50th-Anniverary Season of Washington National Opera to Feature Two New Productions

The season, which runs from September 17, 2005, through June 3, 2006, includes productions of Porgy and Bess, Das Rheingold, I vespri siciliani, L'elisir d'amore, La clemenza di Tito, and L'italiana in Algeri.

In addition, Domingo will sing what is being called a celebratory operatic "triple-bill": performances of three fully staged operatic acts, with Act II of Fedora, Act IV of Otello, and one other that is being kept a surprise. Five performances of this concert will be given between September 25 and October 9, 2005.

The production of Porgy and Bess (October 29-November 19, 2005) will be the company's first, and will be staged by Francesca Zambello, who has directed the Bregenz Festival's production of West Side Story, the Metropolitan Opera's staging of Les Troyens and who was recently tapped to direct the Little Mermaid.

Zambello will also direct Das Rheingold (March 25-April 14, 2006), beginning the company's first Ring cycle. WNO's music director Heinz Fricke will conduct.

The company's anniversary will also be celebrated in what Domingo described as a "star-studded gala," with more details to come later.

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