Description
AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMS STRAUSS’ ONE-ACT OPERA DAPHNE
AT CARNEGIE HALL ON MARCH 23
Featured Soloists are Soprano Jana McIntyre, Mezzo-Soprano Ronnita Miller, Tenors Kyle van Schoonhoven and Aaron Blake, and Bass Stefan Egerstrom
New York, NY, February 16, 2023 — The American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) presents Richard Strauss’s rarely-heard one-act opera Daphne on March 23, 8 pm, as part of its Vanguard Series at Carnegie Hall. Music director Leon Botstein leads the Orchestra, the Bard Festival Chorale, and soloists in the work’s first performance in New York in more than 15 years.
The evening features an acclaimed cast including soprano Jana McIntyre, described by Opera News as gifted with a “dancer’s grace, mercurial wit, and vibrant soprano tone”; Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller, whose season comprises a Carnegie Hall appearance as soloist with the Oberlin Orchestra in Dett’s The Ordering of Moses; Met Opera tenors Kyle van Schoonhoven, recipient of a 2019 George London Award, and Aaron Blake, acclaimed for his role as the High Priest of Amon in The Met’s Grammy Award-winning album of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten; and bass Stefan Egerstrom, who makes his Met Opera debut this season as A Nobleman in Lohengrin.
Daphne
Opera in one act by Richard Strauss with libretto by Joseph Gregor
Thursday, March 23 at 8 pm
Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage)
American Symphony Orchestra
Leon Botstein, conductor
Bard Festival Chorale
James Bagwell, music director of the Bard Festival Chorale
Daphne: Jana McIntyre, soprano
Apollo: Kyle van Schoonhoven, tenor
Leukippos: Aaron Blake, tenor
Gaea: Ronnita Miller, mezzo-soprano
Peneios: Stefan Egerstrom, bass
Erste Magd: Marlen Nahhas, soprano
Zweite Magd: Ashley Dixon, mezzo-soprano
Erster Schäfer: Kenneth Overton, baritone
Richard Strauss: An den Baum Daphne (choral epilogue to Daphne)
Richard Strauss: Daphne “Bucolic Tragedy in One Act,” Op. 82
The ASO spotlights Richard Strauss’ seldom heard pastoral opera Daphne at this performance. With its lush orchestral palette, endlessly shifting harmonic motion, and sumptuous melodies, combined with a diaphanous serenity typical of Strauss’ later style, Daphne reveals a composer arguably at the peak of his powers, confident in his abilities as both composer and dramatist. In an even rarer presentation, the program also offers the opera’s epilogue, an a cappella choral addition written in 1943, a poignant illustration of the affection Strauss had for Daphne.
Tickets: Priced at $25–$65, tickets are available at carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800, or visiting the box office at 57th St. & 7th Ave. Ticket holders will need to comply with the venue’s health and safety requirements, which can be found here.
American Symphony Orchestra
Now in its 61st season, the American Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski with the mission of providing music within the means of everyone. Music director Leon Botstein expanded that mission when he joined the ASO in 1992, creating thematic concerts that explore music from the perspective of the visual arts, literature, religion, and history, and reviving rarely performed works that audiences would otherwise never have a chance to hear performed live.
The ASO’s signature programming includes its Vanguard Series, which presents concerts of rare orchestral repertoire, and various other events dedicated to enriching and reflecting the diverse perspectives of American culture. During the summer months, the ASO is the orchestra-in-residence at Bard’s SummerScape, performs at the Bard Music Festival, and offers chamber music performances throughout the New York City area.
As part of its commitment to expanding the standard orchestral repertoire, the ASO has released recordings on the Telarc, New World, Bridge, Koch, and Vanguard labels, and live performances are also available for digital streaming. In many cases, these are the only existing recordings of some of the forgotten works that have been restored through ASO performances.
For more information, please visit americansymphony.org.
Leon Botstein
Leon Botstein has been music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra since 1992. He is also music director of The Orchestra Now, an innovative training orchestra composed of top musicians from around the world. He is co-artistic director of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival, which take place at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, where he has been president since 1975. He is also conductor laureate and principal guest conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, where he served as music director from 2003–11. In 2018, he assumed artistic directorship of Campus Grafenegg and Grafenegg Academy in Austria. Mr. Botstein also has an active career as a guest conductor with orchestras around the globe, and has made numerous recordings, as well as being a prolific author and music historian. He is the recipient of numerous honors for his contributions to the music industry. In 2019, The New York Times named Leon Botstein a “champion of overlooked works…who has tirelessly worked to bring to light worthy scores by neglected composers.” More info online at LeonBotstein.com.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The ASO’s Vanguard Series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Images from left to right: Jana McIntyre ©Zach Mendez, Kyle van Schoonhoven ©Paul Sirochman, Aaron Blake ©Dario Acosta, Ronnita Miller ©Simon Pauly, and Stefan Egerstrom ©Jiyang Chen.
Media Contact
Pascal Nadon
Pascal Nadon Communications
Phone: 646.234.7088
Email: pascal@pascalnadon.com