Opera: LA HIJA DE RAPPACCINI (Chicago Opera Theater)

Post image for Opera: LA HIJA DE RAPPACCINI (Chicago Opera Theater)

by Connor McCormick on March 3, 2021

in Music,Theater-Chicago

Chicago Opera Theater to Stream Chicago Premiere
of Daniel Catán’s La hija de Rappaccini

April 2021 Production at Field Museum
Marks 10-Year Anniversary of Composer’s Death

As COVID-19 restrictions continue, Chicago Opera Theater is changing the digital production slated for April 24 from the previously announced Il Postino to La hija de Rappaccini, composed by Daniel Catán (1949-2011), with a libretto by Juan Tovar, based on the play by Octavio Paz and the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Starring Levi Hernandez as Rappaccini, alongside COT debutants Daniel Montenegro as Giovanni and Megan Pachecano as Beatriz, this Chicago premiere is directed by Crystal Manich and conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez both of whom make company debuts.

Remarkably, the timely plot threads scientific innovation and love at a distance La hija will be live-streamed from the Field Museum, world-renowned for its work in the natural sciences. The stunning hanging gardens in the main hall will be lowered to create the setting for this tale of botanical experimentation.

Brief synopsis: Dr. Rappaccini isolates his daughter Beatriz in an exotic garden overflowing with remarkable, but deadly, flowers. After glimpsing her beauty from his apartment window, a young medical student falls in love – but a dark secret threatens their romance. Rappaccini has been testing his toxic botanicals on Beatriz, and she has become poisonous to the touch.

Performed in Spanish with English subtitles, La hija de Rappaccini premieres April 24, 2021, at 7:30pm via Valhalla Media Live. Tickets are available for purchase until 7:30pm on Tuesday, April 27, at COT. Ticket-holders will have 72 hours to stream the opera.

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