
Abduction from the Seraglio 1959
A pasha proves his nobility…
…by granting his love her freedom. The scenic shores of the Mediterranean are the setting for Mozart’s virtuosic comic opera, and his first great operatic success.
Synopsis
Act I
Belmonte, a Spanish nobleman, has made his way to Turkey in search of Constanze, to whom he is betrothed. After being captured by pirates, Constanze, her English maid Blonde, and Pedrillo, servant to Belmonte, have all three been bought by the Pasha Selim and taken to his house on the seacoast of Turkey. The Pasha has made Constanze the favorite of his harem, despite the fact that she refuses to return his love. He employs Pedrillo as his gardener and has made a present of Blonde to his chief steward, Osmin. On his arrival at the house, Belmonte is refused admission by Osmin. Shortly afterwards Belmonte encounters Pedrillo who tells him all that has happened and proposes to introduce Belmonte to the Pasha as a famous architect. The Pasha enters with Constanze and pleads with her to marry him. She refuses, having sworn eternal fidelity to Belmonte. The Pasha gives her one day in which to change her mind. Pedrillo presents Belmonte to the Pasha, who courteously welcomes him. As Pedrillo leads Belmonte towards the house, Osmin tries to prevent them from entering, but without success.
Act II
Blonde and Osmin have a difference of opinion about Blonde’s role as a slave, Blonde expressing the English, Osmin the Turkish point of view. She finally chases Osmin away. The Pasha again presses his claims on Constanze but she still refuses to give in to him in spite of his threats to have her tortured. Pedrillo tells Blonde that Belmonte has arrived and is standing by, ready to rescue them by ship at midnight. Pedrillo invites Osmin to drink with him, having previously mixed a sleeping draught with the wine. Osmin overcomes his scruples about taking wine, drinks deeply and is pushed off to bed. Constanze and Belmonte are brought together by Blonde and Pedrillo.
Act III
Pedrillo serenades the ladies as their cue for escape. Osmin, roused by the guards, enters as the lovers are in the act of escaping. The lovers are arrested and brought before the Pasha. When the Pasha discovers that Belmonte is the son of a man who once did him great wrong, he prepares to have all four lovers tortured and put to death. Later he forgives them and, to Osmin’s rage, magnanimously grants them their freedom.
Artists

Saramae Endich
Soprano
Constanze
Saramae Endich
Hometown: Steubenville, OH
SFO Debut:
Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte, 1958
Past Seasons:
Countess Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro, 1967
Lady, Cardillac, 1967
Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni, 1963
Fiordiligi, Così fan tutte, 1962
The Virgin, Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1962
Constanze, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Mistress Alice Ford, Falstaff, 1958

Reri Grist
Soprano
Blonde
Reri Grist
Hometown: New York, NY
SFO Debut:
Blonde, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Past Seasons:
Adele, Die Fledermaus, 1959 (August 7 – 18)

Frank Porretta
Tenor
Belmonte
Frank Porretta
Hometown: Detroit, MI
SFO Debut:
Lord Richard Percy, Anna Bolena, 1959
Past Seasons:
Belmonte, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Leo Hubbard, Regina, 1959
Pinkerton, Madame Butterfly, 1959 (July 25 – August 12)

Andrew Foldi
Bass-baritone
Osmin
Andrew Foldi
Hometown: Budapest, Hungary
SFO Debut:
Doctor Bartolo, The Barber of Seville, 1957
Past Seasons:
Speaker, The Magic Flute, 1980
A Struggling Soul, Die Jakobsleiter, 1980
Schigolch, Lulu, 1979
Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro, 1976
Schigolch, Lulu, 1974
Baron Ochs, Der Rosenkavalier, 1968
Director, La bohėme, 1964
Baron Ochs, Der Rosenkavalier, 1963
Baron Ochs, Der Rosenkavalier, 1961
Benoit, La bohème, 1961
Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
Baron d’Houdoux, News of the Day, 1961
Don Magnifico, Cinderella, 1960
Master Spinelleccio, Gianni Schicci, 1960
Tiresias, Oedipus Rex, 1960
Bartolo, The Marriage of Figaro, 1960
Henry VIII, Anna Bolena, 1959
Osmin, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Doctor Bartolo, The Barber of Seville, 1959
Benoit/Alcindoro, La bohème, 1958
Don Alfonso, Così fan tutte, 1958
Pistol, Falstaff, 1958
Don Magnifico, Cinderella, 1958
Uberto, La serva padrona, 1957
Truffaldin. Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957

Nico Castel
Tenor
Pedrillo
Nico Castel
Hometown: Lisbon, Portugal
SFO Debut:
Fenton, Falstaff, 1958
Past Seasons:
John Styx, Orpheus in the Underworld, 1985
Don Curzio, The Marriage of Figaro, 1985
John Styx, Orpheus in the Underworld, 1983
A Notary, Don Pasquale, 1983
First Jew, Salome, 1967
Don Basilio, The Marriage of Figaro, 1967
Alfred, Die Fledermaus, 1959 (August 7 – 18)
Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville, 1959 (August 1 – 17)
Pedrillo, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
An Italian Tenor, Capriccio, 1958
Joseph, Wuthering Heights, 1958

