Synopsis
Time: The Dark Ages | Place: Italy
ACT I
Archibaldo, the blind king, conquered the kingdom of Altura forty years before the opera begins. After forty years, the Alturan people openly object to the reign of the Germanic King Archibaldo. Archibaldo recounts his memories of the thrill of conquest, and his reminiscence equates the invasion of Italy to the winning of a beautiful woman.
The story unfolds as we learn that Archibaldo’s son Manfredo has been married to the native Alturan princess, Fiora. But Fiora is having an affair with another Alturan prince, Avito. The King is unable to sleep and has his servant lead him to the terrace, outside of Fiora’s chambers. He sings of his youth and conquests, but gets the sense that his son, Manfredo, will soon return. He leaves to go back to bed.
Fiora and Avito share their intimate moments together boldly in the castle of her husband and father-in-law. In each other’s arms they sing of their undying love, as they were betrothed before her capture. When they hear King Archibaldo entering, they become very silent and Avito slips away. The King calls out, unable to see, and questions her, but Fiora lies and says she was talking to herself. Although Archibaldo suspects Fiora of infidelity, he falls short of proof, since he is blind, and his own servants do not cooperate with him in uncovering the affair. She returns to her chambers. Soon after the trumpet sounds, signaling Manfredo’s return. He enters, greeting his father the King, telling him he returned in longing for Fiora, his wife. But when Fiora enters she is cold and distant towards Manfredo. The old King, bitter and troubled, suspecting and fearing, thanked God that he was blind.
Intermission (twenty minutes)
ACT II
After Manfredo spends many days in the castle, and wooed Fiora in his passion, it comes to pass that he must once again go to fight in the war. He begs her to be affectionate with him and show signs of her love. She agrees to stand at the top of the stairs and wave her long white scarf as he rode away, as a symbol of her love for him. Manfredo departs and a servant brings Fiora the long white scarf. She goes to the top of the stairs to wave him farewell.
Suddenly Avito returns, dressed as a guard. He had not departed from the castle as intended, instead his loyal friend Flaminio, gave him safe harbor. Fiora tries to send him away but eventually gives in and stops waving the white scarf. They fall into an intimate embrace, not knowing that Archibaldo was entering and although blind, he could hear and sense everything that was happening. Driven by vengeance he came to attack. Avito evaded him in his blindness, but Fiora stood boldly up to the King, but would not admit her lover’s name. In a fit of rage, the King strangles Fiora to her death. Manfredo returns, having seen the scarf fall from her hand and sensing something bad was happening, and sees is wife dead. Archibaldo admits freely that he did, as a result of her cheating. Manfredo begs to know who her lover was, but no one knows. They take Fiora’s body and leave.
ACT III
In the final act, Fiora’s body is laid in a crypt, and the people of Altura mourn for her. Archibaldo has secretly poisoned Fiora’s lips, so when he comes to pay his last respects and kisses her, that her lover will die. Avito enters and in a moment of sadness, kisses Fiora’s lips. As he dies from the poison, Avito reveals to Manfredo that he was Fiora’s lover, and that Archibaldo has laid the poison. Stricken with grief at the loss of the woman he loved, Manfredo also kisses Fiora’s lips. Finally, Archibaldo enters to see if his trap has caught Fiora’s lover, and despairs as he hears the voice of his dying son.
