paris and helen (2014)
about
Essential Opera celebrates the start of its 5th season – and Christoph Willibald Gluck’s 300th anniversary – with a passionate masterpiece, Paride ed Elena (Paris and Helen). An epic love story that has echoed through both art and history for millenia, Paride ed Elena combines human emotions with the whims and machinations of gods and goddesses.
Featuring a powerful cast of brilliant women singers, music director Vicki St. Pierre, and pianist Wesley Shen, Essential Opera’s Paride ed Elena promises a night of beautiful, rarely-heard music.
performance date / venue:
Saturday, September 27, 2014, 8:00 p.m.
Trinity St. Paul’s Centre, Toronto
Sung in Italian, with English translation
Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
The Registry Theatre, Kitchener
Sung in Italian, with English translation
Pre-concert chats 20 minutes before curtain at both performances, with Dr. Sheila Ager of the University of Waterloo’s Classic department.
creative team
Music Director: Dr. Vicki St. Pierre
Associate Music Director & Pianist: Wesley Shen
Paride: Krisztina Szabo
Elena: Erin Bardua
Amore/Erasto: Maureen Batt
Soprano/Trojan Messenger: Julie Ludwig
Pallade: Emily Klassen
