Événement

Vespertine Opera Theater presents The Rape of Lucretia

Love, lust, desire, violence, innocence, religion, and the fall of the Roman monarchy. Vespertine Opera Theater announces its all new production of the work that defined the genre of Chamber Opera, daringly staged in Capitol Hill's grand St. Mark's Cathedral. With only one scheduled performance on Friday, January 10th, this is a dramatic event that cannot be missed.

The opera tells the story of Tarquinius, the Etruscan prince of Rome, and his obsession with Lucretia, the pure and loving wife of famed Roman general Collatinus. His obsession leads to a savage act that tarnishes innocence and brings the Roman monarchy to its knees. Two contemporary Christian observers, the Male and Female Chorus, frame, narrate, and inhabit the tale.

The cast features Julia Benzinger, heralded for her "luscious mezzo" by the International Herald Tribune and praised for "her impressive, metallic dramatic soprano" by Der Tagesspiel, making her Vespertine Opera Theater debut as Lucretia. José Rubio, who sang The Husband in Vespertine Opera Theater's production of Les mamelles de Tirésias "fearless[ly] and all-out" (KingFM) and with "quite a powerful voice" (The SunBreak), returns as Tarquinius. Brendan Tuohy, praised by Opera News for his "brightness and clarity" and his "mellifluous tenor and crystal-clear diction" by Chicago Classical Review, makes his Vespertine Opera Theater debut as the Male Chorus.

This will be the first production since 2011's Dido and Aeneas/Savitri that will feature a full orchestra, led by Jeremiah Cawley, who previously was the Music Director for Vespertine Opera Theater's production of La voix humaine and who conducts "with enthusiasm and precision" (The Glass).

The production will be directed by Vespertine Opera Theater Artistic Director Dan Wallace Miller, with lighting design by Marnie Cumings, scenic design by Christopher Mumaw, and costume design by Savannah Baltazar, all of whom collaborated to make Vespertine Opera Theater's production of Les mamelles de Tirésias "up-close and visceral" (The SunBreak) and "fast-paced, cleverly inventive, and lots of fun" (KingFM).

Join us for a work as delicately beautiful as it is savagely engaging; and for the first opera ever produced in the vaunted halls of St. Mark's Cathedral.