss' remarkable score is in the careful hands of Mark Elder.
To end the season, July 20008 brings together a new production of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress conducted by Thomas Adès with a revival of the John Copley popular production of Puccini's La bohème. The latter marks the Royal Opera House debut of 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World, Nicole Cabell.
A number of events will be provided to surround the staging of The Ring in October, while the Linbury Studio Theatre will also host a number of chamber operas including Adès' Powder Her Face, Birtwistle's Punch and Judy, and Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Meet the Young Artists week also promises to be a highlight of the new season (15-21 October 2007).