The Little OPERA Theatre Postpones Mozart's THE SHEPHERD KING

The little OPERA theatre of ny (LOTNY) is developing Mozart's joyful serenata The Shepherd King (Il re pastore) in a newly commissioned singing translation from Mark Herman and Ronnie Apter.

Originally scheduled to be presented at the Baryshnikov Arts Center from May 7-10, 2020, the full production of the opera is being postponed until the fall of 2020. The coming spring, the little OPERA theatre of ny (LOTNY) plans to stream a preview of the production, with dates to be announced.

"This winter, we embarked on a new project, a production of Mozart's The Shepherd King (Il re pastore)," said Philip Shneidman, director, the little OPERA theatre of ny. "With a commissioned English translation just completed, our singers have started working on their music and designers have begun their research and sketches. Score preparation with New Vintage Baroque is also well underway. Our first mailing went out just before the escalation of Covid-19 in the NY area. In the short time that has followed, it has become apparent that we must postpone the full production that was announced for this May at the Baryshnikov Arts Center."

The wisdom of a simple shepherd teaches Alexander the Great what it means to be a true king. Conducted by Elliot Figg (Piramo e Tsibe/LOTNY, Dido & Aeneas/Death of Classical, Farinelli/Broadway) The Shepherd King will be directed by LOTNY Artistic Director Philip Shneidman(Owen Wingrave, Prince of Players) with scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado (A Strange Loop, Dance Nation), costume design by Lara de Bruijn (Owen Wingrave) and lighting design by Josh Smith (Abrons Arts Center and Alabama Shakespeare Festival)

The production is double cast and will feature soprano Catherine Ortega Spitzer as Aminta, tenors Brian Downen and Rufus Müller as Alessandro, sopranos Heather Hill and Maggie Finnegan as Elisa, mezzo-sopranos Kristin Gornstein and Heather Johnson as Tamiri; tenors Daniel Curran and Kameron Ghanavati as Agenore, and others to be announced.

The Shepherd King (Il re pastore) is an early work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, first performed in 1775 when the composer was nineteen. The libretto, adapted by Mozart from an original by Pietro Metastasio, tells the story of a simple shepherd, noble of spirit and humble of heart, who is revealed to be the rightful king of Sidon. This launches a story of crossed romances, confused identity, and the struggle between achieving high position and defending true love.

The score, often praised for its freshness and vitality, was most recently performed by the Merola Opera in San Francisco. A Glimmerglass Production from 1991 travelled to NYC for the Mostly Mozart Festival in 2003. Recent European performances have taken place at Teatro La Fenice (2019) and Théâtre du Châtelet (2015).

LOTNY's production features a brand-new English translation by Mark Herman and Ronnie Apter, and is presented in collaboration with the New Vintage Baroque (NVB), an adventurous period instrument ensemble dedicated to the creation of 21st century repertoire for early instruments.