MONIQUE KRÜS: THE TSAR, HIS WIFE, HER LOVER AND HIS HEAD

Performance: August 2, 3, 2013

Performance: August 22, 2013

COMPONIST: Monique Krüs

Libretto: Sjoerd Kuyper  

CAST

Regisseur: Jos Groenier

Intro

In 2013, 400 years of collaboration between The Netherlands and Russia are celebrated. For this special occasion Monique Krüs composed an opera on a libretto by Sjoerd Kuyper about the life of Tsar Peter the Great.

Six talented, youthful vocalists are selected for the roles in this production. The opera will be performed in the Coop Himmelblau Paviljoen of the Groninger Museum, an attractive and stylish location. Because the museum has a long tradition with Russian art this is a perfect location for this unique production. The same can be said of the Amsterdam Hermitage, which is the center of Russian arts and culture in The Netherlands, visited by Vladimir Putin himself.

Synopsis

Tsar Peter the Great feels his life is coming to an end. He is tired, his friends are dead and there is also the issue concerning Willem Mons, who is prosecuted for frauding with gouvernment money and who is said to have an affair with the Tsars wife... Enough reason for the Tsar to have a drink or two. At night ghosts from his past visit him in his dreams: his stephsister Sophia, his patron Matvejev, his close friend LeFort and his lover, Anna. Peter sees his life in playback in his dreams. When he wakes up he decides to spare Willem Mons life but he falls asleep again...

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Cast

Arash Roozbehi (bariton)

Baritone Arash Rozbehi was born in 1983 in Teheran. He started his vocal studies at the conservatoire in Teheran in 2003. He debuted as solo vocalist during a concert series at various Iranian and European competitions in cooperation with the National Radio and Television Youth Orchestra.

Since 2005 Arash studied with Susana Matrirosian at the Yerevan State Conservatoire in Armenia. During his studies he performed on many recitals and worked on various opera productions. At the age of 25 Arash already starred in big opera roles such as Renato in "Un ballo in Maschera", Silvio in "Pagliacci", Germont in "La traviata", Robert in "Iolanda" and Leporello in "Don Giovanni".

In 2011 Arash started his studies at the Artez Conservatoire in Zwolle where he was coached by Marjan Kuiper. He performed many oratoria by composers such as Fauré, Duruflé, Mozart, Puccini, Frank, both in The Netherlands and abroad. 

Carolina Luppers (soprano)

Dutch soprano Carolina Luppers started het Vocal studies in 2003 at the Hoogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht with Henny Diemer. In 2009 she got her bachelor degree and in 2011 her master degree at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague with Barbara Pearson and Diane Forlano. In 2009 she performed the role of Suor Angelica (Puccini) directed by Machteld van Bronckhorst. She also performed in the Blauwbaard-production of the Holland Opera and in masterclasses by Pierre Audi, where she performed the role of La Traviata by Verdi. In 2011 she performed the solo role od Le Roi David by Honegger in a direction of Herman Mussche. Carolina followed masterclasses with a.o. Charlotte Margiono, Eva Maria Westbroek, Derek Lee Ragin, David Prins, Gusta Gerritsen, Peter Kooij, Adriaan de Wit, Rudolf Janssen, Ira Siff and Kurt Equillus. 

Leon van Liere (tenor)

Leon van Liere started his vocal studies in 2004 with Frans Huijts at Codart, Rotterdam. In 2009 he received his bachelor degree and in 2012 his master degree. At the moment Leon is coached by Raymond Modesti. He followed masterclasses with Max van Egmond, Roberta Alexander, Carolyn Watkinson, Miranda van Kralingen, Vinson Cole, Udo Reinemann, John Dawson, Dennis O'Neill, Constantin Nica, Raymond Modesti, Rudolf Piernay, Alexander Oliver, Marcel Reijans, Brian Masuda and Rudolf Jansen.

Leon performes with various repertoire, from baroque music to romantic repertoire and modern compositions. He worked as solo tenor with conductors such as Jan Willem de Vriend, Philip Pickett, Hans Leenders, Béni Csillag, Wiecher Mandemaker, Benjamin Bakker and Gilles Michels. Last season he debuted in the At. Matthew Passion at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and performed at the Dutch National Opera Academy where he played the role of Il Podesta in Mozarts La Finta Giardiniera. Last summer he starred in Ravel's L'Heure Espagnol at the Peter de Grote Festival. Leon is also active as ensemble musician. He took part in the Rotterdamse Laurenscantorij and the Laurens Collegium Rotterdam and in a concert series of the Frommermann ensemble.

Tim Maas (bariton)

Already at an early age Tim discovered his passion for music. He was member of various choirs as soprano. In 2002 Tim won an episode of the television program Una Voce Particulare. In 2011 Tim graduatued as baritone at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague with Maria Acda-Maas. He continued his studies in Hamburg with Geert Smits. Besides this he followed masterclasses with vocalists such as Meinard Kraak, Frans Fiselier, Geert Smits, Cornelia Salje and Christoph Pregardien. Tim regularly performes as solo vocalist in lied recitals, at the Requiems of Mozart and Fauré, various Mozart-masses and Bach cantates. Last year he performed the role of Christ in Bach's St. Johns Passion and the arias of the St. Matthew Passion. In 2012 Tim sang in the Noordelijk Bach Consort in the Bach and Wedding-program. Besides this Tim also performed in Rage d'Amours, an opera by Rob Zuidam, with Otto Tausk as conductor.

Maartje Rammeloo

Maartje studies both voice and music theatre at the Fontys Conservatoire in Tilburg where she graduated cum laude for her masters degree in 2008, specializing in operette and classical music theatre. She was taught by a.o. Edward Hoepelman, Wilma Bierens and Hanneke Kaasschieter. Besides this she received masterclasses by Roberta Alexander, Elly Ameling, Bernarda Finck, Miranda van Kralingen and Edith Wiens. For five years she was coached by well known mezzosoprano Jard van Nes and now by Ira Siff and Peter Nilsson.

She performed in many operas such as Monica (The Medium, Menotti), Merab (Saul, Händel), Saffi (Der Zigeunerbaron, Strauss) and Adina (l'Elisir d'Amore, Donizetti) with companies such as the Nederlands Operette Theater, Muziektheater Transparant and Stichting Internationale Operaproducties. Maartje debuted at the Dutch Opera in the role of Prêtresse in Iphigénie and Tauride (Gluck), with director Pierre Audi.

In 2008 she received the Staetshuijs Fonds Prijs at the Internationaal Vocalisten Concours in Den Bosch, and in 2007 she was finalist at the Humor Wettbewerb of the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Last year she was awarded the Jo Bollenkamp Jury prize for best oratorium singer during the Nederlandse Vocalisten Presentatie. 

Esther Kuiper (mezzo-soprano)

Mezzo soprano Esther Kuiper studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory. She had lessons with Pierre Mak, Annett Andriesen, Sasja Hunnego, Margreet Honig, David Bollen and Hein Meens. Currently Esther is coached by Marion van den Akker. In 2009 she became a member of VocaalLAB where she had the opportunity to develop her skills in singing contemporary music, coached by Romain Bischoff. This activity was supported by funding from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. In 2011 Esther won the public award at the Presentation Concert of the Stichting Nederlandse Vocalisten Presentatie (a Dutch competition for oratorio singers). In 2012 she recieved the Klaas Dijkstra Award during the Peter de Grote Festival in Groningen. Esther sings oratoria, opera and Lied repertoire from different periods and styles.