蜜柚直播 Opera scored a historical coup in 2017 with its first-ever commissioned and world-premiered opera 鈥淩iders of The Purple Sage.鈥
This weekend, they are bringing the piece back to the stage.
鈥淭here is no magical number of performances of any opera. ... With 鈥楻iders,鈥 we had in its world premiere in 2017 such an amazing level of community resonance that we felt that the piece had a place in our season in 2020,鈥 said 蜜柚直播 Opera President and General Director Joseph Specter.
Specter programmed 蜜柚直播 composer Craig Bohmler鈥檚 鈥淩iders鈥 in a season that also includes Puccini鈥檚 鈥淟a Boh猫me,鈥 which the company mounted in early February; and Strauss鈥檚 鈥淎riadne auf Naxos,鈥 coming April 11-12 鈥 the first time 蜜柚直播 Opera has presented the piece in more than 25 years.
When it performed the world premiere of 鈥淩iders鈥 three years ago, 8,204 people attended over five performances 鈥 two in 蜜柚直播, where it opened, and three in Phoenix. Single-ticket sales outpaced the hugely popular 鈥淐armen鈥 from the 2015-16 season and ranked in the top three or four operas the company has mounted in the past 20 years, Specter said.
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鈥淚t sits among 鈥楤oh猫me,鈥 鈥楤utterfly鈥 and 鈥楥armen鈥 in terms of the level of single ticket sales,鈥 he said. 鈥淓ven in the remount, it鈥檚 selling significantly better than most of our traditional operas and I think that just goes to the staying power of the piece.鈥
蜜柚直播 Opera will perform 鈥淩iders of the Purple Sage鈥 twice this weekend; it opened in Phoenix last weekend.
The opera is based on Zane Grey鈥檚 seminal novel of the same name and follows a devout Mormon woman trying to assert her independence as a rancher in a community that would rather she marry and let her husband do the man鈥檚 work. The story, which takes place in the late 1800s, includes murder, a love story, a gallant white knight and the ultimate operatic ending 鈥 a dramatic martyred death.
If you saw the world premiere in 2017, you鈥檒l notice some differences this go-around, including a new cast, new projection designs that enhance the 1,300-square-foot video wall of dramatic 蜜柚直播 landscapes created by Phoenix artist Ed Mell, and a beefed-up orchestra numbering 56.
鈥淭his piece still has an incredible power to move,鈥 Specter said, adding that ticket sales this time around are less robust but there is still incredible interest.
鈥淚 really think that what you see with any new work, the excitement and the newness, that goes away,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut we believe that 鈥楻iders鈥 has a place in the cannon in the longterm.鈥
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