Roy Lazarus
Bass
Selim Pasha
Roy Lazarus
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
SFO Debut:
Frosch, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Past Seasons:
Selim Pasha, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Bonze, Madame Butterfly, 1959
Horace Giddens, Regina, 1959
Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville, 1959

Robert Baustian
Conductor
Robert Baustian
Hometown: Storm Lake, IA
SFO Debut:
The Barber of Seville, 1957
Past Seasons:
Die Jakobsleiter, 1980
Pelléas et Mélisande, 1977
The Marriage of Figaro, 1976
The Cunning Little Vixen, 1975
Così fan tutte, 1975 (July 30)
La vida breve, 1975
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1975
The Magic Flute, 1974
Le Rossignol, 1973
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1973
The Marriage of Figaro, 1973
Pelléas et Mélisande, 1972
The Marriage of Figaro, 1971
The Magic Flute, 1971
The Marriage of Figaro, 1970
Le Rossignol, 1970
Le Rossignol, 1969
The Magic Flute, 1969
Die Jakobsleiter, 1968
Perséphone, 1968
The Elixir of Love, 1968
The Magic Flute, 1968
The Marriage of Figaro, 1967
Boulevard Solitude, 1967
The Barber of Seville, 1967
Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1966
Don Giovanni, 1966
Cinderella, 1966
The Marriage of Figaro, 1965
The Stag King, 1965
Lucia di Lammermoor, 1965
The Marriage of Figaro, 1964
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1964
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, 1963
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1963
Don Giovanni, 1963
Mavra, 1962
Joan of Arc at the Stake, 1962
La traviata, 1962
Così fan tutte, 1962
The Marriage of Figaro, 1961
The Ballad of Baby Doe, 1961
The Marriage of Figaro, 1960
Cinderella, 1960
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Cinderella, 1958
Falstaff, 1958
Così fan tutte, 1958
The Tower, 1957

Bliss Hebert
Director
Bliss Hebert
Hometown: Faust, NY
SFO Debut:
The Rake’s Progress, 1957
Past Seasons:
L’incoronazione di Poppea, 1986
Orpheus in the Underworld, 1985
The Tempest, 1985
Violanta, 1984
A Florentine Tragedy, 1984
Orpheus in the Underworld, 1983
Mignon, 1982
The Rake’s Progress, 1981
Erwartung, 1980
Von Heute auf Morgen, 1980
Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, 1979
Salome, 1979
Salome, 1978
Pelléas and Mélisande, 1977
The Marriage of Figaro, 1976
Salome, 1976
Carmen, 1975
La vida breve, 1975
L’enfant et les sortilèges, 1975
Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, 1974
The Magic Flute, 1974
Le Rossignol, 1973
L’enfant et les sortilèges, 1973
The Marriage of Figaro, 1973
The Merry Widow, 1973
Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, 1972
Pelléas and Mélisande, 1972
Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, 1971
The Magic Flute, 1971
The Marriage of Figaro, 1971
Le Rossignol, 1970
The Marriage of Figaro, 1970
The Rake’s Progress, 1970
Le Rossignol, 1969
The Magic Flute, 1969
The Magic Flute, 1968
Boulevard Solitude, 1967
Don Giovanni, 1966
The Rake’s Progress, 1966
The Stag King, 1965
L’enfant et les sortilèges, 1964
Rigoletto, 1964
Le Rossignol, 1963
Le Rossignol, 1962
The Rake’s Progress, 1962
The Rake’s Progress, 1960
Tosca, 1960
Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Regina, 1959
Falstaff, 1958

Patton Campbell
Costume Designer
Production Designer
Patton Campbell
Hometown: Omaha, NE
SFO Debut:
Madame Butterfly, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Past Seasons:
Tosca, 1969
Così fan tutte, 1969
Der Rosenkavalier, 1968
The Barber of Seville, 1967
The Rake’s Progress, 1966
The Barber of Seville, 1965
Così fan tutte, 1962 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
La bohème, 1961
The Rake’s Progress, 1960
Cinderella, 1960
Regina, 1959
The Barber of Seville, 1959
Abduction From the Seraglio, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Madame Butterfly, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Anna Bolena, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Die Fledermaus, 1959 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Capriccio, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Cinderella, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Wuthering Heights, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Falstaff, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Così fan tutte, 1958 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
La bohème, 1958 (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Ariadne auf Naxos, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Tower, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
La serva padrona, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Barber of Seville, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
The Rake’s Progress, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)
Così fan tutte, 1957 (Scenic, Costume & Lighting Designer)

Margaret Hillis
Chorus Master
Margaret Hillis
Hometown: Kokomo, IN
SFO Debut:
Chorus Master, Die Fledermaus, 1959
Past Seasons:
Conductor, Regina, 1959
Chorus Master, Anna Bolena, 1959
Chorus Master, Madame Butterfly, 1959
Chorus Master, Abduction from the Seraglio, 1959
Chorus Master, The Barber of Seville, 1959
Abduction from the Seraglio 1959
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