Berkeley Opera announces major stars to perform in Legend of the Ring (performed in one evening)

Berkeley Opera 2010 Ring/Richard Paul Fink as Wotan

Major International Opera Stars to Perform in Berkeley Opera’s Legend of The Ring July 31 -August 8 performances

Richard Paul Fink Makes Role Debut As Wotan and Jay Hunter Morris Performs His First Siegfried in Wagner’s Epic Masterpiece

Condensed into One Evening

May 2010, BERKELEY, CA – Berkeley Opera announces casting for its July-August production of Legend of the Ring a one-evening condensation of Richard Wagner’s epic masterpiece by David Seaman.

This condensed version seems well timed just as Seattle finished a cycle last summmer, San Francisco presents a cycle this summer and the Met presents a new production in the upcoming season.

A revival of the 2004 production that was lauded as one of the top ten musical events of the year, this production marks role debuts of two leading Wagnerian singers – baritone Richard Paul Fink sings Wotan. Long respected for his mastery of Alberich and other Wagnerian roles, Fink takes on this role for the first time. Noted tenor Jay Hunter Morris, hailed for his rich tone and dramatic charisma, sings his first Siegfried.

Fink appeared in Seattle's money-making Ring 2009, links below.

Berkeley Opera/Ring 2010/Jay Hunter Morris as Siegfried

Soprano Marie Plette, acclaimed for appearances from Seattle’s Ring Cycle to Cio Cio San in Madama Butterfly at San Francisco Opera, sings the multiple roles of Woglinde, Freia, Sieglinde, Forest Bird and Gutrune. Pictured below, Marie and her husband Mark Streshinsky with their son Mark at the 2010 Berkeley Opera Gala.

Marie Plette/Berkeley Opera/Ring 2010/Photo: Heather Ehmke

Dean Peterson, one of today’s most in-demand basses, is a regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He will sing the role of Hagen. Soprano Christine Springer reprises her 2004 role of Brünnhilde, Bojan Knezovic will sing Alberich, Stephen Rumph is Loge/Mime, and Valentina Osinski is Fricka. The production design and direction are by Berkeley Opera Artistic Director Mark Streshinsky and Music Director Jonathan Khuner conducts. Projections are by Jeremy Knight.

Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung, the mythic four-opera cycle, is normally performed over no less than four days. Wagner’s original intention to convey the saga in one opera has been brilliantly realized by David Seaman, who has crafted a one-evening condensation that maintains the richness and drama of Wagner’s iconic masterpiece. Seaman’s condensation was originally made for Pocket Opera Nuremberg, where Die Welt’s review said "The reduction’s dramatic compression brings the characters more sharply into focus....Every bar is original Wagner in seamless juxtaposition..." Berkeley Opera gave the work its American premiere in 2004.

Legend of the Ring opens on Saturday, July 31 at Berkeley Opera’s new home at the new, state-of-the-art (and "green") El Cerrito Performing Arts Theater, 540 Ashbury Avenue (at El Cerrito High School). Additional performances will be Wednesday, August 4 (just added), Friday, August 6, and Sunday, August 8.

An operatic baritone performing worldwide, Richard Paul Fink delights in his craft of musical storytelling. He made his Seattle Opera debut in 1996 and returns to that company frequently; some of his roles include Jochanaan in Salome and Klingsor in Parsifal, a role he has also sung at the Metropolitan Opera. He has sung Alberich in Seattle Opera’s past three Ring cycles and at the Met, Deutsche Opera Berlin, and San Francisco Opera and is currently performing the role at the L.A. Opera. At the Met, he has also performed Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, George Wilson in The Great Gatsby, and Edward Teller in Doctor Atomic. Mr. Fink has also appeared with Paris Opéra-Bastille, Berlin State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile, Sydney Opera, New York City Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, among others. He is a 1983-84 alumni of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program.

Tenor Jay Hunter Morris has established himself as one of today’s most exceptional tenors. He has been a leading artist with prominent companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera and Seattle Opera, and maintains an international career throughout Europe as well as Asia and Australia. He created the role of Marky in the world premiere of The Fly (Howard Shore) at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and has appeared with San Francisco Opera in A Streetcar Named Desire, Dead Man Walking, Dr. Atomic and St. François d’Assise. His roles also include Florestan in Fidelio and Erik in Der Fliegende Hollander.

American soprano Marie Plette is acclaimed in the major opera houses of North America and Europe for her compelling performances. She has sung frequently at the Metropolitan Opera and Seattle Opera in roles that include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Freia in Das Rheingold. Gutrune in Götterdämmerung, and Ortlinde in Die Walküre (all in Seattle Opera's Ring Cycle) and Sieglinde in Scottish Opera's production of Die Walküre. She is an alumnae of the 1992 Merola Program.

Dean Peterson is a regular performer at the Metropolitan Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. At the Houston Grand Opera, he appeared as Rucker Lattimore in the world premiere of Cold Sassy Tree and he has also performed with the San Francisco Opera, The Dallas Opera, Los Angeles Opera and Minnesota Opera as well as in the leading houses of Europe, including Teatro Alla Scala Milan and the Vienna State Opera. He recently sang the role of Daland in The Flying Dutchman with Madison Opera.

Tickets to Legend of the Ring are on sale at Brown Paper Tickets, 1-800-838-3006 or online at www.berkeleyopera.org. For more information, go to Berkeley Opera’s website at www.berkeleyopera.org.

About Berkeley Opera

A not-for-profit performing arts organization, Berkeley Opera was founded in 1979 by Richard Goodman. Current Music Director Jonathan Khuner led the company from 1994-2009 and was joined this season by Mark Streshinsky as Artistic Director. Berkeley Opera is committed to presenting opera as lively, compelling musical theater that fuses music and drama to delight, move, and challenge its audiences, while remaining affordable and engaging. Offerings encompass a wide range of repertoire – the new and unusual as well as both favorites and overlooked gems by well-known composers. Time-honored classics have been presented in new ways to make them fresh for contemporary audiences, while always striving to honor the intentions of the composer. The company has recently decided to feature operas from three different musical eras each season – the Early/Classic. 19th Century Romantic, and 20th Century/Contemporary. Berkeley Opera has been called "one of the most interesting small companies in the nation."

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