Olivier Award nominated singer Jonas Kaufmann, one of the world’s most respected tenors, will return to Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House in 2017 as part of its newly announced season.
Kaufmann will play the title role in Otello for the first time ever in Keith Warner’s production that will run from June 2017. The opera will be conducted by Antonia Pappano, who renewed his contract as Music Director until 2020 as part of this week’s announcements by the prestigious opera venue.
As part of the 2016/2017 season revealed at a press conference at the Covent Garden venue earlier this week, Pappano revealed he would also conduct new productions of Norma (from 12 September 2016) and Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg (from 12 March 2017), as well as revivals of Manon Lescaut (from 22 November 2016) and Madama Butterfly (from 20 March 2017).
The season will also include the UK premieres of Thomas Adès’ new opera The Exterminating Angel (from 24 April 2017) and Warner’s production of André Tchaikovsky’s The Merchant Of Venice (from 19 July 2017). There will also be new productions of pieces including Così Fan Tutte (from 22 September 2016) by UK debut director Jan Philipp Gloger, Shostakovich’s absurdist ‘anti-opera’ The Nose (from 20 October 2016) and Robert Carsen’s take on Der Rosenkavalier (from 17 December 2016).
Among the other many high profile performers to appear in the season are American tenor Bryan Hymel, who will sing the title role of Verdi’s Don Carlo (from 12 May 2017) in a revival of former National Theatre Director Nicholas Hytner’s production, and leading American sopranos Christine Goerke and Lise Lindstrom who will share the iconic role of Turandot (from 5 July 2017).
Also announced was the continuation of the Royal Opera House’s relationship with BBC Radio 3. During the course of the 2016/2017 season eight operas will be relayed on the popular radio station. Opera fans will also have the opportunity to watch six operas as part of its successful Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season.
Full details of the 2016/2017 season can be found on the Royal Opera House website.