A fantasy for some opera lovers would be basking in arias by composers whose complex and memorable characters spring to life at the conductor’s downbeat. This dream will be realized Wednesday when some of the world’s most acclaimed artists, all alumni of Wolf Trap Opera Company, perform Opera’s Greatest Hits on the Filene Center stage to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary. From the astounding number of alumni who have become household names, WTOC Director Kim Witman has assembled more than a dozen to perform arias and ensembles from operas by Bellini, Rossini, Delibes, Gounod, Wagner, Puccini, Verdi and others. As the WTOC alumni crisscross the world, they run into each other on numerous stages. This performance will be a happy reunion.
“We have so many outstanding alumni that I could have planned a program like this many times over,” Witman said. “We were fortunate to find a nice range and vocal distribution from those available on this date. Most are performing elsewhere this summer, like Ron Raines, who went from the Kennedy Center production of ‘Follies’ to Broadway with the show, and Nathan Gunn, who is teaching a class in Colorado.”
| Onstage |
| ‘Opera’s Greatest Hits’ |
| Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center |
| When: 8 p.m. Wednesday |
| Info: $40 to $55 in-house, $20 lawn; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org |
The illustrious singers Witman tapped for this event are mezzos Stephanie Blythe and Denyse Graves; sopranos Tracy Dahl, Mary Dunleavy and Emily Pulley; tenors Lawrence Brownlee, Carl Tanner and James Valenti; baritones Richard Paul Fink and Robert Orth; basses Matt Boehler and Oren Gradus; and bass-baritone Alan Held. They will be backed by the 2011 Filene Young Artists and Stephen Lord conducting the Filene Center Orchestra.
Many, like area natives Graves and Tanner, have returned to Washington time and again performing at the Kennedy Center, Lisner Auditorium and other area venues. Bass-baritone Held has sung in town so often that he and his wife consider it their second home. Early in September, he returns to Washington National Opera making his role debut as the evil police chief Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s “Tosca.”
“I enjoy playing villains,” he said. “They suit my voice type, but you can’t rush a role like Scarpia. In 1988, I was singing the role of Angelotti in ‘Tosca’ and was eager to do Scarpia, but was told to take my time and not do it too soon. Now years later, I’m performing it for the first time and am glad I took that advice.”
