FREDONIA - The 1891 Fredonia Opera House will screen Mozart's classic opera "Don Giovanni" as part of its Live at the Met Summer Encore Series on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
In "Don Giovanni," the Met's principal conductor, Fabio Luisi, conducts Mozart's tale of lust, heartbreak and revenge, with Mariusz Kwiecien in his first Met performances of the iconic title role.
Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage made his Met debut with this production that stars an international cast of acclaimed Mozart singers including: Marina Rebeka as Donna Anna, Mojca Erdmann as the innocent peasant girl Zerlina, Barbara Frittoli as the fiery Donna Elvira, Ramon Vargas as Don Ottavio, Luca Pisaroni as Giovanni's manservant Leporello, Joshua Bloom as Masetto and Stefan Kocan as the vengeful Commendatore.
Young baritone Kwiecien sings the role of Don Giovanni (Don Juan). An injury during the dress rehearsal for this production nearly cost Kwiecien the chance at this legendary role. But following emergency back surgery, he returned to the production- which was originally transmitted in October 2011 - and received critical praise for his performance.
The opera contains many of Mozart's greatest arias and duets.
Live at the Met live opera broadcasts and Summer Encores screenings are made possible by Dr. James M. and Marcia Merrins, who funded the purchase of the satellite transmission and projection equipment used in the series. Support for the series also comes from the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County.
Tickets to the Live at the Met Summer Encores Series operas are $15 and are available in advance by calling 679-1891 or visiting the Opera House box office from 1-5 p.m. They also may be purchased online at fredopera.org. The Live at the Met Encore Series continues with Offenbach's "Les Contes D'Hoffman" on July 12; Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" on July 19; and Strauss' "Der Rosenkavalier" on July 26.