Opera Composed by Penn’s Jay Reise Celebrates 10th Anniversary in Russia
Celebrating its 10th year on stage in Russia, an opera composed by music professor Jay Reise will be performed in Moscow’s new Stravinsky Hall this fall.
The performances of Reise’s “Rasputin” by Russia’s Helikon Opera company are scheduled for Nov. 11 and 12 and will be conducted by Alexander Briger, founder and chief conductor of the Australian World Orchestra.
Reise wrote both the music and libretto for “Rasputin,” which was commissioned and premiered by the New York City Opera in 1988 under the late Beverly Sills. Known for his courses on music composition and theory, Reise has been a member of the Penn faculty since 1980.
The opera was given its Russian premiere in Moscow in 2008 by Helikon under the direction of Dmitry Bertman and has been a staple of the company’s repertory ever since. “Rasputin” was first performed in Helikon’s new state-of-the-art Stravinsky Hall in February.
Reise says, “I am very gratified to be celebrating this 10th anniversary of the Helikon Opera’s production of ‘Rasputin.’ Director Dmitry Bertman has created what is for me an ideal rendition that I hope will continue to speak to international audiences.”
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