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Haymarket Opera Company Prepares for its Next Release
Following the success of its acclaimed 2022 world-premiere recording of Joseph Bologne’s 1780 opera, L’Amant Anonyme, Haymarket Opera Company (HOC) will record Leonardo Vinci’s final opera, Artaserse, this summer.
Premiered in Rome in 1730, the piece was produced frequently during the 18th century but has had no professional productions in the United States.
Set in ancient Persia, Artaserse is a tale of a royal intrigue, murder, secret love, and ruthless ambition. With a libretto by the illustrious Pietro Metastasio, Artaserse is a work of striking emotional depth and virtuosic brilliance. HOC has assembled a star-studded cast to bring Vinci’s virtuosic score to life: countertenors Kangmin Justin Kim, Key’mon Murrah, and Ryan Belongie; mezzo-soprano Emily Fons; male soprano Elijah McCormick; and tenor Eric Ferring. You can see all the drama unfold in performances on June 27 and 29 and July 1 at DePaul University’s Jarvis Opera House.
Recording sessions will take place there in the days immediately following the run of the staged production.
As with L’Amant Anonyme, this recording of Artaserse is expected to serve as a reference for future performances of the work as well as a showcase for a stellar cast, innovatively using many different voice types (not just countertenors). On the impact of recording their productions, Haymarket’s General Director Chase Hopkins says:
[Haymarket Opera Company is] driven to present these operas in a full production for a live audience, because they get to see all the drama. But there’s a whole other layer to this — which is [finding] ways to provide accessibility to what we do. And to work with a record label like Cedille that has such a wonderful reputation, such a big platform — it’s so exciting for Haymarket Opera Company to be stepping out onto that platform and to share what we do.
We’re eager to share this cast and company’s collective artistry with worldwide audiences when this album is released in 2026. This recording is made possible in part by generous support from Nancy Dehmlow, Patricia Kenney & Gregory O’Leary, Lynn & Glory Witherspoon, and Pat & Jerry Fuller.
Contact Julie Polanski (773.989.2518 or julie@cedillerecords.org) if you are interested in sponsoring this special recording.
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