Into the Woods

INTO THE WOODS

In the most natural of pairings, Wolf Trap Opera explores lush operatic works inspired by the woodland scenes of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Serse,” “Hänsel und Gretel,” “Die Walküre,” and more. Watch the incredible roster of 2020 WTO artists bring these stories of the forest to life against the wooded backdrop of The Barns.

REPERTOIRE

HANDEL – SERSE
“Ombra mai fu”
Serse: Leia Lensing
Piano: Yuri Aoki
King Serse, in a moment of repose, speaks of the beauty of nature and his sylvan kingdom from the shade of his favorite tree.

WAGNER – DIE WALKÜRE
“Wo in Bergen”
Fricka: Megan Grey
Piano: Alex Munger
Fricka, Wotan’s wife and the goddess of marriage, insists that Wotan defend Hunding’s marriage rights and keep Seglinde away from Siegmund.

BELLINI – NORMA
“…Meco all’altar di Venere”
Pollione: Mackenzie Gotcher
Flavio: Brian Michael Moore
Piano: Alex Munger
Pollione confesses to Flavio that, even though Norma has broken her vows on his behalf and borne him children, he is drawn to the priestess Adalgisa. He knows that this is problematic—he has dreamt of standing at an altar with Adalgisa, shuddering under a powerful storm.

STRAVINSKY – THE RAKE’S PROGRESS
Graveyard Scene
Tom Rakewell: Chris Bozeka
Nick Shadow: Clay Thompson
Piano: Yuri Aoki, Grant Loehnig

As payment for his faithful service, Nick Shadow asks Tom Rakewell for his soul. Tom begs for mercy. Shadow offers to decide Tom’s fate with a deck of cards. In the distance, Tom hears the voice of his beloved, Ann, and the strength of his love allows him to correctly guess all the cards and free himself from Shadow’s wrath. The cheated Shadow condemns Tom to insanity.

SONDHEIM – INTO THE WOODS
“Agony”
Cinderella’s Prince: Brian Michael Moore
Rapunzel’s Prince: Conor McDonald
Piano: Alex Munger

Sung by Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince, the men meet by chance, and commiserate over the strength of their love and their confusion that things aren’t working out to plan.

VERDI – FALSTAFF
“Sul fil d’un soffio etesio”
Nannetta: Alexandra Nowakowski
Piano: Yuri Aoki

Nannetta, dressed as the Fairy Queen, calls the fairies out of their hiding places and commands them to dance.

BRITTEN – A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
“I see their knavery…”
Bottom: Nicholas Newton
Tytania: Alexandra Nowakowski
Piano: Alex Munger

The Fairy Queen Tytania has unknowingly been enchanted to fall in love with the first person she sees upon waking. She is awakened by the sound of Bottom the weaver singing loudly. Puck has given him the head of an ass in place of his normal head. Regardless, Tytania falls in love with him immediately. She tells her fairy attendants to feed and take care of Bottom and eventually bring him to Tytania’s bed.

PUCCINI – TOSCA
“E lucevan le stelle”
Cavaradossi: Brian Michael Moore
Piano: Yuri Aoki

The artist Cavaradossi has been sentenced to death by the chief of police, Scarpia. He sings of the beauty of the stars, of his love for the beautiful Tosca, and for his fate.

HUMPERDINCK – HÄNSEL UND GRETEL
“Knusper, knusper knäuschen…”
Hänsel: Megan Grey
Gretel: Chanae Curtis
Rosine Leckermaul (The Witch): Gretchen Krupp
Piano: Alex Munger

Hänsel and Gretel, starving and lost in the woods, find a house made entirely of candy! They meet the house’s owner, Rosine Leckermaul, but the situation isn’t as sweet as the children had hoped…

CREATIVE TEAM

Crystal Manich, director

MUSIC STAFF

Joseph Li, coach
Nate Raskin, coach
Stephanie Rhodes Russell, coach
Nicolò Sbuelz, Italian coach
Ellen Rissinger, German coach
Jocelyn Dueck, French coach
Alex Munger, Coaching Fellow
Yuri Aoki, Coaching Fellow