Most people who were in the Washington, D.C. area in the spring of 1982 remember it. In the early morning of April 4, 1982, Wolf Trap’s Filene Center burned to the ground. (It was actually the second time that fire had threatened Wolf Trap, as the original structure had suffered a fire during its construction.)
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Wolf Trap Opera Company 1981: Overview
The Company’s first decade was exhilarating – big guest stars and lots of time on the outdoor stage at the Filene Center. There were high-powered guest conductors and directors generating adrenaline to spare, expensive productions and a world premiere. The 80’s seem to have started off in a more subdued fashion. Adelaide Bishop and Richard
Read MoreWTOC 1981: Enchanted Child, Rapunzel & a Barns Delay
The Company returned to the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods in ’81 with two terrific vehicles – Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortileges and Brooks’ Rapunzel. I find it amazing and charming that these TITW operas in the early days were done with orchestra! There’s a missing piece of the puzzle in 1981 – there are references to a
Read MoreWTOC 1981: The Marriage of Figaro
The 1981 season was a bit more conservative than the previous summer’s offerings. The Filene Center was host to two performances of Figaro, in a production rented from New York City Opera. Donald Gramm returned to the Company as a director, and Richard Woitach (who was to become instrumental in my own path to WTOC)
Read MoreWolf Trap Opera Training Program 1980
It must’ve been a crazy summer. From big star appearances in Falstaff (Donald Gramm) and Fledermaus (Anna Moffo) to the unthinkable challenge presented by Sarah Caldwell’s Der Vampyr – I’m sure a good time was had by all. In addition, the young artists made what I believe was their first foray in the woods over
Read MoreWTO 1980: Die Fledermaus
Anna Moffo was the big draw for the August 1980 Die Fledermaus at the Filene Center. Nat Merrill directed, Franz Allers conducted, and Adele was sung by Erie Mills. Press wasn’t particularly favorable, focusing mostly on the adaptation used – called the “Rosalinda version”, with additional music by Korngold. Iconic Washington Post critic Paul Hume
Read MoreWTOTP 1980: Falstaff
Celebrated baritone Donald Gramm returned to Wolf Trap in 1980 to lead a cast of young artists in Falstaff. Didn’t find much in the files, but there were a few lovely photos.
Read MoreWTOTP 1980: Der Vampyr
Marschner’s Der Vampyr marked Sarah Caldwell’s return to the Wolf Trap Company, and expectations were certainly high. It was scheduled for a highly-anticipated, ambitious, most unusual 12:00 midnight performance in mid-July. The production files are full of various reports on the phase of the moon and its rising/setting in summer 1980. There were to be
Read MoreWolf Trap Opera Training Program 1979: Overview
1979 was a year of transition for Wolf Trap Opera. It must’ve been a huge relief to see the company rebound after the 1978 hiatus. But it seems to have come back in two incarnations: the Wolf Trap Opera Company was the producing organization for performances at the Filene Center (Kiss Me, Kate and The
Read MoreWTOTP 1979: Gianni Schicchi & Fortunio’s Song
A surprise awaited me in the archaeological dig of Wolf Trap Opera Company 1979. I had no idea that the WTOC ever did Schicchi and I had never included it on the company’s repertoire list. But here ’tis, in a production in the Wolf Trap Opera Grove (!) in 1979. The other one-act offered as
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