Complete Run Time of the Show:
2 Hours and 20 minutes (including a 20-minute intermission)
Starring:
Archibaldo (Blind King) | Andrea Silvestrelli
Fiora (Princess) | Maria Kanyova
Manfredo (Prince, son of Archibaldo) | Franco Pomponi
Avito (Prince – her lover) | Andrew Morestein
Flamino (Guard, friend of Avito) | Matthew DiBattista
Giovanetto/Fanciullo | Aldo Alan
Ancella/Giovanetta | Jade Dasha
Una vecchia | Viktoria Vizin
COVER Archibaldo | Leo Radosavljevic
COVER Fiora | Angela De Venuto
COVER Manfredo | Jonathan Wilson
COVER Avito | Ryan Daly
COVER Ancella/Giovanetta | Jenni Parr
COVER Una Vecchia | Samantha McGonigal
Chorus:
Soprano
Floriana Bivona
Lizzie Broeker
Winifer Castaneda
Angela De Venuto
Theresa Egan
Abigail Greer Arcomona
Lauren Ingebrigtsen
Marlina Karimi
Gisella Milla
Leah Rockweit
Soprano II/Alto
Melanie Budreck
Jorie Clark
Jade Dasha
Margaret Meierhenry
Jenni Parr
Alto
Brooke Craig
Katrina Dubbs
Samantha McGonigal
Pamela Spann
Meg Thomas-Cary
Carmen Vizin
Viktoria Vizin
Tenor
Ryan Daly
David Greene
Jake Luellen
Aldo Alan
Brian Pember
Jose Vargas Ramirez
Dominic Martin Reyes
Baritone/Bass
Chiemerie Obianom
Leo Radosavljevic
Kevin Wheatle
Jonathan Wilson
Orchestra
Conductor:
Uff. Emanuele Andrizzi
Asst. Conductor:
Catherine O’Shaughnessy
Violin I
Robert Hanford, Concert Master
Diane Durrafourg
Lisa Fako
Laura Herrera
Carmen Kassinger
Eric Pidulski
Bing Jing Yu
Lorena Uquillas, Fellow
Violin II
Julimar Gonzales, Principal
Kate Carter
Shelia Hanford
Olga Kossovich
Olya Prohorova
John Robinson
Viola
Claudia Lasareff-Mironoff, Principal
Rebecca Miller
Cordelia Brand
Benjamin Duke, Fellow
Cello
Juan Horie, Principal
Eva Maria Barbado Gutierrez
Double Bass
Hannah Novak, Principal
Andy Anderson
Adam Wang, Fellow
Flute I
Mary Stolper
Flute II/Piccolo
Natalie Zoia
Oboe/English Horn
Sam Waring
Clarinet I
Elizandro Garcia Montoya
Clarinet II
Madi Childs
Bassoon
Edin Agamenoni
Horn I
Brian Goodwin
Horn II
Fiona Chisholm
Trumpet I
Ben Veerapun
Trumpet II
Michael Leavens
Trombone
Ignacio Del Rey
Timpani
Ed Harrison
Percussion
Fabian Correa
Harp
Ksenia Sushkevich, Fellow
Orchestra Manager
Natalie Zoia
Rehearsal Accompanists
Irina Feoktistova
Leo Radosavljevi
Melissa Bach
Aviana Holst, Fellow
Production Team
Emanuele Andrizzi – Conductor
Darren Lee Brown – Production Mgr/TD
Richard Robbins – Chorus Master
Catherine O’Shaughnessy – Asst. Conductor
Shane Cinal – Scenic Designer
Mike Goebel – Lighting Designer
Andres Fiz – Projections Designer
Andrew Freeland – Asst. Stage Director
Bill Morey – Costumer Designer
Grace Reynolds – Props Designer
Melanie Saso – Hair and Wigs Designer
Errin Austin – Make-up Designer
Sasha Gerritson – Supertitles Designer
Sebastian Medina – Master Electrician
Chris Stopka – Master Carpenter
Mary Mazurek – Recording Engineer
Steve Labedz – Sound Engineer
Rachel Rock – Stage Manager
Hannah Wein – Asst. Lighting Designer
Erzebet Schneider – Costume Supervisor
Hannah Zizza Stanfield – Supertitle Operator/Asst. Stage Manager
Gisella Milla – Asst. to the Director
Natalie Zoia – Orchestra Manager
Karen Cullen – Director of Operations
James Juliano – Publicity Director
Lorenzo Formosa – House Manager
Emily Zwijack – Social Media
Jacob Little – Production Asst.
