Iphegenia at Aulis

By Scott Gendel, composer. Libretto adapted from Kenneth Rexroth's Beyond the Mountains

Directed by Kelly Bremner

Announcing the world premiere performance of Iphigenia at Aulis, a new opera by local Madison composer Scott Gendel. This contemporary reworking of the classic ancient Greek tragedy tells the story of Iphigenia, the daughter of King Agamemnon and the betrothed of Achilles the great warrior. In the ancient texts, Iphigenia is sacrificed to the Gods by her father to cause the winds to blow to allow the Greek army to arrive at the Trojan War. In this re-working it is Iphigenia who chooses to sacrifice herself in order to claim a stronger position in the myth and in history itself. The opera offers an evocative and passionate exploration of the dynamics of gender, sexual power, and sacrifice at the heart of one of our oldest cultural touchstones.

Mature content.

Scott Gendel is currently both a faculty member and a doctoral candidate at the UW, and recently his compositions have been performed by Julia Faulkner here in Madison, and by the Riverside Opera Ensemble in Merkin Recital Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. Madison opera fans will be delighted to see local favorites Jamie-Rose Guarrine as Iphigenia, Susan Craft as her lover Achilles, and Daniel Weinstein as King Agamemnon starring in this performance, in addition to the performances of other University and Madison community members. Additionally opera goers will be treated to designs by three nationally recognized professionals, Kristin Hunt, Shelley Alexander-Cornia and Daniel Gallagher. The performance is directed by Kelly Bremner and conducted by Jeff Boeckman.

Produced at Music Hall, Park Street on the UW Madison Campus

Performances: Friday December 3rd and Saturday December 4th, 2004, at 8:00 pm

Ticket Prices free