Above: Original artwork for Haymarket Opera’s production of Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra. Art: Wendy Waszut-Barrett
For cast lists, please visit the Opera Series Overview.
The WFMT Radio Network is proud to present Haymarket Opera Company in the 2023 WFMT Opera Series, with the Chicago premiere of Johann Adolph Hasse’s Neapolitan serenata Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra – a lavish operatic event featuring superstar countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim and contralto Lauren Decker. Virtuosic music and high-baroque drama collide as history’s star-crossed lovers Mark Antony and Cleopatra contemplate their bleak political future—and ultimately their suicide—after their defeat in the Battle of Actium. Eavesdrop on the final declaration of undying love between Roman hero Mark Antony and his tragic Egyptian queen Cleopatra as they brace for their double suicides.
Hasse’s poignant, lyrical, and fiery musical portrayal of the scene requires the utmost vocal and dramatic virtuosity of its two performers. Haymarket highlights the gender-bending traditions of baroque opera, featuring countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim as Queen Cleopatra and contralto Lauren Decker as Mark Antony. Hasse’s original cast took opposite gender roles with Carlo Broschi, the famous castrato called “Farinelli,” singing Cleopatra, and the renowned contralto Vittoria Tesi Tramontini, known as “La Fiorentina” or “La Moretta,” singing Marc’Antonio. Haymarket preserves and celebrates Hasse’s original gender-fluid arrangement.
Haymarket General Director Chase Hopkins makes his directorial debut, blending his experience as both singer and creative producer, alongside historian, author, and scenic artist Wendy Waszut-Barrett, costume designer Stephanie Cluggish, wig designer Megan Pirtle, and lighting designer Brian Schneider to evoke the world of ancient Egypt.
Craig Trompeter conducts the acclaimed Haymarket Opera Orchestra, renowned for its “unbelievable heated passions and dramatic instrumental climaxes” (Operawire), with celebrated guest harpsichordist Michael Beattie.
About the Host
Lisa Flynn has been a program host and producer for WFMT since 1991. She presents The New Releases and has hosted many programs for the WFMT Radio Network, including War Letters (which won the 2002 Peter Lisagor Award) and a series of live broadcasts from Salzburg to celebrate Mozart’s 250th birthday in 2006. As WFMT’s midday weekday announcer, Lisa hosts live studio performances and interviews guest artists including Renée Fleming, John Adams, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, John Eliot Gardiner, and many others. Before coming to Chicago, Lisa presented classical music at WOSU in Columbus, Ohio, and at WMFE and WUCF in Orlando, Florida. She holds a music degree from the University of Central Florida
This program is a part of the WFMT Radio Network Opera Series, a series designed to complement the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts to fill out the year with great Opera content. The series begins in June and lasts until December.