Kay Lea Schuetz – Production Asst.
Board of Directors
Dr. Gregory Sarlo, Treasurer
Dr. Hamid Akbari
Stephanie Bryan Kangas
Michele Corlett
Carl Lawrenz
Dr. Venetia Stifler
Key Donors to the Opera Festival of Chicago
Hamid & Azar Akbari
Mike & Karen Atwood
Dr. Darren Brenner
Jim & Ester Bryan
Stephanie Bryan Kangas
Oliver Camacho
Michele Corlett
Frank DeVincentis
Adriana Fiori
Raymond Frick
Barbara Horan
Jeff & Stacy Janiak
Eugene Jarvis & Sasha Gerritson
Carl Lawrenz
James McCormick
Sensei Jeff Kohn
Laura Pils
Dr. Gregory Sarlo
John and Leigh Sasser
Venetia Stifler & Michael Hugos
Drs. David & Connie Wojtowicz
General Director’s Note
What a pleasure it has been to work with this fine group of singers, orchestra members, designers, staff and crew on the rarely seen opera L’amore dei tre rei. Having not been performed in Chicago in over 70 years, it is a rare treat for all who come to know it. First premiered at La Scala in April 1913, Montemezzi’s lush and complex score brings the tragic tale to life in a way that evokes a great depth of emotion. The orchestra frequently reveals the subtext of the interactions between the characters, and there are many moments of symbolism from the time he was composing it. Fiora herself represents Italy. “The Love of Three Kings” is sometimes a confusing title, as we only see Manfredo and Avito in competition for Fiora’s love. But Montemezzi believed that King Archibaldo was not only suspicious of Fiora but also desired her himself. In an interview in 1941, Montemezzi stated: “When the old king catches Fiora on the terrace after her night with Avito and questions her, she denies everything. He lays hands on her and demands, ‘Perchè tremi, se dici il vero?’ (‘Why do you tremble, if you are telling the truth?’), to which she answers boldly, ‘Ed anche voi tremate … e non mentite’ (You’re trembling, too … and you’re not lying’). In short, Archibaldo has a repressed, gnawing love for his daughter-in-law, and she knows it.” Jane Phillips (Opera News) wrote about L’amore saying: “It is intense tragedy, worthy of any stage in the world, and as such it takes its place in tragedy’s highest ranks. It is the best, not only of opera, but of drama and poetry, not only for today but for people in all time. Every scene conveys a lifetime of experience; and further than that it is not possible to go.” With its continued mission of bringing rarely performed Italian masterpieces to the stage, Opera Festival of Chicago has once again done just that. We hope you enjoy today’s performance and will join us again this festival season for our upcoming concerts and our second mainstage full production, Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.
Mille grazie! Sasha
Mission Statement
To present world-class standard productions of Italian opera masterpieces in Chicago that rarely grace the stage in the United States. In doing so we aspire to: generate an inquisitive operatic appetite within Chicago audiences; make our work – and its cultural context – accessible to a wide audience; provide a stimulating and inspirational environment of Italian opera for artists and audiences alike; provide a vital opportunity for young artists entering the profession to uphold the high integrity and demands of Italian opera with artists and musicians who are established professionals; and to highlight and celebrate the immense talent that has originated from the Chicagoland area.
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Cast: Festival Young Artists
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Cast: Festival company members including Angela DeVenuto, Jerek Fernandez, David Greene, Maria Kanyova, Joseph Lodato, Leo Radosavljevich, Franco Pomponi and more!
The season concludes with one of the pillars of Italian opera and one of the most passionate dramas of all times, Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo.
Cast: Michelle Allie Drever | Jonathan Burton | Franco Pomponi | Jerek Fernandez | Jonathan Wilson
The season concludes with one of the pillars of Italian opera and one of the most passionate dramas of all times, Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo.
Cast: Michelle Allie Drever | Jonathan Burton | Franco Pomponi | Jerek Fernandez | Jonathan Wilson